Below the Surface (The Witness Series Book 5)

by Heather D'Agostino

Jeff

  I couldn’t believe we were getting ready to do this. I’d only been under for simple stings in the past and never more than a few days, but today was it. I was working the biggest case in my career, and to top it off I had a civilian to protect in the process.

  “You sure you can do this?” I murmured in her ear as I wrapped my arm around her back. I placed my hand on her hip lightly, and watched her head give a quick nod.

  “I’ve lived this life before. I’ll be fine. Just promise me you won’t get us killed. If he finds out, he’ll kill us,” her eyes peered up at me, a mix of fear and determination swirling in them.

  “I won’t get us killed,” I mumbled as the dark sedan pulled over to the curb. The tinted windows hid its passengers, but I knew who was inside.

  When the rear door of the car opened, and the man in the back stepped out; he towered over me. I’m not a huge guy, but I can hold my own. This guy looked like he could bench press a car. He was wearing sunglasses even though it was evening, and I watched as his chin tipped ever so slightly when he appraised Lena.

  “What do we have here?” his voice was low as his lips curled up on one side.

  “This one’s mine,” I growled as I tightened my hand in a possessive grip on Lena’s hip. She dropped her chin in a submissive pose before letting her body sag slightly. She was right, she did know what to do. As soon as the goon began appraising her, she transformed into one of the girls we picked up off the street.

  “Nice piece, but we share around here,” he chuckled as he stepped back from the side of the car so we could climb in.

  “Well, I don’t,” I sneered as Lena leaned over and began climbing into the back seat. The scorpion tattoo right above her ass was on full display. I smacked her ass, causing her to jump slightly as she climbed in and it peeked out from the bottom of her leather miniskirt.

  “We’ll see about that,” he growled as I climbed in after her.

  When I seated myself beside her, I noticed the tears. She was fighting to hold them back, but being here like this was painful for her. She’d worked hard to get out, and now she was diving right back in for only person she had left in the world… her sister.

  Chapter 10

  Lena

  As we cruised along the streets of Chicago, I attempted to watch out the window. Jeff’s arm rested between us, but his hand was firmly on my thigh. His fingers kneaded the tense muscle as his eyes bore into the man sitting in the passenger seat, Leo. I didn’t recognize the driver or the other enforcer in the back with us, but Leo was unmistakable. His dark hair was perfectly combed, and the smell of alcohol and smoke permeated his clothes. The dark suit he was wearing was tailored perfectly, and I could see where his mouth was beginning to turn up in amusement.

  “For being new to the business,” he paused as he rubbed his chin “you sure landed a fine piece of ass.”

  I felt Jeff stiffen beside me before his instincts kicked in and he chuckled. “She’s good at what she does. Why would I turn that down?”

  “A man who knows what works. I’m impressed,” Leo nodded. “You should see some of the new merchandise I’ve acquired. There are some real beauties in there.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to let my mind go somewhere, anywhere else. I knew what Leo meant by merchandise, my sister.

  “I’m surprised with starting out that you picked one of the older ones, though,” he looked back at us. “Younger works better, easier to train,” his chin lifted. “This one gave me trouble. I hope you taught her a lesson when you picked her up.”

  “I’m still working on that,” Jeff growled. “Hence the need to bring her along. I don’t trust her enough yet,” he squeezed my thigh harder before relaxing back in the seat.

  “I can show you how it’s done,” he smirked. “Breaking them in is the best part,” he glanced over his shoulder and stared at me. As his eyes scanned my body it felt like I was on display. He was undressing me with his eyes and every part of me remembered what he was like. How he used to touch me, hit me, fuck me. I tried, but I shuddered at the thought of having to endure it again. “You see that?” his eyes swung to Jeff. “You see how she shook? She wants it. You have to keep them that way, needy,” he grinned. “It makes for much better business.” He turned back around and began giving orders to the driver before calling out, “I’ll show you how it’s done once we get settled back at the house.”

