Lies (Phoenix Undercover #1) (3 page)

Chapter 5

Josh

It’d been a week since Gabby surprised me with a kiss, and I still couldn’t get it out of my head. No, it wasn’t anything more than a sweet kiss, but it was a memorable one for sure. I was still kicking myself for not getting her number or offering my own. Besides the fifteen minutes I spent talking to her, I had just wanted to forget all about that night.

Greyson was still giving me shit about it, though. Apparently another girl kissing me put a damper on his plans. Marissa was pissed, and when she told her friend, they both left, leaving Greyson horny and alone. I guess I shouldn’t have laughed or made fun of the fact that he would have to take care of the problem himself. I was only adding fuel to the flame, but I loved getting under his skin.

I had just entered the bureau when my phone began to vibrate on my hip, and I lifted it to find my father’s name lighting up the screen. This was not something I needed to deal with on a Friday morning. I loved the man, but he could be a handful. After my mother passed away two years ago, he became heavily dependent on me and my sister. That would have been okay if he also allowed us to have a life of our own too. I told Libby we needed to find him a hobby.

“Hey, Dad,” I said as I punched the button on the wall and waited for the elevator to arrive.

“Son,” he replied. “Libby is bringing Jonah for dinner tonight. I thought I’d offer up your sister’s cooking to you as well.”

I swear Libby brought him dinner at least five times a week. But being married to an attorney who worked long-ass hours meant she found herself with the time to visit for hours.

“Gotta work, Dad, sorry. Another time, okay?” The elevator dinged and I stepped aside, allowing the car to empty.

“You work too much, son.” His voice took on a serious tone, and I knew the familiar lecture was coming. “One day you’re gonna wake up and wonder where the hell your life went. Wonder why you spent so much time working and so little time living. I just want you to be happy, Josh.”

“I know, Dad.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and hung my head. “We’ll get together on Sunday, okay?”

“Okay, son. You be careful.”

“Always,” I replied before lowering the phone and tapping End. He was right; I knew he was. But it wasn’t that I was content with how I was living. I just wanted both to work as hard as I did and to have a family.

I leaned back against the wall of the elevator until it dinged once again, announcing it had arrived at the top floor. I was already ten minutes late for a briefing with my team, and my mood was shit. Rounding the corner in the hallway, I found three of the guys, including Greyson lingering just outside the conference room.

“Hey, Prince Charming, ever figure out who your Cinderella was?” Connor chuckled as I came to a stop only two feet from them.

Greyson took it upon himself a few days ago to tell the entire team about my date last Friday. He made it sound like Marissa dumped me and then I got ditched by the rebound girl, which was apparently Gabriella. Yeah, he worked the room, making me look like some sorry sucker who struck out with two women. I didn’t play into his game or let him convince them I was responsible for ruining his night. Then again, I suppose I was in a way, so I guess I owed it to him to put up with a little of his taunting. Greyson’s ego needed a boost, and I was confident enough to sit back and take shit from the guys.

“Nope,” I said as I pushed past them into the room.

“Okay, so—” Terrance entered behind me and took a seat at the big round table. “—we’re FBI agents, so how hard can it be for us to work this out? We can find her.”

“What the hell are we gonna do? Search for all Gabriella’s in the city, door to door?” I looked around the table. All eyes were on me.

George was the first to speak. “You don’t know her full name?”

I sat there wondering just how in the hell my life became the topic of our meeting.

“I must be going to the wrong places to meet women,” he continued. “You got kissed by a sweet thing and you only knew her first name. Meanwhile, I’ve been hitting on a girl in my apartment building for two years, and all she does is offer a quick nod before scurrying down the hallway toward her exit.” George shook his head and stared off like he was in deep thought.

I was just about to respond when Frank, our commanding agent and superior, entered the room and shut the door behind him. He carried in a stack of files and dropped them on the table in front of us.

“We got a long day, men. It appears our friend Roman has recruited a few men close to home. They’re moving into our area faster than anticipated, which means our plans are being pushed ahead.” His stare connected with mine, and my stomach tightened. Shit was moving forward, which meant I was going undercover.

“You ready for this?” he asked.

I nodded as I reached out and flipped open the first file.

The name written in bold and highlighted at the top of the document peeking out just beneath his photo was:

Leo Markovich

He looked rough. He had been accused of rape and a list of other things yet never convicted. His victims always retracted their statements or worse, never showed up for trial. His boss Roman Socolov, a powerful drug smuggler, who also dabbled in prostitution and human trafficking, had a strong team behind him, which he needed because no one in the FBI had ever had the pleasure of coming face-to-face with him. Whenever we got close, he’d bail, leaving his goons to handle his business. If we wanted to stop him, we would have to start with Leo.

