I was so wrong.
This was my life and always would be. Family before everything else. Ever since my sister’s death, our lives had been ruled by darkness. Before her murder, our work was only one part of our life. After, our jobs became our entire focus.
I brought the images of Mia back up. There were photos of her on the sandy beach, wandering in a long, flowing dress, looking like the angel I remembered from the first night.
She didn’t fake that attack. This wasn’t her doing.
But what if I was wrong, and I was leading my brother’s team straight into an ambush?
My fingers tingled with my options, none of them good. Someone would lose no matter what I chose.
My phone buzzed. I grabbed my cell off the cushion next to me and let out a sigh, the smell of alcohol surrounding me.
Expecting to see a text from Devin, my heart stopped when I saw one from Mia instead. I shut my eyes and rolled my head against the cushion. I wasn’t ready to see what she wrote.
After dinner tonight, I promised myself I’d stay away.
Then this happened, and I didn’t know whether to run for her or away from her.
I blinked my eyes open and tapped on the text.
Did they catch the person who murdered your sister?
I stared at the text in disbelief. Where was this coming from? I tossed the cell on the couch and stood up. Another text came over from Mia. Before looking at it, I grabbed my glass, walked over to my bar, and poured another shot of whiskey. I stared at the couch and gulped the amber liquid, feeling the burn all the way down.
Leaning across the couch, I picked up my cell and looked at the second text.
I need to know.
“Sure you do,” I muttered, feeling the liquid dull the ache, rapidly spreading through me. I missed my sister so much it felt like someone was ripping my skin off layer by layer, taunting my inner demons to come to life in this world.
I threw my glass across the room. It shattered against the wall before I fell to my knees, praying it would all end. The pain was too much. I slid against the couch and rested my head against the back of it.
Enough.
Weakness wasn’t what got my family to where it was. I shot up from the floor, grabbed my cell, and typed a simple text.
no
I switched to my emails and glanced at one of the ongoing matters I’d been working on. One of our dealers went off the rails a few weeks back, and we located him tonight. He owed us over fifty grand, and I’d be surprised if he had ten cents to his name. This would get the juices flowing, clear my head, get back to the reality that my family claimed decades ago.
I walked over to my locked cabinet, typed in my code, and loaded up, grabbing an extra clip for good measure, and I glanced around my apartment before I took off.
The darkness always provided the perfect cover, and tonight was no different. I jogged across the street to the garage and climbed into my car, the familiar tingle of the job striking through me as the engine roared to life.
Shoving the gear into reverse, my phone buzzed again and I growled at the aggravation.
The moment my eyes hit the screen, my entire body stilled.
I know where he is
Chapter Nineteen
Mia
I woke up to the beach breeze from an open window and an enormous headache centered directly between my eyes. Every cell in my body was either throbbing or on fire. Alex and I had stayed up late into the night, drinking and talking after he came back from checking on Anton. Mitch had everything covered, but they both were beyond conscientious when it came to Luke’s work.
No matter how screwed up our bunch was, we were a different kind of family, flaws and all, and it didn’t take blood relation to complete our bond. We maybe didn’t always agree with one another’s choices, but we respected each other enough to lend support.
My worry was that after last night, that was no longer the case. I’d never seen Luke that mad, and by all appearances, he had every right to be. I sat up in bed and looked around my room for my phone, not seeing it where I thought I’d left it.
I fell back into the pillows and groaned, the motion too quick for my muddled senses.
Even with everything Luke said last night, I still had a connection to Drake. It wasn’t one I was going to pursue, but it was there.
After all, I’d only known Drake for a short time, and there was no denying that his family’s line of work wasn’t on the up and up all the time, but that didn’t make him the psychopath my brother assumed him to be.
I saw a man with deep wounds and a jaded way of looking at life, but not someone beyond redemption. But it wasn’t my job to save him.
I let out a sigh. It didn’t matter one way or another. It was a short-lived fling with the forbidden, and now I was dealing with the aftermath.
My phone buzzed from across the room. I got up slowly, my head flooding with pressure as I made my way to the noise. I didn’t remember putting it there, but last night was a little foggy. I glanced down at the screen and saw a text from Drake flash across the screen.
Why are you telling me this now?
I stared at the text, completely confused. I didn’t tell him anything at all. I walked over to the window and saw the wedding planner directing where to put the tables and chairs. The wedding was intimate, twenty guests or so, and the natural scenery was decoration enough. I didn’t see Hannah or Luke wandering around, so I assumed they were in the house somewhere.
I glanced back down at my phone and the text was gone. I tapped on my screen and went to my messages with Drake. The last one was from the night he came over.
My stomach twisted into uncertainty. That was impossible. Texts didn’t just disappear. I quickly scrolled through my other messages, and there was nothing matching what I saw. I glanced back out the window, and anxiety spread through my body. What did Drake think I was telling him? I took in a deep breath.
Not today.
