“Her name is Jessica Parks. And she’s alive and well.”
“What?”
“I didn’t kill anyone. I told you to trust me.”
“But I saw you shoot her and throw her overboard.”
“You heard a gunshot go off. I tossed her overboard, but minutes before, I texted my unit to have a boat on the side to catch her. The gunshot was a decoy, so if anyone was listening, they would believe I followed through with my orders.”
“But I saw—”
“Addy, you had your eyes shut. Then I shot you with a tranquilizer. You were out within seconds. I got us off the boat and took you home. I stayed with you to make sure you didn’t have any adverse reactions to the drug, then left.”
No…I don’t believe… The memory of the pinch I felt just before everything went black surfaces. “Fine, then why did you come for me at work? You could have let me go.”
“I wanted to, but it was too late. I’d raised too many questions, and my team and I thought it was best to keep the ruse going. We were so close, we didn’t want anything to tip Vincent off.”
“Oh wow! And what a great time to mention you’re a cop. And more importantly that I would have my entire life turned upside down. You cost me a story, and probably my job. How do I pay rent now? Eat? Once your job is complete, what happens to me, huh?”
Anger bubbles in my chest. I bite down so hard on the inside of my cheek to fight back my tears, I get the taste of metallic on my tongue.
“Addy, just listen—”
I violently shake my head. “I’m done listening. I’m done being your puppet. You and your job can screw off. And if you think I’m backing off now, you have another thing coming. We’re done here. I want to go home. Where’s your buddy? I want to go home!” I shout. My body is starting to shut down. I bow my shoulders and squeeze my eyes closed, wishing this all away. Soon, there will be no strength left in me, and I would prefer to break down in private.
“Addy—”
“Get away from me!” I scream as the door opens and Agent Bishop walks back in.
“We okay in here?”
“Fine,” Logan snaps, backing off.
“I want him out of here. I don’t feel safe around him.”
Logan whips around, taken aback by my words. “You’re fuckin’ kidding me—”
“Broderick, stand down. Go take a minute.”
Logan glares at me for another second, then storms out, slamming the door behind him.
“Miss Finch, we need to talk.”
“I want to go home,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself.
“I’m sure you do, but it gets a little tricky, you see. Now that you’re involved in this case, it would be detrimental to all the work Agent Broderick has done if you suddenly…disappeared.”
I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but I guarantee I’m not going to like it. “What are you getting at, Agent?”
“We’re going to need you to stay on board and work with Logan a bit longer.”
They are out of their ever-loving minds. Go back and continue playing Logan’s precious girlfriend? They are completely mad.
“No way. Count me out.” I cross my arms over my chest, wincing at the pain in my bandaged hand.
“Miss Finch, we wouldn’t voluntarily put you in harm’s way, but you’ve found yourself in the middle of an important case, and it’s vital we see it through.”
Logan walks back in, looking calmer than when he left. He eyes me, but I turn my back to him, giving him the cold shoulder.
“So, you’re gonna ignore me now?” My silence answers for me. “Fine, I’ll do the talking. We need to talk about what happened with Chino and Francesca Vaughn.” It’s impossible to hide the shudder that travels through me. The image of her dead eyes and all the blood.
“Can you talk about it?” Agent Bishop asks in a softer manner.
“That I got somebody shot? No thanks.”
Logan comes closer, and I scoot my chair farther away. “Addy, that’s not on you. She had a target on her head before you came into the picture.”
“Then someone should have warned her!”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“Oh, and how does it work? My childish brain would like to know.”
“Would you knock it off!”
“No!” I yell.
“Please, you two—” Agent Bishop tries to intervene, but Logan cuts him off.
“Whether you like it or not, we need to talk about it. You need to tell me what Chino said to you. What do you think he knows?”
I refuse to answer him and look at Agent Bishop. “He said he knows I stole the invitation. He’s on to us and knows I’m not Logan’s real girlfriend.”
“Did he say anything or give you any indication of how he knows that?” Logan asks.
