by Sienna Evans
“I’m here. That’s all you need to know,” she bit back. Her gaze kept shifting towards the door; even her voice wasn’t as loud as it should’ve been. But this nutcase had motives that weren’t at all obvious. You could tell when someone was serious about shooting you versus when they’re playing a game. She barely got a grip on the thing and seemed to be more focused on showing that she had the upper hand.
“Yeah, I see you’re here, but why am I here?” I bent forward, holding the sides of my head. I sensed her drawing near. She must have still believed I was weak from getting knocked out. For someone involved in organized crime, she should have been warned about underestimating her opponent. I knew better than to lunge just yet. I was still feeling her out. Not yet ready to make my move because I needed to know what lurked outside the door.
“You’re here because of your brother.” Naila backed away from me. The gun was pressed into her palm. She got close enough to her desk to pick something up.
“Brendan? What is he trying to pull now...” It hit me. For whatever reason, my brother’s title and notoriety hadn’t given him anything more than misery. He’d done everything in his power to ruin my life, but I still managed to come out on top. If he only knew how far ahead of him, I truly was.
“Why does he hate you so much, Greyson? What have you done to make him want to ruin you any possible way?”
“You see, that’s the thing. He can’t ruin me, no matter what he does.”
“Then who is Celeste?”
Naila might as well have punched me in the gut. I’m not sure of when it happened, but somehow, Brendan got a serious fixation on Celeste. One I didn’t understand because I didn’t think he ever looked at her as anything more than his buddy’s younger sis, until she became mine. With Naila standing inches away with a gun, hair all over the place, I was blown away by the lengths Brendan would go to secure my demise.
“I’d like to meet Celeste.” She slid her fingers over the screen to dial the number, and immediately put it on speaker. My heart pounded through the rings. After three...
“Hello?”
“Brendan?”
“Who is this?”
“Naila . . . Where’s Celeste?”
I hear Celeste’s voice screaming for help in the background.
Boom...Boom...Boom!
Naila’s entire body turns to the door and the new noise. Someone is on the other side.
“Open up!” a male voice demanded. Naila grew unsteady. Not only was the gun much more than she could’ve handled; this crazy broad was still wearing heels and a skirt suit.
As I weighed my options, “Help!” traveled from the other end of the phone line. I had to take a pick between this present threat about a second away from busting down the door and Celeste.
“Oh my God, help me! He’s got a gun!” Celeste screamed. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and rode the full length of my spine. I couldn’t protect her like this, but she needed to know I was here.
“Celeste!” I called out, a matter of reflex at this point.
“Silence.” Naila moved the gun in my direction. Even as she tried to make herself appear threatening, I couldn’t help but notice that her focus shifted between me and the door. “Just stay quiet,” she repeated. I wasn’t sure if her warning was on account of the door or the phone. No telling. But she had an unsteady grip on the handle. No telling all right.
“Do you know who I am?” Brendan asked in the distance. I heard repeated cries from Celeste in the background. My insides sunk and flipped. I’m going to kill that him if he hurts her; I’m going to end him for simply getting her tied up in this whole business.
“Brendan... Brendan.” Naila pleaded. The gun pointed sideways. All of the strength and fight got swept away. “What’s wrong?”
Strong foreign voices filtered into the line, rushing off words. Celeste’s voice got louder like she was running closer to me. Next thing I knew, I heard tussling. Celeste yelped and then there’s silence, dead air. I lost it. Naila was so caught up in what had been taking place on the other side of the line that she’d forgotten I was a potential threat. Though I would’ve loved to stay and investigate further, I wouldn’t allow Celeste to be abused by that Brendan or any of those Russians.
I jumped up and faked to the right. Naila dropped the phone in her haste to shoot at me. I reached her as the first shot hit a bookcase on the opposite side of the room. I unwrapped her fingers and claimed the gun in one swift movement.
“Who brought me here?” I ask, squeezing her jaw with my free hand.
