Below the Surface (The Witness Series Book 5)

by Heather D'Agostino

  “Lena?” her voice was a strangled whisper and at first I wasn’t sure I was hearing her right.

  “Megan?” my heart sped up. She sounded as if she’d been crying.

  “He says you have to come back. He says you took what was his, and I’m going to finish your debt if you don’t come back,” she sobbed and just as my brain started to catch up, he came on the line.

  “Hello Lena,” Leo’s voice was cold, emotionless.

  I swallowed as the panic threatened to engulf me. “Leo.”

  “Your sister’s a sweet little peach. She reminds me of you, only cleaner,” he sneered.

  “Let her go,” I begged. “Please.”

  “I don’t think so. You skipped out on our agreement. She’s gonna give me what you owe,” he barked into the phone.

  “Help me,” I could hear Megan’s cries in the background.

  “Please, let her go. She’s not like that,” I was gasping for air as the room seemed to shrink, praying that I didn’t pass out before I got off the phone, and that I convinced Leo to let her go, but who was I kidding? Leo would never let her go. She was a virgin. She met his qualifications in every sense of the word. She was petite which meant he could control her better, and she was young.

  “Now you know I can’t do that,” he laughed lightly. “I might keep her for myself though. Too bad I’m going to have to break her in soon. You remember what that’s like, right? I seemed to remember you enjoying that part,” he mused.

  “Leo, please?” I begged again. Of course I remembered what it was like being broken in. It was something we all went through, and it was anything but pleasurable. Multiple men at one time for hours on end. My body recoiled at the mere thought of what those days were like.

  “I’m gonna give you a chance to save her,” he chuckled.

  “What do I have to do?” I mumbled. I knew there was a catch, there always was with him. He wasn’t going to let go easily, and whenever I gave him what he was asking for, the repercussions of me leaving would be paid back tenfold.

  “You can come take her place,” he sneered. “I’ve got some high dollar clients coming in town in a few weeks. They like your type. It’s you or your sister,” he paused, “your choice.”

  I swallowed and closed my eyes. Megan was all I had left in this world. I couldn’t let her deal with what I’d dealt with for years. I had to protect her, so I did the only thing I could think of at the moment… I sacrificed myself. “Deal,” I stated with as much conviction as I could.

  Chapter 7

  Lena

  Numb, I felt numb as I walked to work the next day. The events of the night before hadn’t sunk in yet, and as my feet trudged along I wondered if they’d even happened. It seemed like a dream that I hadn’t been able to wake from for the last three years had just reached the moment that caused you to leap from bed.

  It had started to rain during my walk, causing me to pull my jacket up over my head hindering my vision. I rounded the corner just in time to see him stepping out onto the sidewalk. He was wearing the same dark suit from the night before, and it froze me in my tracks. Gabe had never worked for Leo, but I couldn’t get past the fact that all this started with him coming in the night before. To someone on the outside, he seemed like a normal guy. He was clean cut, and dressed nice. No one would suspect that he paid for sex, or that he liked his women young and willing. I remember all the times he’d come by, and I couldn’t believe that I’d gotten away from him last night.

  I stiffened as I watched him from a distance, not realizing that I wasn’t the only one staring. When my feet finally decided to react, I rushed through the door as if someone were chasing me and crashed right into Mason.

  “Whoa,” he gripped my arms to steady me and I yelped in fear. “Are you ok?” he released me and bent his knees so he could look me straight in the eyes.

  “I’m fine,” I brushed past him and into the back room. The stock room was my safe place, and I needed it’s confines to make myself relax.

  I stayed there for what felt like hours, but I’m sure it was just minutes before I heard the bell above the door chime and voices talking. I waited for someone to yell at Mason for leaving the door unlocked, that had seemed to always be an issue, but they never did.

  “She went in the back. Should be out in a minute,” Mason’s voice was muffled. I couldn’t tell who he was talking to, but I could tell they were worried by their tone. I sighed as I tried to control my breathing and gather my courage. There was no way I was going to be able to work like this. I was already freaking out and no one was here yet. What would I do tonight when the bar filled with customers?

  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. When I rounded the corner, I came face to face with Jeff.

  “How do you know him?” he pointed out the door as if I should know what he was talking about.

  “What are you talking about?” I swallowed, trying to relieve the tightness in my throat.

  “I saw you when you walked up. You watched him as he came outside and you froze in fear. You looked as if you wanted run when he climbed into his car.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered as I tried to push past him and get to the bar. I couldn’t talk to him about this. I couldn’t tell him about my past. I couldn’t let him in. He’d see what I was; what I am now.

  “Don’t lie to me!” he gripped my arm as I inched past him, halting me. My eyes widened as I stared at where his fingers wrapped around my bicep. My entire body tightened in preparation for a fight. It remembered all the times this exact scenario had happened in the past.

  “I’m…I’m not,” my lip trembled and tears welled in my eyes. I blinked a few times trying to hold them back, but I couldn’t. I felt one trickle down my cheek and I wiped at it angrily. I didn’t want to do this right now. Last night was fresh on my mind, and I knew if he pushed hard enough I’d fold like a deck of cards.

