Hidden Betrayals (The Hidden Series Book 4)

by Kristin Coley

  We’ll get him back. I promise. Jake

  It had been five days.

  “This may be one promise you can’t keep, my friend,” Daniel whispered to the empty room. There was an officer posted outside of his door and occasionally they’d play cards, but not in the past few days. He’d become a flight risk.

  He spent the time punishing himself physically. A constant loop of pushups, pullups, and sit-ups. Anything to exhaust the rage coursing through him as he thought about his brother in the hands of his enemy.

  The memory of Jace’s gloating face had him dropping to the ground to push out a few more pushups. Jace had lied the day he’d told Daniel they had his brother, but he should have heeded the warning. Samuel had always been a target. A tool they could use to control him.

  Daniel had believed when they were taken into custody his brother was safe. He should have known better. Now his brother was paying the price for his mistake.

  A knock on the door brought Daniel to his feet in an instant. He wiped the sweat beading on his forehead as he yanked the door open without a second’s hesitation. One glimpse at the familiar face sent him reeling.

  “No.” The word tore from his throat as he shook his head. “No. Fucking no. Goddamn it,” he roared as he backed away from the man silhouetted in the doorframe. He didn’t bother to speak, to deny Daniel’s assumption or to offer a platitude. Instead, he watched as Daniel systematically destroyed the room, finally dropping to his knees when there was nothing left to break.

  “We’ll find them. They will pay,” Connor promised, his own voice raw as he handed Daniel a scrap of paper with hastily scrawled words.

  We were too late. I’m sorry. Forgive me. There will be blood.

  He recognized Jake’s handwriting, the implied promise and the regret his friend felt, but it couldn’t calm the fury bubbling inside of him. Daniel crumpled the note in his hand, standing up, and Connor backed up a step.

  “You can’t do this, man. I know you want to. I don’t blame you, but you are the only hope we have of putting these guys away,” Connor pleaded, bracing himself to try and stop Daniel.

  “You won’t need to put them away when I’m done,” Daniel assured, his eyes glinting with the promise of revenge.

  “You can’t get to them in a prison cell, Daniel.” Connor shook his head, one hand held out toward Daniel. “The men responsible are in jail. If you go on a rampage against the ones who took your brother, you’re letting those who are truly responsible walk free. You don’t want that. You don’t.”

  Daniel paused as the need for retribution fought with the logic of Connor’s words. Connor saw his hesitation and pushed his point home.

  “You can leave right now and go after the guy who pulled the trigger, but you’ll be letting the one who gave the order go. We can get them both, Daniel. We will, but you have to stay here. You have to let us do this.”

  “Let you do this?” Daniel let out a caustic laugh. “Like how you protected my brother?” Connor winced and shoved a hand through his blond waves.

  “Nothing I say will make this right. I know that. But I will say this, we want them to pay. We will make them pay,” Connor swore to Daniel, the words echoing between them as they locked eyes. Daniel could see the promise shining from Connor’s eyes and finally he nodded.

  “We do it your way.” Daniel narrowed his eyes, his fists clenched as grief pulsed through him. “For now.”

  ***

  Connor bumped over massive ruts pitted in the gravel drive and came to a stop at a rusted out gate.

  “Welcoming,” he commented, assessing the abandoned salvage yard. The stripped down remains of old cars littered the overgrown area and gave it an apocalyptic feel. “Everyone had their tetanus shot?”

  “Carly hasn’t,” Addie answered absently as she reached for the door handle. Connor grabbed the handle before she could push the door open.

  “Do you have a plan?” He grunted, playing tug of war with her for a moment. He got the upper hand and held the door shut.

  “Go that way,” Addie waved in the general direction of east. “Find Dovie, figure out how she died, who killed her, and what the hell is going on.”

  “Well, so long as you have a plan,” Connor let her go and she hopped out. He shot a glance at the backseat but Carly had already disappeared. “How do I get stuck in these situations?” He muttered ruefully.