She shook her head. Every inch seemed weak, like she was out of her league.
“I’ll ask you one more time.” I squeezed tighter.
“One of Brendan’s men...”
The door was kicked in. I could only assume this guy was Naila’s bodyguard rushing at me. He aimed for me. They brought me here...alive. Or rather, they abducted me to this place. Was he going to kill me after all of this?
“Drop the gun!” he warned me.
“No, you drop your gun.” I twisted Naila around so that he was able to see her face. I’ve never been cold enough to shoot a woman, even in Naila’s case.
He eased closer, walking on a slant. His movement seemed shaky; his grip on the gun was pointless. I didn’t have time for a standoff, not when Celeste was with Brendan. I stepped forward, keeping Naila secure on my left side.
“Shoot him, Anthony!” Naila commanded her guy. But I positioned her and shifted her with a single hand.
“Yeah, shoot me,” I taunted.
But Anthony gave himself away when his eyes shifted around the room. I’d never been forced to take a life. Might’ve exchanged gunfire a handful of times, but this was beyond my normal scope. Clients rarely came after me because I provided lucrative opportunities and connections. Only my brother would now get me mixed up with some gun slinging hopefuls.
I aimed and released a single bullet into his chest. He dropped. The room spun in slow motion, but I checked the barrel, un-cocked the trigger and stuck it in my pocket. I ran as Naila rushed to catch him. Keys in one hand and my phone in the other, I couldn’t get to Celeste quick enough.
Seemed like this ride was coming to an end. I’ve had to sacrifice any hope of a decent living, but now what? The only certainty was in finding her and putting an end to her misery. Whatever it entailed, I didn’t care because my life...my freedom was fair exchange for the woman I loved.
Celeste
Guess I forgot where I lived and who might’ve been in charge. Without letting me go for even a split second, Brendan convinced the other men I was under his control. And all this while my last shred of hope slipped away in a phone call with some broad and Greyson. Handcuffs secured on my wrists and a throw tossed over me, he’d saved me further shame by escorting me down the back entrance of my building.
I didn’t turn back as the shiny black SUV rolled away from the curb. Might’ve sniffed once, but refused to shed a tear.
Brendan hadn’t put his hands on me again, after I was tossed in the car. We were the only two. No one had questioned his decision to “handle the suspect alone.” Every few seconds in, I’d swipe my eyes over his hands on the steering wheel and then up to his face. It was late by now, but God knows I wished there wasn’t so much light. I imagined Greyson shredding him apart.
“Hate me?”
“This is a joke, right?”
“You can be honest, CeCe. It won’t hurt my feelings.”
“Do you think I care about your feelings? Ever since the night at the club, I’ve seen a completely different side to the guy I’ve grown up with.” I swallowed down a lump in my throat to try to ease the raging emotions before I continued. “You ruined Greyson’s life and somehow Quinn’s disappearance keeps pointing to you.”
“I didn’t abduct Quinn, Celeste.”
“So, what did you mean about killing me and Quinn.”
Brendan moaned, like he somehow found pleasure in this topic. “Qu
inn willingly came.”
“Excuse me?” If you would’ve sliced me, there wouldn’t have been a drop of blood. My insides were drained of life. I shifted sideways in order to look into his face. I needed to not only hear the words but see this confession. And for once in my life, I remained silent.
He pulled up an alley, behind a bunch of adjoining houses in a residential area. Once parked and the car turned off, he reached for me. First undoing the seatbelt, his fingers trailed the side of my face. I didn’t mind it as much now. I had a different focus.
“Quinn,” I whispered.
“You’re relentless, just like her.” He pulled away, seemingly in deep thought. “She came to the club. No one took her, at first. When I’d first seen her, I spoke with Mr. Jacobs, but by then it was too late.”
The wounds were too fresh for my reply. I allowed each word of his confession to fill me. My emotions transformed from cold to steaming hot, but I kept them at bay. Resolution. I needed to form of resolution. As sick as this confession might’ve been, it was needed.