  I knew what that meant. He was going to use me as a demo. At least that’s what he thought he was going to do. There was no way Jeff would let it happen, right?

  ooooooooo

  Jeff

  As Leo boasted from the front seat, it took everything in me to not roll my eyes. This guy was a real piece of work. Little did he know; I’d be slapping a pair of cuffs on him as soon as possible. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he realized that he signed his own guilty plea with his boasting.

  Lena had been sliding closer and closer to me as we rode along. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not. She refused to look anywhere but out the window, and every time Leo mentioned her, or his women, she would shake slightly. Her breathing faltered a few times, but I think the biggest shock was when we pulled up to the house.

  The car turned into a driveway and slowly inched into a garage. The house looked completely normal on the outside; tall, brick, and stately. Aside from some security bars on the windows, no one would suspect the hell that it housed.

  “Welcome,” Leo smiled as he climbed out of the car. “I think you’ll be pleased with the changes that have been made to the accommodations,” he looked directly at Lena and she shrunk into my side as her chin dropped farther against her chest. “That little bitch gave me a hard time too many times. I’ve reinforced her living quarters,” he jammed his finger in the air as he pointed to her.

  “Took me awhile too,” I mused. “I had to keep her on a leash for the first month. She’s learned her lesson, though. Right?” I grabbed Lena’s chin and forced her to look at me. She nodded as her eyes went wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you,” my jaw ticked as I let the aggravation roll off me.

  “Yes sir,” she whispered as her eyes dropped down.

  “Right this way,” Leo’s arm swept out as he stepped through the door and into what I could only describe as a fortress. I heard her sharp intake of breath as I pushed Lena along. Her feet stumbled slightly in the heels she was wearing when she crossed the threshold. I couldn’t even imagine what being here was doing to her. She’d told me after one of our meetings last week that she’d been in therapy for years. All that work to escape this, and here she was, right back at it.

  “Gabe can take care of her while we talk,” Leo flipped his hand in the air while Gabe came waltzing into the room. He was dressed much like the driver from the car, but when he smiled at Lena she cowered away. I don’t know if it was him, or the idea of not being with me that scared her more. “Take her to the back room,” he ordered. “You can have some time with your favorite girl,” he chuckled darkly. “You don’t mind, do you?” he stared at me, waiting for a response. “We share around here, and Gabe can welcome our little Lena back the right way, right Gabe?” his eyes swung back to Gabe, who was now standing in the hallway.

  “Sure,” I gave a quick nod. I felt terrible for sending her with him, but I didn’t know how to get out of this without blowing our cover. Lena was right, he’d kill us if he found out. I’d told them in the car that I didn’t share, but it looked like I was going to have to. “Go with him,” I lifted my chin to motion toward Gabe. Lena nodded as she moved to stand beside him. He shoved her lightly before forcing her down the dark hallway.

  “He’ll take good care of her,” Leo laughed. “You come and sit. We’ll talk, and then I’ll let you have your pick. I’ve got some fresh meat in here. It was just acquired this last week. Young too,” he mused as he led me over to a poker table in the next room. It looked to be a dining room, but wasn’t being used that way. Along with the poker table, a bar was
along one wall. A scantily clad female was standing behind it with a bottle of whiskey already in her hand. Dark makeup was smudged under her eyes, and a red mark ran across her chest. The bra top she was wearing hardly would be considered clothes and when she turned her back to me, I could see more marks along it.

  “Gabrielle,” Leo smiled. “Fix our new visitor whatever he would like.”

  “I’m not much of a drinker,” I tried to refuse the drink without raising suspicion.

  “Here you are,” Leo grabbed the whiskey that Gabrielle had set on the bar. “What’ll it be?”

  “I’ll take a bourbon,” I nodded to the shelf behind the bar.

  “As you wish, Sir,” Gabrielle nodded before turning to grab another glass.

  “Gabrielle was a stubborn one, but I managed to get her under control,” Leo bragged as he lowered himself into a chair. “Not without work though, I assure you,” he motioned to a cabinet to his left.

  “What type of work?” I had an idea of what he was talking about, but I needed him to say it.

