Текст книги "Exposed"

Автор книги: Brighton Walsh

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I watched from the window as Riley tore out of the alley on his bike, Gage at my back. Riley and I hadn’t spoken two words to each other after our blowup. After I told him if he took this choice away from me, we were through.

And he’d gone anyway.

I tried not to focus on the ache that filled up my chest when he’d left, when he’d voluntarily walked away, only after binding my hands. Not literally—not like before—but figuratively. And that was almost worse. I latched on to the anger and frustration I was feeling instead, letting that grow inside me. Letting it fuel me, because if I didn’t, if I didn’t have something else to hang on to, I’d crumble.

“You got your stuff packed up?” Gage asked.

I turned and looked at him over my shoulder. What stuff? I wanted to ask. I had nothing here, not really. Tipping my chin toward the single bag on the couch, I turned back around and stared out the window into the darkening sky. Riley would get to Chicago around three in the morning. And as soon as he got the go-ahead from Aaron, he’d be on Max.

And I’d be here, hundreds of miles away, while Riley fought my battles for me. While Riley risked his life for something that was never his problem in the first place.

Gage walked over to the couch and grabbed the bag. “Come on. Let’s move.”

Twisting around, I asked, “Where are we going?”

“My place. I don’t like leaving Madison alone. Not with this shit going on.”

That overprotective bullshit ran in the family, it seemed. Giving a tight nod, I followed him, my movements stilted as we descended the stairs, not taking a backward glance at the loft. At the place where I’d shed so much of my past baggage. Where I’d both found and lost the one and only man I’d ever loved.

Gage was on high alert as he opened the door that led into the alley, his eyes darting to every dark corner, making sure it was clear. He gave a short nod, indicating it was okay, and I dutifully followed him out. It seemed like that was all I ever did—take orders.

Once we were settled in Gage’s car, a beat-up old Honda, he drove us toward his and Madison’s place, his body tense. Probably anxious to get back to Madison.

After long moments of silence, he finally said, “It’s better this way.”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms as I turned my head to look out the window. Because yeah, I’d be safe here, locked away. Protected. But if I wasn’t ever given the opportunity to fight for myself, how would I know if I could? I’d run scared twice before, not just from Max but also from my father. I’d stayed away, hadn’t thought twice about ever going back to my old life, because I needed to leave all that shit behind. Just forget it like it’d never happened.

Except no matter how far I ran, I couldn’t escape. It was melded to my very soul, and there was no running from the skeletons in my closet.

And now, after everything I’d done, after all the steps I’d taken, I wanted the chance to do this. To finally take a step to seize that control once and for all. To prove I wasn’t scared anymore.

“He cares about you. Loves you. He just wants to keep you safe.”

I turned to Gage then, looked at the strong outline of his jaw covered in stubble, the slope of his nose, those eyelashes that went on for miles. He looked so much like Riley, I ached. Ached for the man I loved. The man who’d voluntarily walked right out of my life. “I want to be able to keep myself safe.”

“Then you’re dumber than I ever thought you were.”

“Fuck off, Gage.”

“No, you’ve got nowhere to go now but to sit here and listen to me. You’ve always been a smart girl, Evie. You’ve always used your head, and you were good when you were with the crew. I don’t know if being away from it for so long has fucked with your memories of it, but this meeting with Max isn’t going to happen over fucking cookies and tea. He has no qualms about taking lives, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a woman. He doesn’t give a shit. He has no honor, no morals. He’s not doing this for a greater purpose. He’s not secretly a good guy caught up in a bad situation. He’s bad to the core. That’s how he’s held control of the crew for so long. And he won’t think twice, won’t even blink, before killing you.”

“I’m not stupid,” I snapped. “I know exactly what he’d do. I know what this meeting will entail. Which is exactly why I wanted to go. Riley doesn’t deserve this. He did nothing, had no hand in any of this, except to get me away after you called him. Why should he suffer for my mistakes? And what makes him my keeper? The person who tells me what kind of decisions I can or can’t make about my life?”

Gage blew out a deep breath. “Look, I get that you’re pissed. But cut him some slack. In the past week, he found out that everything he’s done in the past five years, the whole reason he really got involved in the crew, wasn’t reality. That every job he took … it was all for nothing. Not only that, but he found out that the very guy he worked for was the one who ripped you away from him. He’s owed his vengeance.”

“And I’m not? I was the one hiding away for five years, Gage. Me.”

