Revenge (Phoenix Undercover Book 3) (15 page)

Chapter 41

Leo

This bitch thought she could outsmart me.

Winding her hair around my hand, I yanked her head back and forced her to look up at me. Blood dripped from her nose, and her pain was the best kind of reward.

Tightening my grip made her whimper in pain.

“Those noises make me hard, baby,” I whispered against her lips, licking the blood, mixed with tears, that had accumulated on her upper lip. “And the tears, fuck, you’re driving me crazy.”

“Please, I’ll listen,” she promised, yet her promises were too late.

“I’m gonna enjoy this,” I assured her as I pressed my body against hers, making my arousal evident. “And the more you fight me, the more I’ll love it.”

Parting her legs with my thigh, I used my other hand to begin lifting her shirt.

“No!” She fought against me, attempting to push me away.

Covering her mouth with my own, I swallowed her cries. Her struggle was turning me on even more.

Grabbing the loose material of her shirt I heard it tear, and suddenly her chest was exposed. In that moment I was so fucking hard I could feel my control slipping.

I had thought of this moment, dreamed of it every night since I watched her shower, imagined what it would feel like to take her, claim her, and destroy her.

“I’m going to fuck you so good, Gabriella,” I whispered against her ear as she turned away from me.

A flash of light caught my attention.

Gabriella struggled against me once more and my hold slipped. She fell to the ground just as the headlights of multiple cars flickered through the trees.

I lifted my foot and placed it against Gabriella’s shoulder, holding her to the ground as I continued to watch.

One by one, the headlights turned off on each car as the cars turned up the driveway, creeping closer at a slow speed. When the car closest to the house stopped, I lowered myself to Gabby’s side and held my knife to her throat. “Make even the smallest of noises and I slit your throat without thinking twice.”

The fear in her eyes told me she understood.

Men began to exit the cars and approach the cabin, prowling in the darkness.

There was enough distance between us to remain hidden in the darkness of the woods.

It was easy to spot Joshua Phoenix as he led his men toward the entrance of the cabin. A sudden burst of anger rushed through me. Obviously my earlier warning had not been subtle enough.

Reaching down, I gripped Gabriella’s arm and yanked her upward, causing her to cry out in pain.

And in that moment, everything fucking changed.

Chapter 42

Josh

“Did you hear that?” Grayson froze on the front porch and we all turned toward the sound of a woman’s scream. It echoed throughout the trees and we were unable to determine the exact direction it came from.

But there was no doubt in my mind now. Gabby was out there somewhere.

“Let’s move.” I motioned for the guys to follow.

Only two remained behind at the cabin as the rest of us moved forward. My heart beat so rapidly in my chest I swore I could hear the blood rushing in my ears.

Knowing Gabby was out there somewhere, scared, and possibly hurt, made me feel crazed inside.

As we went deeper into the woods, I feared maybe we were only putting her further in danger, but waiting could do the same. I was torn between rushing forward and falling back. The feeling was more unsettling than anything I had ever felt before.

“Over here.” Trevor’s voice rang out from my left, and I immediately broke out in a sprint. I had no idea what it was I was about to witness, but from the sound of his voice I knew he had found what we were looking for.

The branches of the trees smacked against me as I continued to run, not giving two shits about the damage they were causing. My foot got caught on a rock and I fell forward, bracing myself on a large tree just as someone grabbed my arm.

I looked up and found Connor staring ahead with a look of fear in his eyes. As I turned my head to look in the same direction he was staring, my world felt as if it crumpled around me.

Less than ten feet away stood Leo.

He held Gabby in front of him, using her as a shield while pressing a knife to the base of her throat.

The terror hidden in her eyes was so hard to witness. The animalistic urge within me wanted to charge him and rip his throat out with my bare hands, but I knew I couldn’t move. I had to make him think he held the power.

“I can see that you, Mr. Phoenix, are still having a difficult time understanding my power.” His hand was woven throughout Gabby’s hair and he pulled back hard, causing her head to jerk. When she cried out in pain, I tried to move forward, only to be held back by Connor.

“You see,” Leo began again, “Gabriella is no longer yours.”

Rage boiled within me as he ran his tongue along her cheek and she cringed at the gesture.

“She’ll always be mine,” I replied.

When I spoke the words I was looking directly at Gabby. I needed her to remain calm. Because whatever it took, I would be sure that she walked away from this and was returned to our son.

“If that makes you feel better, keep telling yourself that.” He smiled as he skimmed his nose along her jaw. “But Gabriella and I know different. She and I have had a lot of fun lately, Josh.”

Gabby closed her eyes tightly and her lip trembled.

I could feel my body shake in anger.

I wanted Leo. I wanted to feel his blood on my hands as he cried out in agony from the pain I inflicted. I wanted him to feel weak and inferior as he begged for his life.

Leo continued to look from his left to his right, watching for any movement.

Everyone stood completely still surrounding Leo, just waiting for the moment they could find his weak point. It would only take one second to gain control over him and bring him down.

I felt time was slipping away as I focused on the knife he held to Gabby’s neck. Visions of him pressing too hard and causing her pain flashed in my mind over and over, making it harder to remain in place.

I would give anything to trade places with her.

It shouldn’t go down like this; she didn’t belong here, not like this.

I looked up once more to lock my eyes on Gabby and found she was staring back at me. That same fear from earlier remained in her eyes and it made my heart literally ache in my chest.

She mouthed “I love you” and suddenly it was hard to fucking breathe. I felt like everything was so final, and I refused to believe this was how she and I would end.

I needed her. Asher needed her.

