Broken Hero Read online

  “We could do that,” I said.

  “But that’s not what I feel this is,” she said. “It’s different than me thinking you’re hot. Or the sex being really, really good.”

  “Which it is,” I said.

  The flash in her eyes let me know exactly what she had on her mind at that moment.

  “Very much so,” she said.

  I decided it was time for me to speak my piece. I reached across the table and took her hands into mine, her skin warm and soft and perfect.

  “I don’t want that to happen,” I said. “Strange circumstances might’ve brought us together, but now that we are, I don’t want to be apart. I don’t have the best track record with relationships—”

  “—and neither do I,” she said.

  I let out a snort. “And neither do you,” I said. “But I know I care about you. I know I want you in my life, and I know that I want to stay with you when this job’s done. I want to see what happens between us, because I think it’s going to be something special.”

  She said nothing, instead letting her eyes linger on mine. Natalie squeezed my hand hard for a moment before letting go.

  “That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say,” she said.

  “Good,” I replied.

  Natalie’s phone buzzed in her purse, and she took it out.

  “Shoot,” she said. “It’s the NYPD. Gotta take this.”

  I nodded as she got up and hurried off to a quiet corner. I stood by my words, each and every last one of them. But as I watched Natalie walk off, I knew that I hadn’t really hit the depths of my feelings for her. This wasn’t just strong “like”—this was something more.

  It was the beginning of love.

  The word love settled in my mind, and the more I thought about it the more I realized that it was the truth. I was beginning to love Natalie. Warmth spread out from my heart.

  But before I could commit myself to her, there was something I needed to do first. It was time for the conversation with Joey, to tell him that this was done between us.

  I took out the phone and prepared to send the text.

  And for the first time in as long as I could remember, fear took hold of me.

  But not for my own sake. For Natalie’s.

  Chapter Thirty

  GARRETT

  “What’s up, bro?”

  Ellie’s voice came through the speakers of my phone. I had her on video chat, so her trim, cute face was on the screen in front of me. I’d always thought she was a spitting image of me, only with darker hair and a little more than ten years younger.

  “What are you doing right now?” I asked.

  There was tension in my voice, and the look on her face signaled that she’d picked up on it.

  “I’m going back to my apartment. Why?”

  I glanced away for a long moment, unsure of how exactly I was going to say what I needed to tell her.

  “You’re going to be having some men stop by later tonight.”

  “What?” she asked, her expression one of total surprise. “What kind of men?”

  “Soldiers,” I said. “Well, ex-soldiers to be exact.”

  “Garrett, tell me exactly what’s going on,” she said, fear creeping into her voice. “Right now.”

  I did a quick internal debate as I tried to figure out how much to tell her. She was in danger, but I didn’t want to scare the living hell out of her. But at the same time, she had a right to know.

  “Men who are going to be looking out for you,” I said. “There are…bad guys. Bad guys who want to do bad things.”

  I cursed myself for how ineloquent I was being, but I realized my nerves were getting the better of me. The idea of something happening to Ellie was too much to take.

  “What?” she asked. “Why?”

  “Because there are some men here who are forcing me to work with them by threatening you, making me do things I’d never do. But I’m going to put a stop to it. But before I do, I made sure that you were going to be safe.”

  She shook her head, an expression of near-panic on her face.

  “What’s happening?” she asked.

  “Here’s what you’re going to need to do. Some men are coming by. The leader of them is named Matt Samson. I was in the SEALs with him, and I know he can be trusted. He and his crew are going to be shadowing you, making sure that nothing happens.”

  She nodded slowly, as if still wondering whether this was a terrible joke.

  “Ellie, you’re going to be safe. I know this is insane, and I know this isn’t anything you asked for, but you’re going to have to trust me.”

  My words rang hollow as I spoke them. As if I’d done anything to earn anyone’s trust with my recent actions. I’d lied to Natalie, kept Ellie in the dark, and now I was going to finish it all off with one final betrayal.

  “O-OK,” she said.

  “You’re going to get through this,” I said. “I’m going to make sure you’re safe. I love you, Ellie.”

  “I-I love you too.”

  Then the call was over. My sister’s life was about to be in the hands of others.

  A text appeared on my phone moments after the call ended. It was Stan.

  “Yo,” it read. “Joey’s ready to meet with you. He wants me there with you guys for this one.”

  That was strange. Joey had been doing all the talking to me and had kept the rest of the team at a distance, like I’d asked. He’d met with Stan before, sure, but he’d never once expressed the need to keep him in on the goings-on of our arrangement.

  Whatever. I was ready to tell Joey that we were done. And if things got hairy, having Stan at my side would tip the odds in my favor.

  It was late in the day, and Natalie was safe at her place. It was a relief to know that I could leave her there by herself, that she’d be safe in that fort of a luxury apartment. But though I’d trained her how to use a gun, I hoped she’d never have to do it.

