Revenge (Phoenix Undercover Book 3) (4 page)

Chapter 9

Gabby

“Have you seen my necklace?” I asked Brook as I rushed out from the bedroom in a panic.

“Slow down, momma,” she held out her hands, placing one on each of my shoulders. “Take a breath and chill before Josh kills us all for allowing you to get all worked up.”

Mike and Audrey were sitting at the snack bar, both staring at me with a puzzled look on their faces.

“Seriously, Brooklynn.” I reached up and placed my hand on my chest, just where my necklace would normally lie. “My necklace from Josh. The one he had inscribed. It’s gone.”

“Where did you have it last?” Audrey was the one to ask as she stood and began to move in my direction.

“I put it in the same place I always do. The top drawer of my jewelry box. Nothing else goes in that drawer but that necklace.” I took in a deep breath. “I took it off and placed it in that same drawer before I took a shower last night. Then I crawled into bed, and this morning I went to put it on, but it’s gone.”

Audrey walked past me and I followed closely behind. I stood in the doorway as she checked my jewelry box and the area around it. I found myself hoping this was just one of those pregnancy brain malfunctions and maybe I had placed it in the second drawer instead of the first. But no such luck.

“Honey, I don’t see it anywhere,” she said, and I felt my stomach tense.

I loved that necklace. It was one of the first things Josh bought me after he proposed.

Mon Amour, Mon Coeur est tien.

My Love, my heart is yours.

And on the other side was the date we met. It was the sweetest gesture, and after thinking I had forever lost him, it meant the world to me.

I was in a panic at the thought of losing it.

“But it was there,” I said as I sat down on the end of my bed. “I know it was.”

“We’ll find it,” Brooklynn said as she sat on one side of me and Audrey sat down on the other side.

As I allowed my gaze to wander over the room, it landed on my desk in the corner. Something was missing. It didn’t come to me right away, but when it did my heart sank. “Our picture’s gone,” I whispered.

“What picture?” Brooklynn asked.

“The one of the three of us, from Christmas,” I replied. “It was right there. It’s been there for months, and now it’s gone.”

It was Mike who spoke next as he knelt down in front of me. “Gabby, are you sure it was there and that your necklace was in the top drawer?” I nodded my head, because there was absolutely no doubt in my mind.

He remained in front of me as he dialed his phone and lifted it to his ear. “Trev, I need you to access the cameras in Gabby’s apartment building. Check on entrances and exits. I think we may have had an unwanted visitor within the last twelve hours.”

Chills covered my neck and back as his words sunk in.

Brooklynn’s grip tightened on my arm, and I knew she felt it too.

We sat in silence as Mike waited for Trevor to confirm what he was waiting to hear. I could tell by the tense look on his face he already knew what Trevor would find.

“What time?” he asked, and my stomach flipped nervously.

“Was he alone?” A whimper escaped Brook and she slid closer to my side.

I watched as Mike looked up at Audrey and nodded just enough that she obviously understood what he was referring to.

“Right after us?” he asked Trevor. Mike’s eyes closed tightly, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “We were only fucking gone twenty minutes.”

I looked between him and Audrey, and I could see the guilt they both felt in their eyes.

“No,” Mike added. “I’ll call him.”

He hung up the phone, only to begin dialing it once more.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Let me make this call, Gabs. Josh is already going to fucking kill me. I fucked up, babe.” His words were like a rush of ice cold water poured over me.

I sat silent; we all did as Mike made a call we could see he was dreading.

“Josh, you need to get back here, man. Leo was here.” I could hear Josh’s panicked voice through the phone, and Mike closed his eyes once more as he continued to speak.

“Audrey and I stepped out for ice cream last night. We were gone less than twenty minutes, but I entered the building two minutes after he left. He had to be watching and waiting.”

I jumped at the sound of Josh’s angry tone spilling from the phone.

“This was all a setup, Josh,” Mike stated. “He was here, Josh, as in inside the apartment.”

“What the fuck?” I heard Josh clear as day.

“Gabby’s necklace is missing, and a picture of the girls. He was inside your bedroom while she was asleep,” he told Josh. More cursing and angry words were shouted.

I shivered against the embrace of my sisters, suddenly feeling more scared than I had ever felt in my life.

The thought of that sick bastard in the same room as me, while I slept and dreamed of holding my child in my arms, made me sick to my stomach. I jumped up from the bed and rushed toward the bathroom as Brooklynn followed behind me.

She held my hair as I emptied the contents of my stomach, shaking in fear until tears ran down my cheeks.

I lurched forward over and over until there was nothing left. The muscles in my jaw tightened and ached as I took in a deep breath, doing all I could to calm down.

When I sat back on my feet and looked over at my sister, I found she too had tears trailing along her cheeks.

“He was here, Brook. He was in my room, in our apartment.” My lower lip trembled in fear.

