Revenge (Phoenix Undercover #3)

by C. A. Harms

  I was showing extreme signs of preeclampsia when my blood pressure began to skyrocket about three weeks ago. Now my fingers and toes resembled tiny sausages, and at times, my face even appeared swollen. I was ordered to stay off my feet and monitored weekly for blood pressure spikes. But I swore they may have to check me for violent tendencies too, because being cooped up was making me homicidal.

  Josh absolutely loved it though. It was all he hoped for, because I was safely tucked away inside my apartment. It meant he had less to worry about with Leo still out there somewhere.

  Chapter 5

  Josh

  “Gabby’s gonna love this,” I mumbled as I looked over the file I held in my hands.

  Gray, Mike, and Trevor sat around the conference table looking through their own copies of the items I held. Each folder contained the same breakdowns and photographs I had.

  “Maybe she’ll go stay at her parents’ place,” Mike said, looking up at me, trying not to smile. Each one of us knew the probability of that happening was pretty slim.

  “Yeah.” I leaned back in my chair and held Mike’s gaze. “How about I let you be the one to suggest it to her?”

  His smile faltered as he looked at Trevor and Gray before returning his gaze back to me. “Dude, I love Gabby, don’t get me wrong, but hell no.” He shook his head and tossed his file to the table in front of him. “She looks all sweet and gentle, but she’s got a hidden tiger in there somewhere. I like my head being planted firmly on my shoulders, Josh. Your woman is a bit scary, and pregnancy only makes her more likely to strike.”

  Tell me about it. I knew exactly what he meant.

  “All the Shannon ladies are a little vicious when need be.” Gray added, but the gleam in his eye told me something I didn’t want to envision.

  “Fuck, dude, seriously,” I said, tossing a pen in his direction. “Keep those looks off your face when thinking of Brook. I have to see that girl every morning and night. I already have a hard enough time after I walked in to find you two pounding away on the couch.”

  Gray chuckled and Mike just shook his head. At least he had enough decency to take Audrey back to his own place when they decided to play.

  “So back to this,” I said, shaking the file in my hands. “Gray, you and I will head to Jersey. Trevor, I’ll need you on standby in case we need access to any databases. Plus, you need to track us at all times. We’ll scope things out, see what we find.”

  “What about me?” Mike asked.

  I continued to look down at my file, trying to hide my smirk. “Since you’ve expressed such an interest in my fiancée’s moods, I am assigning you guard duty.” Trevor chuckled, and the hooting laughter that spilled from Gray broke me. I couldn’t hold back my own.

  “You’re a dick,” Mike said, looking like a pouting child.

  “Look at it this way—you’ll have Audrey with you, because all three of the Shannon beauties will be under your watchful eye until we return.” I tried to give him a vision of a light at the end of the dark tunnel, but he didn’t bite.

  “You’re still a dick,” he complained as he stood from the table and left the conference room with slumped shoulders.

  I loved Gabby, fuck, love didn’t even begin to describe what I felt for her. It was more like she was a part of me, a part I needed to survive. But lately she has definitely been a force to be reckoned with.

  She was cranky and bored. Those two did not mix well when it came to a pregnant woman sentenced to stay off her feet.

  In a way I kind of felt sorry for Mike.

  Hell—who am I kidding? I didn’t feel guilty.

  I did, however, feel a little fearful for my own well-being when I had to go home tonight and tell Gabriella that I would be leaving town for a few days.

  Maybe I should stop by the bakery on the way and gather some reinforcements to make the news a little more tolerable.

  ***

  When I arrived back at the apartment I found Gabby fast asleep on the couch. Next to her in the recliner was Audrey, and Brook was in the center of the living room floor wrapped inside a comforter, with only the dark strands of her hair sticking out of the top.

  The girls had been right by Gabby’s side day after day.

  They took shifts, and at times both found the time to crash with their sister. Until we found Leo, all three of them needed to remain on guard. Being here like this made keeping them safe that much easier.

  “Hey J-Man.” Audrey stretched in the chair and kept her voice low. “Anything new today?”

  I nodded as I made a motion to follow me with a nod of my head.

  Walking into the kitchen I opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. Twisting the top off, I took a long swig before turning around to face Audrey.

  “You remember that woman we saw on the video surveillance from Leo’s building?” She nodded as she sat down on the barstool on the opposite side of the counter. “We got a lead. But we need to go to Jersey and check it out. Gray and I are going. I want to keep it low key for now until I know for sure. The last thing I want to do is spook her if this is the woman.”

  “True,” she added. “But you guys need to be careful. Going in shorthanded could be a huge mistake too.”

  “I know, but this is a simple surveillance only. If it’s a match then I’ll call in more agents.”

  “You sure you don’t want another set of eyes?” she asked. “I could go along.”

  “I put Mike on Shannon sisters duty,” I told her, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

  “I don’t need a babysitter.” Audrey hated feeling inferior.

  “No,” I said, trying to hold back my laughter. “I never said you did. But Mike may need you to run interference whenever he pisses off Gabby. We both know that by the end, both Brook and Gabby will be planning his murder.”

