“Wait just a second,” Ellie said. “What about me? Your guys are that good?”
I nodded. “Ellie, I’m—”
But she cut me off. “No, I trust you. It’s fine. It’s just, I thought you were here because you needed to protect me, but you’re just running from your feelings.” She stared at me long and hard.
“I still don’t know exactly how much danger you’re in, Ellie. But these guys are good, and it occurs to me now that I may be putting you at more risk. If I’m off the table, talking to the cops, Joey’s guys might back off—why hand the cops another crime to pin on them? I’d report it in an instant. It might—”
My little sister cut me off. “But Garrett,” she said, “you were working with a criminal. And I’m not a lawyer like Natalie, but even I know that means you’re a criminal too. They might just arrest you on the spot.”
“No,” I said. “They’ll want my help. If I agree to testify that Joey was working to undermine an investigation while threatening you, that might be enough to make an arrest.”
“Two arrests,” she said. “Him and you.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But if they decide to put me behind bars, it’ll at least be some justice for what I did to Natalie.”
“Please tell me that this isn’t what it’s all about,” she said. “Don’t tell me that this is your way of trying to prove a point to her.”
“It’s more than that,” I said. “I want her to be safe, not to mention you. This is the only thing I can do short of kicking down the doors to Joey’s home and going in guns-blazing like some kind of eighties-movie action goon.”
Ellie flashed me a smile. “I bet you could pull that off,” she said.
“Good way to get yourself shot,” I replied. “But I’m serious. I go to the NYPD, give them all I have, and hope that they’re merciful with me.”
“What’re the odds of that?”
“Who knows?” I said. “Pretty sure the cops aren’t going to be too happy about being stabbed in the back.”
Ellie pushed her plate away, folded her arms on the table, and looked away.
“That means… That means I might never see you again, Garrett. If you do this…”
“It needs to be done,” I said. “Either I try to make things right, or I spend the rest of my life on that beach getting plastered every day in hopes I can drink away the guilt. And besides,” I started, trying a weak smile. “You can see me again—you’ll just have to come visit me in prison. You have to admit I’d look good in an orange jumpsuit.”
Ellie chewed on her bottom lip as she looked away. She blinked quickly, and I saw that her eyes glistened with tears.
“I don’t like it,” she said. “But you’re my big brother, and I love you. If you need to do this, then I’ll stand by you.”
“This isn’t just about me,” I reminded her. “It’s about keeping you safe too.”
“I know,” she said. “You’re a good guy like that.”
I took her hand and squeezed it one last time, the sun beginning its slow sink into the ocean, the sky above a midnight black.
Everything was going to change. But it was all I could do.
Chapter Thirty-Five
NATALIE
Everything seemed strange and dreamy since I’d received the news that changed my life. It was like I was floating on air. But not in a blissed-out, just-won-the-lottery kind of way, but in a way that made me feel as though I was disconnected from the world around me.
I was in no condition to work. Between the Joey situation and the pregnancy, I knew I’d be next to useless at the office. After I’d gotten the news, I’d called in and cleared myself for the rest of the week. Puttering around my apartment for days on end would’ve, at any other time, been unthinkable to me.
But I needed the space. I needed time to get my head wrapped around the fact I had a little person growing inside of me. Not just any person, too—it was the kid of a man I swore I’d never speak to again.
That afternoon, I found myself lying on the couch in my living room, my eyes closed, no sound other than the steady drone of the air conditioning. I knew I had to figure out something to do about this kid.
There was always the option of telling Garrett. He was the father, after all. But the thought of seeing his face again made me sick to my stomach. And Lord knew I couldn’t imagine him helping me raise the kid. Massive betrayal and criminal activity aside, he didn’t seem like the fatherly type. He seemed to live a life not too dissimilar from mine, free of attachments that didn’t pertain to work. As far as I knew, he didn’t even have any living family.
No, I had to do this all on my own. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Single motherhood was daunting, but the more I thought about it, the more determined I became. After all, I’d achieved all I had with no one’s help—what was one more challenge?
I opened my eyes and glanced down at my belly. It was still as flat as ever. That’d change, however. Soon it’d be growing and rounding as the baby got bigger. I tried to picture myself waddling through the office, dressed in my usual attire except with a big baby bump.
Would people take me less seriously at work once I was showing? For a moment, a tinge of worry took hold, but I tossed it aside. A sly smirk formed on my face as I imagined someone trying to talk down to me or suggest that pregnancy was making me irrational. Part of me actually looked forward to cutting down to size anyone who tried something like that.
Before I got too carried away with my daydreaming, my phone chimed from on my kitchen bar. I heaved myself off the couch and hurried over to it.
It was a text from Walker Barnes—nothing but the words, “We’re ready. Are you?”
I didn’t even need to think about it.
“You bet your ass I am,” I wrote back.
The reply came seconds later.
“Just what I was hoping to hear. Meet at your apartment?”