While still looking at the other agent, I reply, “He said it was out of character for Logan. That night at the gala, when he walked up to us, Logan seemed off.”
“Fuck,” he growls. “What did you say?”
I throw my hands up and finally look at Logan “I didn’t say anything. I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about. He insisted I knew who Francesca was, and when I insisted I didn’t, he shot her right in front of me. He didn’t get a chance to get the truth out of me because I ran.”
“What happened next?”
“Well, let’s see, he tried to rape me, so I stabbed him in the side with a shard of glass and got the heck out of there. Did you want exact details of me begging for my life on the floor, or does that suffice?”
“Jesus, Addy—”
“Oh, don’t give me your sympathy bull crap!”
“It’s not bullshit!” he yells back. “You can choose not to believe me and be pissed at me. Fine. I’ll accept that. I’ll own up to the shit I did. But you keep this up, and we’re both as good as dead. Or, you can work with me for the next forty-eight hours—your choice. You claim to want to put a stop to Vincent and help those girls, then prove it.”
That bastard. He knows darn well I want nothing more than to expose Vincent. “I’ll do what you need me to do. But once we’re done, I hope to never see you again.”
“You got it, baby cakes.”
“You’re intolerable.”
“Right back at—”
“Enough!” Agent Bishop snaps. “Both of you. We need to focus on the next two days. This case went from a drug bust to much, much more. Our intel says Leoni expects around seven, possibly ten containers to arrive at Calumet Harbor. We’re guessing those containers each house close to forty girls.”
A wave of nausea hits me, and I cover my mouth.
“Hey, you okay—?”
Logan comes toward me, but I slap his hand away. “Don’t touch me.” I need to take a few deep breaths. “Renaldo mentioned some of the product was lost. Those girls are dying in there. We have to get them out.”
“I know, and we will. We just have to play our cards right.” Agent Bishop drops a folder onto the table and spreads photos of mugshots in front of me. “Addy, now that you know what’s going on, we’re going to need you to also be aware of the people around you. Vincent deals with some heavy hitters. Since you’ve been alone with Vincent twice now, do any of these people look familiar? Anyone he may have come in contact with?”
I lean in and scan the photos. “I was never really around anyone but him and his henchmen.” I throw a jab at Logan, giving him a nasty look.
“Maybe anyone at the restaurant?”
“I told you, no.” Agent Bishop shares a look with Logan, then nods.
“When Vincent had his meeting with Renaldo Valdez, was the contact he had on his payroll mentioned for the Calumet Harbor?”
“No, just that he had it taken care of.”
“Did Renaldo look like he knew who the contact was? Did he pry for any information on who it could be?”
“No. I mean, I don’t know. Vincent seemed bored by the whole interaction. Look, why
are you still sitting here? Why don’t you just go intercept those containers? Why are you waiting? Innocent girls can die between now and then.” I become anxious imagining those poor girls. Have they been fed? Are they able to breathe in there? “This is ridiculous. You’re wasting your time on me!”
Logan steps toward me, but the look I’m giving him must indicate I’ll claw his eyes out if he comes any closer, and he stops.
Agent Bishop takes the lead. “We would if we could, but we got word Vincent has yet to set up the shipment for delivery at Calumet. Which means he doesn’t plan on the containers going there. Right now, we’re going in blind.”
This time, I do turn to Logan. “But he showed you his plans. The paperwork that had Calumet highlighted?”
“And we think it’s a decoy. We think Vincent has the containers being rerouted under Renaldo’s nose. They’re his waterways, therefore he can grant those orders and Renaldo wouldn’t get wind until the last minute.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand. Why would he scam Renaldo? He wants his business.”
Logan speaks up. “We think so. But he wants to cut Renaldo out and take his whole business. Like I said before, when he wants something, he takes it.”
“Oh, we’re back to that? Well, it’s too bad he doesn’t want you that bad!”
