Crazed (Se7en Deadly SEALs Book 3) Read online

  I trusted no one.

  Knowing the jig was up, I dropped the accent. “You got me. I told Joaquín I’d do anything to exonerate him. And last I heard, you advised him to plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit, so I think I made a good decision. Was it necessary for you to total my car in order to talk to me? What the fuck do you want? You’re ruining my investigation.” Despite my anger, speaking normally made my tongue very happy.

  Daniel and his henchman simultaneously broke out into laughter. I was a joke to them. These jackasses must’ve figured that I’d ruined my life just to play a game. But this was no game. I was dead serious.

  “Investigation? What have you turned up? Oh wait, let me guess, SEALs drink, occasionally get high, and fuck strippers. Real groundbreaking stuff, Miss Cruz. Maybe you can apply for a career with NCIS.”

  Asshat.

  I bit my lip. “Why did you bring me out here? Just to let me know you were on to me? That Joaquín figured me out? Congratulations, super sleuths, I basically told him I was Ksenya. Now do something useful and tell me about the trial. What’s your defense?”

  Daniel signaled to his buddy to leave us alone. The other man walked back to the Cadillac.

  “Defense? I’m still trying to convince him to plead guilty, but he refuses. Being a stubborn asshole must run in the family.” Daniel put his arm on my shoulder. I flinched away. “Sweetheart, he did do it.”

  My heart sank. Were Grant and I the only people who believed in Joaquín’s innocence? “Why on earth would he plead guilty? He’s innocent. He swore to me.”

  “Despite what he told you, told me, told your lover Grant, or told the cops, your brother is guilty. The sooner he admits to it, the sooner we can get him a reduced sentence. We could make it seem like an accident, manslaughter. He’d be out in five and we could all move on. Well, maybe not you, you look like a porn star now. But I’m sure you could make sex tapes and find yourself a reality show.”

  That was the point, asshole—I looked like this to get close to these men. Joaquín was not guilty. Why was this guy just volunteering all this information to me, anyway? What about attorney-client privilege? How could he be so dismissive, treating me like I was a joke? My stomach churned and my feet crinkled the leaves below. My gut told me something was gravely wrong. “You are supposed to be protecting him. Be his advocate. Believe in him.”

  “Look, honey, I don’t care about your ideas on the matter. Joaquín is losing it in jail. I think the current conditions are causing him to have mental health issues. He’s downright delusional. Fortunately, his breakdowns are good for me because I might be able to show at trial that the stress of being a SEAL, having PTSD, and losing his parents made him snap. In any case, Joaquín desperately wants to see you again and I promised him I’d make it happen. I’ll call Grant and arrange it.

  “Grant doesn’t know I’m Mia. And he told Ksenya never to call him again.”

  Daniel gritted his teeth. “If he says no, let me know and I’ll handle it. He knows how to obey orders for the good of the Team. And don’t worry, I’ll keep your little secret for now. Mainly because I find it amusing and want to see how far you will go. Who knows? Maybe you will undercover some deep, dark secret.”

  Something about the way he said “deep, dark secret” rattled me. As if he knew there was a secret waiting to be unearthed.

  “Maybe I already have.”

  My comment barely registered on Daniel’s face. A cool smirk and he grabbed his phone.

  My eyes widened, and mania captured my brain. Despite all my acting abilities, I was unable to slow my dancing mind, contain my anxiety, and relax my twitching body.

  “I’ll arrange to get you some cash for your troubles. I’ve taken the liberty of programming my number into your phone. As for the car, we had it towed and we’re going to fix it up and deliver it to you later.”

  Note to self: get a new phone. He probably put some tracking device on it like I had with Mitch’s. “I don’t need your cash. I can take care of myself.”

  The other man walked over and handed me my purse and phone. I quickly rummaged through it to see if all the contents were still there.

  “Nice to meet you, Mia. Tell Grant you were involved in a hit and run.”

