Below the Surface (The Witness Series Book 5)

by Heather D'Agostino

  “Wha?” my eyes went wide. “Going in?”

  “We’re meeting tomorrow morning at the station for a briefing with my team. They’re working right now on a cover story for me, but I’m going in with you. I don’t know how the team will spin in, but I’m going to gather intel as well as get you and your sister out. Neither of you are going to be staying with that monster.” He stood in front of the couch and turned to face me as he yanked at his hair. “Are you going to be able to do this? Go back to that lifestyle?” his eyes looked pained and I watched as he scanned me from top to bottom.

  I swallowed and closed my eyes for a moment. Could I do this? The answer was it didn’t matter. I had to. I had to go back, and save Megan. She was worth whatever pain I’d endure, but I had a feeling that having Jeff by my side would make it easier. “Yes,” I nodded with my eyes still closed. “I can be her.”

  “Her?” Jeff’s brow crinkled as his head tipped to the side.

  “She was different. Willing? She didn’t stand up for herself or think she was good for much. Can you be like him?” I scooted to the edge of the couch, already mentally going there. I had to show him. Had to be like her. Had to prove I could do this. Little glimpses had come out when I least expected them to, but now I had to not hold back. I had to go there without fear of someone judging me.

  “You mean be an asshole?” he sounded disbelieving as he watched me.

  I slowly stood and began walking toward him almost cat like. I tipped my chin down and kept my eyes toward the floor. When I reached his side, I lifted my hand and ran my palm down his chest. “I can be whatever you want, Sir.” My hand moved up to hold onto his shoulder as I rose up on my tiptoes. I leaned into him and whispered in his ear, “How do you want me, Sir?” My free hand moved down his abs and paused at his belt. I played with the buckle, pretending to loosen it. “I can fill any fantasy you desire, Sir. You can do what you want here. Nothing is off limits,” as quickly as I had come on, I stopped.

  My hands released him and I stepped back, offering a sad smile. Jeff’s eyes were wide as he appraised me. The muscles in his throat constricted as a labored breath seeped out. “I can be her,” I shrugged lightly.

  “Yeah, ok,” he shook his head as if he were coming out of a stupor.

  “Can you be him?” I pushed. I’d seen Jeff the alpha, Jeff the nice guy, and now Jeff the cop. I needed to see Jeff the asshole in order for this to work. “You’re too nice. You need to be colder.”

  “I can do that,” he muttered.

  “Show me,” I demanded. “Hit me!”

  “No,” he shook his head. “That I will not do.”

  “You may have to,” I bit my lip. “Will you be able to do it if they make you?”

  “You need to shut your fucking mouth,” he growled as he grabbed my arm and yanked me to his chest. I fought to keep my breathing steady and not show fear as I waited to see what he’d do next. “You’re a little tease, and I don’t fucking like that one fucking bit,” he seethed into my ear. I could feel my arm going numb from the grip he had on me. He pulled me so I was right in front of him before he reached up with his free hand and pushed on the top of my head. “On your knees,” he growled as he pushed down, forcing me to bend at the knees. As my body folded down and I fought the tears that were threatening, I heard him curse himself.

  “See? I can be an asshole. Now, get up,” he tugged lightly on my arms, and when I stood in front of him, he wrapped me in his. “This is going to be so much harder than I ever thought it could be. God that sucked, and it wasn’t even the real thing,” he murmured as he pressed a light kiss to the top of my head. “You don’t deserve this. You hear me? You are so much better than what he made you.”

  ooooooooo

  Jeff

  I must have been out of my mind to think this would work. There was no way that Lena could come with me. She was so fragile. I’d witnessed a breakdown that first week I’d met her. How was I going to take her back to the one place that caused it all? What would I do if Leo laid a hand on her in front of me?

  “I’m fine,” she squeezed my hand from where she was sitting beside me in the front seat of my car. “I can do this.”