  “A combination of your good nature and our tendency to take advantage of it.” Addie sent him a smirk, and he narrowed his eyes, unsure if she was serious.

  “This way.” Addie started walking and Connor doublechecked his sidearm strapped under his jacket. Carly watched him, her earlier happiness gone with the weight of what they were about to do.

  “I’d say you don’t have to come, but there’s no way I’m letting us get separated.” Connor bumped her shoulder to start her moving and took the rear. There was something fishy about all of this and he wasn’t about to let his guard down and risk one of the girls. Addie strode forward confidentially, leading Connor to think her ‘gift’ was more at work than she had admitted.

  Addie led them straight to the edge of the woods and Connor could see the remnants of past parties scattered around the area, broken beer bottles and scuffed out fires.

  “The train tracks,” Carly murmured, the first words she’d spoken since they’d arrived. Connor spotted the tracks at the same moment Addie plunged forward.

  “Be careful,” he called out and she waved at him a second before she slipped. She scrambled to grab ahold of something but the dead leaves won and she went tumbling out of sight.

  “Addie,” they shouted in unison, jolting forward to watch her slide down the side of the steep ditch and land in the water at the bottom.

  “I’m okay,” she called up to them and Connor rubbed a fist against his chest in an attempt to calm his rabidly beating heart.

  “Graceful,” he called down, trying to dial back the panic he felt. “Definitely a nine.”

  Her middle finger was his reply and he released a relieved chuckle.

  “She’s got more lives than a cat,” Carly sighed next to him and he nodded.

  “Ask me where she is,” Addie prodded them and they traded a glance.

  “Where’s Dovina Brown’s body?” Carly shouted, the words echoing back eerily. “And can we get the hell out of here?” She added the second part so low, Connor barely caught it.

  Addie started marching toward the train tracks, where the trestle went over the steep ditch and they scrambled to follow her from above. It wasn’t long before she stopped, her fingers digging into the soft earth.

  “Addie,” Connor called out worriedly.

  “They dumped her,” was his reply. “She was garbage.”

  “How did Dovie die?”

  Connor instinctively reached for Carly to stop her from finishing the question, but it was too late. Addie stopped digging, a faraway look in her eyes.

  “He held me like a rag doll,” she whispered in an unrecognizable voice, the sound a painful rasp which had Connor immediately searching for a way down to her. “Promised me no one would save me. He cupped my cheek and then –”

  Addie collapsed and Connor cursed. Carly dropped to her knees and peered over the edge.

  “We have to get down there,” she muttered frantically and shouted, “Addie!”

  “Stay here,” Connor commanded, grabbing a nearby sapling and using it as an anchor as he slid down the side. It slowed his descent slightly but he had to release it when it wrenched his arm up and he fell the rest of the way. “Don’t move, Carly,” he yelled, stumbling his way to Addie’s slumped body.

  “Goddamn it, woman,” Connor growled, his fingers pressed against her neck to find a pulse, his relief momentary as he felt the steady thrumming, but all he could think of were the days she’d spent in a coma as Jake begged her to come back to him. “I’m not Jake so you better wake up because I’m not carrying you out of here.”

  A soft m
oan answered him and the tightness in his chest eased enough for him to take a breath. “I’m not kidding, Addie, I will leave you here. Then no one will ever know what happened to Dovina Brown.”

  “Her neck was snapped,” Addie told him, her eyes still firmly closed. “Ask me who did it, Connor.”

  “That sounds like a horrible idea. Worst time ever for a question in my opinion.”

  “Connor,” Addie’s voice held a warning and he huffed out the breath he’d taken.

  “At least open your eyes for me.”

  She blinked them open, wincing slightly, and he took his first full breath since watching her collapse.

  “Satisfied?” She grumbled, struggling to sit up.

  He assisted her, belatedly remembering Carly was still at the top and glanced up to see her sitting on the edge, feet dangling.

  “She’s okay,” he shouted up to her and she waved back, acknowledging him. “Or as okay as you ever are,” he finished under his breath.

  “I heard that.”