“I know that. I’m not saying otherwise. And I get that you’re angry he didn’t want you with him. I get why you’d want to go, I do, but I also get where he’s coming from. I agreed not to tell him you were alive, and it ate at me for years. I wanted to protect him and respect your choice, but it killed me to watch my kid brother suffer for years, grieving for you. Especially when I knew the whole time you weren’t dead. Now that he knows the truth, we need to give him this. He doesn’t want to lose you again, Evie.”

Gage’s voice was gruff, his focus on the road, and I knew how much this was costing him to talk about. Gage didn’t do feelings. He didn’t do talking, either, not really. And I got what he was saying. I did. I just wished he could get what I was saying. It wasn’t like I’d planned to walk into Max’s place by myself. I had no illusion of the outcome of something like that. What I’d wanted, what I’d counted on, was doing it with Riley. I’d wanted to be by his side. This was my fight, but I’d wanted us to face it together as a team.

*   *   *

The apartment was dark when we arrived. Gage had called Madison on the way over, making sure everything was okay. She’d confirmed it had been quiet there, so he didn’t hesitate as he walked in ahead of me, flipping on a light before tossing my bag on the couch and his keys on the tiny circle of a dining table.

“You can crash out here tonight.” He gestured with his head toward the already made-up sofa. “I’ll keep you in the loop, let you know when I hear from him. I don’t expect anything for a couple hours, so you might want to try and get some sleep.”

I gave a distracted nod as he mumbled something about going down the hallway to check on Madison, but all I could focus on was that set of keys he’d tossed without a second thought. Gage’s car was a stick shift, something I’d never driven, but I bet I could figure it out pretty damn fast if I had to.

If I was running.

I listened as the door down the hall opened, then came the muffled voice of Madison before the soft snick of the door closing behind Gage.

My heart was pounding a staccato rhythm in my chest, my lips thrumming along at the same erratic beat. I crept over so I could peek down the hallway to make sure their bedroom door was still closed, the soft carpet masking the sounds of my footfalls. Seeing nothing but darkness down the hall, I glanced again at the small ring of keys and swallowed. I had to make this decision now, without consideration. Because I knew every second I wasted contemplating whether or not I should do it was a second I’d never get back. And Gage could waltz back out here any minute, snatching the opportunity right from under me.

I took a quick look at the clock on the microwave, seeing that Riley had taken off less than thirty minutes ago. If I left right now, I still had the possibility of catching him. Of confronting Max with him. Of claiming back all those years that had been stolen from me.

Without thinking another second on it, I tiptoed over to the table, gripping my purse before snatching his keys. The dead bolt was silent as I unlocked it, the door barely a whisper as I pulled it open. And then before I could look back, before I could think twice, I was gone.

Not knowing how much lead time I’d have before Gage figured out I was gone, I ran down the stairs, through the entryway, and out the front door, into the dark night. The moon was full but partially covered by passing clouds, just like the setting of a hundred different horror movies. I swallowed my nerves as I rushed to where Gage had parked the car, looking behind me toward the front of the apartment building to make sure he wasn’t on my heels.

I was so preoccupied worrying about Gage coming after me that I didn’t consider who else might be outside waiting, didn’t bother checking my surroundings for other threats.

The sound of footsteps directly behind me startled me, but it was too late to even turn around. “Gotcha now, bitch.”

A rough hand covered my mouth as an arm held me back against a chest, then there was a tiny prick on the side of my neck.

And those three words were the last I heard before everything went dark.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

RILEY

My head had swum with Evie’s words the entirety of the ride back to Chicago. Over every mile that had passed under my tires, I’d remembered the look on her face when I’d told her she wasn’t going with me. Her eyes had sparked, her lips thinning into a straight line. In that moment, she’d absolutely loathed me. That look of anger was the last thing I’d seen before I left.

And if she’d been telling the truth, if those last words she’d said to me had been honest—and I had no doubt she’d meant them—then it was going to be the last look I’d ever see on her beautiful face.

It gutted me, ripped me apart inside—the thought that I might never have her in my life again. But so long as she was safe, it didn’t matter. Not my feelings. Not hers.

I knew she thought I hadn’t heard her, hadn’t listened, but I had. I’d heard what she was saying, knew how much it would cost her to give in on this, but in the end, it hadn’t mattered. I couldn’t let it, because it wasn’t just her feelings that were at stake. It was her life. And I didn’t care that I was keeping this choice from her if it meant she’d be alive.

Even if that life wasn’t with me.

My phone had buzzed in my pocket more times than I could count while I’d been riding, but I hadn’t pulled over. Hadn’t even taken the thirty seconds to check it when I’d stopped to fill up, too focused on getting back on the road as quickly as fucking possible. I was anxious, uneasy, and I wanted to get this over with now.