“Through our connections, we’ve already set up a meeting with Leo. Tomorrow evening, you will be driven by Greyson and Mike to a location in East Harlem. We believe it’s just a meeting place they use and not their central location.”

Frank flipped open another file from the stack and began handing out enlarged photos of men who I assumed would be involved in the meeting.

“You already know Leo, Roman’s advisor. He is the one that holds the key to Roman’s location, so he’s our main target.” Frank then pulled out the next set of photos and passed them around. We sat in silence as he introduced each of Leo’s associates and their duties. “Meet Nicolay, the bookmaker. And Pavel, the warrior, which are more like the soldiers, the protectors.” He then tossed a photo of three men who were obviously related on the table. “The Kuznetsov brothers. The enforcers and bodyguards. This forms their brotherhood.”

Frank locked eyes with me. “They are looking for a connection in this area, and you will be their bitch, so to speak. Their goal is to invite you into their world, allow you to mingle and mix, and then take your streets right out from under you, conquering one more section of our city. To get you started, we’ve set up your headquarters, including your team of dealers.”

“Wow, man, you’re our very own godfather,” Greyson bellowed, and the men around the table hooted loudly.

My eyes were still locked on Frank’s. I knew this was a dangerous mission. There was a good chance one of us could get hurt or possibly even killed. But I also knew how important this was to Frank and to myself.

Frank’s son, Johnny, got wrapped up heavily in drugs straight out of high school, fell in with the wrong people, and in the end, Roman Socolov put a bullet in his head and left him on his parents’ front lawn. Frank knew Roman was responsible, but the proof wasn’t concrete enough to hang his ass. He had too many men that were willing to hide his identity and take the fall for his mistakes. They were loyal, and Roman lived a life of safety knowing they would always keep his identity secure or they too would die a slow and brutal death.

Not many knew the connections Frank had with Roman and his men, but I did. They were responsible for the loss Frank and his wife, Marie, felt every day of their lives. And I knew I would give everything I had in me to bring Johnny’s killer down. Frank and Marie deserved closure, and Johnny deserved justice.

“You men go out and enjoy your night, because tomorrow the real work begins,” Frank said as he stood from the table. The glossy look in his eyes as he exited left my stomach in knots.

Chapter 6

Gabriella

“Come on. Please?” Brooklyn begged.

I had just left the office and was walking toward my car with my Bluetooth in my ear.

“Brook, I spent the entire day showing condos to a smug bastard that thought every place was beneath him. And when he did find one he would settle for, he didn’t even have the money for it.”

I clicked the Unlock button on my key fob and opened the back door of my Audi to toss my briefcase in the backseat. “I’m exhausted and irritated, and the last thing I’m in the mood for is a night in some loud-ass club. I promise that would only be a disaster in the making. I would either nut-punch some asshole who thought I was there just to go home with him, or I would claw some skank’s eyes out just for the enjoyment of hearing her squeal. Honestly, you do not want me to go out tonight.”

“You are such a buzzkill,” she retorted.

I opened the driver’s-side door and slipped inside. “See, we haven’t even gone out yet and I’m already ruining your night.”

“God, you are so fucking cranky and uptight. You need to get laid.”

That comment got a laugh out of me.

“Maybe that hottie from last week will be there. You know, the one you forgot to give your number to.”

The idea of seeing him again did make my heart beat just a little faster. “I’m actually going to stop at the liquor store and pick up a bottle of wine. Then head home, find a good movie, and curl up on the couch in my pajamas.” Just talking about my plans had already helped me relax a bit.

“Stop, stop,” she whined. “I swear I just envisioned you as Nana, sitting on the couch watching reruns.”

I laughed and put my keys in the ignition.

“Actually, I think Nana has more of a life than you. She went to the casinos last week with Mom and Dad, and they had to cut her off.”

My grandmother was hysterical. She weighed no more than ninety pounds and seemed to be so sweet and innocent. But the woman had a mouth like a sailor, and if you turned your back on her for a moment, she would be counting cards and doing shots. At eighty-two she still had a fire burning inside her. I only hoped I had a heart like hers at that age.

“You are twenty-six years old and single. You aren’t getting any younger, Gabs.” Brook giggled because she knew she hit a nerve.

“If I wasn’t so damn shot from my day, I would show you I have no trouble meeting men. But I just don’t have it in me tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Whatever. Don’t forget to knit me a scarf before winter, Grandma.” The smartass gave me no time to fire back before she hung up.

One day, she would realize the club scene was so overrated.

