Lies (Phoenix Undercover #1) (14 page)

Chapter 32

Gabriella

“Hey, sis. Can I come in?” Brook asked as she poked her head inside my bedroom door.

“Sure,” I said as I forced my tired body to sit up. I had cried for what felt like twenty-four hours straight. I couldn’t get the images of my sister kneeling before Josh out of my head.

The room was dark, but I could see Brook’s shadow move across the wall before she sat at the edge of my bed.

“I know the last thing you want right now is company, but…” She paused, and my stomach tensed at the thought of Josh being in the other room. Was I ready to see him?

“Josh’s friend Greyson is here.”

Disappointment filled me. No, I was more than sure I wasn’t ready to see him, but to send his friend? What the hell were we doing, rehashing high school?

“I don’t think I want to go over what happened between Josh and Audrey with his best friend. It was bad enough that I had to hear it once, then repeat it to you. I can’t do it again.” I hadn’t planned on telling Brook the details, but when she found me crying on our kitchen floor, I had no choice.

“I don’t think that’s why he’s here. He said it was important and he needed to know when the last time you saw Josh was.” That caught my attention. “He really looks worried.”

I scrambled from my bed and darted down the hall, where I skidded to a stop before not only Greyson but another guy from the bureau. I think his name was Mike.

“Hey, Gabby,” Greyson said as he turned to face me. “Listen, I don’t want to be a bother. I know right now things between you and Josh are confusing.” “Confusing” was the understatement of the year. “But, um…” He paused and took in a deep breath. “I, uh, need to know when the last time you saw him or even talked to him was.”

“Last night,” I answered without hesitation. “When he and my sister showed up here to tell me how she was forced to suck him off.”

Mike’s eyes grew and Greyson stared at me in shock. “Listen, Gabby, it isn’t really my place to say anything, but Josh is my best friend. I may not know your sister very well, but I can assure you that scene between them was nothing short of torture for both of them. I have never seen two people more scared and disgusted than they were.”

My stomach tensed at the description.

“They didn’t even make it very far before your sister puked all over Josh’s lap. Believe us when we say what you’re imagining in your head right now couldn’t be further from the truth,” Mike added, and I instantly felt nauseous.

“I don’t mean to alarm you, but we’ve been unable to reach Josh since he left the office yesterday,” Greyson said, and my stomach lurched with fear.

“What do you mean, ‘unable to reach’ him?” My hands trembled and my heart raced.

“We’ve checked his place and even his family’s, but he’s not there. We did find his car parked about half a block away from here, though.”

“After they told me what happened last night, I made them both leave.” I didn’t want to let myself imagine the worst, but I had to bring it up. “Maybe you should check with my sister Audrey. They walked out together, so she would have been the last to see him, at least after they left here. Maybe she knows where he went.”

“Do you think you could give us a way to reach her?” Mike asked.

“Yeah,” my voice cracked as I walked toward the counter that separated the kitchen and living area. I pulled open the drawer on the end and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. After jotting down Audrey’s phone number, I turned back to face both men.

“Here is her number.”

Greyson reached for the paper, and his eyes met mine. “He really cares for you, Gabby. I can assure you that he would never set out to hurt you. This job was hard for him. After he met you, the things he once strived for were suddenly rearranged. And you placed on top.”

My eyes filled with tears, and I nodded. I’d been wrong, and it was hard to accept. My throat burned as I fought back the emotions that were taking over.

The men turned and walked toward the door, and I followed as the tears trailed over my cheeks. After they stepped out, Mike looked over his shoulder and offered me a gentle smile.

“Can you let me know when you find him? I need to know he’s okay. I may not deserve to know, but—”

Greyson placed his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll let ya know.”

I only nodded as they walked toward the elevators. The anger I’d felt today didn’t seem to matter now. The only thing that did was Josh and whether or not he was okay.

***

Hours later, there was still no word from Josh or even Greyson, and I was a nervous wreck as I sat on the couch or paced the room. I had attempted to call Josh’s number over half a dozen times without an answer.

Brook sat at my side the entire time, trying her best to offer me the support I needed but didn’t feel worthy of.

We both jumped at the light knock on the door, and I stood and scrambled to answer it so fast, I almost tripped over the coffee table. Taking no time to look who was on the other side, I jerked it open.