“Grow up—”
“Knock it off!” Agent Bishop snaps. “This is serious. A lot of lives are at stake. I need you both to play nice. I won’t have this blown over your lover’s quarrel—”
“It’s not a lover’s quarrel!” we spit out simultaneously.
He shakes his head at us. “I don’t care what it is. I need you focused, Broderick.” He looks at his phone. “Chino’s just been spotted entering his house. Time to go.”
I gaze back and forth between them. “Wait, time for what?” Suddenly, I feel way safer sitting in this room and may stay here until all this blows over.
“The best thing we can do right now is to act normal. We have eyes on Chino. Which means he’s not lingering in the area looking for you. And Vincent’s phone is tapped. If there’s any indication he’s onto you, we’ll pull you instantly. Until then, we go on as planned.”
Act normal. Which means go home with Logan and pretend I don’t want to rip his head off. “And the girls?”
“Miss Finch, our goal is to safely bring them back to their families. Right now, keep your ears and eyes open. With Vincent being enthralled with you, it’s important to be aware. If you find yourself alone with him or in a situation that may be helpful—”
“She’s not gonna be alone with him again—”
“And you’re not my keeper.”
“No, I’m the one who fucking—”
“Jesus! Do I need to put you two in timeout? Broderick, you’re already on thin ice. Let’s not give the department any more reason to suspend you.”
That gets my attention. I look at Logan, but he refuses to make eye contact.
“Whatever. Let’s go, babe.” He turns and tries to escort me out, but I thrust his hand off me and storm out of the room. “Other way,” he growls, and I whip around, changing routes. I have no idea where I’m going. Darn it! He finally leads us to a private exit where his Challenger is parked.
I climb into his car but fumble with the seatbelt and can’t latch it with my wounded hand. “Here, let me—”
“I can buckle myself,” I snap. He’s lucky he’s quick because he just avoided me bashing his head in the door in the process.
I angle myself toward the window and ignore him the entire ride.
He pulls up to his place, and I hop out of the car and stomp up his driveway. He’s right behind me, unlocking his front door. “Do you need me to look at your hand?”
“Look at this.” I raise my middle finger, and a thrill runs through me. I’ve never actually flipped anyone off.
“Real mature, Addy.”
I spin around, facing him. “Oh, and you are? Lying to me? Using me? I gave up my chances at a real break in my career. A story that would have changed my life. For what? And you wanna know the worst of it? I actually cared about you. I wanted so much for you to find a better life. Get out from all this ugliness. I was willing to sacrifice for that. For you. But little naïve me, you already had it.”
He storms toward me. “And I told you, I was doing my job.”
“So, taking everything away from me was doing your job? My job? My life? Were all those things you said to scare me off even true, or was it just to get me to back off?”
He scoffs. “After everything you’ve seen and heard, you think I’m fucking pulling your chain here?”
“Who knows! You seem to be willing to do anything to not mess up your operation. Case in point, sleeping with me. Well, no need to schmooze me anymore. Your true intentions are clear. I’ll never forgive you for allowing me to fall for you—” The words leave my lips before my brain even registers what I just said. Ugh, stupid mouth! “That’s not what I meant. I don’t even like you.”
“Addy—”
He takes a step closer, and I retreat one back. “For what it’s worth, I was faking it too. Yep! All that moaning and groaning and ‘Wow, Logan, do that again’—it was all fake.”
Logan hisses while tossing his fingers through his hair. “Give me a break.”
“Yeah! You weren’t the only one pretending. I wanted the story, so I was trying to seduce you to get it.”
“Seduce me?”
I cross my arms over my chest, so he doesn’t notice my nipples hardening. “I was…oh, wait…you thought…that…” I throw my head back and laugh. “Oh my God, you thought that was real? That I was actually into you?”
“Addy, you just admitted you’ve fallen for me.”
“Platonic. Friendly. The feelings I would have for a pet rock.” His nostrils flare as he takes another step toward me, and I almost trip back.
“Keep lying to yourself, baby cakes. You were like putty in my hands.”
