by C. A. Harms
Audrey hung her head for just a moment before she looked up at me, and I knew immediately that I was right.
“I received an assignment. Sheppard has been supplying me with details.” Her words made my heart sink. “We have to catch him, Gabby. He can’t remain on the streets. As long as they are out there, no one is safe. I’m not safe.”
“But—”
“Listen, it is not as bad as you think. I’ll be with Greyson and Mike, mainly analyzing and stakeouts. I won’t be in as deep as before, I promise you.” She took my hand in hers. “I’ll be able to call and still see you.”
“I hate this,” I whispered as I pulled her closer. “I can’t lose you too.”
I heard her take in a deep breath as she wrapped her arms around me. “You won’t. I’m safe, I swear. This is mild compared to before. I wouldn’t put you all through that again.”
I didn’t have any other choice but to believe she was telling me the truth. But in no way did it make me feel any better.
Chapter 11
Josh
“What the fuck do you mean you called Audrey? How the hell could you pull her in on this shit again?” My anger was boiling at this point. How the fuck could Grey be so fucking careless?
“We need her. She knows things that could help us.” Greyson was trying to reason with me, but my mind was racing.
“She thinks I’m dead. Her sister has been mourning me, letting go of the father of her unborn child. Now she’s gonna show up here and be forced to keep yet another damn secret from Gabby. This isn’t fair, Grey, and you fucking know it. I can’t do that to her, to either of them.”
Greyson stood from the couch and gripped his waist with his hands. He stared at me with determination. “Well, Mike and I have decided, and unfortunately you don’t have a say-so here.”
I took a step toward him, and he held his hand up to stop me. “You can hit me, yell at me, or whatever the hell you want. But it doesn’t change the fact that Audrey is joining us. Fuck, man, I’m trying to get you back to your girl.” He hung his head, and I allowed the silence to continue.
“Josh, I can see this shit tearing you down.” He looked up once more, and I could tell he was fighting back emotions he rarely showed. “Every day I watch you die a little more inside as you see Gabby show more and more. I know you need to be with her, but I also know it isn’t safe for either of you. We have to find Roman, Josh. There aren’t many people we can trust, but I know for a fact Audrey is someone we can. We have to build a team of those who want to bring him down just as much as us. What better person than Audrey? She lived in Leo’s fucking world for months, man, and she knows the places he went. Somewhere there’s a clue we’re missing, and she may be the one person that can help us figure out what it is.”
Grey took in a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. “I can’t stand who you’re becoming, Josh. I hate seeing your life move on without you while we’re being forced to hide out here. It doesn’t seem right. Something about this whole mess isn’t fucking right, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to figure out what the hell that something is.”
He was right, I knew he was, but I still didn’t have to like it. I felt like with the history Audrey and I already shared, adding anything more may only drive Gabby and I further apart. I hoped I was wrong and in the end Gabby could understand why we had to do this. Her sister could hold the information we needed without even knowing it was something we needed.
***
My chest felt tight as I paced, and I swore my heart may just beat right out of it. Mike and Greyson sat on the couch staring at me as if I may lose it at any moment. Fuck, I felt like I was going to lose it.
The moment the light knock on the door filled the room, we all turned our heads toward the sound. Without even looking we knew who it was. But no one moved to answer it. We all remained frozen in place.
Yeah, we had played out how we planned to break the news to Audrey, but now that she was here, I felt like I was going to pass out. I hated that this was about to be another secret she would be forced to keep from Gabby.
At the creaking of the couch springs, I spun around just in time to see Greyson get up. “You need to step into the bedroom, man, just for a few minutes. We can’t spring it on her. Let’s break it slowly.” All I could offer was a nod as I turned and walked down the small hallway toward my bedroom.
I didn’t take the time to close the door but instead leaned against the wall just inside the room and tried to concentrate on calming my racing heart. I could hear everything, and the entire thing felt surreal.
“Nice setup you all have going on here. Looks like this building should be condemned.” Audrey’s attitude reminded me of Gabby, and that thought made me smile.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” Mike said.
“Is it safe?” she replied, only making my smile grow wider. “I’m a little scared of what I may catch.”
“Audrey, I think it would be better if you were sitting down when we tell you why you’re here.” Greyson’s tone had no trace of humor.
“Come on, Greyson, I may not know you that well, but I do know you’re a little on the wild side. Come on, loosen up a bit.” But the couch springs creaked, and I assumed she had followed his direction. “I’m still on leave, so I know this has nothing to do with orders from Sheppard, which tells me you are working on something behind the scenes. I’m all about helping out, but I’m not gonna get my ass hung by my boss for this, am I? Plus, I promised Gabs I would stay safe.”
At the mention of Gabby, my stomach tightened. I knew why Audrey had made that promise.
“She can’t take any more loss, so if this is something undercover, I’m gonna have to pass,” she added, and I had fucking had enough. Standing here waiting for the right moment to appear was bullshit. There was no right time for something like this. I pushed off the wall and stepped out into the hallway. After taking in one last calming breath, I began walking toward the living room. I could hear Greyson talking, yet with my blood rushing through me, I couldn’t for the life of me hear exactly what he said.