While I’d been driving here, Gage had been dealing with all the back-end stuff—setting shit up with Aaron and making sure we had the fail-safes in place, if the unthinkable happened … if I didn’t come out of there alive. If they sent someone after Evie.

I wasn’t going to let it come to that, though. I needed to convince Max that he didn’t have any other options than to call off all the guys he’d sent after her. And once I got that confirmation, heard it from his mouth, I’d call Gage and give him the go-ahead to give Evie back her freedom.

I had no idea what she intended to do when this was all over. I didn’t know if she planned to go back to Eric, planned to go back to being Genevieve, and I couldn’t think about it. The thought of her falling right back into her false life ripped my fucking heart apart. Thinking about her doing it despite everything that had happened in the days we’d been together. Despite everything that had happened between us …

I couldn’t focus on that shit now. Couldn’t bog my mind down with what-ifs and possibilities for the future. I needed to focus on the here and now, get my head in the game if we had a chance of pulling this off.

Needing to call Aaron to get a read on when he’d be ready for me, I pulled into a deserted parking lot close to my neighborhood. He was taking a major risk, staying behind and acting as Max’s right hand during the confrontation, but I knew that if anything went bad, he’d have my back.

I hoped he would, anyway.

Slipping my phone from my front pocket, I pressed the button at the top, illuminating the screen. Fourteen missed calls, all from Gage. I reached up and scratched my jaw, my brow furrowed. What the hell was going on? My mind immediately conjured up every possible situation. Had he spotted other guys in town already? Did something happen on Aaron’s end to make it so he couldn’t be there tonight? Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t stop me … not when I was this close. Not when it was Evie’s life on the line.

I thumbed my way to his number, then hit Send and waited as it rang. When his voice mail picked up, I blew out a long breath, then hung up and tried Aaron’s number. Once again, I waited as the phone rang, and then was subjected to the same generic recording. I hung up and cursed under my breath. Knowing Gage would get a text faster than listening to a voice mail, I opened up the screen to send him a message.

Status?

The minutes I stood there waiting for a response were the longest of my life. I tried Aaron once more, to no avail. I’d just thumbed my way to the screen to call Gage again when a text came through from him.

Plans changed. Move now. Get your ass to Max.

My heart stopped, my blood running cold. Gage never switched the plans unless something fucked up was going down.

I tried calling him one last time only to have his goddamn voice mail pick up again. If he was able to text but not pick up his phone, I assumed that meant he was on a call with someone … I just didn’t know who.

I could barely bring myself to type the four little letters, but I needed to know.

Evie?

His response was immediate. Now, Riley. MOVE NOW.

“Jesus Christ,” I breathed, and started the ignition on my bike before I pocketed my phone and revved the engine, then took off. My instincts had been right, knowing now something was wrong. Gage hadn’t answered the question on Evie, and I couldn’t think about what that meant.

I sped toward the old warehouse on the South Side where Max did all of his business, figuring it was my best bet. I was supposed to have gotten confirmation from Aaron on where Max was stationed, but with nothing from him to go on and only a few urgent texts from Gage, I had to wing it.

It seemed like forever before I pulled up outside the dark building. There was only one other car here that I could see—Max’s—and I took a quick survey of the surroundings when I dismounted my bike. Pulling out my phone, I typed out a short text to both Gage and Aaron, letting them know I’d arrived and I was going in. I only hoped Aaron would get the message in time.

The perimeter was clear, no one keeping guard, which meant the time was right. Everyone had cleared out, just like we’d planned. Normally, Max would have two guys posted at each door for security. You didn’t do his line of work without having some protection. He didn’t allow just anyone to walk into his place.

The back door wasn’t locked, wasn’t chained, which reassured me that Aaron had come through, making it easy for me to slip inside. My boots were silent on the concrete floor as I headed toward one of the rooms in the back where Max spent most of his time. I slipped my hand in my pocket, wrapping my fingers around the knife I’d slid in there. It was smaller than the one secured to my boot, but it was handy in a fight. As nice as it was having backups just in case Max made Aaron do a search of me, neither of those blades reassured me as much as the cool metal of the gun at my back, tucked into the waistband of my jeans.

Sporadic lights illuminated my path as I walked toward the back corner, which held one of only two rooms in the entire place that didn’t have an open ceiling. The door was ajar, two masculine voices trailing out from it. I had no way of knowing if that was Aaron in there with Max, but I hoped like hell he was. I slipped closer on silent feet, my back against the wall, keeping an eye on my surroundings, just in case the cleared security had been a ruse.

