Caught In A Lie (The Caught Series Book 3)

by C. M. Steele

  Once we got home and everything was secured, I walked to my room with a bottle of Jack I’d bought during a quick pit stop. Drinking wasn’t my forte, but losing the woman I loved, who was nothing more than a lying, conniving, and sneaky broad, destroyed me.

  The next morning Mike was pounding on my door. My head wasn’t ready for his questions, and I sure as hell didn’t want his sympathy. I refused to let him in until he continued to pound. The sound was too much to bear because I had one hell of a hangover.

  “Hey bro, how are you feeling?” Mike asked sincerely.

  I turned back toward the bed that had been calling my name and threw myself on it. “How the fuck do I look? I want to throw up and punch a fucking wall down,” I roared.

  “So you and April? Huh?”

  “There is no April and me anymore. There never really was. She wanted a good screw, and I wanted her to love me, but shit doesn’t always work out the way you want,” I got back up and started looking for the bottle.

  “Milo, you should lay off the bottle. You look like shit,” my brother stated.

  “Well, we all can’t be fucking sunny like you.” I snarled. He wasn’t going to give up; I was sure of that. Mike was great at interrogations, and I was his next victim.

  “What happened between you and April? Zoey and I heard you shouting at her. That isn’t like you at all.” He gave me a knowing look.

  “She fucking lied to me.” I murmured, disheartened, then sat down on the bed and rubbed my head. My brother was feeling bad for me, but I had only myself to blame. I let her beauty and wit dull my senses.

  Running my hands through my hair, I sighed and let it out. “I told her about how I have trust issues, then she lies straight to my face, not once, but twice. I can’t deal with this shit right now.” I paused, trying not to vomit and so the room would stop fucking spinning.

  “Can you handle shit with Elizabeth today?” I grumbled as I dropped back onto my pillow.

  “Sure, I don’t think she is feeling up to going anywhere today, so it will be all good. Everything will work out, you’ll see. You know, she looked seriously upset when we saw her right after you walked away.”

  “Did she?” I asked. I missed her already and that sucked shit.

  “Yeah, she did. Did she tell you why she lied?” Mike questioned.

  “Does it matter? I told her that I hated liars, and that I lost my trust in people. Yet, she lied. We’ve shared a lot this past week.”

  “Just get some sleep. I’m going to get you some pills for your head. By the way, I’m taking Zoey back to Boston as soon as Jackson comes back,” he warned. Patting my shoulder, he walked into the bathroom and over to the medicine cabinet.

  I took the pills and passed the fuck out. The next day, I refused to be bothered with anyone. Mike and Zoey left for Boston. I wanted to go with them, but I needed to stay. I was still checking on John Kowalski even though April wasn’t in my life. He was playing ghost. The last place he was spotted was visiting family in Wisconsin.

  I finally got up the next day and met with Mr. Blake, who wanted to have an important conversation with me. I walked into his study and I knew it was about April.

  “Mr. Blake, you wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, jackass, please sit down,” he said as he pointed to the seat in front of his desk. “Do you want a drink?” he said waving a bottle of Jack in front of me with a fucking grin.

  I wanted to puke just looking at it and he knew it. “By that shit face, I’m guessing you had enough to drink?” He was treating me like a teen who’d gotten into his father’s liquor cabinet. I didn’t need the lecture, I felt the consequences already.

  “Yes, sir,” I muttered.

  “I asked you to be good to April, but you didn’t.”

  “I didn’t do anything to her but call her out for lying to me. And fuck, it wasn’t even a tiny lie it was some massive shit. She’s not in her twenties like she said. Her name wasn’t the same as she claimed.”

  “I know.”

  “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything to me?”

  “Because it wasn’t my business. Hiring her here was a favor for a friend of mine in the Witness Protection Program.”

  “Witness Protection?” Suddenly, the color drained from my face. She’d been hiding.