“Pffft! Yeah right. Not a chance. And for the record, you’re a horrible lover.” Gah! That may be drawing the line. His face explodes with fury. Shoot. I didn’t just poke the bear. I detonated him.
He stalks up to me, eliminating the remaining space between us. “Is that so…?”
I raise my chin, fighting to hold my ground. “Yep. Worst ever. Like…like…” He’s too close. My mouth is suddenly bone dry. Whatever else I want to say is made impossible with my tongue now stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“Tell me just how horrible I am.”
His eyes sear into mine. It’s as if he’s in my head, seeing all the naughty images of him—his hands, his mouth, his thick cock filling me to my deepest depths. His pupils dilate, his eyes becoming dark as night. I inhale a quick breath and take a step back. A hurricane of anger, regret, and lust brews between us and the chaos becomes too raw, shattering the barely held together dam. I take another step back as if the distance will stop us, but it’s too late for that. The storm we’ve been fighting rages, and neither of us stands a chance.
The walls we’ve put up explode, and we launch forward, clawing at each other like crazed animals. There is no kissing away the doubt or caressing one’s uncertainties. This is raw and savage. His hands, rough and unforgiving, grip my butt and lift me up, pushing me against the doorframe. The sweet praises and gentle kisses are nonexistent as he hikes my skirt up and rips my panties to the side. There’s no restraint as he shoves down his jeans, finds my hot, throbbing center, and drives inside me.
My head falls back at how deep he is. The anger in each movement. The fullness as he takes me with no remorse. “Don’t think you’ve won. This is doing nothing for me,” I pant, biting at my bottom lip. “And for the record, the only reason I’m going along with this is that I saw one of Vincent’s men spying.” My lies cause him to work harder, deeper, into me. His anger is a deadly cocktail of lust, desire, and need. The feel of him is so intoxicating, I fear I’m going to bite through my lip. I arch
my head back, and he doesn’t waste a second, feasting his wet lips down my neck.
“I’m sure you did. And I’ll pretend you being sopping, fucking wet for me is pretend too.” I squeeze his hair harder. A breathless moan falls off my tongue as my back slides up the door. I gasp, panting with each thrust. I fear I’m going to explode into a million pieces around him. “You still pretending, baby?”
“Yes,” I pant, riding his cock.
“Tell me, how far do you want to pretend? Want me to keep fucking you against the door? Take you into the bedroom and fuck you from behind? How about that little thing I do with my tongue that made you scream—”
I tug violently on his thick hair. Every inch of my skin is on fire.
“If you think I’m just going to bow to you, you have another thing coming.”
“Good. It’s about time I see your feisty side.” If I thought I was losing grip on reality before, the moment his lips capture mine, I free-fall into euphoria. His mouth is my end-all, the last of my will. He kisses me, hard and relentless and I become just as frantic, our tongues colliding in desperation for control.
My legs start to tremble as he mercilessly powers in and out of me. “Fuck, you’re so stubborn.” In and out. “Admit you want this and I’ll give you what you really want.”
“Never.” My eyesight starts to short out as he slams back into me. My mouth parts and my head slams against the door as a cry of pleasure escapes my lips. My walls clench around him as my sex starts to spasm.
Logan suddenly shoves off the wall.
Without missing a beat, he turns with me in his arms and starts down the hall. He tosses me onto the bed, latches onto my skirt, and rips it down my legs, taking my panties with it.
“Wha—What are you doing?”
“You wanna pretend this is fake? Then tell me this does nothing for you.” His head dips to my core. I squeal, grabbing onto his shoulders, but it’s too late. His tongue grazes up my slit. His fingers dig into my thighs. He laps me once, twice. On the third time, I’m afraid I’ve melted into the bed. My hands thread through his hair, and I shamelessly moan when his tongue thrusts between my folds. “What’s it gonna be, baby?” Shit! The humming of his voice against my flesh only intensifies my arousal.
Celebrity Dirt: A Fake Relationship Romantic Suspense Standalone Page 14