“She tried to get me to help, but what was I going to do? She came on her own and they couldn’t just let her go. But she trusted me. Yeah, she felt comfort in me. Eventually gave herself to me.”
“You put your hands on my little cousin...”
“Cut it out Celeste. Your family has this screwed up notion that you’re all pure and innocent. She came looking for something but got more than she bargained for. When it got to be too much, she tried running. But by that time, she was already drowning and there was no way out. She was dead from the start, and Quinn caused her own death!”
I lunged out of the seat; my body was thrown into his. There wasn’t much I could’ve done with my hands, though any type of fight gave me life. I hit where I could, scratched where I could, and bit wherever my mouth landed.
From the other side of the driver’s side window, a loud noise caught our attention. We both stopped fighting in time for the glass to crack. Brendan took the brunt of it as shards sprayed up the interior.
He let out a hollow bark.
I screeched. But I didn’t pull right away. It didn’t register to make a break from this disturbed human being. Not yet. I think part of me needed to see some type of pain inflicted from glass. I remained, and in a trance.
The breaths came quick. Loud thuds vibrated throughout my body until the pulses filled my ears. Something within me struck a nerve. I knew I should run, but sitting still, staring at this asshole and waiting for me to see the hurt through the darkness was enough right then.
“C’mon...” A distant voice drew near. “Get out of there.” The words were muffled and coming through the passenger side window. With my entire body pressed onto it, I felt lost. But then a thud from the other side of my door rattled me.
I regained focus.
“Celeste, are you okay?” I recognized the voice... Annika.
Saying a quick prayer under my breath, I screamed, “Yes!”
Brendan was still disoriented. I hurried to open the door, even though my nerves were shaky and my insides like putty. I plowed into Annika. She had her faithful red bat clenched between her fingers, holding on tightly.
“Let’s leave...now!” I grabbed her bare shoulders.
Dogs barked. She was frozen.
“He’s going to keep coming...”
“We’ll figure something out, but not now.” I shook her again. From the corner of my eyes I saw movement from inside of Brendan’s vehicle. “Please, Annika.”
She finally moved after another few seconds. We raced to her car and skirted up the dark alley. Behind us, Brendan had regained strength. We’d gotten away. This was just the beginning, but I knew getting out from under his demented behavior would be the first step in fixing this crap. And if he knew what was good for him, he’d think twice before doing anything else because I now had a plan.
I’d set out to avenge Quinn’s death. Little did I know that the very thing I thought had broken me would eventually give me strength. The curse I fell into with Mr. Jacobs and his Russian crew could actually be used for my benefit. And with Greyson’s help, we should be able to bury them all...even his twisted excuse for a brother.
Greyson
Celeste hopped out of the car before it stopped rolling. I barely got my arms opened before she ran into my chest. Her fragrance was so potent it instantly turned me on, but I had to remind myself of where we were. After she’d gotten away from Brendan and called me from some broad’s phone, I led them to the only place I knew would be safe - a makeshift headquarters off of the Verrazano Bridge, in Jersey. I’d just rounded the corner for her place when the call had come in. In a way, I wished to God they were still there.
“Are you okay?” Pressing my hands along the sides of her face, wide eyes peered up at me. Her lips trembled even though she tried to keep them shut. I ran the pad of my thumb over them before lifting her chin to meet my lips. When I pulled away, I added, “I’m going to put an end to this. I promise you, baby.”
Celeste’s clothes were shredded, revealing the breasts I loved to nibble on. Even her stomach flashed out from beneath the rags. My heart raced.
“Hey, I’m okay. I got away, but we need to talk.”
Looking around the perimeter, the darkness was just right. And the silence was even better. No one lived in this area, but that didn’t mean we could be careless. “Inside,” I ordered. “Where’s the girl?” I’d forgotten about the fact that she hadn’t come alone.
“I saw her go through those doors.”