When I was a couple feet away from the open doorway, I could make out one of the voices as Max’s. His tone was level, almost bored. “What’s the situation?”

“Secured and restrained.” That was definitely Aaron, and I felt the barest hint of relief that at least that part of the plan was in place.

I knew there’d never be a perfect time to walk in, that Aaron wouldn’t be able to give me a signal for when I should walk through that door, and the longer I spent out here, the farther the guys Max had sent out for Evie got. I took the two steps to the door, then walked into the poorly lit room in which Max took care of business. He was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair, his body turned away from the doorway. Aaron was standing in front of the desk, his back to me, but from the stiff set of his shoulders, I knew he heard me come in. Very little was done in Aaron’s presence without him knowing about it.

“Max.” I forced the single syllable out, just barely restraining myself from leaping over the solid piece of wood furniture that stood between us and killing him with my bare hands. All I could think about was the orders he’d given to end Evie’s life. I’d feel nothing but pure pleasure if I snuffed out his pulse.

He turned his chair to face me. His poker face was exceptional, and if it wasn’t for the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes, I would’ve thought he’d almost expected this. “Well, well, well. I should’ve fucking known.” His posture was relaxed, his elbows braced loosely on the arms of his chair, showing me he didn’t find me a threat at all. Didn’t matter that he wasn’t surrounded with his normal level of security. Didn’t matter that it was only Aaron—who now stood off to the side, facing me—in the room.

Taking a couple steps closer to him, I said, “We need to have a little talk.”

He hummed and nodded, interlocking his fingers as they rested over his stomach. “Yeah, I think we do.” Then he flicked his eyes to Aaron and addressed him, “Pat him down and take his gun.”

I cursed internally, having hoped he wouldn’t order Aaron to do it, yet knowing he would. I could only hope Aaron wouldn’t strip me of the knives I had, too.

Aaron made quick work, patting me down efficiently, making a big show of pulling the gun out of my waistband, but not going for either of the knives I had on me.

“You know, I have to say I’m surprised by you,” Max said. “We figured someone was helping our little Evie, someone within the ranks. And with you disappearing over the last few days, all clues pointed straight to you. And yet even with all that, I gotta tell ya, Kid … I was sure it wasn’t you. Honestly didn’t think you had the stones for something like this. Going up against the head of the whole fucking crew? Your brother’s gotten stupid since he walked away if he sent you on this suicide mission.”

“Not going to be a suicide mission at all.”

“Oh, yeah? What makes you say that?”

“Because it would only be a suicide mission if you want all the evidence of you embezzling twelve point seven million to get sent to every major news outlet and the fucking cops. But you know what? It’d almost be worth it just to see you go down like that.”

He laughed then, a cold, chilling sound, and reached down to open his drawer. I tensed, ready to go for my bigger knife if forced to.

What he held up, though, wasn’t a gun. But it was something equally chilling.

“This evidence, you mean?” Between his thumb and forefinger, he twisted a tiny black tube back and forth. One I wouldn’t have taken a second glance at merely a week ago. But now, today, seeing it had my face draining of color, my heart thudding against my chest, my skin burning up. Because Evie had shown me that same little black object a couple days ago. The one she’d managed to hide for five years. The one that had been tucked safely away in her purse when I’d left her with Gage.

Every possibility went through my mind as to how he’d have that here, each worse than the last. I wanted to glance at Aaron, see if I could read anything in his expression, but I didn’t dare. “Where’d you get that?”

Max hummed and flipped the object between his fingers, back and forth, back and forth. “It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that. Your Evie is a tricky one. And, of course, with her working with two guys who were once in the crew, well … Made shit difficult for me. Speaking of, do I have you to thank for sending Frankie back to me looking like a goddamn MMA fighter?”

When we’d left Frankie at Evie’s house all those days ago, I hadn’t bothered to pay any attention at all to what kind of damage I’d done, too focused on getting Evie out of there. Couldn’t say I was devastated to hear he’d taken a beating, especially when it was delivered by my hands. “He’s lucky I didn’t send him back looking like a fucking corpse.”

Max let a smile creep over his face. “See, that’s what I liked about you, Kid. You always did enjoy the physical aspect of the job, didn’t you? And you were damn good at it. But you never had the heart for it. Not like Frankie. He’s a complete fuckup, can’t get his head out of his ass, could never stand against guys like you or Ghost, but he’s a sick son of a bitch who loves doing the kind of fucked-up shit I have no problem sending his way.”