  I made my way through the streets of Manhattan toward Joey’s place. Soon I was in his stately building, being led up the grand staircase to his office by one of his goons. I sized the guy up, pinpointing the best way to take him down if it came to that. He was tall and heavy-looking, which meant he’d drop hard. A quick kick to the knee from the side would more than likely do the job.

  Soon I was stepping through the massive doors and into Joey’s office. Joey stood behind his desk with his back to me, and Stan was seated in one of the chairs across from him. A strange expression flashed on Stan’s face, but I put it out of my mind as I made my way into the office.

  A fire crackled in the fireplace, and soft opera music played from the stereo.

  “Buddy,” said Joey over his shoulder as I stood in the center of the office’s large red and black Oriental rug. “Have a seat.”

  I slid into the chair next to Stan, the doors thudding shut behind me.

  I glanced over at Stan, his eyes flicking to the side as I tried to meet his gaze.

  Something was off. I could tell.

  “So,” said Joey, turning around and plopping into his chair, his arms draping over the sides. “Tell me what’s up.”

  “Nothing new to report,” I said. “No new information on the case with the NYPD, and Natalie’s still in the dark.”

  “The apartment,” said Stan, reminding me.

  “Yeah,” said Joey. “Heard your girl turned her place into a hell of a bunker. But don’t worry about filling me in on the details—Stan was nice enough to do all that for you.”

  Joey drummed his fingers on the desk, as if considering something. The words I wanted to say were on the tip of my tongue. If there was a good time to lay it all out there, this was it.

  I opened my mouth to speak.

  But before I could get out a single word, Joey began.

  “Truth be told, buddy,” said Joey, “you’re walking in on a meeting in progress.”

  I cocked my head. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  But as I glanced
at Stan out of the corner of my eye, I realized in an instant what he meant.

  “See,” he said, “I know this whole thing of ours has been based on you pulling the wool over my ex’s eyes—meaning it’s based on fucking lies. But, I don’t know, I’d assumed that between you and me, we were on the level, that we had something of a, you know, trust between us guys.” He leaned forward in his seat, his hands folded on the desk in front of him. “But then Stanley here told me that he needed to talk with me, talk with me about something very important.”

  I glanced over at Stan, my eyes narrowed into slits. His gaze snapped to floor.

  “And what the fuck did he tell you,” I growled.

  “I’ll let him spill the beans on that,” said Joey.

  I glanced quickly behind me to make sure no goons were poised to get the drop. But it was just us three in there.

  “Boss,” said Stan, finally looking up into my eyes, his expression one of worry. “I had to tell him. We’ve got a good fucking thing going here, and you were going to throw it all away for that goddamn girl!”

  “Stan, you motherfu—”

  But Joey cut me off. “That was the real vexing thing about it,” said Joey. “See, I’m used to dealing with backstabbing pricks in this game. Every asshole thinks he’s the man who should be on top, and you don’t get to where I am without knowing how to smoke those shitheads out. But guys stealing girls?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Not a man in this crew, no matter how fucking power-hungry he was, would be stupid as shit enough to go for one of my girls. See, a backstabber who wants to sit in my big-boy chair gets a bullet to the forehead—nice and easy. Hell, I can even have some admiration for someone who’s got his eyes on the prize like that. But a man who wants to screw your girl?”

  “She’s not your girl,” I spat out. “You don’t get to claim her.”

  Damn, I knew they were stupid words to say. But they came out without any control on my part. Just thinking about Natalie was enough to make me feel like I didn’t have a handle on myself, didn’t have my usual cool.

  “Whoa-ho!” said Joey, raising his palms in mock surprise. “Got a fucking white knight here!”

  “Garrett,” said Stan, speaking low. “Don’t make this any worse.”

  “Fuck you,” I shot back, not even making eye contact.

  “See, your buddy Stan here had the right idea. Once he got word that you were thinking of doing me dirty, he let me know that something was up. Guy like that, he’s got a bright future in this game. You, on the other hand…”

  “I don’t know what he told you,” I said. “But I’m going to lay it out—you and I are done.”

  Joey raised an eyebrow. “You are aware that your kid sister’s life is at stake here?” he asked.

  “Nope,” I said. “One step ahead of you. I’ve got men looking after her.”

  “That right?” asked Joey. “Well, you’d better hope they’re a little more loyal than your number two here.”

  I turned to Stan, pure rage in my eyes. “This is really the move you want to make?” I asked. “Throw me to the wolves so you can work with this prick?”

  “Garrett,” said Stan, “I wasn’t about to stand around while you turned your back on the best opportunity we’ve ever had—and for some fucking girl!”

  “Hey now,” said Joey. “That’s my lady you’re talking about.”

  “Sorry, sorry,” said Stan. “And it’s not just me.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “The rest of the crew,” he said. “I told them what was going on, and they were on my side. They want to work with Joey.”

  This was a stab in the gut that I hadn’t been ready for. I was alone. “I’m not changing my mind,” I said. “I’m not working with criminals anymore. Not for another fucking minute.”

  “Man of principles,” said Joey, a shit-eating smirk on his face. “Just took you a little while to find them, I guess.”