  “This my friend is where I keep all my tools. You can sit in on a lesson tonight if you’d like, although I’m sure you’d like to spend some time with Lena. If I remember correctly, she can last awhile,” he smirked and every muscle in my body tightened at his insinuation. I did need to spend time with Lena though to make sure she was holding up ok. I wasn’t so sure that she was as strong as she was wanting me to think her to be. I knew some of what Gabe was doing at this very moment, and I knew the only thing that was helping her survive it was Megan.

  “You read my mind,” I glanced back in the direction they’d gone. I hadn’t heard any sound coming from the room yet, and it made me wonder what exactly was going on.

  “I’m good at my job. What kind of setup do you have going on? I’ve learned from my mistakes over the years, and modified this place. Reinforced windows, sound muffling rooms, and better security,” he smiled as he rubbed his chin. Right at that moment Gabe waltzed through the door. “You have fun?” Leo smirked.

  “Just like old times,” Gabe mused before glancing at me. An odd look flitted across his face before he turned back to Leo. She wants to see her sister, boss.”

  “All in good time,” Leo sipped his whiskey. “If we give her what she wants now, she’ll be less compliant,” Leo directed the comment at me. It was like he thought I was an idiot. I didn’t know whether letting him continue to think like that was the way to go or if I should suddenly be his prized pupil.

  “Well, if you’re finished,” I snickered as I started to stand.

  “By all means,” Gabe waved his arm to the side, directing me down the hallway. “Last room on the left.”

  “Go ahead,” Leo nodded. “We’ll finish our chat when you’re finished. I want you relaxed for what I have planned later.”

  “Sounds good,” I gave a quick nod before striding down the hall. I didn’t want to seem too eager, but based on the way Gabe was acting, I was getting ready to walk into something terrible.

  ooooooooo

  I gave a quick knock before opening the door. When it swung open, I saw her. She was sitting on the bed with her bare back facing me. I quickly shut the door and locked it. I didn’t want Leo or any of his goons to come in, and I knew having a locked door wouldn’t be odd or out of place. She jumped slightly at the sound of the lock, and I couldn’t help but stare. I’d never seen her this vulnerable. She didn’t even attempt to cover herself as I crept closer.

  I cleared my throat before attempting to sit beside her. “Are you ok?” I murmured. Her head bobbed wordlessly. “Did he?” I swallowed as the rest of the words got caught in my throat. Again, she nodded.

  “Said I owed him,” she mumbled. Her voice was monotone and when I moved to wrap a blanket around her shoulders, a sob rolled out of her. “He…” she hiccupped before she turned her gaze toward mine. Tears were pooled in her eyes, the heavy makeup she’d put on was running down her cheeks, and she wiped at her nose as her eyes blinked shut. “I’m sorry. I can do better,” she swallowed the sob threatening to come out before looking away from me.

  “Better?” I scoffed. “You’re doing fine. Better than fine.”

  “They won’t let me see her,” she gripped the blanket tighter.

  “I know. I’m working on that,” I sighed. I’d been spinning ideas around in my head for days. I’d come up with several scenarios, but nothing seemed plausible.

  “How?” she turned to face me.

  “Leo wants me to assist with breaking in a new girl tonight.”

  “Jeff, you can’t let them,” she slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from bursting into tears.

  “I know,” I offered a sad smile. “Trust me, I know,” I looked around the room for the first time. It was almost like a brothel. “Is this where he kept you?” I stood and began surveying the space. It seemed nicer than what she had described.

  “No,” her head shook vigorously. “This was a client room. We were brought here to service clients. We weren’t ever allowed to stay in here. There’s all sorts of props in there,” she motioned toward a chest of drawers in the corner. “One of my jobs was to clean them; that is, when I wasn’t servicing someone.”

  I walked over and opened the top drawer. Inside was pretty much any type of restraint you could imagine along with a whip, cane, and box of condoms. Guess Leo wanted to make sure he didn’t have anyone adding to the family.