“Perfect.”
A surge of energy ran through me. The idea of finally getting the case in motion to take down Joey was enough to push aside any sense of fear or uncertainty inside of me. Between the pregnancy and the case, my life was about to get very complicated.
But I was ready. I always was.
An hour later, Walker and Simon arrived.
“Welcome,” I said, opening the door and gesturing for the two men to enter.
Simon gave me the typical gruff greeting while Walker stepped into the place and craned his neck up at the ceiling, glancing around the living room as if he was expecting to find something.
“Something I can help you with?” I asked as I shut the heavy front door.
“Oh, nothing,” he said. “Just trying to get a sense of this insane security system you got installed. Looks the same to me, though—aside from the entrance.”
“What were you expecting?” asked Simon as he sat down. “Machine guns to pop out of the wall?”
“That’d be pretty cool,” said Walker. “Have to admit.”
“No guns,” I said.
Aside from the one inside the wall.
“But,” I went on as I stepped over to the panel near the window, “when you pay for a system like mine, what you’re getting is something that doesn’t draw attention to itself.”
I placed my hand on the sensor and spoke. “Close shutters.”
“Closing shutters.”
Long compartments above the windows opened and several steel slats slowly descended, covering the windows.
Walker let out an impressed whistle.
“Not bad,” he said.
I flashed him a smirk. “Open shutters,” I said.
The voice confirmed my command, and the shutters went back up, sunlight flooding into the apartment once again.
“Pretty damn nice,” said Walker as he took a seat near Simon. “Must be nice to know you’re surrounded with the latest and greatest in security tech.”
“Helps me sleep a little easier,” I said.
“You two going to ogle ove
r gadgets all day or are we going to get down to it?” asked Simon.
“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s do this. I’m ready to close the book on his thing.”
“Same here,” said Simon. “Take a seat, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
I sat down on the loveseat, clasped my hands between my legs, and leaned forward. “What have we got?”
“Like I said in the text,” said Walker. “We’ve finally put together something we can get him for.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Tax evasion.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Tax evasion?” I asked.
“That’s right,” said Simon. “We looked into a few of the business you said Joey owned around town, did some digging through their books. And sure enough, not everything’s on the level.
“I don’t know if Joey’s personally responsible for the sloppy bookkeeping, but whoever is isn’t doing a very good job. Lots of loose ends, lots of stuff we can get him for.”
I didn’t like this.
“This seems, I don’t know, pretty tame,” I said.
“It’s not,” said Simon. “It’s what they got Capone for, remember? Everyone in the NYPD and the legal system knows about Joey and knows what he gets up to. Tax evasion might be a light sentence for someone else, but for him, it’ll mean some serious time behind bars. Maybe a decade—maybe two.”
I said nothing, instead looking away and thinking it over.
“You don’t seem convinced,” said Walker.
“I’m not,” I said. “After what I brought to the table, I imagined that you’d be able to get him on something more serious than money crimes.”
“What you told us he was up to, the murders, the drug running, all that,” said Simon. “We don’t doubt that for a second. But without some hard evidence of that, like you’ve got with his business information, there’s not much we can do.”
“I know,” I said. “But what about investigating him? Sending in some undercover agents?”
“Undercover work takes a long time,” said Simon. “It’s dangerous as hell and isn’t guaranteed to produce results.”
“Other than dead cops,” said Walker.
Simon nodded.
“But what if you had someone on the inside who had been working with Joey and knew what he was up to? Maybe someone who conspired with him to interfere with this investigation?” Simon raised his eyebrows.
“Now, that’d be something,” he said. “If we had someone who worked personally with Joey and was willing to testify, that’d be a hell of a boon.”
“Why?” asked Walker. “You got someone in mind? I mean, if you do, we could compel him or her to testify. Not to mention throw them behind bars, too.”
I had someone in mind, all right. But as much as I knew it was the right thing to do—not to mention a fitting punishment for what he did to me—I couldn’t bring myself to throw Garrett to the cops like that.
“No,” I said. “Just asking questions.”
“Sounded too good to be true,” said Walker.
“Well, you happen to bump into anyone like that, let us know,” said Simon.
At that moment Rodney entered the room, stepping past us like a slow-moving bull. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the bar, the newspaper in his hands.
“New talent?” asked Simon.
I nodded.
“What happened to the other guy?” he asked.
“Didn’t…didn’t work out.”
Walker gave me a hard look, but I ignored him. I knew he had his suspicions about Garrett, but we weren’t going there. Especially not if he’s the father of my child.
“Hard to find good help,” he said with a shrug.
“Anyway,” said Simon. “If you’re willing to offer your testimony about his role in the businesses, then we can move forward. Your word won’t be damning, but you can be a character witness. That with the other stuff should be enough. That is, if you’re still on board.”
“Of course I am,” I said.