  “Come with me,” he began leading me to the back corner of the bar. Tables with the chairs still up on them covered the area. It was dark with just a small amount of sunlight coming through a window near the front. He stopped by the booth farthest in the back before turning us so I was pinned in the corner. “I know something bad happened to you. I know that that man who was just leaving has something to do with it, and I know that you feel like you can’t tell me,” he paused as he gripped the back of his neck. “I’m working on a big case right now. That man is part of it, and if you know anything about him you NEED to tell me.” He dropped his hand as his chin lowered. “Please.”

  “I can’t,” I sniffed. “They’ll kill her.”

  “Who?” he begged.

  “I can’t,” I cried again. “You don’t understand.”

  “Help me, please Lena. Help me understand. You’re the key in all this, I know you are,” he took a few steps away like he was just going to leave me there, but then he turned around and came back. “How do you know Gabriel?”

  I swallowed, “He was a client.”

  Jeff nodded, “You were one of them. He took you?” His eyes met mine, and that’s when the dam truly broke.

  ooooooooo

  Jeff

  Holy shit! I knew it was something bad, but this? Unbelievable. I watched her face turn white as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her knees buckled and she slowly sank to the floor. I didn’t do tears, I’d always left before things got emotional, but something inside me told me she was different.

  I bent down in front of her and before I could say anything, she threw herself into my arms sobbing. “He’s gonna kill her. I don’t know what to do. I have to help her,” she cried as she fisted the lapels of my jacket and buried her face in my chest.

  “Kill who?” my arms slowly banded around her, holding her to me as she fell apart. I waited for several minutes as she sobbed before she took a few deep breaths to calm down.

  Her head tipped up and tear stained eyes bored into mine as she whispered, “My
sister. He has my sister.”

  Time stopped as she blinked up at me. Unbeknownst to her, Lena had just cracked my case wide open. I’d had a feeling that I was getting close for a while now, but this? This was the break I was looking for. Lena could answer questions that my team and I had been only speculating for months. She was the key to all of this, but she was in no state to help me at the moment. She wasn’t in any shape to do anything.

  “You can’t work tonight,” I murmured as I held her close.

  “I have to,” she sniffed as she wiped at her eyes. “I don’t have a choice.”

  “You always have a choice. Come with me,” I slowly released her, so I could stand up but as soon as I got to my feet I held my hand out. She took it, but stared at me skeptically as I led her toward the back. I was still new to the group, but I’d been around enough to know where Sam hung out during the day.

  As we made our way down the hallway Lena kept quiet. I could see her retreating. I dealt with victims of abuse before, but this was a whole other level of abuse, and I’m sure I hadn’t even scratched the surface yet. When we approached Sam’s office, Dev was coming out of it. He smiled and waved as he walked by us, but something on our faces made him stop.

  “What’s going on?” he tipped his head to the side as he stared at us. I tried to have a silent conversation with him, but he only looked confused.

  “Family stuff. She needs to go home,” I brushed him off. I knew he’d find out soon enough, but I didn’t want to talk about it with Lena standing right there.

  “Oh, ok. Later,” he waved and turned back in the direction he was going.

  “Wait here,” I pointed to a spot next to the wall as I opened Sam’s office door and stepped inside. I didn’t want to go past some line here, but Lena was under the impression that she could actually bartend tonight. I made an excuse to Sam about her not feeling well and needing the night off before I came back out, and took her to my place.

  The ride was tortuous as my car moved along the city streets. I was supposed to meet Danielle for drinks, but I called and canceled, giving her the excuse that I had to work. I’d been having to do that a lot lately and I knew that it would only be a matter of time before she wouldn’t accept the excuse any more.

  “Where are we going?” Lena had her arms wrapped around her middle and her legs drawn up.

  “My place,” I continued to stare at the road. “We need to talk, and I want you to feel safe.”

  “Why are you doing this?” she bit down on her lip and shifted in her seat.

  “I’m working on a big case right now. Leo Murano has been eluding authorities for years. Myself and three other detectives have been working this case for months now. We’re extremely close to cracking it. I think you might be able to help me,” I tried to keep my voice level when on the inside I was screaming.

  “I can’t help you,” her voice was monotone and she turned to stare out the window.

  “Can’t or won’t?” I pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car.

  “Can’t,” she squeezed her eyes shut as if she were trying to think of a way to escape. I quickly climbed out and rushed around to her side. When I opened her door, she cowered away from me.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” I held my hand out. “I just want to talk.” Her head bobbed once as she refused my hand and climbed out. “Do you trust me?” I watched the conflict play across her face before she finally nodded again and started to shuffle toward the door.

  I led us up to my apartment and as soon as I got us inside, I watched her change right before my eyes.

  The confidence or reluctance that she’d shown before was gone. Her chin tipped down, and she stood silently staring at her feet. Her eyes stayed trained on the floor as the life left them. It was as if she’d turned herself off and was just waiting for what, I didn’t know.

  “Would you like to sit?” I motioned to the couch. She shuffled over and slowly lowered herself down. “Tell me about Gabe,” I reached for her hand, but she pulled it back and twisted her fingers together in her lap.

