Revenge (Phoenix Undercover Book 3) (9 page)

Chapter 23

Leo

I would allow them this time.

I would give her some time with her child, but soon she would be mine.

She was of no use to me in her current condition.

I needed her to be healed from childbirth and at her best.

But our time was quickly approaching, and the location for our proper introductions was already set. And each time I thought of our impending sanctity, my mouth watered in need.

I wanted to feel her thrashing beneath me as I showed her what a real man was capable of. She would then know that what she feels with Joshua was nothing.

I could feel myself growing hard as I imagined the way her body would feel against me. Oh the things I wanted to do to Gabriella. I could almost taste her sweet essence on my tongue.

It was now only a matter of time before she became mine and Joshua Phoenix would know what it felt like to have someone fuck with his livelihood.

I took pleasure in knowing I would be the cause of his pain.

Chapter 24

Josh

“Mr. Phoenix!” Noel, the watchman for our building, hollered as we entered. I held Asher’s carrier close as he approached, holding an arrangement of flowers.

“These came for you while you were out,” he said. “I thought I would just hold them here for you.”

I looked over at Gabby just as she rose up on her toes and began to reach for the card. “Wait,” I said, and she froze with her hand extended above the arrangement.

“Who brought them?” I asked Noel.

“A local florist delivered them about thirty minutes after you left. A local place, young delivery guy.” Noel looked at Josh for a moment before he suddenly pulled the flowers back toward him.

“I’ll just hold these here for you until you get Ms. Shannon and the baby settled.” He took a step backward and I nodded in understanding as I nudged Gabby forward.

“Josh, I can carry the flowers, it’s no big deal.” Gabby started to reach for them and I held out my arm to stop her.

“No.”

She cocked her head to the side in question, but it must have been the uneasy look on my face that made her understand what was running through my mind.

“Let’s go upstairs,” she nodded as she began walking toward the elevator and I followed behind.

It truly could be nothing, and I understood that. But I also knew that everyone who had meant anything to us had already congratulated us. We had received flowers and gifts from everyone possible, and most everyone had already either called or showed up to see Asher.

The fact that two weeks later we had someone randomly deliver flowers just made me feel slightly uneasy.

I wasn’t willing to take the chance.

***

I hear congratulations are in order. Give them both a kiss for me.

The message was written and signed “Leo.” I doubted it was his own writing but the writing of someone at the florist. He was sending yet another message. He still wanted us to know he was watching us.

I thrust the card at Gray.

“I want someone down there now,” I told him. “I want every fucking person inside that shop questioned. I wanna know who called this order in and I want to know how they paid for it.”

I was trying to hold my shit together, but I was finding it real fucking hard. My hands shook as I fisted them; the need to hit something was pulling at me hard.

“Whatever it takes to track this order, we do it. I don’t give a fuck if we are breaking protocol, find out who this bitch is.” We were in the lobby of our building and my voice echoed throughout the open space.

“Let’s hope there’s a link,” Grayson said as he spun around on his heel and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“There is, Gray.” I knew there had to be some fucking way to find out where Leo was hiding. No one was this fucking good.

After about fifteen minutes of breathing, trying my very best to control the anger boiling inside me, I took the elevator back upstairs to my family.

I found Gabby lying on the bed with Asher next to her, wrapped securely in his blanket. She was wide awake as she watched him sleep.

Even after all the shit that had just gone down, I couldn’t help the warm feeling that filled me when I saw them both.

My life has always been a rush of adrenaline.

The need to do whatever it took to track the bad guys and bring them to justice had always been enough. It was all I thought I needed to be happy.

That was until I met a sassy brunette who saved me from the date from fucking hell. She won my heart in the first few minutes and I have never been the same since.

And now she had given me yet another piece I hadn’t known was missing.

I made my way toward them as I crawled up on the opposite side of our son and placed my palm against his tiny back.

Gabby giggled and I looked up at her.

“Your hand covers his entire lower half,” she pointed out, and I smiled in return. She was right.

I slid closer so that our faces were only inches apart and leaned in to place a gentle kiss to her lips. “I love you,” I told her.

She placed her fingertip against the space just between my eyes and ran it downward. “I love you too, handsome man, but why the frown?”

I didn’t want to worry her. It seemed I was always trying to keep the darkness from her. Gabby was my light, and I didn’t want it all to bring her down the way it had me. It wasn’t fair to her.

She had never asked for any of this.

“I’m just tired, sweetheart,” I told her, twisting my head enough to kiss her fingertip that rested against my cheek. “Having you both here, it just makes everything fall into place, and I can finally relax.”

She hadn’t asked about the flowers. I knew with Asher occupying her mind, it was only a matter of time before she brought it up, but right now I would accept the peace.

It seemed we rarely got it anymore.

***

I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. I was only going to close my eyes for a moment, but the ringing of my cell phone alerted me I had in fact given in to my exhausted state.

Careful in my movements, fearing that Asher may be snuggled at my side, I moved slowly.

I looked up to find Gabby holding Asher against her chest as she fed him, smiling at me as she held my phone out in my direction.

She asked no questions as I took it from her and looked at the screen.

Grayson’s name flashed, and a rush of uncertainty ran through me. I wasn’t sure I couldn’t take hearing another form of disappointment when it came to the capture of the man terrorizing those I loved.

“Hey,” I said as I sat up and crawled from the bed. “Tell me you got some news for me,” I added as I stepped out into the hallway and began walking toward the kitchen.

“Trevor was able to tap into the florist’s system and find the credit card used to purchase the flowers.” He paused, and I braced myself against the countertop, waiting for him to share the news.

“You’re not gonna like this, boss,” he said.