“He could have hurt us,” I whispered. Placing my hand over my belly, another thought hit me hard and I sobbed uncontrollably. “He could have hurt the baby.”

I fell to the side and sat on the floor as she wrapped her arms around me, and we both cried together.

When it came to Leo and his abilities, the fear I felt prior to today was nothing compared to what I felt now.

Now I was terrified.

Chapter 10

Josh

My heart was racing so fucking fast. It felt like it was on the verge of beating out of my chest.

“Slow down, Josh,” Grayson complained as he gripped the dash. “We’re not gonna be any good to any of them if our asses are in the hospital.”

All I could think about was getting to Gabby. I needed to see her and make sure she was all right. Touch her and feel her against me.

Once I had done that I was going to beat Mike’s ass for leaving her vulnerable to Leo. His one job was to keep her safe, to make sure Gabby, and all the girls for that matter, had someone with them at all times.

Audrey and Mike risked the safety of my woman and child for fucking ice cream.

I was livid and so fucking scared I could barely breathe.

Leo set this entire thing up. He knew the probability of him getting near Gabby unnoticed with me in town was unlikely. Sending us on a fucking wild goose chase just to prove he could was his goal all along.

He wanted us to know that he was out there lurking.

“He was there in the same fucking room as her. Within feet, hell, maybe even inches from the two most important things in my life right now,” I said as I gripped the steering wheel tighter. “In our home, Gray. In Brook’s home.”

“I know this, man, I do,” he replied. “You don’t think that hits me low in the gut? I would give just about anything to get my hands on this sick fuck, but we can’t lose it. We have to hold it together and keep our heads level.”

I looked over at him about to argue, but for once my best friend was the one thinking straight.

“He’s just waiting for us to fall apart and grow weak. He is a predator. He thrives on weakness, and we have to show him he can’t get to us.”

“How the hell do I do that when I feel like I’ve been gutted?” I asked.

He reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We do it together,” he stated.

***

I had my key in hand before I even exited the elevator. Gray was on his phone, but I hadn’t taken the time to pay attention to who he was talking to. I was too focused on Gabby.

My hands shook in anger and fear as I slid my key in the lock and twisted. Quickly shoving the door open, I rushed inside.

I scanned the room, giving very little attention to those standing around appearing nervous. The moment my gaze landed on Gabby, curled up under a blanket on the couch, I rushed toward her, crashing at her feet.

I wrapped her in my arms and buried my face in her neck as I took the time to just breathe her in. Feeling her tremble against me in fear gave me a whole new sense of anger. It was at dangerous levels, and I felt like at any moment I could lose my mind.

“I’m okay,” she whispered.

She was attempting to reassure me, but I knew it was an act. She was nowhere near okay. In fact, she was barely hanging on as I pulled back and looked at her.

Reddened eyes showed definite signs of fear and exhaustion. A frown covered her lips where that sweet smile of hers usually rested.

“My necklace is gone,” she added, and I closed my eyes tightly long enough to take in one calming breath.

“We’ll get you another necklace. Fuck, baby, I’ll buy you a new one for every day of the week. All I care about is you and our son. Nothing else matters to me right now.” My chest ached with uncontrollable anxiety.

“Josh, I’m sorry.” Mike’s voice came at the wrong fucking time.

I couldn’t control the rage that took over me as I spun around and got within inches of Mike. Gripping the collar of his shirt, I slammed him against the wall behind us. The pictures on the wall shook on impact as one fell to the floor.

“I trusted you with Gabby and our son.” I could feel my body shaking as I tried to control my urge to pound his face. “I left the two most precious things in my life, in your hands. And you risked them for what?” I ground my teeth, feeling myself losing that last ounce of control. “For fucking ice cream.”

Mike held his hands out to his sides. “I fucked up,” he admitted. He showed no signs of resistance as I held him firmly against the wall.

Grayson was at my side as he attempted to coax me into releasing Mike. “Let’s take a walk, Josh.”

I ignored him.

“It was my idea,” Audrey said only a few feet away. Pulling my attention from Mike, I looked toward her. “I kept pushing at him until he caved.”

“You of all people should know what kind of man we’re dealing with,” I said to her, and it sounded more like a growl. “You lived in his world and watched the havoc he created in innocent people’s lives. Why would you even take a chance with the lives of your sisters and nephew?”

Audrey averted her eyes as she looked to the floor.

“Don’t, man,” Mike said, pulling my attention back to him. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

Now Mike chose to grow defensive.

“You wanna be pissed at anyone, you direct it toward me. You want to throw blame, throw it my way. But don’t fucking come down on her.” He leaned forward, bringing his face closer to mine. “It was all in my hands, not hers.”

“You’re right,” I said as I pulled back one hand, only to bring it forward and crack Mike in the jaw.

He didn’t fight back, and the gasps of surprise from around the room didn’t make me feel one bit sorry for taking it to the level I had. He risked Gabby’s safety for nothing. That was something I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive.