Today was Luke and Hannah’s day. Even though the ceremony was casual, I was still Hannah’s maid of honor. Alex was Luke’s best man.
Maybe Alex knew how texts could do this—be there one minute and vanish the next.
After showering quickly and pulling on a pair of sweat pants and a tee, I grabbed my phone and restarted it, hoping that would solve the mysterious disappearing text problem. When it came back to life, I searched through my texts with Drake once more, and still nothing new.
I opened my door and saw Luke and Hannah at the end of the hall, talking quietly. The conversation stopped once Luke spotted me.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Luke smiled. “Alex said you made your night count.”
My brother sauntered over and brought me in for a big hug. It was like the drama from the night before never happened, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
“I think I drank my stupidity away last night.” I smiled into his chest and he laughed.
“Our lives have never been simple.” My brother let go and took a step back. “But what we have is the most important. I’d never let something like that come between us, Mia.”
Hannah smiled and made her way over. She was definitely the one behind my brother’s change of heart.
“Are you guys super excited?” I asked, watching my brother slip his hand into Hannah’s.
“I honestly didn’t think this day would ever get here.” Hannah grinned. “It took a lot of wrong turns though.”
“Well, they must have been all right turns, or you wouldn’t be here.” I smiled, and Hannah made a face. “I don’t think, in the history of weddings, that I’ve seen a bride as calm as you.”
Hannah laughed, and Luke agreed.
“This is why I’m marrying her. She doesn’t sweat the small stuff,” Luke said, nodding.
“We hired someone to take care of the details, and I trust them to be doing that. Although I am a bit worried about the weather.”
“It is kind of breezy.” I grimaced.
&nbs
p; “I don’t really have a backup plan if it rains.” Hannah chuckled.
“The weather wouldn’t dare.” Things felt like they were supposed to. My brother was getting married to the love of his life, and nothing else mattered. In fact, the peace I felt surrounding them only solidified my decision to head back to California early.
My phone buzzed, and Luke’s gaze darted toward my hand.
I slowly lifted the phone and saw another text from Drake pop over.
Why should I trust you now?
“Mia, what’s wrong?” Luke asked.
I tapped on the screen, and Drake’s message disappeared again. I quickly opened up my texts from him, and it was gone.
Again.
“It’s nothing.” I said, shaking my head.
“It doesn’t look like nothing,” Hannah said, taking a deep breath.
My eyes connected with Hannah’s as I silently pleaded with her to let it go.
“Drake.” Luke didn’t ask. He stated it as a flat fact.
My chest tightened when disappointment dashed through Luke’s gaze.
“I haven’t reached out to him via text since the night Alex was at my apartment.”
“So Drake’s not getting the message and keeps texting you? I can put an end to that.” Luke’s eyes were like daggers as he glared at me.
“It’s not quite like that.”
“What do you mean?” Luke’s expression softened only slightly.
“This morning, a text came over from Drake as if we’d been having a conversation. I clicked on it, and it vanished. Same with this one. The texts flash on my screen but dissolve into the ether.”
“You haven’t texted Drake since Wednesday night.” Luke’s brows furrowed, and he glanced at Hannah.
I shook my head. “We flirted a little via text on Wednesday night, and he showed up at my door that night, and we spent the next day together as planned, and then I came here. I haven’t texted him since.”
“Can I see your phone?” He held out his hand, and I nodded, unlocking my phone before giving it to him.
Luke quickly went to my text messages and scrolled through, confirming what I’d said. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Is it them?” Hannah asked.
“Is it who?” I questioned, feeling the tension in the air thicken.
I looked at my brother and knew I was right all along. He wasn’t working for the Sokolovs. He might be protecting them at the moment, but someone else was calling the shots.
“Luke, what’s going on?” I asked again, my pulse rising.
Luke’s expression fell.
“Is Drake in danger?” I asked again.
Luke was already making his way down the long hall to Alex’s room.
“He very well may be.” Luke pounded on Alex’s door, and it swung open immediately.
“I think we’re all being set up.” Luke’s words echoed down the hall while I was still trying to grasp why my brother suddenly cared. “And my men are going to be in the middle.”
Hannah came to my side and grabbed my hand, squeezing it.
“I’ll fill her in,” Hannah told Luke, and he nodded.
I shook my head. “Your wedding.”
“It’ll all be fine,” she assured me, leading me back to my bedroom.
“Why does this suddenly make Luke interested in Drake?” I sat on the bed.
“I doubt it does.” Hannah shut my window, glancing outside to see the final touches of her wedding being carried out before she set a chair in the corner.
“When Anton reached out to the firm, Luke turned him down. Luke knew who he was and wanted nothing to do with him or his line of work.”
“Until?” The worry was bubbling through my body.
“Until the FBI stepped in and asked Luke to take him on as a client.”
My pulse pounded between my ears. My own brother had played me.
“And spying on Drake?” I asked.
She nodded. “That was part of it. The FBI is close to getting what they need to bring down both families, but there were a few loose ends that needed to be tied up. They knew Luke would be able to gain access to both worlds if he took on Anton Sokolov.”
