Devastating Secret: Book 2 - Secret Series

by M Brereton

  * * *

  An hour later…

  “This sounded serious when you called me,” Noah said as he clasped hands with Roland. “You’re gonna have to make it quick though. My mom has the kids and I’m supposed to be watching them. Eva’s on edge about…something…”

  “What’s bothering Eva?” Roland asked casually.

  “She thinks…ah…” Noah waved off. “She’s probably over-analyzing things. She is a bit on alert…uh uneasy these days.”

  “What has her uneasy?” Roland asked quietly.

  Noah sighed. “Her past. Her family.” He scoffed. “The usual.”

  “Oh,” Roland replied in an understanding tone. “Maybe I can help? Tell me what you need to be done.

  Noah stopped rubbing his hand over his face and peaked at Roland through his fingers. He sat up straight and took a bracing breath then shook his head. “Eva won’t like that.”

  “It’s not like I don’t know Eva’s secrets.” Roland bluffed. All he had was Roni’s suspicions and his weak clues. He needed confirmation, but going by the way Noah looked around after he spoke, it seemed he already got it. “Trust me. I’m a guy who knows a thing or two about hiding his past. I couldn’t escape the Marchesi if I didn’t.”

  Noah stroked his chin in thought, then said. “You can’t really do anything. Not on the scale needed.”

  Not a direct answer. Roland thought. She schools him well.

  “It may be a moot point anyway.” Noah waved away. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “Right!” Roland said excitedly. “I got a place!”

  “That’s great!” Noah replied. Where is it?”

  “Well, due to my previous lifestyle, I thought somewhere remote might be the way to go. It’s in Mt Ranier.”

  “You and Eva think almost alike. She wants to go live in the middle of nowhere too.”

  “Where?”

  “Her father’s island.”

  “I thought she didn’t know her father.”

  Noah froze for a split second before replying. “She recently met a member of his family. They told her about him.”

  Roland nodded. He knew there was some truth, but why did Noah hesitate unless she knew him before the family member showed up. “Maybe she’ll rent me a timeshare.” Roland chuckled.

  “Eva doesn’t have any business plans for this yet.”

  “What’s she gonna do with it then?”

  Noah shrugged and looked away. “Beats me. Her property.”

  Lie. Roland thought. His money was on escape plans. “Where is this island?”

  “Eva is the only map.” Noah evaded carefully. “She was kinda angry when she found out about her father and sort of burned the directions to it.”

  No, it was purposely burned so they could keep it hidden. Roland thought.

  So, tell me about your place!” Noah said changing the subject.

  “Well, it’s a bit of a fixer-upper and I was kinda hoping you’d lend a hand with a tool or two,” Roland asked sheepishly.

  “Free labor. That’s all I am to you.” Noah feigned sadness before smiling brightly. “Of course, I’ll help! When do you need me?”

  “You know, I just thought. Since Eva’s so on ‘alert’, why don’t you bring the kids along? That will take some stress off her shoulders and give us time to do a cabin camping with the nephews and niece.” Roland suggested.

  “Nephews and niece?” Noah looked away trying to hide his pleasure. “That sounds like a great idea, bro. Letting the kids hang out a bit with their pseudo uncle.” Noah chuckled.

  Or their real one. Roland finished internally.

  52

  Uncle Roland

  “I trusted you! You were like a brother I never had!!” Noah moaned from the floor as he tried to get up.

  “Do you hear yourself?” Roland complained before adding “Don’t try to get up! Stay down. It’ll make the job easier for the CIA agents when they get here.”

  “You’re setting us up?” Noah growled crawling to his knees, but a swift kick in the rib from Roland sent him back down.

  “Branded a traitor with that wife of yours on the run. Oh, how your adoring public will react when the news breaks out. You had everything! Now, look at you, crawling around like a worm!”

  “They’ll find the truth…”

  “Not if you want those brats of yours to live!” Roland put in. “Eva knows the game. She’ll cover my tracks like a good girl as long as she doesn’t know where her precious baby is.”

  “If you hurt Amelia…”

  “You’ll do nothing! You can’t do anything! The twins are nice and knocked out and Amelia is in a place where only I know where to find her. Kill me and she dies! That’s why Eva is taking me to her little hideout to live happily ever after with the boys while you go to jail for treason and for making deals with the Marchesi.”

  “What the hell did I ever do to you?” Noah coughed out.

  “You took my place!”

  “What?” Noah asked confused then countered, “I wanted the undercover gig! I didn’t choose to back out…!”

  “NOT THAT!” Roland shouted, and Noah hung his head, not understanding. “You took my place in my family.” Noah looked up, confusion clear on his face. “Don’t we look alike?” Roland asked suddenly. “People always said we looked like brothers.”

  Understanding dawned on Noah’s face and he asked shakily “How?”

  “Military guys get drunk then screw around, that’s how.” Roland responded angrily. “My mother was good enough for a lay, but not to marry apparently. He chose your mother for that. And when my mother told him she was pregnant he rushed off and married yours before deploying. She never saw him again.”