  I sat back in my seat, my heart thumping in my chest. “So, what’re you going to do next?” I asked. “If you’re going to kill me, make your move.”

  “Oh, I’ve got plans for you, buddy,” said Joey. “Don’t you worry about that. But for right now, I want to see you squirm.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I asked. Deep down, however, I knew what he meant.

  “Your crew’s gone, and now you’re on my shitlist. As of now, you’ve got one person on your side—that sweet little chick you’re supposed to protect. I’ve been keeping an eye on you two—I can tell she’s crazy about you.” Then the side of his mouth curled into a sinister smile. “But let’s see how long those feelings last when she finds out what’s really been going on.”

  Fuck.

  “Right now, she should be getting a very informative packet. One that’s got enough to bring her up to speed on all your dirty doings.”

  I grabbed so hard onto my armrests that I felt I might smash them into dust.

  “So,” he said, taking a glance at his watch, “in about fifteen minutes from now, she’ll know the truth. I’ve got plans for you, Garret, but in the meantime I’m ready to enjoy the show.”

  He flicked on the large TV screen in his office, which was a direct feed into the camera in Natalie’s living room. Stan must’ve given him access. Natalie was seated on her couch, a tablet in her hand.

  “Looks like she hasn’t gotten it yet,” said Joey. “But maybe if you take off now, you can be there to explain yourself while she gets the news.”

  I didn’t wait for him to say another word. I exploded out of my seat and ran toward the office doors. Soon I was on my bike and tearing down the streets of Manhattan, the evening lights of the city a blur around me.

  Everything was going to change.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  GARRETT

  I hopped off my motorcycle so quickly it almost fell onto its side. Once I was back on my feet in front of Natalie’s building, I rushed through the lobby and to the elevator that led to her floor. The doors shut slowly, too damn slowly.

  As soon as I was on the way up, my asshole brain replayed the times Natalie and I had fucked in the elevator, as though my guilty conscience wanted to torment me with thoughts of the woman I was about to lose.

  The doors open and I ran to her apartment. I hurriedly placed my hand on the sensor, and the door clicked open. I realized that this meant that she hadn’t gotten the news yet—if she had, she surely would’ve changed my access.

  I pulled open the door and there she was. Her eyes flicked to me and a smile formed on her lips.

  She was happy to see me—probably for the last time.

  “Terminate camera feed!” I called out.

  “Terminating camera feed,” the voice confirmed.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she asked. “You look like you’ve just run across the city!”

  My gaze locked onto her coffee table, where a small manila packet had been placed.

  “What is that?” I asked, pointing to the packet.

  I knew damn well what it was, of course. Why I asked the question, I had no idea.

  “I just got back from the lobby,” she said. “They called me down because some courier had this package for me. I have no idea what it is. There’s no return address on it or anything.”

  All the things I could’ve said ran through my mind. I could’ve told her about Ellie. I could’ve told her how each day that I’d betrayed her had been like a special form of torture.

  I could’ve told her that I loved her.

  Because I did.

  Instead, I said nothing as she opened up the envelope and dumped the contents out onto the coffee table. There were several photographs, along with a cell phone with a sticky note attached to the front of it that read, “open the music tracks.”

  “What the hell is this?” she asked as she picked up the stack of photographs.

  I moved closer to her, taking slow steps. Soon I was close enough to see wha
t the photographs were—they were of Joey and me during our first meeting. I didn’t remember them being taken. Joey must’ve had someone snap the shots for this express purpose.

  Natalie picked up one of the photographs, one of the two of us seated in his restaurant, a glass of wine in one of his hands and the other on my shoulder. He was in the middle of explaining something, and I had a stony expression on my face.

  She regarded the photograph as though it was some kind of optical illusion that she couldn’t quite puzzle out.

  “What…that’s you…and that’s…”

  Then the realization of what she was looking at hit her.

  “This is you and Joey,” she said. “Why are you and Joey sitting together like this? What’s going on here? When did this happen?”

  I’d spent the drive over in such a state of panic that I hadn’t figured out what I was going to say when I finally saw her.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but only a few words trickled out.

  “I…” I said. “It’s…it’s not what it looks like.”

  It was the lamest possible thing I could’ve said, but it was all I could manage.

  “Not what it looks like?” she asked. “How is it not what it looks like? Because to me, it looks like you’re having a meeting with the man who’s trying to have me killed.”

  Then she placed her fingertip on the corner of the photo, where Joey had helpfully included the date that the picture was taken.

  “This was taken before you met me,” she said. “That means…”

  She dropped the photo, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

  “Natalie…” I said.

  Her hand shot out, and she held up her index finger in my direction, the message of “shut the fuck up” loud and clear. She quickly began to flip through the other pictures, which were all like the first, taken at various times during the few meetings I’d had with Joey before I’d taken on the job with Natalie.

  She picked up the cell phone and swiped the screen. As the sticky note suggested, she went into the music player and opened up one of the tracks. I tried to move closer to her to get a better view of what she was doing. But as soon as she noticed, her eyes went wide and she scrambled over to the other couch.