Revenge (Phoenix Undercover Book 3)
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Authors: C.A. Harms
Revenge
Phoenix Undercover #3
By C.A. Harms
Revenge
Copyright © 2016 by C.A. Harms.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: June 2016
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-670-1
ISBN-10: 1-68058-670-X
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
Remember who you are. Don’t let one single moment define you. Be who you want to be, no matter what it takes to get there.
“You can run Gabby, but I’ll find you.” He laughed with a sadistic cackle. A chilling fear rang clear as his laughter echoed off the trees. “There is nowhere to hide. No one to save you. You are mine now.”
My feet ached as the branches broke beneath my bare feet. The darkness of the night left me with minimal clarity. It was scary being alone in the darkness, unaware of my surroundings and what may be lurking ahead. But hesitation only meant Leo may reach me; that was much scarier than any other danger ahead.
“Gabriella.” Once again his voice rang out through the woods.
I had no idea where we were, or how far from the city he had taken me, but I couldn’t think about that. I had to find a way back. I had to find help.
“I’m coming for you.” A sick feeling filled my stomach as his voice sounded closer than only seconds ago.
Something sharp cut into my foot and I gasped as I fell forward, catching myself against a tree. I reached down to pull out the sharp object that was now embedded in the heel of my foot. The blood oozed and a burning sensation made me wince as I dropped the shard of glass to the ground. A broken bottle of some kind.
“I thought we were becoming friends. You were beginning to understand what I needed from you, and I was just starting to reconsider selling you. In fact, I even thought about keeping you all for myself,” Leo hollered.
I hid behind a tree as I looked from side to side, hoping for some sign of where he was. I was turned around at this point and no longer knew which way I should run.
“But you deceived me, just as your sister did. I don’t forgive easily, Gabriella. I think once we reunite you may have to give me a reason to reconsider.”
The hidden meaning of his words terrified me. Chills ran through me as I thought about his hands on me. I cringed, remembering the way he had attempted to touch me only moments ago. There was no way I could take more.
Thunder rumbled overhead and I jumped in surprise. A storm was approaching and I knew it would only make my escape that much harder.
“Game’s over.” I jerked forward, trying to get away when Leo’s voice whispered in my ear. “It’s time for you to understand and accept who you belong to.” He gripped my arm as he stepped around to my side and circled his other hand around my throat.
His grasp on my throat tightened as he leaned in closer, within inches of my face.
Rain began to fall and he smiled as he tilted his head back and allowed it to hit his face.
His laughter broke free and I could feel the tears fill my eyes.
I closed my eyes and pictured Josh’s smile. Memories of the day we brought our son into the world together filled my mind. That was a happy day. And if I was going to die tonight, it was the vision I wanted to be my last.
Josh
Had we allowed ourselves to grow weak
,
giving Leo the impression that we no longer feared him?
Over the course of the months since his last threat, we remained on guard. But we also lived our lives. We had to. We couldn’t just tuck ourselves away in captivity and allow him to win.
I watched my son grow within the woman I loved, only making her more and more beautiful to me with each passing day.
They say pregnant women glow.
She would argue that point, as she said on more than one occasion she felt like a beached whale, but I couldn’t see it in all the moments she thought I wasn’t watching. The way she subconsciously rubbed her stomach as we watched a movie or cuddled on the couch—her beauty not only was on the outside but came from deep within.
I could barely contain my excitement as I let my mind continuously wander to the visions of her holding our child. It was an amazing experience. I was full of so much love, sometimes I wondered how the hell any person can love another so fucking deeply.
Had I known our future, I would have planned differently. Never would I have gone into that warehouse pretending to some thug as if I had no fucking worry.
I was not invincible.
Because of my hero complex, I was now spending every damn day in fear of the woman I loved being hurt by some sick, inhuman son of a bitch.
That was on my shoulders.
I endangered all of those around me.
I let the life I dreamed of interfere with the life I was only pretending to live.
I was the one unable to separate the two.
I failed.
Now I had to find a way to keep the two worlds apart.
Gabby
If only he knew how much I adored him.
I could see it in his eyes each day he thought he’d done wrong by us. That alone was hard to swallow.
He said in the beginning that if he had met me first, things would have been different. He would have rethought many of his choices.
But I knew going in that his life was not simple.
The man I loved had so many people counting on him, and he was a pleaser. He wanted to give everything to everyone at every turn.
He has an amazing heart, and I couldn’t blame him for anything that was now going on in his life.
We had been through so much in such a short time, but I would do it all over again if it meant that in the end, I was here, in this moment, with Josh.
Each day he left I would find myself worrying he would not return. It was one of my biggest fears.
Losing him once crushed me, but a second time would completely destroy me. There was no doubt I needed him.
We needed him.
So instead of focusing on the unknown, I focused on every moment we were given together. I did whatever I could to make sure no time was wasted and that no matter what happened, he never left without knowing how much I loved him.
But I still felt like every day, everyone was standing around just waiting for the ball to drop.
We all knew the silence would be short-lived, because there was no way Leo would just walk away.
He was just waiting for the right time to instill fear in each one of us.