  “That’s not my fault!”

  “Oh, isn’t it? When my mom got cancer and went searching for our heroic father to take me, he told her I wasn’t his and she was just a slut everyone had!”

  That may be true! Noah thought to himself remembering his father. Mase had told stories of a wild time they had with some women before his father got married. On a hunch he asked, “Your mom wouldn’t happen to be blonde, brown eyes and have…generous proportions would she?”

  “How the hell…”

  On the money. Noah thought sadly. According to Uncle Mase, the woman and her friends were high and there were three females to ten males. Noah remembered his Uncles laughing as they told the story. ‘You do the math on what happened that night, young gun.’ Uncle Mase had told a red faced teenage Noah.

  Snapping Noah out of his thoughts, Roland shouted, “I asked you a question! How the hell did you know that?”

  “You don’t want the answer.” Noah whispered to the floor.

  “What did you say?”

  “What happened after your mom spoke to my…to our father?” Noah asked, changing the subject.

  Roland narrowed his eyes at him, but answered, “She died. What the hell did you think happened or have you forgotten you know this already?”

  Noah knew. He knew Roland was raised in foster care from the age of nine and William had died when Noah was eleven. He also knew Roland moved from family to family until the age of sixteen until he started working and living on his own.

  “I’m sorry for how our father treated you, but that has nothing to do with me! I didn’t know you existed until we met at the training academy. Why didn’t you tell me then?”

  “So, you can pity me!” Roland replied with a kick to Noah’s already fractured rib. “Besides, how do you think I was even shortlisted for the Academy? I asked Wayland to vouch for me, that’s how! Not that you were aware of any of this! I got your medical records from the Bureau and it confirmed what I already knew. But that was my mistake. The next thing I knew Nolan needed a mole and I was the sacrifice.”

  “But I volunteered for…” Noah began.

  “Just as they knew you would!” Roland cut in. “Made it look even cleaner that way. I was never meant to come back.”

  “I as
ked Nolan to pull you out.” Noah said remembering.

  “I know.” Roland replied graciously with a malicious smile. “Thanks for that.” Then his smile turned to sneer. “Always worried about me, weren’t you. Oh, poor Roland, lost his mom.” Punch. “He got erased.” He punctuated with another blow to Noah’s head. “Can’t keep his wife!” Kick. “Roni was the final straw!” Two more hits and Noah was out cold.

  “Fuck!” Roland cursed, wiping the sweat off his upper lip. “Your fucking world is being destroyed and still, you’re pitying me! Fucking stuck up dick!” Roland paced as he calmed himself. He needed to be calm when the CIA and Homeland arrived. He smiled to himself. The fool was too trusting. Eva had still guarded what she said around him, but Noah didn’t. Even when she warned him not to tell him, but that warning had come too late anyway. Roni had gotten the ball rolling in her jealously and with his underworld contacts, he finished the job.

  That was the one good thing to come out of his sham of a marriage. Roni was able to provide him with a way to make Noah pay. Noah was right in a way, Roland conceded internally, this had nothing to do with him. This was about ruining his father’s legacy and Noah played a big part in that.

  His original plan was to take over Noah’s perfect life then he had a plan to ruin him by planting a crime on him. Never in his dreams did he picture Noah would fall in love with an assassin, never mind one that killed his best friend and fellow agent and help her hide that fact. This news would destroy the bureau and everything Noah’s accomplished by the time it circumnavigated the globe the Marshall name would be nothing more than a disgraced meme on social media.

  The sound of a vehicle arriving pulled Roland from his ghastly thoughts and he went to the window and frowned as he saw not only the Assistant Director of Homeland Security get out, but another man had come along as well. The occupants of the second vehicle had yet to get out and Roland frowned as he cocked his Barretta. His gut was suddenly in knots. Something was wrong, he knew it. He backed away from the window and went to wait over Noah’s unconscious form as his visitors knocked on the cabin door.

  “Can we come in, Ro?” A familiar voice asked.

  “That depends,” Roland hesitated. “why the hell are you here?”

  “You know why I’m here.” Came the stern reply.

  “I didn’t send for you!” Roland shouted through the door.

  Silence rained for a few moments then the Assistant Director spoke finally. “A decision has been made. We’re here to collect Noah Marshall. Is he there with you?”

  “You know damn well he’s here!” Roland growled as he stooped down. He knew what kind of decision they arrived at. He should just kill Noah now. It wasn’t like he was going to make it out alive…or maybe. He still had a card to play after all. “Do you know where his wife is?”

  “Right here.” A voice said behind him.

  How the hell did she enter without him knowing? Without turning he asked, “Did you find her?”

  “No.”

  “You chose him over your child?”

  “No. That’s why you’re still breathing.” Two FBI Agents he recognized entered the room as she spoke. “Check the bedroom. Take the boys out of here.”

  “There’s no need for all of that, Evaline. I would’ve brought the boys to you myself. You know that!”