  “Good.”

  A painful pinch rewarded his statement and he jerked Addie to her feet. “You are okay?” A sharp rise of his eyebrow accompanied the question and Addie grimaced.

  “I’m okay,” she answered finally, as he kept his hand on her arm. “Really. Just might not mention this to certain individuals.”

  “Yeah, not happening.”

  She exhaled and twirled her finger, “Then we’ll get what we can out of this little adventure. Ask me who killed her.”

  “Who snapped Dovina Brown’s neck?”

  “Jace.”

  “Surprise, surprise. And all this little adventure of yours got us was an answer we already suspected,” Connor drawled, his sarcasm evident.

  “Not all,” Addie replied, her eyes focused on something behind him. He turned and it took a second before he saw what had caught her eye. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a root, bleached by the sun, but it’s slender smoothness drew his gaze back. “We also found the body of Dovina Brown.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Let me make this clear to you, boy. I own you.” The words carried no inflection as Daniel stared down at the black wingtip loafers of the man standing before him. “You are a commodity, valuable only so long as you prove yourself useful.” Daniel’s head jerked up as the man yanked on his hair. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

  Daniel managed to keep his head up when he was released, but barely. One eye was swollen shut and it felt like bruises covered every square inch of his body.

  “Today, you are a foot soldier in my army. Tomorrow, you might inherit my throne.” The man tugged his pant legs up as he squatted in front of Daniel. “I see promise in you, boy, but it is but a glimmer that must be polished.”

  “I didn’t sign up for this,” Daniel spat out, remembering the moment he realized what the packages he delivered contained. The realization that they’d hidden the truth from him. Used him for his connections.

  “Maybe not,” the man admitted, then he smiled. “But it doesn’t matter now. Now, you’re just as much a criminal as the rest of us. No cop will believe you if you tell them you didn’t know. They won’t care. You’re be carted off to jail and what would your momma and daddy say?”

  Daniel felt coldness settle inside of his chest. The man threatened him but it wasn’t his parents’ faces he saw, it was Samuel’s.

  “I see you understand.” The man rose, dusting off his pants even though they hadn’t touched the ground. “I have many friends, Daniel. You would do well to be one of them.”

  Hopelessness crashed down on him as he realized how trapped he was. There had been whispers, the money he was paid to deliver ‘packages’ should have been his biggest clue, but he’d ignored them all in favor of the easy acceptance they’d offered, the wide spread of Dovie’s thighs and the freedom. What he hadn’t understood was the freedom was nothing more than an illusion.

  He nodded in defeat, and the man leaned down to whisper one last warning.

  “I won’t be so forgiving next time.”

  ***

  “Do I even want to ask where we’re off to now?” Connor shouted at Addie’s back as she stalked back toward the car. “I need to call this in.”

  “The station. You can report it there.” Addie stopped suddenly and Carly walked into her. “But make sure you give us credit for finding her, okay? I don’t want the Captain to think we’re losing our touch.”

  “You did find her. Why are we going to the station? Not that I think it’s a bad idea, but that’s not usually the first place you go after discovering a dead body.”

  “One time! It was the one time!” Addie cried, shaking her finger in the air as she started forward again. “And I have some questions for the Captain.” She stopped once again, but this time Carly was prepared and didn’t run into her. Connor slowed his own stride, but didn’t stop and Addie was forced to start walking again or get left behind. “Actually, you have some questions for the Captain.”

  “Really? You want to keep pushing your gift? I’m about to call Jake.”

  “Don’t,” Addie pleaded, catching Connor’s arm to bring him to a halt. “We need to ask these questions. We should have been asking them.”

  Connor paused, taking in how serious her expression was. “There was more,” he stated, inhaling and exhaling as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “There was more,” Addie echoed, her voice contrite. “We were missing the bigger picture. Why this case?”

  Connor cocked his head, not grasping her point.

