Fall (Fate Series Book 2)

by Paige Hill

  “Who are you?” I snap, feeling the growing anger win out over fear.

  “Tsk, tsk, Ms. Martinez. That is no way to speak to me. Who I am means nothing to you. What matters is what I have.” His steely voice is too calm and a chill frosts my bones.

  Shuffling sounds echo through the mic before my greatest fear becomes reality.

  “Celeste,” Emily croaks. “Run. Keep her safe no matter what.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. There’s loud thump before a low moan feeds the anger and fear that’s eating my soul.

  “Don’t you touch her,” I scream, startling Allie before she wails from the back seat. I want to soothe her, but short of putting my hand back to touch her, I can’t.

  “You are in no position to make demands. Now, I need you to listen, and listen very carefully. You have a decision to make. Your brother made a monumental mistake thinking he could fuck with my operation. The only use I have for him is a bullet in his fucking skull. You, however, I have many uses for.” There’s a sickening pleasure lacing his words, and my stomach sours.

  I don’t respond. I don’t feed him the power he needs. Even if I’m certain he can hear my labored breathing over Allie’s quieted cries.

  “You come to me willing, and the girl lives. You run, I kill her and your good for nothing brother.”

  He’s quiet a moment, allowing me time to process his words. When I still don’t respond, he continues. “Despite what many believe, I’m not a complete monster. I’ve taken a father from his children once, don’t make me do it again.” His tone deepens, dripping with malice.

  Time stops as the air is vacuumed from my lungs. I gasp for air as my eyes water and I expect the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

  “Y-you killed my father?” I fight the urge to dry heave.

  “You have one hour to make a decision. Give yourself to me or be responsible for making that child an orphan. An address will be sent to your phone. You come alone and tell no one of this conversation. You test me and I will take out everyone you love. That cabrón child included. Do you understand?”

  Allie is not a bastard.

  “Yes,” I grit through clinched teeth, feeling more defensive than afraid.

  “I suspect you’ll make the right choice, Cariño.”

  He ends the call, and I throw the phone like it bit me. His endearment makes my skin crawl.

  Heaviness settles into my limbs and chest as my breaths become increasingly shallow. My vision starts to fade as the dizziness takes over. My skin flushes and I feel like I might already be dying.

  My lungs burn as I focus on my breathing.

  I’m having a panic attack. I need to calm down.

  I repeat the words to myself and try to find something to focus on. I turn in my seat and stare at the innocence sitting in my back seat. Emotion tickles my eyelids before allowing the tears to fall freely. I would do anything in the world to protect this little girl. She is beautiful and worthy of all that life has to offer.

  An eerie feeling of calm washes over me, dousing the remnants of my panic attack like embers. I don’t need time to consider my options. For me, there is only one option. I know what I have to do.

  Picking the phone back up, I steel my shoulders and dial my mamá.

  “Mi hija?”

  “Mamá, I need to go help a friend. Do you think you could watch Allie for a bit? Emily is worn smooth out and I don’t want to wake her. Poor thing.”

  “Of course, I can’t wait to kiss those chubby little cheeks.”

  “Thanks, mamá.”

  The last words I ever speak to my mother are going to be a lie.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Aiden

  Slamming my notepad on the desk, I knock over a cup of pens and let out a stream of obscenities in a low voice. The outdated office chair groans under my weight as I put my elbows on the desk.

  I’m more than ready for this day to end. File some bullshit paperwork and I finally get some alone time with Celeste.

  “What the hell is your problem?” Declan asks from his desk, six feet away.

  “Gwen.” Her name tastes like vinegar on my tongue.

  “What now? Is she still calling?” His eyebrows pinch together, and I notice his shoulders stiffen.

  “No,” I sigh, leaning back. “I went to stake one of Alvarez’s drop spots today and I watched her buy a fucking eight ball.” I flex my hands, needing to focus on something.