  “Yes, she was going to testify on her aunt’s husband and his associates. Things got crazy and a value was put on her head. She can tell you the rest, but you’re the only one who knows about it.”

  “Damn, I have to go see her.”

  “You better get over there. She wants to quit here, but I was asked to keep her safe.”

  “Shit. I’ve got to go. What a fucking ass!” I groaned to myself and rushed out of the room.

  I called her as soon as I ran to my car, but she didn’t answer. I drove to her apartment, and I called her cell again, but she still didn’t pick up. I saw her car in its normal spot, so she should be home. Suddenly, fear hit me hard. What if they found her? Whoever sent me that packet knew who she was and was not concerned about her feelings. Pounding on the door I still got no response. Fuck it. I kicked it in with my gun in hand. “April!”

  ~~~~~

  I lost track of the time since Milo ran away from me. It was a little too late to tell him the truth. He didn’t want to hear it. I quit earlier that morning and made a call to my contact, but he wasn’t there. His partner, Agent Godinez, was there, and I let him know that I’d just quit my job.

  “April, don’t worry, we’ll get you a new position somewhere else. I know there were some crazy incidents with the Blake family. It isn’t that safe of a place to work.”

  “Thanks for understanding. Do you know when Agent Green will be back in the office?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Thanks again.” I hung up with him and still felt uneasy. I’d never spoken to a different agent before. How did he know about the Blakes? Agent Green told me that no one was to know where I was working. Did he slip and tell his partner?

  I went back into my bedroom and looked, for the hundredth time, at the envelope that came for Milo. Every time I read it, I cried. I wasn’t sure if it was the lies or the truth that he had been more upset with, but it didn’t matter, he still left me.

  While I was wallowing in my own self-pity, I failed to hear the front door open. Seconds later, I saw John standing in my bedroom doorway.

  “What? How did you get in here?” I screamed.

  “My little April, I have my ways. Save those tears, you’ll need them when you have to beg for your life and your lover doesn’t come to your rescue you.”

  “Get out!” I shouted at him, but he just started laughing mockingly.

  “Not without you,” he sneered.

  I jumped off my bed and tried to make a dash for the gun I had, but he was on top of me before I could reach it.

  “Let me go!” I was kicking and trying to fight back. I scratched at his face and kicked him in the shins, but I couldn’t overpower him.

  “No, I’m not going to let you go until you get what you deserve,” John roared, punching me dead in my face. I was out cold as he dragged me out of the apartment.

  When I woke up, I was in a small home in the middle of nowhere and strapped to a chair. Fuck! I was done for. I looked up into the eyes of John.

  “Nice to see you awake, pumpkin.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? There are several reasons, but the biggest is money. I’m getting paid to take you hostage until your uncle comes to deal with you.”

  “He’s coming.” I couldn’t fight the tears. Milo’s face came to my mind, and I knew the time we’d spent together was worth all the heartache I suffered.

  “John, please, you don’t have to do this.” I hoped that he would see how terrible this was, but the glare and smirk he gave me ended that hope.

  “I do have to do it. You jumped into bed with that gorilla when I offered you a chance to grace my bed. You refused, but you practically let him
fuck you in the middle of a party filled with hundreds of people. April, you’re a dirty slut and you sicken me!” he roared.

  Then he walked up to me, his hand stretched out and tried to caress my face, but I moved my head as far as I could, sickened by him. This only infuriated him more. He was about to hit me again when the door slammed opened and gunfire started going off.

  ~~~~~

  I called out to her and there was no answer. Every room was empty. Fuck. The place was a mess, she put up a fight. I looked up and prayed that I’d find her alive.

  I made ten calls and got shit together while I searched the house for any clues. My men would be here soon. Mike was going to be a little later. He still had to bring Zoey back to her parents first. Going through her bedroom I saw the envelope I received. I looked at the label and shit, it had come from a FedEx office in Milwaukee. The envelope looked warped like it had gotten wet then dried. The wet spots were a giveaway, my woman had been crying, and it was my fault. I should have given her a chance to tell me.

