The Illicit Revealed (The Illicit Series Book 2)

by Brittani Marí

  “So you know who’s responsible?” I asked, rubbing my arms nervously. “You know who did it?”

  My father leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. His expression turned serious enough for me to consider prying further, then his eyes began to soften.

  “It wasn’t just one person, Alyssa. The people responsible for your mother’s death are part of an elite, illegal operation. They’re anonymous to most, but well-known to the people who frequently request their services.” He swallowed. “Unfortunately, I’ve done business with them myself.”

  I slowly processed his answer, continuously coming back to the same conclusion.

  “You mean, someone actually paid to have her killed? They hired a professional?”

  He turned away, his hand gripping the arm of the chair he sat in. When he finally answered, he looked everywhere but at me.

  “I wish it were that simple, angel. I wish I could tell you your mother was somehow targeted and I was simply too late to save her.” He stiffened, his eyes glossing over. “But that isn’t what happened. The reason is much deeper than anyone would think, and the fact I allowed it to get this far was selfish of me. Still, what I regret the most is not being able to ask for her forgiveness. I was far too late for that.”

  I felt the pain radiating off his body. The helplessness at not being able to save her, protect her. It made me wonder if the man I cared for would walk through fire to save me. Was he looking for me now? Was he even alive?

  I pushed the thoughts away, knowing Wesley never had a permanent place in my life. I knew it the moment I met him. The moment we were together. The moment he was inside me, filling me to the point of completeness. I knew it would eventually end. I just didn’t know how or the pain I would feel when it did. His effect on me was much more than I anticipated. Much more than I wanted to admit.

  I caught my father studying me. He shared his regrets with me, yet all I could think about was myself. My mistakes. My regrets.

  “You didn’t kill her,” I said softly. “The person who looked her in the eyes right before they ended her life is the person who should feel remorse. That’s the one who should suffer.”

  He nodded, relaxing in his seat. “Why were you with Wesley Black, Alyssa? Who is he to you? How important is he to you?”

  I swallowed, looking around at the guards. They all seemed oblivious to our conversation, but it didn’t make me feel any more comfortable admitting my faults. There was really no way to excuse what I had done. The first thing I wanted to do was defend myself, but what came out was nothing close to what I intended to say.

  “Is he okay?” I asked, refusing to meet my father’s gaze. “He saved me from Alek. There were things I learned that made me uncomfortable around him. Everything happened so quickly, I couldn’t—”

  He crossed his legs, placing his foot on his knee, his expression unreadable. “I want the truth, Alyssa.” His calm tone made me look in his direction.

  I felt like a child caught in a lie, and what I did next was exactly what I would’ve done back then.

  “I am telling the truth,” I whispered. “Alek was acting strange, and I felt his demeanor changing. He looked at me differently, treated me differently. I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. I needed distance to—”

  He held up a hand. “Logan saw them take you, Alyssa. He saw them snatch you off the sidewalk and force you into the SUV.” He shook his head in disappointment. “I think you and I both know you didn’t choose to be kidnapped. Wesley Black made that decision for you. I need you to tell me why.”

  I hesitated before responding. “I was sleeping with him,” I confessed in a small voice. “Alek and I were having problems and it just happened.” I let out a breath, sharing more about my affair than I intended, but the words poured out. “It was only supposed to be one time, but then—”

  “He started showing up.”

  “Yes. I thought it was odd, then considered it a coincidence. We lived in the same city. It was bound to happen.”

  “No, angel. It wasn’t just some coincidence. He planned every encounter, just like he planned your kidnapping.”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  However, when I had time to think, I knew everything he said was true. I’d known it the moment the blindfold was taken off and I found Wesley standing there. Those gray eyes had drilled into me, pulling me closer, dismissing the fact he had me kidnapped. That he was behind the distress of not knowing if I would be harmed the moment I reached my unknown destination.

  “I can’t fault you, Alyssa,” my father said, pulling my attention back to him. “We’re all human. Frequent mistakes are part of who we are. But the person you think you know has been putting on a ruse. You became his target the moment you walked through the doors of his club.” He leaned forward, clasping his hands together and resting his arms on his legs. “There’s a reason Wesley Black has the reputation he does, and no part of it is good for you.”

  I sat up straight, my knuckles pressed into the couch. “Why would I be his target, Dad?” I questioned. “Why would he…”

  My voice trailed off, thinking about the whole situation. How it all played out the first night I was with Wesley. The slight hesitation in the beginning, then Alek showing up.

  I looked at my father. When I finally asked the question burning in me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to take it back. The truth could ruin every memory I’d foolishly cherished. I remembered Wesley slipping up at one point, expressing the danger I was in after Alek’s attack, but at that time, I was distracted.

  “What does Wesley Black do besides own a club?” I asked, needing clarification for something I already knew the answer to.

  My father sighed. I could see how difficult it was for him to ruin my slight taste of happiness.

  “He has his hands in many things, Alyssa, but what he did for Alek, the reason he was so close to you, was because he was tracking you. Like I said, angel, you were, and still are, Wesley Black’s target.”

  Sleeping with the enemy… The saying had never been more accurate. Wesley Black had used me, but the depth of it blew my mind.