My heart sank as I found Audrey standing there. She looked drained and unsure of what to say.

“Do you know where he is?” I asked.

She only shook her head, and my hope fell just a little more.

“We left here right after. Well, I left. He actually said he needed to walk for a bit. So as I drove off, he sat down on the bench outside your building. I don’t know how long he sat there.” She looked down at her feet nervously before looking back at me. “We never meant to hurt you, Gabby, I swear. If I could have assured our safety any other way, I would have run from that warehouse without looking back, but I couldn’t. You just don’t understand how dangerous Leo is.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and my throat tightened.

“I would never hurt you like that. You’re my sister, and I adore you. I always have. Just remembering that night is driving me crazy, and it kills me to know we caused you heartache.” She sobbed through her words, and I felt my own sobs shaking through me.

“Josh said he wanted you back. He said he would do anything to do that, so we both agreed to tell you together. I think we both hoped if we explained everything, you would forgive us. And then maybe we could work on forgiving ourselves.”

I was battling between hugging her and slapping her. I hated that she touched him in any way, but I was beginning to understand there was truly no other option. I also felt like smacking her because how the hell could she put her life in danger like that? Did she not realize what it would do to our family if we lost her?

The need to hug her won out as I pulled her against me. She in turn wrapped her arms around me tightly and cried hard against my shoulder.

I guided her to the couch, and we all curled together as we waited to hear anything about Josh and his whereabouts. And when the morning light shined through the large glass door that led out to the balcony, my heart ached because I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Something was wrong.

Chapter 33

Josh

My head fell to the side as another blow struck my cheek.

“We’ll do this for as long as it takes, Joshua.” Leo smiled menacingly.

He knew exactly who I was. He had spent every day since our last encounter at the warehouse, watching my every move, even having me followed, waiting for the perfect time to attack. He knew I was with the FBI, and he also knew where I lived.

“I have great plans for all of you,” he said as he twisted the knife in his hand. “Greyson and Mike,” he continued, and the adrenaline rose within me once more. I would do anything I could to keep either of them from going through what I was.

“Oh, and then sweet little Audrey. Yeah, she fooled me, but she’ll get what’s coming to her. And let’s not forget your girl—what’s her name again?”

I looked up at him through my good eye, and he smiled up at Nicolay.

“Gabriella,” Nic said, and strength immediately coursed through me.

“Don’t you fucking touch her. She has nothing to do with this,” I growled as I pulled at the rope that bound my hands behind me to the chair. “I’ll fucking kill you.”

Leo chuckled. “She may not have anything to do with what the four of you have done to me, but I can assure you, I will make good money for pussy like that. Hell, maybe I could sell her and her sister as a package deal.” His menacing laugh sickened me.

I knew the attempt would be pointless, but I had to try anyway. I surged forward and jerked my hands as the ropes bit into my skin. I looked up just in time to see Leo raise the knife and pull back.

“You can die knowing that I plan on testing out Gabriella before I sell her to the highest bidder.” He grinned widely as he brought the knife forward. I braced myself for it just before a loud crash filled the room.

Gunfire and yelling erupted around me, and I watched as Leo darted through a steel door. Nicolay tried to follow, only to find the door was now locked from the other side. He spun around in panic, looking for another exit.

Suddenly, the room was filled with police and the familiar faces of the men I call my brothers. I looked up to meet Greyson’s stare, and a deep sob shook me as I sagged forward and waited for them to free me.

***

“He is squealing like a pig,” Mike said as he entered the conference room. “Fucking telling it all, man. We have locations, merchandise. We have names of men all over the city that have been working with Leo. That man has been playing Roman.”

“Yeah,” I said through gritted teeth. I was pretty fucked up, and even breathing hurt.

After the paramedics checked me over, I was brought back to the bureau in an unmarked car through the back entrance. I still wasn’t sure why I was forced to stay here in hiding.

“Where’s Frank?” I asked as I shifted on the couch.

“He’ll be in soon. He was with Greyson and Nicolay.”

I cocked an eyebrow. Something didn’t seem right.

“It ain’t my place, man. Just wait for Frank,” Mike said as he held his hands up.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I laid my head back against the couch and closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion of the last couple days take over.