  She took a few deep breaths before the words came, and once they did, she cracked my heart wide open. This woman… I was amazed she was still alive.

  “Gabe was a client,” she was barely speaking and kept her eyes on her lap. “That’s the only way I know him. He was one of the nicer ones.”

  “You worked for Leo?” I started to continue, but thought better of it when she only nodded.

  “I dated Leo. I met him when I was nineteen. I was working as a waitress in a small diner on the other side of town. He came in one night dressed in a suit. He was charming and left me a huge tip. I was flattered, and young, and stupid,” she berated herself as she balled her hands into fists. “The next night he came back, and the night after that. It started to become a habit. He asked me out on the last night, and I said yes. Part of me hoped that he’d save me. I’d been barely getting by since my parents passed and every girl dreams of meeting a good looking rich guy who’ll take care of them,” she shook her head. “I went on a few dates with him, and he seemed so normal. He bought me things, told me he could shower me with riches, make other women jealous, and teach me how to be like the women he likes.” She pushed up off the couch and began to pace. I watched as she moved back and forth across my living room, going faster and faster as the words began to pour out of her.

  “He took me on a fancy date one night. He picked my clothes, and ordered my food, hell, he even ordered the wine,” she tossed her hands in the air. “I was so stupid,” she muttered. “The next thing I knew, I was waking up on a bare mattress in a room with a locked door.”

  “How long were you there?” I tried to remain calm as every instinct inside me was telling me this guy needed to have the shit beat out of him.

  “Two years,” her eyes met mine and I could see the pain burning bright as she picked the scabs off these wounds.

  “How did you get away?” I pressed. I was cutting her off, but my brain wouldn’t slow down. I had her talking, and I wasn’t sure how long I could keep her going.

  “I ran,” her hand flew to her mouth as she struggled to hold in a sob, “and now I have to go back.”

  “What?” I sprung to my feet and watched as she started back peddling, shaking her head at the same time.

  “Oh god, I have to go back,” when her back hit the wall opposite us, she began sliding down it. “I have to go back, Jeff. I have to go back,” she kept repeating it as if even she didn’t believe what she was saying. “He has my sister. I have to go back.”

  And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, she goes and says that.

  Chapter 8

  Jeff

  I stood there staring, unable to move as I watched her fall apart. I didn’t know what to do to comfort her, and all my brain was thinking about was how this information could help. She was the key. She could fill in the missing pieces. She could… not go back. My desire to protect her went to war with my duty to solve this case. Leo had to be taken down.

  “You can’t go back,” I stated a little more sternly than I meant to.

  “What?” her head lifted and she rubbed her face before her eyes narrowed.

  “You can’t go back to that hell that you left,” I crossed my arms over my chest. In the past whenever I exuded any type of authority towards her, she cowered away from me. I didn’t want to intimidate her, but I also wanted her to listen.

  “You don’t get to decide that,” she balked as she rose to her full height and mimicked my pose. “My sister’s with him. Do you get that?” her arms lifted out the side as she moved closer. “I have to go back. I made a deal. I told him I would,” she continued to argue as she moved so close our chests were almost touching.

  “Well, you can’t,” I growled.

  “You can’t stop me,” she taunted.

  “Yes, I can. I’ll arrest you for solicitation,” I lifted my chin and watched as her mouth fell open.

  “Go ahead,�
�� she moved to step around me. “I’m going. I don’t have a choice. I have to save her,” she ranted as she stalked toward the door.

  “I’m not letting you do this,” I stormed up behind her and felt her stiffen. “You can’t do this alone,” my voice lowered as I watched her shiver against me. Something in that little movement was enough to set a fire in me. I couldn’t explain why it happened then and why with her, but it did. I felt this connection and need to protect her. I knew right then that I was in trouble. I was too attached and there was no way in hell that my captain was going to let me do what I was about to propose, but my stupid self said it anyway. “I’m coming with you.” The words rushed out, and she whirled around to face me.

  Her eyes blinked rapidly for a few seconds as if her brain were trying to process what I’d just said before she gasped, “You’re…you’re wh… what?”

  “You’re not going back to that hell hole you just described without help. I’m coming with you,” I grabbed her wrist and tugged her back to the couch. “Sit,” I pointed at the cushion and waited. I didn’t think she’d comply. I actually thought she’d try to run, but she didn’t. Her body lowered almost robotically before her face tipped back so she could look into my eyes.

  “What are you doing?” she stared as I pulled my phone from my pocket.

  “Calling my captain,” I began mentally preparing for the reprimand I was sure to get before this call was completed.

  “Why?” she swallowed. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Your sister’s in danger,” I mumbled as I turned my back to her I could hear the ringing of the phone and when my captain clicked on the line, my heart seized in my chest.

  ooooooooo

  Lena

  The minutes went by as if I were on the outside of a bubble looking in. I could see everything happening around me, but nothing was registering. Jeff went back and forth on the phone for at least twenty minutes before he finally clicked off the line.

  “You need to request a leave of absence from the bar. We’re going in next week,” he tossed his phone on the coffee table.