  “This case, Connor,” Addie said urgently, plucking at his sleeve and Carly inhaled sharply as she understood. “Exactly,” Addie said in satisfaction, nodding to Carly. “This case, now. Why? Marcus Tramonte is ‘accidentally’ released on parole. Jace shows up and picks a fight with Danny, then tries to kill him with a bomb, Nick Jackson is killed, and we’re suddenly hired to find a missing girl who knew all of them. How is that not suspicious?”

  “You think the Captain…” Connor couldn’t bring himself to finish the question, a sickening sense of déjà vu coming over him. It was bad enough their last Captain had been the ringleader for all of the drug trafficking in the area, but if the new Captain was too….

  “No, I don’t actually. I think we need to talk to him though. This case came from somewhere. It was suggested to the Captain, but what I want to know is why? Did they want it brought to us? Does someone suspect something? I have questions and we need answers. One way or another.”

  “No, we don’t,” Connor argued, one hand plowing through his hair as he twisted out of Addie’s grip and headed back to the car. “It’s bad enough you fell into a ditch and then collapsed.”

  “Slid,” Addie interjected, but Connor rolled right over her interruption.

  “I can only imagine what will happen if we keep pushing.” He turned around so suddenly Addie bumped into him and he had to grab her to keep her upright. “Oh, yeah. I can imagine. I’ve witnessed it. I’ve also watched my best friend almost destroyed by it. So, no, Addie, we don’t need to know the answers to your questions. Not at the expense of you.”

  He moved back toward the car and they scrambled to keep up.

  “We make this decision as a team.”

  Carly and Addie exchanged a glance at the appearance of this new tough love Connor.

  “Get in,” he barked and they darted into the car, buckling up as Connor reversed out of the salvage yard.

  ***

  “You what.” Disbelief coated the words.

  “What were you thinking?” The question hissed from one of the others.

  “You let her –” the rest of it was cut off as the guys collectively glanced over and saw Addie and Carly leaning toward them, eavesdropping.

  “Drats.” Carly plopped back down on the couch as they moved further out of hearing range. “Where’s Jules when you need her?” Addie opened her mouth and just as quickly shut it, shaking her head, a c
onflicted expression on her face.

  “It’s okay, you know.”

  Addie shot a puzzled glance at Carly, who gave her a wry smile.

  “That you know things and don’t tell me. Like wherever Jules is. Its clear you know, and you can’t tell me. It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Addie began and Carly waved her hand.

  “Don’t be. You keep secrets better than anyone I know. I respect you for it.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course. I have no doubt you’ve kept a few of mine and it doesn’t bother me at all when you keep everyone else’s. It can’t be easy, but you try to protect us, to keep the secrets you know.” Carly draped her arm around Addie’s shoulders and squeezed. “What I’d like to know though is how this went from a team vote to the guys whispering in a corner.”

  “We could always do it without them,” Addie replied with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

  “Addie,” Wade called sharply and their eyes widened in unison.

  “Are you sure he can’t read minds?” Carly hissed and Addie shook her head tentatively.

  “Emotions are almost as good,” Wade informed them as his hands came down on either side of their shoulders. “And you two are up to something.”

  “Us? Never,” Addie denied with her hand over her heart.

  “Uh huh, that comforts me. Truly.” Wade said with a straight face. “But you’ll have to forgive me for not believing you.”

  “I’m hurt, Wade. Truly hurt,” Addie said, tilting her neck to stare up at him. “You’ve wounded me. And all that we’ve shared over the years.”

  “Year. As in single, not plural. And your aura denies that claim.” Wade flicked his thumb over her nose as the others joined them. She turned her head to see Jake standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, a deep frown showcasing his one-sided dimple. A glance to the left revealed Danny in a similar pose staring at Carly.

  “You’re a damn traitor, Connor,” Addie called out, her eyes never leaving Jake’s.

  “No worries, kid. Jake and Danny both have plans for Connor at our next sparring session for taking you to a crime scene with no backup,” Wade assured them. Connor flopped down in the recliner and flipped them all the bird. He’d called the location of Dovina’s body in on the way back to the office and refused to speak a word after that.