  “Where is she?”

  “You can’t get her back.”

  “Why not?”

  Roland sighed, before muttering “I traded her in. You know where. They’ll never let her go. Just pray she survives the training like you did.”

  Eva’s eyes widened in horror and she covered her gasp as tears came to her eyes. “How could you…?”

  “Can we come in now, Eva?” Nolan asked through the door.

  “Yes.” She replied, fighting tears.

  “I had some lingering doubt…” Roland began as they surrounded him. “After all, a secret like this affects more than just, Noah doesn’t it?. Still, I had to do something, so I can’t get the queen, I’ll settle for his princess.” He finished as Alex shoved him to the floor and placed him in handcuffs.

  “You’re under arrest for treason and sedition.”

  “I know,” Roland breathed. “…and now I get erased, permanently.”

  53

  Epilogue

  Two years later…

  “I was wondering when you were going to pay me a visit,” Roland smirked then tenderly touched his ribs and winced. “Still recovering from my family time with my bro though. Seems different now. I don’t remember him being that…um…what’s the word…uh dark?”

  “You sold his daughter.” Eva said softly. “what do you expect?”

  “He gained a brother.” Roland pointed out. “Besides, he can have more. And don’t forget she was my niece too. Not that anybody seems to care.”

  “What is wrong with you?” Eva whispered.

  “One would argue the same thing about you, Miss Green.” Roland countered. “I’m a survivor just like you.” He turned away. “Sometimes, surviving costs.”

  “And I’m supposed to feel sorry for you now?” Eva spat then stooped and gripped his chin in her gloved hand making him face her once more. “She was our little girl and you took her from us. He welcomed you into our home like family…”

  “I AM FAMILY!” Roland shouted.

  Eva straightened away from him. “Like my father was family? Like the Marchesi is family to you?” Roland clenched his jaw as she went on. “The Marchesi. You sold her to them!” Eva took a calming breath then asked. “How much?”

  Roland’s smirk returned. “She wasn’t one of the boys so…not much. He wanted a son for a son.”

  Silent tears fell down Eva’s cheek as she realized this was partly her fault. After wiping them away angrily, she asked, “Why?”

  “Your husband asked that already…” Roland began rubbing his bruised jaw.

  “That’s not what I meant!” Eva cut in. “You had years to make Noah pay. It was because of Veronica wasn’t it?”

  Roland pouted then nodded.

  “Being second to Noah all your life then ending up as a second choice by your own wife…. harsh,” Eva stated in a monotone. “So, you decide to ruin the life of an innocent child? How does that justify things for you?” At his silence, she strolled around his windowless cell and sniffed delicately at the stench. “I see how much your life has improved by making Noah pay because your mother couldn’t keep her legs closed…”

  He rushed her then paused as he remembered who he was dealing with. Then under her intense glare he slowly resumed his seat on the straw cot.

  “Pathetic.” Eva sneered. “No wonder you were second best. Noah wouldn’t have wimped out.” She turned her back on him and continued softly. “Your life here will last as long as my daughter’s and whatever she forced to suffer so will you.”

  “You know where…” Roland said in disbelief.

  Eva gave him a jerky nod. “Sadly, I cannot retrieve her without …. repercussions, but know this…” then she turned and faced him “you will never forget her name nor anything about her…. because family suffers together.” Then she leaned in and quoted. “Your brother’s woe shall be your woe.” Eva kicked at the steel door alerting the guard then let herself out after the door was opened maintaining eye contact with Roland as she did.

  After she was gone Roland felt his shoulders slump and ran his hands over his face. He was expecting her to attack him from the moment she entered but instead, she was calm and collected throughout their entire exchange. This was bad. Making her revert to assassin mode was very bad. He really wished he slept better last night because he knew it would be the last night he would ever sleep soundly again.

  Thank you for reading!

  About the Author

  M Brereton started writing five years ago and launched her first book Our Little Secret in 2016 which was later renamed and relaunched as A Simple Secret. Since then, she has written five more books including compl
eting the Secret Series. Besides writing, Marita fills her days as a single mom, entrepreneur, and Digital Lifestyle Coach.

  You can connect with me on:

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  Also by M Brereton

  I love a good action mixed with a steamy romance and if it’s in a fantasy world then that’s just chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on top! If this is your thing, you can try these books by M Brereton also.

  A Simple Secret

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BLPRGS5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

  Book 1 - Secret Series

  Genre: Action/Romance/Suspense (Mature 18+)

  There are no secrets that time does not reveal – Jean Racine

  Dedicated FBI Special Agent Noah Marshall lives his life by the book and from the moment he met Eva, he knew she was the love of his life. For her, he would do anything even become President making his family and country proud. But Eva keeps secrets, the kind that can destroy their future and a nation. Now Noah must choose if love is more valuable than honor.

  Ill-Fated Journey

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08WLJ4BLF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4

  Genre: Dark Romance (Mature 18+. Violence and graphic content)