  Duke called me with the information he gathered with his computer-savvy ass. “Hey, Milo. I was able to check the flight manifests for the nearest airports. There was a flight that came in from Milwaukee last night. On the flight, there were three men who have no ties to this area, but there was one guy that you might have heard of --John Kowalski. His info says he worked for Blake in security.”

  I should’ve known he would have been involved. “Give me his address. I already questioned the neighbors around here, but most of them weren’t home at the time she disappeared. I’m waiting for Mike and some of our guys to meet me here.”

  “I wish I could be there, bro.” Duke had become like a brother to me. He treated Mike like he’d hung the moon. Mike saved him on the mission before their last one in the Ops. Since then, he’d done anything Mike asked with little questions or concerns. They had a bond that passed to me.

  “I know you do. I need to find her alive. All else matters for nothing if she isn’t alive.” My voice cracked, fear crushing me. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be for us. He gave me the information, and it was only twenty minutes away. I wanted to rush off to get her myself, but I couldn’t because I didn’t know how armed those fuckers were. The most important thing was getting her out alive, so I needed to make sure I had backup. No matter how badass I was, I wasn’t fucking invincible.

  Mike and the guys arrived at the same time. That made seven of us to their four. I didn’t think John had extras, so we outnumbered them. We suited up in the gear they brought. Our outfits were black with dark camouflage and dark headgear. We made our way to the little house where they kept her. Stopping a quarter mile up the road, we stealthily approached the house on foot. Using body heat sensors, we saw them. They had her tied to a chair in the middle of the main room. I saw a total of four men, so we needed to make sure we shot and hit our marks at the same time, without hitting April. Her heat signature told me that she was alive and not too hurt.

  I damn near jumped the gun when I saw one of the fuckers go up to her and touch her. She pushed her body away as far as she could, just as his hand started to rub her skin. The Feds were called, but they’re still searching elsewhere. We’d handle this without their bumbling, “let’s arrest them and let justice do its work”, attitude. That wasn’t going to fly with me or my men. If she were a major threat to someone, they would off her before the trial started. Letting them live wasn’t an option and seeing that they didn’t give a flying fuck about my girl, I didn’t care if I sent all of them to meet their maker.

  Mike took the lead because he knew I wasn’t feeling sane enough to go in there with a level head. We crept a little closer and took our positions. The moment that Mike kicked in the door we all took our shots through the windows. It took twenty seconds and it was over. I took off my black mask and ran to her. Cutting her free, I pulled her to me and crushed her mouth with mine.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Oh, Milo, I’m so sorry,” she cried in between my assault on her person. My mouth attacked any part of her face I could get.

  “No, baby, I’m sorry. April, damn it. I’m so sorry,” I groaned.

  “Hey, you two, save the apologies for later. We have company,” Mike said as he looked out the window.

  “Oh no, he’s here!” she cried, clinging to me in complete fear.

  “Who, babe?”

  “My aunt’s husband. That’s why they didn’t kill me yet, they were waiting for him…he wanted to watch,” she said in a sobbing whisper.

  I growled as I pulled her closer. “That’s not going to happen, April.”

  “Milo, take her out back. We’ll deal with him and his crew.”

  “Mike, you know damn well I can’t leave you,” I bellowed.

  Looking back out the window, he responded, “Bro, we got this. There is only three of them and one’s a fucking suit.”

  I turned to April and said, “Let’s go, babe. We got to get the truck.” The moment we hit the back door, I scooped her up in my arms and threw her over my shoulders, then ran through the wooded area.

  We got to the truck, and I buckled her into the back, kissed her again, and told her how I felt. “April, I love you.”

  I didn’t wait for a response. I just jumped in front and drove to the guys. We didn’t hear any gunfire when we approached.

  “Babe, stay in here. I’ll be right back.” I locked the door and hurried to the house.

