Undercover: Secrets & Lies

by Jennifer Loren

  “No, we didn’t. We were given permission, remember?”

  “Are you sure we can’t get arrested for this?”

  “We didn’t steal anything from the owner, and we didn’t take anything the police didn’t have access to find first. They just never found them. They didn’t know where to look.”

  “That’s because it’s so well-hidden that only someone who knew it was there would be able to find it.” Mika begins to understand the full picture. “We got paid big, and there’s no trace of it.” I smile as he leaps for joy. “Suck it, Roman! I’m getting my shoes!” he sings, dancing around the room.

  “Oh, Mika, I might have lied to you about that.”

  “Which part?”

  “I don’t know who Jolie hired. I only said Roman because I heard you mention him once.”

  “That was not right,” he shames me. “But now that I’m a rich man, I forgive you. Oh, it’s a beautiful day …” His celebration continues, dancing with Harrison and leaving me to sit back and feel good about the possibilities of what’s to come.

  CHAPTER 32

  Ben

  I have some sort of hearing today. I have no idea what this is about, but I am sure more charges are going to be added to encourage me to talk. It’s all getting a little old. They open my cell door, and the guard stands outside, waving me out. I lay my hand on the wall of pictures once more. The guard takes notice of my action. “It’s for luck,” I say to him, and he nods.

  “That you’re girl or your sister? Either way is she single?”

  I look back at the wall and the pictures of Laila. “She’s not my sister.” I don’t bother to respond to his last question. I move forward and do not speak again until we are at the courthouse and I am greeted by a strange man. “Who are you?”

  “William Hollister, your new attorney Mr. Ryder.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to help you get out of jail. The charges they have brought against you are interesting, but I think we can get them all dismissed.”

  “Dismissed? I thought my trial wasn’t for another three months?”

  “It was, until I called for this special hearing. You have rights, Mr. Ryder, and we have Judge Palmer today.”

  “Palmer? The senator’s brother? The senator whose son is the rescued officer?”

  “Yes, do you know him?”

  “No, not personally.”

  “Oh, too bad. He has a lot of control over what happens to you. Don’t worry, I have never lost a case.”

  “That sounds expensive. I can’t afford to pay you, you know?”

  “My fees have already been paid in advance. If this goes well today, I may actually owe you money back,” he says with a million dollar smile before diving into the details of the hearing. I shake my head, knowing who’s responsible for this. What is he doing? Titus is only going to make it worse for us both.

  I’m held until they are ready for me, and the moment I walk into the courtroom, I see her talking to my attorney before sitting behind us. She gives me a quick smile before focusing on the front of the courtroom. She can’t possibly afford this guy. How is she doing this? I shake my head, cursing under my breath about the stubborn ass. “Why doesn’t she just give up like I told her to do?” I say, hoping she can hear me. Instead of giving up, Laila whispers for me to shut up and listen. The moment Hollister stands to speak to the judge, the verbal smack down of all the charges begins. It’s amazing to watch, actually. By the end, Judge Palmer has little choice but to dismiss all charges and clear me completely.

  After the judge clears me, I look back to see her walking out of the courtroom but not before she winks in my direction.

  It doesn’t seem real, but somehow, I am back at home and looking around with no clue what to do now. My phone has a half dozen messages from Laila, one I am assuming explains why she took my car. To hell with it, she can keep it. I can’t talk to her. I have no desire to see her right now. The only person I want to see is my brother. They buried him without me and didn’t give him much, so I see about how much it will be to give him a better place. The owner of the place has seen the news apparently because he demands that I bring him a cashier’s check to pay for it all. There is no trust for criminals these days.

  When the bank sits me down, I prepare myself for the bad news. The cops must have frozen my account because the entire bank is acting way too nice and trying too hard to keep me happy and calm. When the man returns, he is smiling all over himself. “Listen, I just want to bury my brother properly, so anything you could do for me I would appreciate.”

  “Mr. Ryder, I would be more than happy to help you. We can wire the money directly to the cemetery so they can get started right away. I would also like to talk to you about some investment opportunities if you would be interested?” He begins rambling about my long-term goals and some shit.

  “What are you talking about? I don’t have the money to do any of that.” He hands me a paper with my account information. “This can’t possibly be right.”

  “Well, I don’t know what you think it should be, but I assure you, I checked every detail. It’s right. You moved all of your funds from various other accounts into this one. This makes you our most valued customer, and I would love to help you handle your money properly.” I sit back, trying to search my mind for any explanation. “Would you be interested in …”

  “No. Thank you. Maybe later.” I leave the bank and immediately take care of Luca before someone figures out their mistake.

  I tried drinking myself into forgetting. I tried going out with the old crew, but the conversation always came back to Luca and if not him, then her. No one seems to know how to talk about anything else around me. Even a woman I picked up at the bar is of little interest to me. I pay for a cab to get her away from me. I can’t even touch another woman without feeling guilty. After everything that has happened, I feel guilty? It’s ridiculous. I should learn from my father and be cold-hearted and sleep with every woman that moves in my general vicinity. Maybe that is what I need to do—see my father and get some answers.