  “Look, Joaquín may trust you, but I think you’re a slimy prick. If you were doing your job, I wouldn’t have had to ruin my life.”

  The men ignored my words and left the scene.

  This entire event made no sense at all. Daniel was a lawyer, but the way he approached and treated me was more like the actions of a criminal. And what really bothered me was that he wasn’t being honest with Joaquín.

  I was fairly close to my apartment. I could easily have called a cab, Autumn, or even Mitch to get me. But I needed to play the damsel in distress, at least one last time. Grant had shut me out; this accident was my golden ticket, especially because I needed him to go see my brother. As a SEAL, Grant would never turn his back on a girl in need.

  I grabbed my cell.

  “Hello?”

  “Grant, I’m sorry that I call to you. I have but no one else. I was in accident and the men gave me ride but I do not trust them so they drop me near to my house. Can you come get me?”

  He paused and let out a long sigh. “Where are you?”

  I raced down the freeway to get to Mia. Her voice sounded weak and edgy. And I was even more pissed off at her than ever, just entertaining the possibility that she had hidden our kid somewhere. Yes, I knew she was an actress and still playing me. Either way, something didn’t seem right.

  An accident? Men giving her a ride? Yeah, I’ll bet. Yet another scheme, another group of shady people she associated with. I understood her goal, but I still thought she was bat-shit crazy.

  After stewing over the whole situation with Mia and the baby, I decided I couldn’t let it go. This baby, her baby, possibly my baby. It was even worse now because I had convinced myself that Julián was my son, even though I had no proof yet. I had to fucking know what had happened to her baby. And the only way I could do that was keep Mia close.

  My plan was simple: get her to open up to me, no matter what the cost. First as Ksenya, then I’d call her bluff. I would do whatever it fucking took until I found out the truth.

  I would seduce her, not just sexually, but emotionally. The second I had her right where I wanted her, I’d call her out, demand answers, demand respect.

  But I had to tread lightly, there was no way she could know I was on to her. No more trapping her into eating meat. I would treat her like a real girlfriend, disarm her, and she wouldn’t know what hit her.

  I pulled around the corner to find her sitting on a bench, hands in her lap, shoulders slumped. For the first time since I’d met her as Ksenya, she looked disheveled.

  My stomach knotted. Had she been assaulted? Until I could get her to admit to what she was up to, I had to stay close. To protect her. I had no fucking clue what or who she was involved with.

  I stopped the car and she jumped inside. Her skin was dirty, her hair was tangled, and I noticed her dark roots and extensions. Mascara was smeared down her face. Dried spots of blood were on her neck and face.

  Fuck me. “What the fuck happened to you? Tell me the truth.”

  She bit her lip. “It is nothing. My car, it crash on freeway. These men pick me up and take me to here. I am okay. Thank you for getting me.”

  Lying again. Fuck this bitch. I needed to step up my game and figure out what was going on. “Fine, whatever. You’re staying with me tonight.”

  “But you said to me last night to get the fuck out.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  She nodded and didn’t speak, which was probably for the best. I considered giving her an excuse for kicking her out the other night, but I saw no reason to lie. I never made excuses for my actions and I wasn’t going to start now.

  I drove back to my place, stopping at a drive-thru. I asked Mia what she wanted to eat, and even though she
said she wasn’t hungry, I ordered her a salad.

  Back at my place, I took her into the bathroom to clean her up and examine her wounds.

  “Take off your clothes.”

  She flinched back, but I didn’t have time for her games. Not today. “Now, woman.”

  She pulled the tight white tank top over her neck and my eyes zeroed in on her huge tits. Her nipples were barely covered by the black bra she was wearing. I gritted my teeth thinking about all the guys at the bar today who had been eye-fucking her.

  She wiggled out of her tight jean skirt, revealing a see-thru mesh black thong. My cock rose to attention. I wanted to bend her over, slap her ass, and take her from behind.