“Look, I’ll find her, but first...you.” Stepping inside, I gripped tighter on her arms. “What did he do? I swear...”
“Greyson, who are these people?” She spun in a circle and whispered, “The Feds?” Celeste yanked on the raggedy pieces of clothing while pressing into me sideways. Tears rolled down her face, making me feel helpless because I didn’t have the ability to erase anything she’d gone through.
I mumbled through clenched teeth, “I’m so sorry.” We reached close to halfway into the warehouse. Black desks and barrels scattered around the place with no real direction. I felt secluded, cut off from the world. But I needed to be out there, tracking down my brother and putting an end to his reign. I hurt like hell, knowing I’d failed Celeste. I made a turn for the door.
“Greyson!” Emma thought she could control me. As far as I was concerned, this was all on her head.
I swiped my hand in her direction.
“The second you step out of that door, you’re no longer under our protection. You’ll be just like everyone else and any criminal activity conducted will count. Imagine living like a normal civilian?”
“You think I care? I don’t care anymore!” I spun back around to repeat myself. Emma faded away from my line of vision. My heart ached—not for any of this or even the time I’d spent building a name for myself in the underground world of organized crime. “One thing, one person matters right now.”
“Okay, let’s just say you get revenge on Brendan. Remember now, Head Detective Brendan Michaels. What next? You’re so tied up that you don’t get to walk away without a target on your back.” Trying to make herself relevant as all eyes zoomed in on our argument, Emma got louder by the second. “What would that do for her?”
I didn’t care about anything else. My vision was set on one person, solely.
“You, come here,” Emma screamed at Celeste.
“Are you losing your mind?” Taking long strides, I returned to Celeste’s side. “She’s not―”
“Tell him! I know you’re mixed up in some crap, so tell him or I swear to God I’ll―”
I rushed into Emma, wanting to knock her flat on her ass, but about a dozen men and women circled us. Their guns drawn and a chorus of clicks were set to take me down if needed. And true to her nature, Emma didn’t flinch.
Celeste’s fingers trailed up my arm. “Greyson, what’s going on?”
Emma smirked before tossing out into a now sile
nt space, “You got a lot to discuss.” She started walking off, kind of swaying then stopped. “And when you’re caught up on each other’s lies, Annika and I will fill in the rest.” She pointed to the girl that had driven with Celeste.
Everyone around us faded away. Celeste held my gaze. God knows I’d always craved...loved this girl. I raised her palms to my lips, placing gentle kisses against her delicate skin.
“You’re with the Feds?” she asked from under her breath.
I nodded and added, “Yeah, but I’m not an official agent.”
“So, you’re not a bad guy?”
“You wish.” I smirked.
Tears flooded her eyes. “I love you, Greyson.”
Celeste
“Nothing can keep me away from you.”
“Nothing?” I asked, needing confirmation before I let him know about the my dealings with the Russians.
Greyson stood behind me. His arms wrapped over my body, on top of a plain white tee shirt Annika had given me to put on along with a set of tights. We gazed up into the moon drenched sky. I fit so perfectly against him. Could’ve passed out and known I would never make it to the ground because he’d catch me and protect me.
“What made you love me, CeCe?”
My lips curled, just thinking about his question. An image of a light-haired kid with a thin coat of hair covering his arms came into mind. For a period of time, his parents had kept his hair long. Whenever Greyson and Brendan were over at our house playing video games or doing guy things, I’d sneak up behind him and make ponytails. At five and six, he didn’t mind but as we got older, it turned to playfully fondling in his hair.
“Remember when you stopped me from playing in your hair?” I giggled, and then shifted around to press my chest and waist into his front.
“You used to be so annoying and determined when someone said no or stop.” He cupped my face in his palms. “I’d get ticked off because you made me smile, and I wasn’t supposed to smile. You made me think you were a cutie, and I wasn’t supposed to think you were. You made me want to protect you. I didn’t have a choice.”