A sudden gunshot rang out through the trees and my body jerked in surprise as I watched Gabby stumble forward as Leo grabbed the side of his neck and dropped the knife to the ground.

I lunged forward and caught Gabby just before she hit the ground, using my body to break her fall.

My team swarmed around Leo, pointing their guns at him as he spit blood with each cough. I held Gabby close to me as I watched the man who had terrorized the woman I love for days, and I felt nothing but satisfaction. Pure joy in his demise, and by the faces of those men who risked their lives alongside me to save Gabby, they all felt it too. It was a form of peace, a calm knowing that he would no longer haunt our nights and leave us looking over our shoulder at every turn.

I looked down at Gabby and found her eyes closed, and suddenly that joy I felt only moments ago turned to panic.

Blood smeared my shirt that hadn’t been there before.

Pushing her back just enough to scan her face, I found the blood was oozing from a fresh cut along the left side of her neck.

“Gray,” I screamed. “I need help.”

Fresh tears fell from my eyes.

I hadn’t even considered the possibility of her being hurt. Instead I ignored her needs and watched in amazement as Leo took his last breaths.

Grayson and Trevor both knelt at my sides; it was Trevor who lifted Gabby from my chest and held her securely while I stood and began checking her over. “She’s hurt,” I said. “Her throat is cut and there’s blood coming from her nose.”

“She has a cut on her forehead too,” Trevor announced.

My stomach rolled with each new wound we discovered.

“Gabby.” I placed my hand on her cheek and begged her to open her eyes. “Please, baby, look at me, Gabs. Come on, sweetheart.”

She groaned in response, and even though it wasn’t the words I had hoped for, it was enough to allow me to know she was still with me.

“Let’s move.” Gray nudged Trevor forward. “We need to get her to the hospital.”

“Let me have her,” I said as I laced my arms beneath her body.

“I got her man, let’s go,” Trevor assured me, but I couldn’t allow him to hold her. I needed her close. I had to feel her warmth against me, her breath fanning over my face.

“I need her, Trev, please.” My voice cracked with emotion, and I didn’t even attempt to hide my tears. “I need her,” I repeated, hoping that he understood just how bad I had to have this.

And when he moved her to my arms, I suddenly felt a small amount of the pain in my chest had weakened and I could breathe once again.

Chapter 43

Gabby

I woke to the sound of machines beeping. A sterile smell, almost resembling bleach, filled my nostrils.

I felt weak as I turned my head to the side and looked around the room. Finding only an empty hospital room, I let go of everything I suddenly felt inside and my body began to shake with heavy sobs. The sound echoed throughout the room, only making me cry harder.

I remembered I had been found, and that I was free.

The door to my room burst open and in rushed Josh, followed immediately by my father and a doctor hot on their trail.

Seeing the two men I loved so deeply band together at my side was only another breaking point, and I let go of everything I fought to hide for days.

The fear and anger all ripped from me at once as I screamed out; they both took one of my hands in each of theirs.

No one attempted to calm me; they just allowed me this escape I so desperately needed.

“He’s dead?” I finally asked. “He’s gone?”

It was Josh who spoke first as he knelt at the side of my bed, wrapping both his hands around mine. He kissed my hand, and I could see the shimmering wetness in his eyes.

“He’s never going to be able to hurt anyone again,” he assured me, and I closed my eyes tightly, allowing his words to soak in for a moment.

No longer would I ever have to hide out, fearful of some deranged madman threatening my life.

The emotional toll of the events of the last week will forever play in my mind. Even though I hoped it wouldn’t change me, I knew it had. There was no stopping it. I was no longer the same woman I was prior to Leo.

None of us were the same.

***

“They’re going to transfer you closer to home,” Josh said as he held my hand. He sat in a chair at the side of my bed and I stared back at him in wonder.

“Thank you for coming for me,” I whispered, completely ignoring his announcement. “I dreamed of it nightly. It got me through those first few days.”

I could tell me talking about my time with Leo was painful for him to hear, but it had to be done. If we had any hope of moving forward from this, we both needed it.

“And then I stopped dreaming of you coming, and started dreaming of you and Asher finding a way to be happy without me.” He began shaking his head, and tears pooled in his eyes.

“No,” he whispered.

“Yes. It was something I had to envision, Josh, because during those days there was a strong possibility I wouldn’t ever see either of you again. I had to imagine those things to make it through. I couldn’t imagine you both unhappy and grieving; it hurt too much. I had to picture you both happy, and it helped, it really did.” At first it was hard to do, but I forced myself to believe they would move on and find happiness without me.

“I wouldn’t have been able to move on,” he confessed as he rested his head against my stomach. “You truly have no idea just how deeply I love you. I feel you in my god-damn bones, Gabriella Shannon. Every time I look at Asher, I see you. I see your smile and your fucking nose. There is no way I could ever move on from you.”

His body shook as he buried his face in my side, breathing me in.

“I love you so much,” he said. It sounded muffled but it couldn’t be hidden. “I felt empty without you. And now that you’re here with me, and I can feel you, I feel whole again.”

He rose up and sat on the edge of my bed as he leaned over my body, placing one arm on each side of me. “And now the only thing I want is to get you back home and place our son in your arms—because he needs his momma too.”

I couldn’t wait to hold my baby boy. I felt like it had been years since I kissed his chubby little cheeks and smelled his baby scent.

“I want that too,” I confessed, and Josh smiled as he brought his lips to mine, and for the first times in days, he kissed me.

And washed away the vile memories of Leo and the way he forcefully kissed me out in the woods.