  I visit Titus. It’s Saturday, and everyone is here waiting to see someone. The crowd makes me wonder if I should be here at all. Visiting him in this place feels wrong. I have become so used to his opulent taste that nothing about this place fits him or my idea of him. I never considered him being in jail. He always managed to find a way out of trouble. Guards escort me to a private area and bring the well-cared for man in, treating him respectfully. He thanks them for the private time with me, and I shake my head, not surprised by his ability to work himself into a sweet deal here. “I was wondering if you were going to come see me.”

  “How did you know I was out?” He gives me a sideways smile. “Never mind. I can’t believe she visited you too. Anyway, I wanted to thank you for the money. I don’t know what you expect me to do with it though? I paid for a nice set up near mom for Luca, but outside of that, was there something special you wanted? Legally, because they are watching me night and day.”

  He sits back, rubbing his face with hard laughter. “Wow, she actually did it. Unbelievable, that woman.” I shake my head, not understanding what he’s talking about. “I didn’t give you anything, Ben. I made a deal with your girl, and she took care of the rest. I really didn’t think she would hold up her end of the bargain, but I guess she did. I mean, I knew she took the money because the next day, Jolie was here kissing my ass.” He laughs harder than I have ever seen him. “I wish you could have seen her face. Honey Bear please, I don’t know what to do,” He mocks her voice. “Fuck her. That moment in time alone was worth the money. I gotta hand it to her. She’s smart, really smart. Smarter than Jolie.” He laughs some more.

  “Are you saying Laila did this?”

  “Who else could pull that off? The bitch has some balls, that’s for sure. Hands that badge in and trades it for a new life. Who knows, maybe when I get out, she will give me a job protecting her.”

&nb
sp; “She gave up her badge?” I ask, causing Titus to stop smiling and look at me with confusion.

  “Where have you been? Have you not talked to her at all?”

  “No.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Because there’s no way it can work out. She’s a cop, and I’m a criminal. She needs to move on.”

  “I should smack the shit out of you right now.”

  “I can’t go through the pain of losing her again, and I don’t want to be the one that ruins her life.”

  Titus rolls his eyes, huffing. “Oh wow, I’ve heard those words before. I said nearly the same exact thing about your mother. And I hated every second of my life without her. Does that make you happy following in my footsteps?”

  “No, not really.” He throws his hands up as if he made a point. I hate when he does that. He looks beyond me at a female guard. “Can you keep it in your pants for a few minutes?”

  “What? She’s hot. Maybe I am inspired by your love for tough women. A guard, I would certainly like to find out what her pussy tastes like. Soft and pink I bet, with the perfect spot to play with to make her fortitude come tumbling down so I could spank that ass all night long.”

  “Fuck, Titus. Do you ever listen to the shit you say?”

  “Yeah, do you? I guarantee you, that you have been moping around since you got out, tried to fuck one woman and couldn’t. You’re not me, kid. You don’t have the ability to love and forget.”

  “I’m over her.”

  He grabs my phone and turns it on, showing me the screensaver with Laila and me together. “I haven’t gotten around to changing it yet.”

  “Bullshit. I’ve seen your phone before. The only picture you ever had on that damn thing was of your car. You did that recently. Stop being an idiot.”

  “Titus, you killed her parents. She knows that, and now she knows I’m your son. How could we ever get past that? I thought maybe before, if I left with her …” I shake my head. “I was foolish then, hoping I could convince her Nathan did it on his own. Too much has happened for her to believe it now. You knew Nathan took that cop. You may have not known what he was doing exactly, but you knew he was a sick piece of shit. You let him kill her parents right in front of her, and for what? Because he couldn’t be bought?”

  “Nathan said he had evidence about Donovan’s murder. He was only supposed to find out what that evidence was and then report back so we could handle payback ourselves. That family was not to be touched or harmed in any way.” Titus and I both know why Nathan killed the cop now, to keep Titus from finding out Nathan killed Donovan. He wanted his place in the organization, and he was willing to do anything to get it.

  “They were all harmed, and you promoted him despite him disobeying your order. You protected him. You, knowing who he was, protected him, and now look what has happened. Your own son was killed by him. Killed because you liked the power he gave you. We are all paying for your mistakes, Titus. Knowing everything we know now, I can’t imagine how Laila could ever see me as anything other than your son— a criminal and a ruthless killer. Even if she doesn’t, everyone she knows will. That’s not a way to live. I’m not going to let her ruin her life, for me. Eventually, she will go back and be the cop she always wanted to be and marry that asshole she was seeing. Shepherd was right. I can never give her the life she deserves. And I’ll …”

  “You’ll be miserable and so will she. Neither of you are meant for the ordinary, boring life. She quit that job way too easily to care about it. Face it, destiny brought you two together for a reason, and it’s not to ignore the opportunity in front of you. Speaking of hot ass, can you help me get some? My balls are about to bust waiting around for a good fuck. I almost asked Jolie for a fuck.” I bury my head into my hands, wondering why I put myself through his bullshit.