  “Why didn’t you call it in?” he snaps almost accusingly.

  I glare at him. “I thought about it. We have too much riding on this case. She would’ve just walked anyway.”

  The woman walks away from prison after killing her own daughter in a DUI accident and she still wants to play Vegas with her life. I’ve harbored so much anger toward her over the years. The system let me down. Hell, it let my Mabel down. I should have fought harder for my baby girl. There are so many things I wish I would have done. So many regrets.

  Women like her will never change, and it’s disgusting. She doesn’t deserve the life she’s been handed, on a diamond encrusted platter. And she damn sure isn’t thankful.

  “I’m sorry, man. That had to have been difficult to watch after everything.”

  I shrug my shoulders, wanting to be finished with this conversation and all the crippling guilt, until I remember her parting words.

  “She said something that doesn’t sit well with me, though.”

  “What do you mean?” he asks, standing up to sit on the corner of my desk.

  My cellphone flashes, demanding both of our attention. Alex’s name lights up the screen and the same uneasy feeling from this afternoon settles in my gut. It’s almost ten. He wouldn’t be calling me this late with good news.

  “Alex?” I greet, my eyes meeting Declan’s.

  I can hear the exhale of his lungs through the line. It sounds like he’s running.

  “Meet me at the CityPlex tower, fiftieth floor. Now!” He is shouting, his voice heavy with trepidation.

  “Why? What the hell is going?” I demand, as my gut feeling becomes more and more alarming.

  “Because he knows,” he pants accentuating his words. “Just get there!”

  He disconnects, leaving me with more questions than answers. My mind races with possibilities. Does he know were Alex is? Will he go after his family?

  Celeste.

  Jumping to my feet, I knock the chair backwards. I dial Celeste’s number and bite out a curse when it goes straight to voicemail. I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, telling myself not to panic until I have more information.

  Do. Not. Panic.

  Lacking control of emotions is what gets people killed in situations like this.

  Declan stands, grabbing his wallet and gun. “Where’re we headed?”

  “Look, man…” I trail off, not wanting to make this weird. He’s got a baby on the way. He needs to go home to his wife.

  “Shut the fuck up and start driving,” he snaps heading out of the offices.

  We don’t have time to waste arguing about it and if anyone is going to have my back, I’d want it to be him. So, I follow him, taking a detour to Erin’s office and hoping like hell she’s still here.

  Who am I kidding? She’s always here.

  I don’t bother to knock as I bust into her space.

  “My informant has been made. O’Connor and I are about to close in. I need eyes and ears,” I bark.

  “On it,” she proclaims, already typing away on her computer.

  “See if you can get ahold of Celeste, too. Make her come here with you.”

  Her eyes dart to mine as unspoken words pass between us. Erin isn’t new. She knows exactly what’s running through my mind.

  “Be safe,” she nods her head and goes back to work, her fingers flying over the keys.

  I nod, rushing out of the building, and try two more times to reach Celeste, getting the same damn response.

  I gun the car, squealing the tir
es and leaving a trail of black as I race from the parking lot. We ride in silence most of the way, both of us taking the time to mentally prepare for what we might encounter. Tension fills the car and my knuckles grip the steering wheel.

  Why won’t you answer the damn phone?

  “You got your head on?” Declan eyes me wearily.

  “Yes,” I grit, irritated with his question, even if I do need to focus. I can worry about her after I get information from Alex. If I get to him in time.

  I steer the car into a parking garage and my pulse begins to race. The same feeling that spreads through me before every raid. Like a controlled rage. There’s a beast beneath my skin. Ready to tear through the façade I wear every day. I’m alert and ready.

  Exiting the car, we move around to the truck, gathering our gear. We each snap on a Kevlar vest, earpiece, body cam, ankle holster, and another at our hips.

  “Ten twenty-three, how do you receive?” Declan asks Erin as he tests our connections.

  “Ten two,” her voice asserts in my right ear, telling us the connection is good.