***

Twenty minutes later, I was standing in the wine aisle of Garner’s Liquor, just around the corner from my apartment. I was scanning the shelf and debating whether I preferred white or red when the eerie feeling I was being watched washed over me. Without lifting my head, I carefully turned it from side to side, looking out of the corner of my eyes.

When I looked to my right, I froze. There almost within reach was a pair of what appeared to be expensive black Oxfords. I slowly lifted my head, taking in the full length of the man’s legs. His deep blue dress shirt was untucked and hanging loosely at his waist.

I definitely did not want to come off as some kind of pervert, but if he didn’t fill out his shirts so well, I wouldn’t be inclined to stare. I smiled to myself, thinking that was exactly what I would say if he asked me why I was staring.

He had thick, broad shoulders, and the knot of his black tie was loose, but it was still draped around his neck. I found myself thinking of running my tongue over his throat and along his strong jawline.

I swallowed hard as I shook off the nasty thoughts. What the hell?

“You done yet?” a deep, raspy voice asked. A familiar deep voice.

Our eyes connected, and I couldn’t hold back the satisfied smile that spread across my lips. “Josh,” I said in greeting, because I honestly didn’t know what else to say, my earlier thoughts about teasing him having flown right out the window.

“Phoenix,” he offered, and I just stared at him in confusion. “My last name,” he clarified. “We forgot to share those details last time we met.”

“Well, you were on a date, so…” I shrugged.

“That didn’t stop you from kissing me.” He smiled, and I got a glimpse of a dimple in his left cheek. He held his hands out at his sides. “I’m not complaining. I was fine with it. More than fine, actually. I just figured you would have stuck around long enough to at least give me your number.”

Avoiding the topic, I pointed to the twelve-pack of beer he had tucked under his arm. “Got another hot date with Marissa?”

“Hell no.” He chuckled. “That ended about five minutes after you left me sitting at the bar.”

“Hope it wasn’t something I said.” I bit my lip, trying to hold back my own smile.

“No.” He took another step toward me. “More like something you did. But like I said, I’m not complaining.”

There was a pause, and I became a little nervous, something that didn’t happen to me often. I pulled my favorite bottle of white wine from the shelf and stepped back. “Well, it was nice seeing you again.”

“That’s all I get, huh?” He moved in a little closer, and I had to look up to meet his gaze. He was at least six inches taller than I was. “You kissed me that night for a reason. You don’t strike me as a woman that kisses just anybody. So…” He slouched, bringing his lips closer to mine. The movement of his tongue over his lower lip caught my attention. He noticed immediately and smirked confidently. “Why don’t you let me take you to dinner? A drink maybe?”

“What if you’re some kind of crazy?”

His chest shook with laughter. “I can assure you, I’m not crazy. Overworked and overstressed, maybe, but not crazy.” His expression grew a little more serious. “It’s my job to keep those who may be crazy off the streets.”

“You’re a cop?” I scanned his body once more, looking for his badge or maybe a gun I had missed earlier.

He must have read my mind, because he reached down and lifted the side of his shirt. There on his hip was a badge, and tucked just inside the waistband you could see the top of his gun. I tried not to allow myself to get lost in the line of muscles that led just beneath the hem of his shirt.

“I’m a detective with the FBI.”

I lifted my hungry gaze to meet his. “Impressive.”

“So now will you go to dinner with me?” He cocked an eyebrow at me.

I stepped to his side and nudged him with my shoulder. “You do know I was already gonna say yes before the whole FBI thing, right?”

I walked past him and headed toward the counter to pay for my wine. When he stepped up behind me and I felt the heat from his body against me, I flushed.

“Sure you were,” he whispered against my neck. “But I’ll take what I can get.”

Chills covered my back and neck, and a shiver ran through me, but I did my best to hide it. But when I looked back over my shoulder, I could tell he had noticed.

He reached over my shoulder and placed his beer on the counter next to my wine. I was still breathing slowly, trying my best to tame my racing heart.

“Ring it all up together,” he told the sales clerk. I didn’t even attempt to argue as he paid and nudged me forward. Holding the bag high above my head, he cocked an eyebrow at me again. “Gabriella…?”

“You’re going to hold my wine hostage until I tell you my full name?”

He continued to look at me, waiting patiently. I had a feeling he could play this game of interrogation with his eyes for hours.

“Shannon,” I replied with a smile. “My last name is Shannon. Happy now?”

“Not yet, but we’re getting there.”

I shook my head as he walked away, leaving me staring after him. I had a feeling I was in for it. Josh was smart, and he wasn’t intimidated by me. That rarely happened when it came to men. They usually don’t know how to take my sense of humor or inability to keep my thoughts to myself.