  “Titus? Oh, forget it. What do you want me to do with the businesses, the properties? I guess now with the money I can keep things working until you can get back into it or help you run it.”

  “You most certainly will not. Sell everything. Sell the house for me, evict Jolie, and then go on your way. I didn’t keep you out all these years just to bring you into the middle of a mess.”

  “You’re in jail, Titus, and who knows for how long. The longer you’re in here with no end in sight, the more you lose your grip on things. Someone has to do something. Who else can you trust? If you don’t want them to convict you, or get yourself killed in here, then you need my help.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll always be fine. I’ve got everything handled here. I actually like it. I’m making new friends, finding out information about my enemies, and figuring out who can help me rebuild.”

  “You don’t have anything to rebuild with.”

  “It won’t be the first time. Besides, I might have a bit of money stored in other places.” I shake my head, rolling my eyes. “I am giving you permission, Ben. Go live your life. I may be here for a little while. I have work to do.”

  “Okay, sure, because committing more crimes is always helpful when you’re in jail. Sign these papers so I can evict your wife, take care of your shit, and get on with my life.” I promise the old fool that I will do my best to get him out as soon as I can. His trial could be more than a year from now while they search high and low for evidence against him. He’s the only one left they can hold. No one’s talking, so it’s an uphill battle for the district attorney. Titus is sitting real pretty right now. It shouldn’t be difficult to get him out. I guess now I can afford to hire my attorney to get him out. I make plans, checking in with Titus on what we need to do, all of which he ignores. He won’t let me help him, but I don’t listen to what he wants.

  It’s actually kind of fun showing up at Titus’s estate with cops on my side this time. Awkwardly, I ring the bell to a door that I have always had a key to, but since the police are here, I guess breaking in and dragging the bitch out wouldn’t be the best idea. With no help working the estate now, it takes some time before the cops finally allow me to simply walk in with my key. Eventually, Jolie shows up, looking clueless.

  “Why Ben, you did get out. I knew they would see how innocent you are.” She hugs me like she’s been smoking something. “Thank you officers for bringing him home.”

  “Jolie, I need you to get your things and leave the house. The gentlemen here are going to make sure you leave with only what is considered to be yours.” She starts to laugh, but I step aside to let them in. “According to the court order I got today, you, Jolie Mercier, are being evicted from this home today. You have twenty minutes to gather what is yours. Anything else you believe is yours and are not able to obtain today, you are advised to fill out a statement for lost property at the station and they will serve notice to verify ownership of property.” I read off generic information as coldly and as inconsiderate as possible.

  She let my brother die. She had his body dragged outside and left in the wooded area in the back of the estate because she couldn’t stand to look at him. She did nothing when wolves came in, and she didn’t tell the cops he was back there. It wasn’t until I said something to Henry that he went over to search for his body. So when she looks up at me weepy-eyed and pleading, I think of what she did to Luca, and I want to see her suffer. If they won’t charge her for the crime, then I will make sure she sees justice in another way. A devilish plan I worked out with Titus. She’s to leave with only what she came with or what is in her name, and nothing is in her name. There is a lot of screaming and yelling, some mixed in crying and sorrowful tears for what she has done, before she finally tries to go for blood.

  She runs at me full force with a knife in hand. “How could you do this to me!?” I don’t flinch as I slide a chair in front of her to trip her and send her head over heels onto her face. “You’re an evil, vindictive bastard, Ben. All of this because I tried to auction your car? I needed the money.”

  I take a moment to bend down to her total melt down and look into her eyes. “You really think this
would all be about a car?” I stare at her waiting on her to get it, to somehow understand what she had done, what responsibility she has in this.

  And there is a slight glimmer in her eyes when I know she’s got it, but it fades quickly, “I didn’t kill him. I had no idea Nathan would do what he did. He was crazy, and Luca stepped in when he shouldn’t have. That’s not my fault.”

  “I don’t want to hear my brother’s name come from your mouth ever again. Now get out. I called you a taxi. It’s waiting for you out front.” I stand up and toss some cash onto her head. “Feel free to take it wherever you need or as far as the cash gets you.” She looks up, realizing she’s not even getting her own car back. “Oh, and Jolie, watch out for the wolves. They get hungry when they smell blood.” Her departure is gratifying, but it doesn’t bring Luca back. I take one last look around, grabbing a few memories from Titus’s safe and heading out, never looking back.

  I have to build a new crew, and I am going to need people to help me. Before I can start, I get a call from Titus’s attorney. Titus took a plea of fifteen years with a chance for parole. It’s not what the district attorney wanted, but it’s more than he would have ever gotten. I’m not sure why Titus did it. He could have walked eventually with no record. I guess, for him, it didn’t matter. He’s already considered a criminal. He sends me a message via one of his new employees. The message is simple.

  You’re fired.

  I have no other choice now, than to find a life of my own. I’m not sure how to do that so I go to the one person that always helped guide me when I needed it. Luca has been moved to a place near my mother. I position memories and flowers perfectly along his grave, crying and swearing at him the whole time. It still doesn’t feel real, that he’s gone. He wasn’t just my brother. He was my best friend. The only one who understood me.