The moment I came into view, Audrey’s eyes shifted in my direction, and she froze. All the color drained from her face, and she just stared at me as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
My legs shook, and I stared back at her, waiting for it all to register.
“Oh my God,” she gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Greyson stepped to the side and shook his head. I knew this was not how he wanted to break it to her, but fuck him. This was my life, my mess. I didn’t need him trying to take control. I’d dealt with enough of that lately from everyone.
“How?” Her eyes filled with tears as she stood up from the couch and walked to me.
She stepped up in front of me, and her eyes scanned over me from head to toe. Her gaze settled on the scar above my left eye. “But they said—” She placed her hand against my arm. “I don’t understand,” she said in a pained whisper.
My own emotions were taking over as my heart raced. “It was Sheppard’s idea,” I told her, and she opened her mouth to say something only to close it once more. “Leo found out we were Feds. He kidnapped me after you and I left Gabby’s apartment, and they held me in some warehouse, where he planned to kill me.”
“How didn’t he? I mean, it’s not like Leo to hesitate. We all know he doesn’t give second chances.” Audrey of all people knew what it was like to face Leo’s wrath.
“We weren’t the only ones inside. One of Sheppard’s men was in a little deeper than any of us, and he still is.” Her eyes narrowed in question, but I didn’t think it was the time to go into that little detail. We would have time for that later.
“Let’s just say that without word from that agent and the fact Trevor decided to bug Greyson, Mike, and myself, I would be dead. They tracked my location and found me just in time.” Remembering just how close I was to never being able to see any of my loved ones again gave me chills.
“But I don’t understand. Then why does everyone think you’re dead? And more importantly, why in the hell have I had to watch my sister fall apart daily because she lost you?” Audrey’s gaze began to move back and forth between Grey, Mike, and me.
My heart sank. I hated hearing what this was doing to Gabby. The last thing I want was for her to hurt.
“It was this or risk the safety of my family and Gabby. You know as well as I do that if Leo found out about them, they would be a target too. Hell, anything to hurt me, he would do it. But if I was dead, if he thought he killed me, then he’d feel like he got his revenge.” I knew she understood. She’d lived with the monster, and she knew just what he was capable of.
“Grey and Mike, what about them? They were undercover too. He had to have known that.” I nodded in agreement. “So that’s why you’re all holed up in this hellhole?”
“Yeah,” Greyson said. “But our families think we’re on a mission. If we’re hidden, we’re safe.”
Audrey reached up and placed her hand on the back of her neck as she closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath, and we all remained quiet, allowing her the time she needed to accept everything we were telling her.
“So why am I here? Why do I get to be the one to know your death is a lie?” She opened her eyes, and they were filled with unshed tears. Not the reaction I was expecting. “Why is that a fucking secret I have to keep now?” She was starting to get angry.
“We need your help.” It was the only explanation I had to offer. I had witnessed how the Shannon girls get when they’re angry, and right now Audrey was livid. We had placed her in a difficult situation and there was no turning back. “We have to find Roman, and then we bring down Leo.”
“Leo’s gone. He’s been gone,” she stated, shaking her head slightly with a confused expression. “And Roman’s a mystery. You all know this. Hell, we’ve spent years trying to find him. It is hard to find a man that no one has ever seen. Even the inside guys have never seen him. He has too many people willing to protect him.”
“There’s more to all this. There has to be.” I turned toward the computer and tapped the screen. “Look at this and tell me what you see.”
Grey, Mike, and I stood behind her as she took a seat in the chair, and we allowed Audrey time to look over the screen. She knew what to do and began clicking the mouse and enhancing the still image before her.
I waited for her to pick up on what each one of us has already seen as she enlarged the picture enough to see the FBI badge.
“You’re fucking kidding me.” It came out in a whisper but her shock was clear. She turned and looked back over her shoulder. “It’s someone on the inside.”
“Yeah,” I answered. “There aren’t many we can trust right now. That’s why we need you. You lived with Leo. You saw firsthand where he frequently visited. Something has to lead to Roman. We’re just missing it, and being forced to stay here doesn’t feel right.” I knelt in front of her and placed my hand on her knee. “If I want out of here, I have to find Roman. I know Leo will be a threat until we have him too, and not knowing who the man behind the name Roman is, I never know who I can trust. This is the hardest fucking thing I have ever had to do in my life, but I have to be sure Gabby stays safe.” I paused as I watched the realization of the seriousness of this situation wash over Audrey’s features. “I have to make sure our child is safe.”
Her gaze met mine and she smiled. “You know?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t help but smile back at her. “I have a family to get back to and a woman and child who need me. Will you help me get my life back?”
She nodded without hesitation as a tear ran down her cheek. “Yes.”