  We’d met with my team this morning, and were now getting ready for our first contact with Leo’s crew. Gabriel was supposed to be meeting us at the bar, and Lena was going to use the excuse that she worked for me now. That would explain her reluctance to come back, and I was going to be new to the underworld of sex trafficking. My story was that in exchange for her coming back, Leo was going to teach me how to build my empire. It seemed like a weak cover, but Lena was desperate to help Megan and we were running out of time.

  “Do not leave my side tonight. Understand?” I looked over at where she was sitting and sighed. Her eyes were closed and she was mumbling something under her breath. “Understand?” I tried again when she didn’t answer. Her head bobbed before she reached for the door handle and carefully climbed out of the car.

  When she moved to stand, the skirt she was wearing rose up, revealing the very bottom of her ass. She tugged at it, causing her lower back to be exposed and revealing a small scorpion tattoo. That simple gesture made reality slap me right in the face. I couldn’t tell you how many bodies had been found over the years with that same tattoo in the same place. It was the first time I’d seen Lena’s and it made bile rise in my throat.

  “Coming?” she leaned down and stuck her head through the window. I nodded as I took a few deep breaths. Game time.

  The moment we stepped through the door, she changed. It were as if a switch had been flipped and she was a completely different person. She leaned into me as if she needed me to support her. Her smile was shy, innocent almost, a complete contradiction to her attire of a leather miniskirt and fishnets.

  I wrapped my arm around her waist and held her possessively as we made our way to the bar to wait for Gabe. We’d made it a point to get there early. After grabbing a drink, we moved toward a booth in the back. Lena climbed in, and I slid in after her. I spotted Gabe coming through and knew this was it. “Play the part, play the part,” I chanted as I reached for her. She nodded and when I tugged her closer, she whispered so quietly I barely heard her, “Just do it. I’m ready.”

  I tugged her onto my lap and let my mind go. Her past was keeping me at a distance; I needed to stop thinking about it and just do it. I’d had to do things I wasn’t proud of undercover before. I’d never known my partner outside of work though, and I’d never done this with a civilian.

  One hand gripped the back of her neck, while the other slowly slid up her skirt. Her body reacted naturally, and I felt her tremble as my fingers moved closer. “I’m not going to touch you, just make it look like I am,” I murmured as I moved my mouth closer to her ear. I nipped at the lobe before skimming my lips down the column of her neck. “Loosen up,” I coaxed as I played with the garters under her skirt. “He’s gonna know it’s not real if you stay this stiff.”

  By the time Gabe made his way to our table, Lena had transformed completely. She was writhing on my lap and attempting to touch me, or so it seemed. My body was rock hard, and I wondered if she’d noticed. I mean, she was sitting on my lap and I hadn’t gotten laid in months. Danielle and I had gotten pretty close, but she’d kept pulling back and now I was cancelling on her to deal with this.

  “Don’t let me interrupt,” Gabe chuckled, causing Lena to stiffen.

  “You’re not,” I mused as I squeezed her thigh, attempting to get things back to the way they were. Lena’s head dipped down as she kissed along my jaw before she reached down and rubbed me through my jeans. Yep, she felt it and I wasn’t sure what she thought she was doing at the moment.

  My dick twitched as it longed to feel a woman’s touch, and Lena didn’t skip a beat. I silently wondered what was going through her head as she pawed all over me. We hadn’t discussed any of this, only what we’d tell Gabe. The rest was supposed to be improvised so it would look natural.

&nbs
p; “So, boss man is interested in meeting with you to discuss some sort of agreement. He’s not happy that his best piece of property is with another man,” he eyed Lena skeptically. “He assumed she left to escape, but I guess once a whore, always a whore,” he chuckled darkly. “Too bad she’s reached her peak. We’ve got some fresh meat back at the house. Maybe you’d like to consider a trade,” he folded his hand on the table. Boss has a thing for this one.”

  Pure rage filled me at the way he was talking about Lena and the other women as if they weren’t even human. It took everything in me to rein in my temper, but I did it… for her. “That’s an interesting proposition you’ve given me. I might need a day to think about it,” I mused. I needed him to leave to force another meeting. The longer I put him off, the hungrier he’d be making his need to have her drive him instead of his business sense.

