by C. A. Harms
“Because,” Sheppard interrupted once more, “Nicolay is one of my men, and his real name is Nick Watson. He will remain undercover because we’ll be releasing him.”
I looked over at Mike, and he appeared as shocked as I was by the news that Nicolay was one of us. Seems that information was only shared with Greyson and Frank. The feeling of betrayal burned in me as I looked between two of the men I considered to be family. How could they keep that shit from the rest of us?
“We’ve got to play this out, Josh. You know that,” Greyson said. “Otherwise, we’ll be living in fear of Leo popping us when we least expect it. We all die, man, their way or Leo’s way. I don’t know about you, but I prefer Sheppard and Frank’s way.”
“You should’ve told me about Nicolay,” I said to Grey.
“Just found out myself, brother. I thought we’d caught Leo’s right-hand man. I went into that interrogation room thinking we had the key to Leo and were gonna hang his ass for what he put you though.” Grey shook his head and looked up at Frank in irritation. “Instead I found out all we had done was brought in one of our own.”
My fucking day just kept getting better.
“So Nick will wait for Leo to contact him, and we’ll plan your funeral.” Sheppard looked fucking happy as hell, and I was finding it real hard not to jump over the table and break his fucking face.
“What about my family? What about Gabby?” I asked as I made eye contact with Frank.
“I’m sorry, son, but they’ve all gotta believe you’re dead,” he replied, and anger filled my core.
I stood up and stepped aggressively toward the table. “So not only do I have to go into hiding, I have to fucking crush my family in the process. This is fucked, Frank, and you know it.”
“Would you rather walk back out onto those streets and risk the safety of each one of them?” Sheppard asked. “Have Leo go after the people you love and in the end, lose one of them?”
“Leo threatened Audrey and Gabby. When he had me tied to that chair about to finish me off, he threatened their safety. What the fuck is the plan for that?” I asked, refusing to look at Sheppard.
“They’ll be protected. There are three agents being planted within their lives. They won’t know who they are, but I can assure you, they will be safe,” Sheppard offered, and for the first time in the last ten minutes, I accepted what he said without argument.
“So what do we do now?” I asked.
“We break the news to your family,” Greyson stated. “And to Gabby.”
I swallowed hard and let my body sink back to the couch. The idea of hurting all of them was tearing me apart.
Epilogue
Gabriella
I stood in my bathroom staring down at the item I held between my fingers. Both happiness and heartache filled my entire body as tears rolled over my cheeks.
A knock on the door startled me, and I dropped the item to the floor. “Yes,” I said as I placed my hand on my chest before taking a calming breath.
“Gabs, I hate to rush you, but Mom and Dad are waiting downstairs. The service starts in less than thirty minutes and…” Brook paused, and I closed my eyes tightly, fighting against the urge to crumble to the floor. This was all just too much, and I could feel myself slowly fading into the darkness of devastation.
I slowly opened the door and looked up at Brook’s concerned expression. I took in a shuddering breath before dropping my gaze to the item that lay at my feet. She knelt and picked it up before her eyes met mine once more.
“You’re pregnant?” she asked as her eyes widened with curiosity. I could only nod as my throat burned.
“Gabby,” she whispered, and tears took her over as she pulled me into her arms. “Oh my God.”
“Now I have to go to the funeral of the man who is the father of my unborn child, and the worst part about this all is he’ll never know. I’ll never get the chance to tell him he’s gonna be a daddy. And I’ll never get the chance to apologize for not forgiving him when he told me about Audrey,” I cried.
Today would be one of the hardest days I would ever live through, and my life would never be the same. Yes, I would always have a part of him now, but I was selfish. I didn’t just want his child, I wanted him too.
***
“Are you sure you’re ready to be back?” Margo asked as I held the phone to my ear.
I placed my hand over my belly and swallowed past the lump in my throat. My life wasn’t just about me anymore; I now had to think about the expense of raising a child alone.
“I’m fine, Margo, really. Being at work helps keep my mind moving. Otherwise, I just sit in a dark room and cry. So a distraction for even a few hours is welcome,” I assured her. “I can do this, really.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I am.”
It’d been two weeks since Josh’s funeral, and today was the first time I’d left the house since. I had to do this. I couldn’t hide forever. I couldn’t waste away. That was no longer a choice I had.
“All right, well, I set up your first meeting for ten a.m. He’s a very wealthy and particular client. He can be demanding at times, but I have full confidence in you. I know you’ll take care of him.”
Margo only assigned us specific clients when she felt they needed special attention. I was the agent with the best numbers and greatest knowledge of real estate, so she trusted me when it came to situations like this one.
Usually I was just fine with difficult clients, but today I was questioning my judgement. Was I truly ready for this?
“He’s heard of you as well and was impressed. In fact, when I told him you would be his agent, he was very pleased,” she said happily.
“That’s great. I’ll take care of everything,” I said just before ending the call.
I took a moment to lean back against my chair and close my eyes. Josh’s smile filled my mind, and I knew I would spend my whole life missing it. I only hoped our child was lucky enough to inherit his or her daddy’s smile.
The intercom interrupted my thoughts, and I sat up straight and tapped the button. “Yes, Valerie?”
“Your ten o’clock is here,” she replied, and a surge of nervous energy filled my stomach.
“Great, please send him in,” I said before standing from my desk and walking around the side after taking a few seconds to smooth my skirt. The door opened, and I looked up at Valerie. Just over her shoulder was a tall man with dark hair.
I stepped forward and held out my hand in greeting. “Hello, my name is Gabriella Shannon.”
He smirked, and it sent chills along my neck and shoulders. He had the most piercing green eyes I had ever seen.
He entered the room and took my hand, then lifted it toward his lips. As he kissed it softly, his eyes remained locked on mine. “Very pleased to meet you, Gabriella.” His voice was rich and so smooth. “My name is Roman, but you can call me RJ. It is what my friends call me, and I have a feeling you and me will be great friends.”
Gabby and Josh’s story will continue in:
Chaos
Coming in 2016
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my street team, The Charmed Girls. Your continued support truly means so much to me. Thank you all for sharing my teasers and new releases. Thank you all for your continued feedback on all my excerpts and so on. You all are the greatest.
Thank you, Lydia, of course you still and always will keep me moving. Oh, and for our crazy conversations that led to a few of the scenes within this book. You know the ones. I am so glad we crossed paths and I can now call you a true friend. I adore you.
To my family, because you allow me the time I need to create my imaginative worlds through words and pick up my slack. You three are the true rock stars. I love you, Jason, Jayden and Tayler.
Thank you Golden Czermak and Justin Keeton for creating the perfect image for Jackson and to Robin Harper for making one gorgeous cover once again.
To all the readers, you all make wr
iting worth it. Thank you for giving my work a chance.
About the Author
C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn’t always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict.
She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband of 14 years and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.
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