Chapter 11

Gabby

Things have been stressful. Tension lay thick with everyone as we tried to recover from not only the visit from Leo, but the impact of Josh and Mike’s fallout.

Audrey gathered her things and chose to stay at Mike’s place, and Gray pretty much moved into my place with Brook, Josh and me.

Everyone walked around as if the floor was covered in broken glass.

Conversation was weak, laughter was nonexistent, and I felt sick more times than not.

The close call had forced Gray to go all caveman on Brook, and they were continuously at one another’s throats.

Josh and I—well, we tried to get back to normal, but normal was so far gone I wasn’t sure it was even attainable any longer.

Even sitting here in the doctor’s office, waiting to be called back, Josh was scanning the room, as if one of the pregnant women around the waiting area was some decoy to help Leo capture me.

I placed my hand on his arm and he tensed, turning quickly to face me. “Hey,” I said soothingly as I rubbed his arm lightly. “Do you think we can enjoy today? For one hour, let’s forget all the shit of the last thirty-six hours and focus on our son.”

His gaze shifted toward my stomach and he smiled forcefully.

“Yeah,” he replied, even though I knew in that moment he was lying.

***

“How are things going?” Dr. Bali asked.

“Good,” I replied without looking to my left.

Josh still remained agitated and distracted. He thumbed through his phone, answering messages, and occasionally he would stand up and walk to the window, looking out.

His unsettled behavior was only making me nervous.

“Your blood pressure is a little on the higher side it seems.” My focus shifted back to Dr. Bali as he flipped through my chart. “Actually, it is much higher than last week’s visit. And the swelling in your hands and even your face has me concerned.”

I looked over at Josh in alarm, and it was as if he was somewhere else, focused on his phone, as if the doctor was not even speaking.

“Are things okay?” the doctor asked, and in that moment I just snapped.

“No,” I said sharply. “Things are not okay. I have some crazy fuck out there somewhere in the city threatening my life and those I love.” I looked over at Josh, and he was now looking at the doctor and me with a concerned expression. “I have a fiancé who is acting more like a god-damn stranger than the man I fell in love with. I can’t eat because I feel sick every time I do. I can’t sleep because I keep thinking someone is in my room who shouldn’t be, and I feel like at any moment I am going to lose my fucking mind.”

I felt as if I had gone certifiably insane. My mind was spinning, my head ached at an unbelievably intense level, and my stomach felt nauseated.

I zoned out as Josh began to sum up the events of our last few days. I hung my head as I focused on my breathing. I knew this panic attack was not good for me or the baby. But the more I tried to control it, the worse it seemed to get.

I jumped in surprise when Josh placed his hand on my back.

“Gabby, I need you to breathe,” he directed me. “Just calm, deep breaths.”

Once I was calm enough, the doctor approached and asked me to lay back.

“I’m just gonna take a look at everything and then we’ll go from there. Okay?” he asked, and I nodded in agreement.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the sound of movement in the room. Clearing my mind of all the shit from only moments ago, I had a feeling my doctor already thought I should be wearing a straightjacket.

“This is going to be warm against your abdomen,” Dr. Bali said just before he squeezed the tube of gel and a small portion accumulated just below my belly button.

I watched his every movement as he lifted the wand and placed it against my belly. Moving it around slowly at first to coat the tip, he began to search out the sound I realized I needed to hear more than anything else.

A gentle
swoosh swoosh
filled the room and I couldn’t control the smile that pulled at my lips. Our little man’s heartbeat was like a calming melody to my racing heart.

I imagined my doctor was thinking,
“This chick is crazy,”
but when I turned to look up at him, he too was smiling.

“Everything’s fine, sweetheart,” he assured me, and tears sprung to my eyes. “Just focus on that sound.” I nodded my head as he continued to check everything over with the baby.

I did as he suggested. The continued
swoosh,
mixed with the way Josh was lightly rubbing my arm, began to relax me almost to the point of falling asleep.

“This little guy is perfect,” the doctor said, “measuring right around your thirty-one week mark. He’s active, but I’m sure you know that by now.”

Dr. Bali was doing all he could to distract me.

He handed me a paper towel as he stepped back and placed the wand in the holder. “Get cleaned up and dressed. I’ll be back in a few minutes to talk to you a little more.”

“Okay,” I said in response.

“Mr. Phoenix,” Dr. Bali said, getting both Josh’s and my attention, “if I could have a word with you in the next room.”

I looked over at Josh, but he was focused on the doctor instead. “Of course,” he replied, just before turning toward me to place a kiss against my forehead.

“I’ll be right back.”

I watched as the two of them stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them. I was left with one of those “What the fuck?” moments.

I had just been removed out of the equation as my doctor and fiancé discussed my health. Or maybe he was telling Josh that he recommended I be evaluated. It wouldn’t surprise me at this point if men in white lab coats showed up to haul me away to a padded room.

I was beginning to question myself and my ability to hold it all together.