  We take the elevator from the garage to the fiftieth floor. Both of us have our guns drawn and ready when the elevator dings.

  When the doors slide open, Alex literally jumps from a seat in what looks like a lobby.

  “Whoa!” He moves away from the line of my weapon. He’s visibly distraught.

  In my line of sight, a man dressed in a custom suit leans against a reception desk, eyeing me with barely veiled contempt.

  “You must be Briggs,” he smiles smoothly. This man oozes money and power. I can see it in his eyes. He expects me to be intimidated.

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Call me J.” He closes the distance between us, reaching a well-manicured hand my way and I grasp it. Tightly. It’s a power play.

  “What’s the situation?” I ask turning back to Alex, dismissing the other man. He’s pacing the floor, red deepening the color of his tan skin.

  His eyes meet mine and I see for the first time that he’s crying.

  “You have to help me. He—he took her?” He chokes on the words.

  “Who?” I ask, my skin drained of all color. I can feel the acid in the pit of my stomach.

  “Emily,” the man called J says at my back and I begin to grow suspicious.

  “I thought you said you had security handled?” I take a threatening step toward Alex.

  “I did!” he screams defensively, still distraught over his woman.

  “Matias was assigned to shadow them, but I haven’t been able to reach him,” J claims.

  “What’s in it for you?” I ask, leery. Aside from Alex working for him, he has no vested interest. If Alex dies, so does his connection to this entire operation.

  “Did you not hear me?” Alex shouts. “He has Emily!”

  My ear bud crackles and Erin’s voice sends a chill through my bones. One I feel in the marrow.

  “Guys,” she pauses, breathing deeply almost as if she were choking back a sob, “I found Celeste.”

  “Where is she?” I growl, a voice I don’t even recognize falls from my lips.

  Silence fills the miles between us, and I feel my muscles tighten. The beast is about to rip through my flesh.

  “Erin,” Declan warns, no doubt sensing how close I am to losing my shit.

  “I—I don’t know why, but she just walked into Alvarez’s compound.”

  I hear nothing but the buzzing white noise in my ears. It’s loud and instantly causes a headache. I can’t comprehend the events that are unfolding. I don’t want to believe it, but it’s a real possibility that I’ve been set up.

  No, Celeste wouldn’t do that.

  Would she?

  Confusion fuels my anger as I point the muzzle of my Glock directly at J’s chest. “Start talking.”

  His eyes widen, but only for a second before he composes himself.

  “Aiden,” Declan warns, but I ignore him. I need answers.

  “Be careful how you speak to me.” He narrows his eyes.

  “Don’t give a shit who you are. You better start explaining because I have no issue turning you into a human Lite Bright.” I flex my hands around the weapon. His stony expression doesn’t change, but I can see the movement of his jaw as he clinches his teeth.

  “I don’t know why she would willingly walk in there. A woman like her wouldn’t do so without a logical reason. If I had to guess, Alvarez is using Emily as a bargaining chip.”

  Declan reaches up slowly and pushes my arm to the right, directing the gun away from J. “Sit down before you do something stupid. We need a plan.”

  I glare at him again, not giving a shit if he’s right.

  “What you need is me,” Erin declares in my ear.

  This is no longer a government sanctioned operation. What I’m about to do is going to be considered vigilante justice.

  At almost midnight, the building is almost devoid of human life, with the exception of those who don’t have a life outside of these walls. Which until recently, included me.

  As the four of us file into her office, I read the worry engrained on her features. It’s bad.

  “What do you know?” I cut to the chase. We don’t have time for bullshit.

  “When I couldn’t get ahold of her, I traced her cell phone.” She hits a few buttons on her keyboard and points to the screen. “Her phone is here. It’s three blocks from the compound. I called Teagan to see if she had heard from her at all. She last saw Celeste about seven thirty. From there, I ran facial recognition software on the traffic cameras in the area. I got a match on this traffic cam as she crossed the street. For the next several blocks I caught glimpses of her as she made her way here.” She points at another screen, this time showing Celeste from behind. “As you know, Ramos obtained a surveillance warrant on the compound. These are our cameras. Sure enough, our girl walks right up to the guards.