  “I’ll let you get to it then,” he laughed as he eyed Lena. “Although I’d rather sit here and watch.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant, but then I felt her. She had slinked down under the table and was rubbing my jean clad thighs. When she reached the bulge at the top, she squeezed, causing my stomach jump. I nodded as Gabe stood, and as soon as he was out of sight, I pulled at Lena to get her off the floor. “I’ll be right back,” the words rushed out as I scrambled out of the booth and walked as quickly towards the bathroom as I could. I was going to be in pain if I didn’t take care of this right now. I don’t think she realized how good she was at faking it, and then I began to go down the road I never intended to. Was she faking it? I’d hoped not. I didn’t have time for Danielle, no way would I have time for something real with Lena.

  Chapter 9

  Lena

  I can’t really put into words the feeling that came over me when I got home. Dirty, would be the simplest I guess. It wasn’t Jeff, it was the way Gabe stared at me. I hadn’t had eyes leering at me like in that in so long, that I’d forgotten how it used it made me feel.

  I ripped my clothes off as if they were burning me and fled to the shower. I turned the water as hot as I could stand, and scrubbed my body until my skin was red. I’d done this before, and the fact that I was doing it again made me sick to my stomach. Jeff hadn’t done anything wrong, if anything it was me. I’d gone back to that life so easily I wondered if I’d truly changed. What did Jeff think of me now? What about my coworkers? Tiff hadn’t batted an eye when we got our drinks from the bar.

  When the water began to run cold, I climbed out and made my way to bed. I knew it would be another sleepless night of worrying about my sister, but I honestly didn’t know what else to do. Jeff had promised to get in touch with me as soon as he knew something, and I wasn’t sure if I felt relief or fear over that idea.

  ooooooooo

  Jeff

  You better get over to Danielle’s. She saw you at the bar.

  I stared at the text Dev sent me the night before as I dialed Danielle’s number once again. I’d been calling all morning. I went by last night after I took Lena home, and was met with Mason. He wouldn’t let me in, and practically tossed me out of the building. I’d hoped that she’d answer her phone, but each time it started ringing I was sent directly to voicemail.

  This is why I don’t date. Every time I start something, work interferes. Women don’t understand, and it doesn’t matter how hard I try to explain things, they always jump to conclusions. I don’t know how I’ll ever have a family at the way things have gone in the past.

  Finally giving up on the phone, I climb on my bike and take off for Danielle’s apartment. If she’s not going to answer, then I’m just going to have to talk to her in person.

  It didn’t take long to get there, but when I got to her place, no one answered the door. I knocked lightly at first, but when she didn’t respond, I began to pound on the steel.

  “Open the door, Danielle,” I called. “We need to talk.” I was met with silence. “Please open the door.” I waited, still more silence. Finally, I pressed my ear to the steel. I couldn’t hear any movement, so what did I do? I lowered myself to the ground and rested my forearms on my bent knees. What felt like hours passed before the stairwell door at the end of the hallway squeaked open. My head jerked up at the sound and caught her standing there, staring.

  “Hey,” I called, slightly panicked as I pushed myself to a standing position. I ran my hands through my hair, and then stuffed them in my pockets. It was a habit I couldn’t seem to break.

  “What are you doing here?” she narrowed her eyes at me. I could feel the anger radiating off her.

  “I need to talk to you,” I kicked at the ground before shaking my head and mumbling “This was not supposed to happen like this.”

  “Well, I don’t want to talk to you,” she snapped. “I thought that was obvious when I ignored your calls this morning.” She began marching toward the door with her keys firmly in her hand. It was as if she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.

  “You don’t understand,” I blurted, but she held her hand up to silence me.

  “I know what I saw. You were with her. You were smiling at her like you usually do to me. You were touching her like you touch me. Are you sleeping with her too? I mean, I know we’re not, but now at least I know why you don’t care,” she waved her hands in the air. “You told me,” she pointed at her chest, “that you were working. You lied to me,” she shoved at my shoulder, trying to get past me and into her apartment. “What else have you been lying about?” She sidestepped me before I could block her path again, and managed to get the door open.