  “You need to make noise, or they’re gonna know that we’re not doing anything in here,” she sighed as she stood and began pulling on her top.

  “Lena,” I turned to face her, and the dejected look on her face made my heart squeeze. This woman was stronger than steel. Here she was in the seventh circle of hell, and she was more put together than I was.

  “You ‘bout done?” Gabe pounded on the door and laughed. “I know she’s good, but we got something better.”

  “Almost man,” I called out, grunting at the same time. Lena shook her head as she slinked closer. She lifted her finger to her lips to signal to be quiet before she pressed herself into my side. One hand slid down my stomach, causing it to jump before she moved lower. When she cupped me, an involuntary groan slipped out. “Give me five minutes,” I muttered as my head smacked the door. Lena’s nose skimmed up my neck, and when she reached my ear, she nipped it while squeezing me through my jeans. She was working me into a frenzy and I wondered if she even knew.

  “Don’t hold it in,” she whispered. “They need to think we’re fucking in here,” she squeezed again as she sucked my lobe into her mouth.

  “Holy shit!” I groaned as she worked me over. “You need to…” I trailed off as she turned us and pressed her mouth to mine. Gabe pounded on the door once again, but my mind was not thinking about him at the moment. All I could think about was what she was doing to me. How much of this was real, and would we survive it?

  Chapter 11

  Jeff

  Before I had left to go into this mess I was in now, Mark had agreed to be my contact. We were partners after all, and he knew me better than anyone. We could have entire conversations with just a few words and talk in code. It was like we had our own language. I knew I needed to check in, and I used the excuse of needing fresh air to do just that.

  After I’d left Lena, she was taken down a set of stairs. She’d told me that the basement was where she’d been kept before. I guess that much hadn’t changed since she’d gotten away. She’d worked me up so much that I needed to get away for a few minutes to calm down. When I stepped outside, the cool air of fall hit my face, giving me the slap that I needed to get back into this. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gone under before, but nothing like this. I’ve never had to worry about anyone but me, and with this job I had her. She knew the risks when she begged me to take her, but after seeing her in that room I began to second guess my decision.

  The sky was dark now, and the nip in the air made me pull my coat tighter around me. I walked briskly down the block, a
nd stepped into the tree line to hide myself. I pulled my phone out of the inside pocket of my coat, and dialed Mark.

  “How’s it goin’?” Mark sounded unsure. I know he knew how worried I was about this job.

  “This guy is a real tool. He’s a sick fucker who thinks he’s untouchable,” I growled as I gripped the phone tighter. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time. I need you to set up a meet with one of his salesmen.”

  “Ok,” I could hear him shuffling around. “When?”

  “As soon as you can. It’s urgent,” I sucked in a deep breath before running my hand through my hair. “He’s got new merchandise. He’s looking to break these girls, Mark. You need to buy Megan so he won’t touch her. These fuckers like virgins,” I sighed. “Tell him you’ve met Lena and heard she had a sister in the biz. Tell him you only want her if she’s still a virgin. You have to stress that,” I almost growled into the phone.

  “Calm down,” he warned. “You’re working yourself up. If they see you, they’re going to wonder why you’re upset.”

  “Would you listen to me? Stop telling me how to do my job. Pay them whatever they want. Do you hear me? Tell him you’re willing to pay top dollar.” I heard a door shut, and I turned just in time to see Gabe come out on the porch. He was smoking a cigarette and looking around. I figured he was coming to check on me. “I gotta go,” I disconnected the call, shoved the phone back in my pocket, and stepped out of the trees and into his line of sight. I fiddled with my zipper as if I’d been relieving myself before ambling toward Gabe.

  “You know you could’ve done that inside?” he chuckled.

  I shrugged before giving him an annoyed look, “I like to keep my business private.”

  “You got a small dick or something?” he snickered.

  “Just the opposite actually,” I glared. “Why the hell do you care? You into guys too?” I stared at him daring him to respond, but Leo opened the door right at that minute.

  “We’re all set downstairs if you’d like to join us,” he turned to me and completely ignored Gabe.