  “So… Wesley isn’t Alek’s enemy. He’s mine?”

  The words felt lethal to every memory, kiss, touch we shared. It had all started to crumble away, right along with the forgiveness I promised him.

  “My source is solid, Alyssa,” my father replied, studying me closely. “I hate to be the one to tell you, but it was never Alek. You were the target.”

  I swallowed, forcing the tears back, silently blaming myself for all of it. I knew better. I knew better than to allow Wes to see the real me. I had been a fool. It had all just been an illusion to cover up his tracks.

  “Why was Alek having me followed?” I questioned, looking over at my father. “I was careful, making sure I didn’t make contact. I cut off everyone. Aunt Joyce. The detective. Everyone who was familiar to me.” I bit my lip, thinking of every conversation. “I knew he would be upset if he found out I’d lied to him about who I was, but having me followed could only mean…”

  I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I brought my hand to my chest, attempting not to hyperventilate. Detective Anderson’s words started to play in my head.

  The lion’s den.

  “This whole time, I had been so close. I had so many chances to end it…end him.”

  My father moved next to me. “You couldn’t have known, angel. You have no reason to blame yourself.”

  I couldn’t prevent the tears from falling. Couldn’t stop my chest from heaving. How did one react when you found out you’d been sleeping with the person who had your mother killed? Ruined your life? Ripped your family apart?

  My father held me while I cried, smoothing my hair as I accepted his comfort. When it was only an assumption Alek was involved, I could handle that, but finding out those assumptions were accurate produced a pain I considered worse than death. I had slept beside him for three years. His eyes closed. His guard down. Three years
I had missed my chance to avenge a lifetime of pain. Maybe that was the reason he eventually stopped coming home. I was getting closer to his secret.

  ***

  I stood from my seat. My tears had subsided, the shock and pain gone. It was quickly replaced with anger. I paced, mumbling, then turned back to my father.

  “I need to go back,” I blurted out. “I need to see him. I need him to look me in the eyes and tell me why.”

  My father stood and walked over to me. He rested his hand on my shoulder, stopping my pacing. “Alyssa, Alek Johnson is dangerous. He has money, power. I won’t allow you to confront him like this. Especially with him knowing you’re my daughter and I’ve likely been in contact with you.” He cleared his throat. “You need to calm down. You need to think. What would hurt him the most? What could break a man like him?”

  I hesitated. “If his money was taken away. His money fuels his power, but how would I—”

  He smiled, removing his hand from my shoulder. “Who are you to him, Alyssa?”

  “I’m his wife…”

  “And what does that mean? What power does a wife have?”

  I hesitated, thinking. When I was with Alek, I had no power, no voice, but with this new knowledge, I had all the power in the world.

  “I’m on his accounts,” I whispered. “It’s my money as much as his…”

  My father’s face lit up. “Yes, angel, and when you strip a man of his money, everything else goes away, too.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Wesley

  “WHAT THE FUCK IS going on, Wesley?”

  Alek stormed into my office, Jarrett on his heels, but he didn’t come alone. Two of his guards were beside him when he strode to my desk, making no attempt to hide their weapons. I held a hand up to Jarrett, telling him to stand down. I opened the top drawer of my desk and removed my gun, placing it in front of me, my hand covering it.

  “It’s nice to see you, too,” I replied, eyeing the guards beside him. “I see you brought company.”

  Alek’s gaze drilled right through me. I counted the seconds it took for him to dismiss them. He knew what we needed to discuss was private. He also understood I wouldn’t tolerate this level of disrespect.

  “Just wait outside,” he ordered his men. “I’ll be out shortly.”

  When the door shut behind them, I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my desk.

  “He needs to wait outside, too,” Alek demanded, pointing at Jarrett.

  I gave Jarrett a silent signal to leave. When the door shut again, the tension grew so thick, I could barely see through it.

  He placed his palms on my desk, leaning forward. “I paid you.”

  His face was so close, I felt his breath with each word he seethed out.

  “I know,” I said calmly. “And I’ve been—”

  “No, you haven’t,” he argued. “This whole situation has been handled poorly. When you fell off the face of the earth for a few days, I had the luxury of speaking with your father.”

  I cocked my head, intrigued. “And what did he say?”

  “He said he had only recently found out about our agreement and Mia being Fredrick Hall’s daughter. Apparently, you withheld information. I thought there were many hands involved when doing business with the Blacks. No wonder nothing had gotten done. You kept our agreement to yourself.”

  “I didn’t know the two of you were so close that you would go behind my back to question my motives.”

  Alek froze, his eyes careful. “You gave me no choice. My wife had been kidnapped, and I grasped at anything I could to find her. Since I hired you to trail her, I figured you would know something.” He straightened. “I didn’t know there was so much mistrust in your family’s operation.”

  I knew him throwing that out was bait for me to tell him more, but I was smarter than he gave me credit for. I knew his angle.

  “What goes on with my family is none of your concern, Alek, but if you’re here to discuss something that is, I’m all ears.”