  “Show me,” I demand, needing to see it with my own eyes.

  She clicks the mouse and the image on the screen begins to move. The screen is bathed in green, but I can easily make out Celeste’s small frame and it hits me deep. The video is taken from several feet above her head, but I recognize her movements. Standing on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street from the mansion, she pauses, staring for several long minutes.

  She squares her shoulders, making her appear taller as she practically stomps across the street and up the imposing staircase. When she reaches the top, she’s met by two menacing goons, who grab her roughly by the arm and drag her through the door.

  Why didn’t you come to me, baby?

  I just watched the greatest thing in my life sacrifice herself like a lamb at an altar.

  Fear threatens to tighten the noose around my neck, but I can’t allow myself to succumb to the panic. I need to keep control.

  “Fuck!” I shout, throwing my cell phone across the room with a satisfying crack. I’ve only felt this helpless one other time in my life. The darkness starts to creep into my thoughts, poisoning rationality. I’m a caged animal, ready to hunt.

  “I have an idea,” J offers. “We need to know that she’s still alive. Let me get a meeting with Alvarez and I can get eyes on her.”

  “How are you so sure he’s just going to let you see her?” I snap, my suspicion rising again.

  “Because I know what questions to ask,” he counters, looking at me, his face nothing but stone.

  “And that would be…” Declan cuts in, annoyed with this game.

  “I’ve been thinking about it. Alvarez likes his women. If he took Emily, it was a play to get to Alex. A warning, with an added bonus. Once he figured out who Alex really is, he’s going to have knowledge of everything in his life. Men like him have the power of God, with unlimited resources. Celeste would have been all over his radar. Why only get one when you can have two? Alvarez is smart, and even more conniving.” His eyes meet mine, driving home his point. “What would you do to get to a woman
like Celeste to come to you?”

  Suddenly, everything starts to make perfect sense. “Bargain for her family,” I spit, an ache forming in my chest. “You’re assuming he’s just going to offer her up to you?” I eye him carefully.

  “For the right price, he will. I wouldn’t be the first man to walk in and demand a girl. This is what he does. If it’s a last-minute offering with no screening, he will make them line up for me.”

  His words turn the kindling into flames. “You sick son of a bitch.” Spittle flies from my mouth as I imagine the ways I’m going to dismember his body. Rage begins to darken my vision as I pull back, taking a swing at his face. He moves, faster than I expect, but I still clip his bottom lip.

  He smiles, a sick satisfaction rests on his smug face. I’m about to wipe it off when Declan grabs the back of my vest.

  “If you weren’t such an asshole, I’d suggest you come to work for me. Give you something to channel that aggression,” he says, wiping a small amount of blood from his bottom lip. “I want my women willing. I don’t have to pay for it.” There’s a shadow in his words, but I can’t shine a light no matter how hard I try. “Alex already explained that I’ve done business with him in the past. Don’t you think he would have already tried to get me to buy?”

  “You were indirectly working with the US government to put him away. Why would he just allow you to waltz in?” Declan questions, finally on my side with his suspicions.

  “He double crossed one of my operatives and thinks he got away with it. Some men in his world are too blinded by arrogance. His ego convinces him he’s untouchable and that makes him weak. I’m a patient man, Mr. O’Connor.” His dark eyes fall on mine when he continues. “There is order among chaos, even in a world this dark. There are things that must be handled with delicacy. Despite my desire to blow his mother fucking head off, seeking instant retribution would have cost me several contracts.”

  “What kind of contracts?” Declan asks.

  “Just business.” His reply is dry.

  Erin gives me a look I can’t decipher, and her eyes widen as she looks over my shoulder.