“Good,” he said. “Then let’s reconvene tomorrow at the station. If all goes smoothly, we can hopefully have some cuffs on the scumbag before the week is over.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said.
I said my goodbyes to the officers, and soon they were gone.
“What do you think about this, Rodney?”
He flicked his beady eyes up from the paper for a moment.
“I don’t get paid to think. You point at something and tell me to shoot it, that’s another story.”
I smirked. Rodney was a reliable bodyguard, but I’d be damned if I didn’t miss Garrett sometimes. And I hated myself for feeling that way. Just the thought of him should’ve brought the bile rushing up, but I couldn’t bring myself to despise him.
The rest of the day trickled by, and soon it was time for bed.
I said good night to Rodney before setting the alarms for the evening and retiring to the bedroom. Once under the covers, a sense of calm enveloped me as I realized that soon this nightmare would be over. As I understood it, Joey was the man in charge, and if he wasn’t there to keep the target on my back, the rest of his crew would be too disorganized. I’d slip through the cracks. They wouldn’t care about me. Soon, I’d have nothing to worry about but my job and my apartment and where I was going to have brunch and all the other things normal New York women dealt with.
Well, there was the baby, too. But I didn’t doubt for a second that I was capable of handling what was to come.
For the first time in months, I closed my eyes and fell into an easy sleep.
* * *
“Wake up, gorgeous.”
A familiar voice pulled me out of my sleep.
Then I opened my eyes and saw a familiar face.
Joey.
He stood on the bed, squatting down over top of me. Without thinking, my hand shot out in a punch. But before I could make contact, another hand, one belonging to someone out of sight, grabbed it and held it down.
Next came a scream.
Joey covered his ears and winced.
“Damn, girl,” he said, shaking his head when I was done. “Not the kind of scream I like to hear out of you.”
He smirked. A few chuckles sounded out and I quickly looked around to see that he and I weren’t alone. Four other men were in the bedroom with us. One of them I recognized as Stan, Garrett’s second-in-command. Former second-in-command.
“But scream all you want,” he said, hopping off the bed and strolling over to the window. “This place is as soundproof as a fancy LA recording studio.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I shot out. “And how the hell did you get in?”
Joey stuck out a gloved thumb in Stan’s direction.
“You can thank him for that. Left a secret backdoor exploit for us. Nice of him, huh?”
“You fucker,” I spat out at Stan. “Anything for a buck, huh?”
Stan opened his mouth to fire something back, but Joey didn’t give him the chance.
“Not in the mood for quip-trading,” he said. “We’ve got five minutes before this place locks up again.”
“And only a couple more after that before the cameras in the maintenance access turn back on,” added Stan.
“That’s right,” said Joey. “And trust me, I’m familiar enough with this chick to know that she has no compunction about letting you know what’s on her mind. So, boys…”
He placed his hand over my mouth, and the guys on both sides of me went to work tying my hands and feet. I struggled, but they were too strong. I was soon yanked out of the bed and dragged out of the room and down the hallway.
Once in the living room, my eyes went wide at the sight of Rodney sprawled out on the floor.
“Oh, calm down,” said Joey. “He’s just knocked out. No need to get messy when you’re the real prize.”
He put his hands on his hips and glanced down in thought.
“You
know what?” he said. “I don’t need her freaking out at every little thing she lays her eyes on. Throw a bag on her, would you Stan?”
“You got it,” Stan said.
With a flick of his wrist, Stan produced a small black cloth bag from his pocket.
“Just relax,” he said as he stepped over to me. “It’ll be over soon.”
He pulled the bag over my head, and all was dark.
The group took me down, presumably through the maintenance access they had mentioned earlier, which would’ve kept them out of sight of the building crew. Soon I felt myself being heaved into…a space. It could’ve been anywhere, but doors clicked shut behind me, and I assumed I was in the back of a van.
Then we were off. To where, I could only guess.
Chapter Thirty-Six
GARRETT
The Midtown North NYPD precinct loomed in front of me like a fortress. The three-story building was a block of brick and tinted windows. Cop cars pulled up, and uniformed officers entered and exited, some of them with handcuff-clad perps in tow.
Pretty soon a pair of those cuffs would likely be slapped on me. But I wasn’t afraid.
No. If anything, I was ready to accept the punishment for what I’d done. If there was the smallest chance that anything I could say might make Natalie safe, I was ready to do it.
My body was still sore and exhausted from the flight. But I started toward the building, feeling nervous for the first time in as long as I could remember.
Once inside I went right up to the desk, the eyes of the officer seated behind it flicking up to me.
“Afternoon,” I said. “I’d like to speak to officers Walker Barnes and Simon Wharton.”
The officer gave me a quizzical look.
“What is this regarding?”
This was it. This was my last chance to turn around and walk out of there. After I said what I was going to say next, there was no going back.
“I have some critical information about the Joey Monroe investigation.”
Another look. “Stay here,” he said. “One moment.”
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