Chapter 12
Gabriella
Nothing makes a person more nervous than feeling as if they’re being watched, followed. I woke up late because actually falling asleep last night was just too hard. Knowing Audrey was out there somewhere, working in a possibly dangerous situation made me nauseous. Yes, she swore it was a simple mission, but I didn’t buy it. Nothing about her job was simple.
When I rushed out of my apartment and hurried toward my office, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being followed. It didn’t stop when I reached the parking deck or when I stepped into the elevator. I rode up the entire eight floors to my office with my heart beating rapidly.
I took a few minutes to calm myself in the restroom before I stepped out and walked toward reception. As I rounded the corner and saw Valerie standing in front of my closed office door with her ear pressed against it, I became confused.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
She let out a little squeal and turned to face me. With her hand pressed over her heart, she took in a deep breath. “Oh my God,” she whispered before taking in another breath. “He’s in there.” She pointed toward my office door.
“Who?” I asked, wrinkling my eyebrows at her in confusion. This was so unlike Valerie. She was always so calm and collected, but she was seriously rattled at the moment.
“Mr. Kovalsky,” she added in a whisper.
I rarely called him that since he insisted on R.J. But the fact he was waiting in my office first thing in the morning before I even arrived gave me that sick feeling of being followed all over again.
“Um, how long has he been here?”
“Seconds, literally. I just closed your door. He sort of gives me the creeps.” She shivered as she stepped away from my door.
“Yeah,” I said as I reached for the doorknob. “Me too,” I confessed as I turned it and entered.
“Good morning.” His deep, raspy tone did nothing for my nerves. “You look quite lovely this morning,” he added.
I forced a smile as I rounded my desk and placed my briefcase on top of it. I looked down at my clothing and hid my exasperation, or at least I hoped I did. “I’m sorry, R.J., but did we have an appointment this morning I’ve forgotten about?” I chose to dive right in. There was really no reason for small talk.
The guy was becoming more of an issue than a client. I had spent hours upon hours showing him every property I could find, yet he always acted as if it wasn’t quite what he was hoping for. I had a feeling he would never find the right place, which made me think there was more to this man than Margo had told me.
“Not at all,” he said as he lounged back in the chair on the other side of my desk and crossed his ankle over his left knee. He stared back at me with that look that made me want to run away. Valerie’s earlier comment came to mind. Mr. R.J. Kovalsky was definitely a very strange man.
“I was in the area,” he said, and I shifted my gaze back to his. “I was hoping maybe I could change your mind about dinner. Possibly convince you to give a man a shot.”
“A shot at what, exactly?” I knew I shouldn’t say anything, but I was honestly growing quite irritated with his advances. Especially after I had told him I wasn’t interested. I had a job to do, that was it. I wanted nothing from this man, and that commission check I was looking forward to cashing after selling him the biggest property I could find no longer meant as much.
“You are a very beautiful woman, Gabriella.” He smirked, and that nauseous feeling formed a lump at the base of my throat. “I just think you’re missing an opportunity at something that may possibly be great for the both of us.”
I stared back at him, trying to maintain my composure. I was pretty sure if I picked up my desk phone and heaved it at his head, I would be facing battery charges, but it sure sounded great. The idea of it bouncing off his arrogant ass only made me smile in amusement. But of course the dickhead took my smile for something it wasn’t.
“See, you like the idea of it too,” he added with a cocky grin.
“No, actually, I was enjoying the vision of you writhing in pain after my phone collided with your forehead.”
He tilted his head to the side, and the smile fell from his lips.
Oh fuck, I actually did say that out loud.
He
stood from the chair, and his quick movements caught me off guard. I too stood up, pushing my own chair back in the process.
“Well, I never took you for the aggressive type, but a little pain keeps things interesting.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “I’ll admit the idea of your cries do make my heart race a bit.”
Forget about my early state of nausea. It had now turned to bile that was rising in my throat. My entire chest burned from it. I suddenly felt trapped as my hands began to shake. I fisted them, trying to hide my obvious panic, but it was too late. His smile grew wider, like scaring me excited him.
Just as I was scanning the room for my best options of escape, he chuckled. “Oh, Gabby, you really are a feisty one. I understand the appeal now. Before I didn’t see how it could be so hard to let go, but I see it now.”
I had no idea to what he was referring, but in all honestly I didn’t give a shit. I just wanted him to leave. I hit the Intercom button on my phone. “Valerie, I need you in my office now, please.”
I never took my eyes from his as they grew darker, almost sadistic.
When my office door opened and Valerie entered followed by Brook, relief washed over me. She was coming in to meet me for brunch, and as usual she was early.
“We’ll be in touch,” Roman said as he turned on his heel and walked out the door. It didn’t escape me how his eyes gleamed when he looked at Brook from head to toe.
Just as he disappeared from the doorway, I lunged forward and grabbed the garbage can at the side of my desk. Holding it in front of me, I lost the bagel I had eaten that morning.
“What the hell, Gabby?” Brook asked in concern as she rushed to my side, holding my hair back. “What happened? What did he do?”