  “You know, Wesley, I came to you with a business proposition, but for some strange reason, you’ve hesitated to go through with it, giving me very different service than I’m accustomed to when dealing with your family.” His eyes hardened. “I’ve been racking my brain, trying to figure out why that is. I sensed it in the beginning, but convinced myself it wouldn’t be a constant issue.”

  Alek finally took a seat, clasping his hands in front of him. “Why has it been a continuous issue, Wesley? A distraction you just can’t seem to shake? I came to you because my wife is a threat to both of us, assuming you would want to…” He paused, not finishing his previous sentence. “I can see you don’t know where she is or who’s responsible.”

  We stared at each other. He was accusing me of not doing my job, but he also gave me a valuable excuse, a way out. He hadn’t yet figured out my betrayal to him or my family. I sidestepped his last statement, moving the conversation along.

  “Do you know who would’ve wanted to take her?” I asked. “If you have any leads, I can go from there. Even though you may not believe this, the person I assigned to her never indicated she was a threat.”

  I tried not to let my discomfort show, knowing Michael was biased in all of it. He could’ve known something, choosing not to tell me before Mia’s meeting with the detective was brought to my attention.

  “Mia had a guard,” Alek replied, rubbing his temple. “He gave his resignation right after she disappeared.”

  “You think he could be behind this?” I questioned, trying to remember her guard’s face. I knew he was tall, but I could’ve sworn—

  “I did some digging after he left,” he replied sharply. “I was paranoid, considering everything that had happened. The person who’s behind hiring my detail informed me the guard I knew as Logan Vesley didn’t exist. He also told me he goes through every profile. He never sent me one with that name.”

  “You think he was planted inside your security?” I questioned, realizing Fredrick Hall had been ahead of us all along. Invading our lives and positioning everything to his advantage.

  I didn’t have to share my thoughts with Alek because his next words let me know he knew enough.

  “This has Fredrick’s name all over it,” he seethed. “I know his games, and this falls right into that category. He’s invasive, ruthless, and loves to win.”

  I considered telling him Fredrick had already won, but he hadn’t yet spoken the words I needed to hear in order to share that particular piece of information.

  “You’re saying Fredrick’s behind the guard, but the person who took your wife…”

  “If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t put the kidnapping past him. The police had footage at one point, then it suddenly disappeared. Who else has enough power to make evidence disappear?” Alek’s eyebrows knit together. “I have to admit, he’s clever. I wasn’t expecting any of this.”

  “Why the charade then?” I pressed. “Why put yourself on television, knowing this incident goes far beyond anything the news can help with? If I remember correctly, you’re offering… What? A million dollars?”

  “Despite what you think of me, Wesley, I’ve never denied loving my wife, and broadcasting my affection on television will lead to something. There are so many eyes out there. So many people watching. Offering a ridiculous amount of money will make someone talk. I can promise you that.”

  I swallowed, thinking about all the people who had betrayed me. All the greed that had surfaced. Alek was right. Someone would eventually talk, but they wouldn’t find her in my possession any longer.

  His words also proved Fredrick’s explanation about Mia’s safety. Alek loved her and wanted to save her. I tried to hide my disappointment. The bastard wasn’t as ruthless as I thought. At least where his wife was concerned.

  “Well, assuming Fredrick does have your wife and what you want from me is to bring her back to you, I need to know something.” I leaned forward again, placing my elbows on the desk. “What
really happened ten years ago that caused you to request our services? And why, after he didn’t show, did you insist on killing his wife? What causes a man to set up someone like that? You not only had his wife killed, you framed him for it.”

  I didn’t think he was going to tell me, but when he finally mumbled a word, I had to lean closer to hear him.

  “Blackmail.”

  He cleared his throat. “I went to your father ten years ago because Fredrick Hall was blackmailing me.” His voice grew strained. “It was honestly how I started taking bribes and disregarding justice for certain people. It was difficult in the beginning, but as time went on, it became easy enough to where I stopped caring about right and wrong because the money gave me something I never had. Power.”

  I studied Alek, his story pulling me in. “Why was he blackmailing you, Alek? If you weren’t corrupt before it started, what leverage did he have?”

  He laughed, but it was forced. I saw him thinking back to all those years ago.

  “For years, I watched my father beat my mother, Wesley. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Her crying. The bruises decorating her body. The shame and sadness in her eyes when she would look at me, knowing I knew. The embarrassment on her face when she made excuses for him.” Alek swallowed audibly. “I was powerless back then, young, hiding more than helping. If I ever tried, I would be beaten, too.

  “As the years passed, things started to mellow. He had his good days and his bad. When my sister, Avery, was born, I figured he had changed. After all, she and I are fifteen years apart. I assumed the bastard was too old to…”

  Alek paused, his eyes turning hard. “I went over there one day. Avery was staying with a friend, and my visit was unexpected. I walked into the house, seeing my mother crying at the kitchen table. When she looked up at me, her face was hardly recognizable. He had gotten sloppy. I was sure she wouldn’t recover from the damage I saw. Her eyes swollen. Her face cut and bleeding. Nose broken. I snapped, not saying a word to her. I was no longer myself when I stormed through the house. It was like I was possessed by anger. I couldn’t stop.”