I let out a deep sigh. “So Luke’s about to bring down Drake’s family and Anton’s.”
That was the Luke I knew. It made far more sense, but it also made my insides turn at the part I’d played.
Things weren’t black and white in this world.
“So I take it these rogue texts weren’t part of the plan.” I watched Hannah’s expression. It remained unchanged.
“No.”
My phone buzzed. I glanced down to see another text from Drake.
To think I actually trusted you enough to care. Should’ve known better.
I took a screenshot of the text before it disappeared. I felt sick, used, and like a complete failure.
“Hannah, I fell for him hard.” I twisted my mouth into a scowl. “I’ve only known him for a short time . . .”
“I know. I tried to explain that to Luke. I could tell by the way you spoke about him last night.”
“Luke and Alex think it’s because he swooped in and helped me in a time of need.” I shook my head. “I wish it were that simple, but it’s not. Regardless of what Luke thinks Drake is capable of, I’ve seen a different side.”
Hannah nodded.
“I know it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to see him again, but at least meeting him told me I had the capacity in me to care for someone. That’s something in itself, right?”
Saying it aloud made the rawness of letting him go burn deep into my soul.
“I’m so sorry.” She shook her head, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. “We can’t help who we’re attracted to. God knows I tried with your brother,” she teased.
I shook my head.
“Thanks. I can’t believe how a connection can be so strong with someone I just met. I’ve never experienced even a tenth of the emotion I’d had with him with anyone.” I shrugged. “Like I said, at least I know I’m not completely dead to feeling.”
Hannah gave me a sympathetic smile. “Don’t give up. Sometimes love has a way of—”
“I didn’t say I was in love with him,” I interrupted. “I was just interested.”
She flashed a wry grin.
“Whatever you say. The building blocks were being formed.”
“It’s in the past now, and being that he’ll be behind bars for a very long time . . .” I laughed. “I certainly know how to pick ‘em.”
“Like you said, does a cleaner kill make it any better?” Hannah let out a sigh as Luke bolted into the room, handing me a cellphone, and I was left in shock at her statement.
“Text Drake. Tell him what’s going on.” Luke stared at me.
“I don’t even know what’s going on.” I took the phone from Luke, and Alex came in behind.
“Tell him to stop texting your other phone. That it hasn’t been you, and if he planned something based on the information you texted, to call it off.”
I nodded and did as instructed, unsure why my brother cared one way or another.
“I’m sure this isn’t how you imagined spending your wedding day,” I muttered.
“I’m self-employed. I never set my expectations very high.” Luke laughed, and so did Hannah.
Seconds ticked to minutes with no response.
“Do you mind telling me from the beginning what’s going on?” I asked.
Chapter Twenty
Drake
“It’s a trap.” My eyes connected with Devin’s.
“Come on, man. This is a gift, not a trap,” Devin replied.
“Don’t argue with me.” I flashed him the text that came over.
“I know we can take him. I’m not going to let Anton slip through our fingers,” Devin argued, barely reading the message.
Jax heard Devin’s last comment and yelled over the phone.
“Get the hell out
of there,” Jax directed. “That’s an order. The plane is ready for you. Get to the airport as soon as you can.”
“I don’t want to hear how I screwed this up. You’re calling me off the job.” Devin glared at me.
“We are both walking off the job.” We stood in an empty boathouse less than a mile from Anton Sokolov. The moment I received the texts last night, I hopped on our plane to ensure the job was completed. “It’s the smart thing to do. The time is no longer right.”
“We’re so close. I don’t want to leave this island with him still breathing.” The disappointment in Devin’s voice was a testament to what we all felt. We were in a never-ending cycle, and I was beginning to realize there was no way out.
I stared at the surveillance footage where Anton was hiding. It was a sprawling home sitting within a hundred yards of the shore. All of Fletcher’s men were gone.
It was like they just walked off the job.
“It is appealing,” I muttered under my breath.
“So what’s going on?” Jax asked. “Is it or isn’t it a setup?”
Where to begin?
“I’m not entirely sure.”
Jax sighed into the phone. “I know we all want this more than life itself, but it’s not worth bringing down two of my brothers . . . or worse.”
“I know, but this might be our only opportunity for years to come.” I continued watching the footage. Anton was in the sunroom, reading the paper and drinking a beverage. He didn’t look like a man in hiding.
The first rule when someone was in hiding was pretty obvious to most. Stay away from the windows. But there he was, without a care in the world.
“Doesn’t he look like a man who thinks he’s still being guarded?” I asked, glancing at Devin.
“He does or he’s just not very bright.” Devin scratched his cheek and stared at the screen. “Maybe Fletcher’s men moved inside. Got word of our impending arrival?”
Mia: A Standalone Romantic Suspense: A Luke Fletcher and V Mafia Crossover Novel (Luke Fletcher Series Book 4) Page 14