The sound of the door opening startled me, and I lifted my head, wincing once again at the sudden movement. It still ached from the impact with the ground and from the treatment I’d received at Leo’s hands.

Frank, Greyson, and another man I didn’t recognize stepped inside and closed the door behind them. They all took a seat at the table, and I waited for them to tell me what the fuck was going on.

“Josh.” Frank nodded and then looked toward the man I had not yet been introduced to. “This is Sheppard. He’s with DEA and is Ms. Shannon’s boss.”

I nodded, still clueless as to what the hell was happening.

“We have been inside Leo’s operation for more than six months and still have men on the inside at several of his locations. Ms. Shannon was not the only agent we had assigned to this case,” Sheppard said. “We have enough on Leo to put him away for a very long time, but the problem is he’s now spooked. Nicolay has given us quite a lot of helpful information, and we believe if we play this out correctly, we’ll not only bring down Leo but find Roman as well.”

I laughed sarcastically because I’d heard that more than once. Hell, I lied to myself for months thinking the same fucking garbage.

“You see, Josh, Roman knew about the three of you.”

Now that caught my attention. “Come again?” I said as I sat forward and looked between Greyson and Mike before returning my stare to Sheppard.

“It was Roman who put the bounty on each of your heads. In order for Leo to live, the three of you had to die. Sort of a loyalty test.” He paused as he let his gaze wander to Frank for a split second. “Now we both know Leo will die anyway in the end, but once he succeeds in taking you out, Roman will resurface.”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re saying here. The three of us have to die so you can capture Roman?” I felt like my head was spinning.

“Now, Josh, you’re already dead,” Sheppard said with a smile.

I didn’t fucking like this guy. He was fucked, and honestly he was starting to really piss me off.

Greyson stood from the chair and walked around the edge of the table before taking a seat on the couch next to me. “Nicolay will report back to Roman that you are dead.”

“And why the fuck would he do that?” I asked.

“Because,” Sheppard interrupted once more, “Nicolay is one of my men, and his real name is Nick Watson. He will remain undercover because we’ll be releasing him.”

I looked over at Mike, and he appeared as shocked as I was by the news that Nicolay was one of us. Seems that information was only shared with Greyson and Frank. The feeling of betrayal burned in me as I looked between two of the men I considered to be family. How could they keep that shit from the rest of us?

“We’ve got to play this out, Josh. You know that,” Greyson said. “Otherwise, we’ll be living in fear of Leo popping us when we least expect it. We all die, man, their way or Leo’s way. I don’t know about you, but I prefer Sheppard and Frank’s way.”

“You should’ve told me about Nicolay,” I said to Grey.

“Just found out myself, brother. I thought we’d caught Leo’s right-hand man. I went into that interrogation room thinking we had the key to Leo and were gonna hang his ass for what he put you though.” Grey shook his head and looked up at Frank in irritation. “Instead I found out all we had done was brought in one of our own.”

My fucking day just kept getting better.

“So Nick will wait for Leo to contact him, and we’ll plan your funeral.” Sheppard looked fucking happy as hell, and I was finding it real hard not to jump over the table and break his fucking face.

“What about my family? What about Gabby?” I asked as I made eye contact with Frank.

“I’m sorry, son, but they’ve all gotta believe you’re dead,” he replied, and anger filled my core.

I stood up and stepped aggressively toward the table. “So not only do I have to go into hiding, I have to fucking crush my family in the process. This is fucked, Frank, and you know it.”

“Would you rather walk back out onto those streets and risk the safety of each one of them?” Sheppard asked. “Have Leo go after the people you love and in the end, lose one of them?”

“Leo threatened Audrey and Gabby. When he had me tied to that chair about to finish me off, he threatened their safety. What the fuck is the plan for that?” I asked, refusing to look at Sheppard.

“They’ll be protected. There are three agents being planted within their lives. They won’t know who they are, but I can assure you, they will be safe,” Sheppard offered, and for the first time in the last ten minutes, I accepted what he said without argument.

“So what do we do now?” I asked.

“We break the news to your family,” Greyson stated. “And to Gabby.”

I swallowed hard and let my body sink back to the couch. The idea of hurting all of them was tearing me apart.