  “Yeah.” Her shoulders relaxed as she looked up at me with a smile. “That in itself may make the Shannon sisters comment tolerable. It may be fun watching him sweat.”

  A few minutes later Gabby came waddling into the kitchen with her hair sticking up in all directions, with what looked like an imprint of her rings imbedded in her cheek.

  Her eyes were still droopy and she wore one of my FBI sweatshirts that was three sizes too big for her, even with a protruding belly.

  She still took my breath away.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I said as I stepped up to her and took her face in my hands. “How’s my boy?”

  She smiled and I leaned in to kiss her.

  “Hungry,” she mumbled against my lips and I laughed.

  She had always had a healthy appetite, but it had tripled with the pregnancy. For such a tiny thing, she could sure pack away the food.

  “What sounds good?” I asked as she stepped around me, heading straight for the fridge.

  I watched as she grabbed a jar of pickles.

  Audrey and I both remained silent as she took two pieces of bread and placed them in the toaster.

  She busied herself around the kitchen taking out items, leaving both Audrey and me a little speechless.

  After the toast popped up she began spreading peanut butter on each slice, before she crunched up Lay’s potato chips on top of the peanut butter.

  I looked over at Audrey to find her staring at her sister with a disgusted look on her face.

  I turned back just in time to see Gabby place the last dill pickle atop the bread before pressing the two slices together to make one nasty as fuck sandwich.

  She then leaned forward to take a big bite out of the revolting creation she held in her hands.

  Audrey made a gagging sound which only made my stomach roll.

  Gabby turned around chewing as she mumbled. “I don’t know, what sounds good to you?”

  Both Audrey and I just stared at her as she chewed until we could no longer hold back our laughter.

  Moments like these made me realize just how lucky I was. I could have lost it all, and at times I have this sick feeling I still could. Mos
t people wouldn’t see the greatness in such an unimportant display, but to me this moment would be one I would remember. It would be one that I would remember years from now and tell our son about when he is old enough to laugh about how crazy his mommy’s appetite had gotten.

  Chapter 6

  Gabby

  Josh crawled into bed beside me and immediately curled his body around mine. I could tell all through dinner and even during the movie we watched earlier that something was on his mind. But he never brought anything up so I assumed it was work related.

  He didn’t usually discuss Leo’s case or any others with me because he said I didn’t need to stress over those things. But what he didn’t understand is not knowing made me stress all the same. When he rested his head against my chest and carefully caressed my stomach, he let out a deep breath before speaking.

  “I have to leave for a few days,” he whispered. I remained silent, waiting for him to continue. I didn’t have to ask to know this had something to do with Leo. Everything always fell back to that sick son of a bitch, and god, I just wanted our life to be normal for once.

  “We got a lead on the woman Leo has been using as his messenger. Gray and I are gonna go check things out.” Another pause, and more silence from me. I really didn’t know what to say. I also knew that nothing I did attempt to say would change anything.

  I lived in fear that one day Leo would hold true to his words and make us all pay for Audrey and Josh’s betrayal.

  “I’ve gotta go baby. I have to try everything I can to put an end to this. And if running off to Jersey to look into a tip gets me one step closer to the end of all this shit, then I’ll do it.”

  He lifted his head and our gazes connected. “Because keeping you and our family safe—” He lightly rubbed my stomach. “—is the most important thing.”

  “This all just makes me nervous, Josh,” I confessed. “I’ve lost you once.”

  “And you will never lose me again,” he assured me, arching his neck just enough to kiss me softly. “I love you, baby, and I’m doing this to keep us safe.”

  A feeling of defeat settled over me as I remained silent, hoping that this all came to an end soon.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. I just know that both of us continued to hold one another as if that act alone was all we needed to be happy.

  “When are you leaving?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow afternoon,” he replied, his voice full of exhaustion. “I have a few things to finish up at the office in the morning, and then I plan to come back here and say goodbye to my fiancée before we leave.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of his lips when he said fiancée as it always did. I too loved the description, and maybe after this mess was all over we could make it more permanent.

  He moved up my body and began kissing along my neck as I settled back on to the mattress behind me. Over the last couple of months, we hadn’t really divulged in the pleasure we could bestow on one another. With everything going crazy more often than not, by the end of the day, we were both exhausted. Toss in a swollen pregnant woman who was moody on a daily basis, we rarely even thought about sex, or at least I didn’t, anyway.

  But tonight felt different. The gentle kisses mixed with the slow movements of his hands as they explored my body were all I wanted.

  “What do you say we forget about everything else for a while?” Josh whispered against my ear just before he lightly sucked on the lobe. “Focus on you and me for once and let go for tonight.”

  “That sounds really good,” I admitted as I slid my hand along his chest, downward toward the waistband of his boxers. “I could use a little distraction.”

  Josh gently bit the side of my neck and groaned. “Little?”

  I smiled when I realized he was fishing for an ego boost.

  “Oh, babe, I think we both know that little is in no way a description of you or this,” I confirmed as I circled my hand around his erection and began to stroke him.