  “Hey, Milo. Look who we got here,” Mike said.

  “Who is this fuck?” I asked with a glare.

  “It’s Federal Agent Rico Godinez. It’s no wonder there wasn’t a team of Feds swooping in.” He turned to Godinez and said, “You didn’t make the call did you? You knew she was in danger, but since you work for this scum here, you came here to finish the job. Is that why you two drove in, you shady son of a bitch?”

  I whispered in Mike’s ear and gave them a big ass grin before walking right out.

  Chapter 8

  The men had joined us in the truck just two minutes after Milo came back. I didn’t know what happened and I didn’t ask. I knew they had killed the first round of kidnappers, but what happened to my uncle and the other guys he was with was a mystery to me.

  Milo carried me all the way to the Blake Estate and into the room he was staying in as though he had precious cargo. My injuries were minor, all things considered. I had a few bruises and a busted lip, but other than that, the blood on me and my clothes came from John’s body when Mike shot him.

  “Why didn’t you just take me home?” I asked.

  He had narrowed his eyes before he growled, “Are you fucking nuts? You’re not going back there.”

  Apparently, he didn’t want me in my apartment tonight. I knew it was destroyed. They fucked it up just to prove a point to anyone who came looking for me. He sat me down on the bed and walked to the bathroom to get a wet towel. Using the wet cloth, he started cleaning the blood off of me. “Why Milo? Why did you come get me after everything?”

  Milo paused and gave me a look that said I was nutty, then he said, “I told you, April. I love you. Of course, I was coming for you.”

  “Yes, but you were mad at me for lying to you. How did you find out I was gone?”

  “Mr. Blake told me that he knew about our fight and that I should have listened to your reasons. When he told me what happened to you, I drove straight to your house, but I was too late.”

  “I’m so extremely sorry I didn’t tell you. You don’t know how many times I wanted to, but it was ingrained in me to be April Monroe. Do you still want me even though I’m as old as Zoey and Elizabeth?”

  “Honey, if you had told me you were eighteen that night, it still wouldn’t have changed my mind. I wanted you from the start.” He was still cleaning me off when he got frustrated. “Babe, this shit isn’t coming off with this rag. Come on, let’s get you in the shower.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  ~~~~~

  I took
a deep breath the moment we drove away. Holding her in my arms, I felt fucking sane again. My mind had been in turmoil since our fight. I wanted to forgive her from the start, but I couldn’t take being fooled again. Almost losing her, I learned I was the fool. If she’d been with me, none of this shit would have happened. The guys and I would’ve went after them and dealt with the situation head on.

  I caressed her beautiful red curls and kissed her head the entire time we were riding back to the Blake’s home. I took inventory of her injuries. All but the fat lip seemed minor, which was fantastic.

  Once we got into the house, I walked through the back because I didn’t want to be bothered. I’d deal with them in the morning, but I wanted her all to myself tonight. After trying to wash her face with the towel and not getting anywhere, I decided it was best to help her shower. Wasn’t the best idea because I’d gone several days without her sweet pussy, but she needed my love and care—not my dick.

  I slowly removed her clothes after setting the water to the right temperature. Then I tossed off my blood-stained clothes. She looked so fragile standing there hurt and nervous.

  “Are you okay, April?” I asked as I gripped her chin and made her eyes meet mine.

  “Yes, I just…I want you to hold me,” she said nervously while trying not to cry.

  That was an easy request because I missed her so damn much, and I nearly lost her. “Sure thing, babe.” I held her in my arms for a moment before helping us into the shower stall. Soaping up the puffy ball, I started to scrub her body. I didn’t make love to her in the shower like I wanted to, and hell if I didn’t want to, but I found all the self-control I could muster and made it through our cleansing.

  After drying off, I carried her back to the bed; both of us naked.

  I rested on one elbow, looked down at my beauty, and murmured, “I’m so sorry, April.”

  “Milo, I love you,” she said as she looked up at me with a stunning smile.