  “Danielle,” I sighed once again as I placed my hands on the doorjamb and leaned in slightly. “I was working. I’m not lying to you.”

  “Then what were you doing?” she tapped her foot as she glared at me.

  “I can’t tell you that. It’s an ongoing investigation. I’ve been working on this since before I met you. I can’t tell you what it’s about, or who’s involved. You just have to trust me.”

  “And what if I don’t?” she glared up at me, her eyes shooting daggers. I was annoyed by this point, and made it clear.

  “You have to. It’s the only way this will work. I can’t tell you everything about my job. There are times when you’re just gonna have to trust me. If you can’t do that, then we can’t be together,” I shrugged as I laid it all out there.

  “Just like that?” she scoffed.

  “Are you really gonna walk away because of last night?” I pushed off the frame and gripped the back of my neck. This was it. This was what always happened. This is why I never date. “I thought we were building something real. I thought this was going somewhere.”

  “I can’t be with someone who isn’t honest with me,” she shook her head and stared at the floor.

  “I didn’t lie. I WAS working,” I growled again as I threw my head back in exasperation.

  “I’m sorry, Jeff,” she started to close the door, and I shook my head at her.

  “I’m sorry too. Bye, Danielle,” my voice called through the door as she closed it. I could hear a slight rustling and her soft cries. I felt terrible, but I was stuck. I couldn’t tell her about the case, and she’d basically just told me she didn’t trust me. How would we ever work if she didn’t trust me?

  As I turned to make my way outside, I looked back at the door one last time. It remained closed, just like the subject of us. I guess Danielle Reed would be another name to add to the list of failed relationships.

  ooooooooo

  Lena

  I had spent the next several days preparing for what was taking place this weekend. Jeff had called yesterday stating that we were going in on Saturday night. Gabe had contacted him saying the Leo had agreed to mentor him. I don’t know how he did it, but I’d be able to see my sister in a few short hours, I hoped. I didn’t know where Leo was keeping her, or how long he’d keep us apart. I hoped that Jeff telling Gabe I was his now would help ease whatever Leo was planning to do to me. I had a few ideas based on some of the t
hings that I saw happen over the years that I spent with him. I wasn’t the first girl to try and get away. I was however, one of the first to succeed. The first month that he had me locked away, I met Mila. She was younger than me, and much more headstrong. We shared a room, if you want to call it that. The first time she fought against a client, she was tied down. Leo had beds where clients could bind our feet and hands. Mila came back from a ‘date’ with rope burn on her wrists and ankles. It got so bad that she eventually had permanent scars from it.

  Leo had a thing for me. My scars weren’t visible. He didn’t want to look at them. He actually told me that once. I was too pretty to be marked. That thought alone makes me sick. I watched Kersten get her front teeth knocked out for biting a client. Leo had one of his enforcers “teach her a lesson”. They slapped her so hard she lost her balance and fell into one of the bed frames. Her face hit first, knocking her front teeth out. Leo laughed and claimed that he got a two for one deal with her. She couldn’t bite anymore, and was punished. The idea that he might unleash one of his goons on me made my blood run cold.

  ooooooooo

  I stood, staring at myself in the mirror. The black eyeliner and heavy makeup made me look cheap. The black miniskirt and fishnets made my skin crawl, but worst of all… you could see my mark. Leo marked all of his girls with tattoos. A scorpion with its tail raised, ready to strike, adorned all of our backs. It was his way of claiming us. The scorpion stings itself when it’s cornered. Leo claimed that we’d all doomed ourselves to the life he gave us, and the tattoo was a constant reminder. I’d thought about having it removed over the years, but Melissa had told me that I should look at it another way. It was a reminder of how far I’d come, and that I was strong enough to escape. I’d survived, and wasn’t what Leo had tried to make me.

  I took a few deep breaths and looked around one last time before locking my apartment. If this went bad, it might be the last time I’m here.

  ooooooooo