  Josh bit down on his lower lip and sucked in air through his teeth, making a hissing sound as he looked down at my hand moving over his cock.

  “Damn,” he groaned.

  Lifting his head, his eyes locked on mine as he lowered his lips, taking my mouth in a slow, teasing kiss. And when he pulled away, I groaned in protest.

  An arrogant, cocky smirk covered his lips. He fed on my hunger for him. I knew how it secretly drove his need, making it almost uncontrollable.

  He carefully reached for the hem of my t-shirt and lifted it up and over my head, tossing it to the floor. Wasting no time, he hooked the sides of my panties which soon joined my shirt.

  Josh’s eyes raked over me as he remained on his knees before me. I loved the way he looked at me, because even at my worst he always made me feel beautiful.

  “I’ve missed this,” he confessed as he began to lower his boxers and remove them one leg at a time. “Feeling you beneath me, moaning my name.”

  I trembled as his fingertips skimmed over my thighs, parting them to allow more room for him to position himself before me.

  Lifting my legs, spreading me wider, he gripped his cock and slid in closer, sliding the tip through my wetness. “So wet,” he cooed, flexing his hips, pressing inside of me just enough to make me whimper.

  “You want this?” he asked as he repeated the movement.

  “Yes…” It came out in more of a begging tone. I didn’t care. I wanted him inside of me. “Please.”

  Without another word he flexed his hips and slid inside of me with ease.

  His head fell backward as he moaned in pleasure.

  Starting out in slow teasing movements, I could feel each stroke as if my senses were multiplied times ten. My body hummed with such a rush of pure bliss.

  With each stroke his movements increased in speed, and I began to feel that sensual feeling of release.

  The moment he reached between us and applied pressure to my clit, moving in circles, my legs tensed. “Let go,” he whispered. “Give in to it, baby. Give it to me.”

  My eyes locked with his as the first surge of pleasure shot through me. “Yes,” I moaned, throwing my head back, gripping the sheets at my sides.

  “There you go,” Josh coaxed me as he continued to move inside me, applying just enough pressure to send me over the top. “Fuck yeah, there it is,” he hissed, shortening his strokes, continuing to massage me in just the right place.

  I lifted my hand and pressed it against his lower stomach just as he groaned deeply. “So fucking good.” The muscles in his abdomen tightened and his fingers squeezed my thighs as he pushed into me, releasing himself with one loud moan of ecstasy.

  Chapter 7

  Josh

  “Stop daydreaming and pay attention,” Gray mumbled from the passenger seat. “So you got some last night. We all heard your loud jungle cry. You sound like a fucking gorilla.”

  I arched a brow and observed my very grumpy best friend and partner from the passenger seat.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes I did. What the hell is your problem? Trouble in Brooklynn?” I chuckled when he glared at me.

  “That girl is insane.” He complained. “She’s up then down, I go left and she fucking goes right. Hell, I can’t win for shit with her.”

  I looked back out the windshield and let his words settle over us for a few minutes before I responded. “I tried telling you in the beginning that she would chew your ass and spit you out. She is tiny and looks all peaceful and sweet, but she is hell on wheels, Gray.”

  He made a humph noise and I thought he was just agreeing. But the next thing he said shocked me more than he ever had before.

  “I love her, Josh.” I turned to face him with a shocked expression, but he didn’t look at me. “In the beginning I’ll admit it was fun. We had some amazing sex, and…” He stopped when I held up my hand to stop him.

  “I don’t want to hear about it,” I complained, but he kept going.

  “Seriously,
man, it was off the charts. She has a creative mind when it comes to the freaky shit. That woman is not as innocent as she may appear.” He waggled his eyebrows and I groaned, which made him chuckle.

  “But after the first couple weeks, it grew to more than I ever intended it to be. I wasn’t lying when I told her father she meant something to me. Fuck, Josh, she flips my insides around with one damn smile and I can’t tell the girl no. It’s impossible, because all I want to do is make her happy. It’s my first thought in the morning and my last at night.”

  “So then what’s the problem?” I asked.

  Now he turned to face me. “Can you believe she said I needed to slow things down?” He looked confused, and I couldn’t stop the laughter that struck me.

  “What the fuck, man?” He shoved me, and I fell back against the window as my laughter continued. “You’re an ass.”

  “Sorry,” I said, holding my stomach. “But I never thought I would see the day a woman had you by the balls. You got to give me a little bit of time to enjoy this.”

  “I thought she was feeling it too,” he complained. “At least she acted as if she did. Then bam, she fucking blindsides me with that bullshit right before we leave. What the hell am I supposed to do with that shit?”

  “Maybe a couple days away is what she needs. Seriously, Grayson, the girl was warned about you from the beginning.” He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, as if asking me what the hell I meant. “Your longest relationship was three weeks. And that was because she was gone on a modeling shoot and you had to wait until she got back from Brazil to end it. Brook never expected more from you than a few wild nights. Now you go all love-struck fool on her and she may just need a little time to process it all.” I looked back toward the building we had been watching. “I know I need some time to process it.”

  “Honestly?” he complained again.