“Didn’t think I would,” I replied as my heart beat rapidly in my chest.

“The flowers were purchased using the corporate card of Anderson, Kline, and Meyer Real Estate Firm.” My breathing instantly became more ragged. “Trevor did a little further investigating, and there are only three people who have access to this card, only one of them being of the female persuasion.”

“Margo,” I said before he could finish.

“Yep,” Gray replied, making a popping sound with the p.

“I want her found.” I was already moving toward the bedroom in search of my wallet and keys.

“We’re on it, Josh. We’ve got a team going to the firm, plus Trevor, Connor, and I are on our way to her place now,” he assured me.

I rounded the corner and my eyes locked on Gabby’s. At first she smiled until she picked up on my mood and her lips changed to a frown.

“Call Brook and Audrey. I want them here with Gabby,” I told him. “I’ll call Terrance and George and get them here until you and I can return. I want her found, Gray. This all needs to end.”

“I agree with ya, brother. We’ll call you when we know something.” He ended the call and Gabby was already moving in my direction.

“What’s going on, Josh? And don’t tell me nothing.” She held Asher close. “Because I know if you do, you’ll be lying.”

“Sit down, baby.” I held my hand out toward the bed, and she immediately starting shaking her head no. “Trust me, Gabby, you’ll want to sit down for this.”

I didn’t really want to tell her what we just found out, but I knew she needed to know.

“We found out who the woman is that’s been helping Leo,” I began to explain.

“I know her, don’t I?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “You know her.”

I watched as she braced herself for the news.

“It’s Margo,” I whispered, and a soft cry escaped her.

Chapter 25

Leo

“How in the hell could you have been so fucking stupid?” My voice echoed off the walls as I charged toward the bitch. Margo cowered next to the desk in the hotel room.

“I said to pay with fucking cash.” Before she could respond I lashed out and my hand connected with the side of her face.

“I’m sorry,” she cried, holding her face. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“That seems to be an ongoing trend with you, Margo. Now those bastards are swarming your office and your apartment in search of you.” I reached out and grabbed a fistful of her hair, dragging her toward the bed. “You’ve ruined everything.”

She tried to console me, making promises to fix everything, but I knew she couldn’t. Nothing could fix this. They would interrogate her until she gave away my position.

She was weak. So fucking weak.

Rage engulfed me, and I began hitting her over and over.

The sound of flesh impacting flesh, mixed with her screams, only drove me further.

Gaining control of my anger, I looked down at her and found she appeared lifeless, blood pooling on the bedspread beneath her.

And I felt absolutely no remorse. She was just a toy in my game. She had served her purpose; I no longer needed her services.

I left the hotel room quickly, leaving behind the shell of who Margo used to be.

It now appeared I may have to move my plans ahead a few weeks.

Chapter 26

Gabby

I now knew what Josh felt when he found out Frank had betrayed them. I couldn’t get past the knowledge that a woman I thought to be my friend was so willing to help a madman terrorize me.

What was her reasoning behind it?

And what in the hell did she have to gain?

I had been sitting in my living room for close to three hours. My sisters were at my sides as I stared ahead at the television, unable to concentrate on what was playing.

My focus kept shifting toward Terrance and George who had now both taken up residence at my kitchen snack bar.

Each man had a laptop before them and their phones within reach.

I hated the unknown. It was fucking eating me alive.

There I sat, pretending to not care that the man I loved rushed out of our apartment in search of the woman who may hold the key to finally being able to pinpoint Leo’s location.

It all left my stomach in knots.

Asher was snuggled up on Brook’s chest as Audrey sat with her phone to her ear. She had been talking to Mike for fifteen minutes, filling him in on the details of the last few hours.

The poor guy was still laid up in bed and I knew it was driving him insane.

I jumped when my own phone rang from its position on the coffee table before me.

I grabbed it quickly and a flutter of hope rushed through my stomach when I saw it was Josh calling.

“Hello,” I said in a rush, my heart racing.

“Hey, babe.” He sounded defeated.

“You didn’t find her, did you?”

“No.” I hung my head as soon as he spoke the words.

Would we ever fucking catch a god-damn break? Or would we be forced to live this way for the rest of our lives?

Hiding out.

Always looking over our shoulder.

“We’ve spoken with almost all the agents at the firm. We went to her apartment. No one has seen her since late last night.” Josh sounded as disappointed as I felt. “We’re not giving up, baby, we’ll find her,” he assured me, and I knew he would do everything he could to make that happen.

“The guys are gonna stay there with you girls.” Josh covered his phone for a moment, yet I could hear the muffled tone of him speaking to someone else before he returned back to me. “We’re gonna be wrapped up here for a while. I want to talk to some more neighbors, and I think we’ll remain stationed outside hoping she returns sometime tonight.”

“I just want you home,” I confessed.

Suddenly I felt needier than I had in a very long time.

I wanted him to wrap me in his arms and tell me that this mess would soon be over.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can, sweetheart,” Josh whispered.

I knew this was tearing him up as much as it was me.”

“I love you, Gabby,” he added. “Give my boy a kiss from his daddy.”

Tears filled my eyes as I whispered in return, “We love you.” My throat felt as if it was made of sandpaper.

***

It was sometime after midnight when I felt the mattress dip at my side, just before the strong arms of the man I loved circled me.

He held me close, just breathing me in.

Neither of us spoke. There was nothing to say.

Being in his arms said it all. And for tonight I completely accepted this moment, without allowing Leo and his fucked up world to taint it.

I wouldn’t give him tonight because it was for Josh and me.

I turned in his arms and buried my face in his chest, falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, a steady rhythm beating against my ear.