“I don’t need a history lesson on Frankie. I know the asshole.”

“Do you?” he asked with a chilling smile on his face. “Do you know what he’s been up to the last twenty-four hours, then? Seems he redeemed himself a little for that botch on the boat five years ago. And not managing to get her at her house.” Max’s hands clenched on the desk, the only sign that he was well and truly pissed off about those hiccups. “Even with two guys helping her, she was bound to slip up sooner or later. I just didn’t think she’d practically fall right into our laps.” He tipped his chin toward Aaron as he leaned forward, his forearms braced on the desk. I wanted to turn and lock eyes with Aaron as he walked by, wanted to get a read on what the hell was going on, but I didn’t dare look away from Max. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, what he was going on about. And what it meant that he had something of Evie’s here with him.

There was a scuffle then, the sound of muffled grunts, and my heart stopped at what I saw coming through that doorway when I turned. Aaron followed behind as Frankie dragged Evie in, one fist wrapped tightly around her hair, the other on the hands bound behind her back. Her mouth was duct-taped, her hair was matted with a dark red stain on her hairline, and there was a bruise blooming on her cheek.

“She wouldn’t give any information, so I had to rough her up a bit. She’s a mouthy little bitch, isn’t she?” Frankie said with a smile.

I didn’t even need my knife. I was going to kill him with my bare hands.

I took half a step toward them before Max cut in, saying, “Uh-uh,” at the same time Frankie’s hand tightened on her hair, yanking her head back. She tried not to make any noise, tried not to show how it was affecting her, but I heard a muffled grunt with each tug of Frankie’s fist against her hair.

Darting my eyes to every inch of her body, I took stock of everything else, noticing the wide rip in the neckline of her sweatshirt, part of the top of her bra showing. She had bruises on her neck in the shape of fingers, and my nostrils flared, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. It took everything in me to stay where I was, not to move forward, not to help her … get her to safety.

“Notice those bruises on her neck, did you?” Max asked. “Seems Frankie’s got a little pent-up aggression in him. Especially after your little bitch head-butted him. That got him a bit more worked up than he already was.”

Frankie’s nose was darkening at the top, the skin below his left eye a deep purple, and it nearly brought a smile to my face because that was my girl.

“Now that I’ve showed my hand, Kid, I think you can see why I said this was a suicide mission for you. You’re both here and we have the evidence. You don’t have a lot of leverage.”

It was my turn to laugh then, not taking my eyes off Evie. There was no fucking way I was turning my back on Frankie. Even with Aaron there. I wasn’t sure I could trust him. Not now. Not after seeing he’d let Frankie alone with Evie. Part of me wondered if something had happened. If something had changed along the way. If maybe Max had promised him a cut of that twelve million he’d stolen in exchange for getting information from us. I’d known Aaron for a long time—he was the only guy in the entire crew besides me who Gage trusted, but money made people do a lot of fucked-up shit. And when that money was in the millions …

Still watching Evie, I said to Max, “If you think that’s the only copy, you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Of course I know that’s not the only copy.” He must have made a gesture because suddenly Aaron stepped over to grab a chair from the wall and placed it next to where Evie and Frankie were.

“Go stand guard at the front,” Aaron said to Frankie as he reached for Evie.

Frankie’s mouth drew back in a snarl, and his hand tightened in her hair, drawing her head back until her neck was taut and her eyes were wide. “What? No fucking way. I was promised I’d get to kill this cunt.”

“You also told Max that you’d already killed her. That she was dead and he didn’t have anything to worry about. And now look at the mess you’ve got us in. I said to go to the fucking front unless you want to join her on your knees in front of me with a gun pointed at your head.” Aaron’s voice was steady and calm, with no inflection, but he radiated authority. I didn’t think anyone in the room doubted just how serious he was, and I almost wished Frankie was stupid enough to spout off more. I’d love nothing more than to see him bleeding out at my feet. The only regretful part would be me not having a hand in it.

Frankie shoved Evie toward Aaron, then stalked off, flipping the bird as he went. Aaron’s eyes lifted to mine for the briefest moment as he pushed on Evie’s shoulder and guided her to sit in the chair. It took everything in me not to run after Frankie. Not to take him by surprise and make him sorry for every finger he’d ever laid on Evie. The only thing that held me glued to this spot was Evie herself. I wasn’t leaving her alone. I couldn’t.

“Now,” Max’s voice cut in, “I’m going to ask you one more time where the rest of the evidence is. Or you get to watch while she gets a bullet put through that pretty little head.”