  But instead I took out my first aid kit.

  Her hair was tinged red and stuck to the gash on her forehead. I cleaned it up with hydrogen peroxide, but the wound wasn’t too deep. My hands made their way down her incredible body, exploring her curves, looking for any more injuries, but besides superficial scratches, she was fine. My hand grasped her neck, pulling her body toward me, and I pressed the tip of my cock on her panties, so she could feel how much I wanted her. She gasped, leaned in to kiss me, and I pushed her away.

  I left her in the bathroom and threw her one of my old T-shirts and some sweats.

  I ate my meal at the table and Mia picked at her salad on the sofa. This was a fucking nightmare. I had the hottest woman—who happened to be the love of my life—alone in my place, yet I refused to fuck her. I couldn’t stand to be in the same house as her. I had to treat this as a mission—a mission to find out what happened to her baby.

  “Where’s your car?”

  “I had it towed to shop. I get it fixed and get it back soon.”

  She had an answer for everything. I studied her face, which now seemed less angelic and slightly sinister, her blond hair wild and sexy.

  From here on out, I would step up my game. Finding out what had happened to Mia’s child was my first priority, then I’d get to the bottom of Joaquín’s stripper’s murder case, though if Julián was Mia’s kid, or even possibly Joaquín and Tiffany’s kid, then the man definitely had a motive. And I didn’t have any other leads. I’d laid low, listening, trying to cull some intelligence. So far I had nothing, other than a few rumors Joaquín was involved in some underground drug ring. But I’d never seen him touch drugs, not once. Mitch dabbled, a few of the other guys got high, but not Joaquín.

  I was scarfing down my burger when my cell phone rang. I glanced down, assuming it was one of my Team guys calling me into work, but the number was unknown.

  I picked up the phone. “Hello?”

  A woman’s voice played on a recording. “You are receiving a call from—”

  “Joaquín Cruz,” my buddy’s voice said.

  “—an inmate at the San Diego County Jail. Press one to accept this call and two to decline.”

  My finger scrambled to press one. “Hey man, you okay?”

  “Yup.” Joaquín’s voice seemed weak. “Hey, I need you to come visit me this week. It’s urgent. I’ll have my lawyer set it up.”

  Had I been right about him noticing Mia’s bracelet? “Of course, bro. I’ll give him a call tomorrow.”

  “One more thing. Can you bring that fox you were with? I need some eye candy.”

  I glanced over at Mia, curled in a ball with Hero on the sofa. “You bet.”

  No matter how hard I’d fought to stay away from her, somehow we always wound up back together.

  I barely slept all night, worrying that now that Daniel had found out who I was, Grant would be next.

  I’d spent the night alone again, but in his bed. Wrapped in his covers, dreaming of cuddling next to him. I’d even slept naked, hoping he would climb into the bed in the middle of the night and make love to me. But Grant remained on the sofa all night; his only companion was Hero. I figured he was still pissed at me from the other night, though he wouldn’t tell me why. He still came to my rescue, but that wasn’t actually that shocking considering rescuing people was his profession. I wished I knew what was going through his mind. Our distance grew further apart. Now, more than at any other point since I started this game, did I realize the chances of us getting back together were fading. Too many lies, too many secrets. Even so, I cherished every second of sleeping in his bed where we first made love, the sheets fragrant with his scent.

  When I walked out of the bedroom, Grant was cooking breakfast. But this time there was no steak to make me gag—just black coffee, steel-cut oats, and strawberries.

  Everything was vegan. Did he know?

  “Sorry about breakfast, I haven’t gone shopping in a while. And we have to leave to see Joaquín in an hour.”

  That made sense. “It is good, thank you.”

  He sat across the table from me, sipping his coffee. “So, how was work yesterday?”

  “Good. Kyle is nice to me. Money, it is good.” I couldn’t help staring at his biceps. He was just wearing a T-shirt and gray sweats. His beard was full, and I begin to fantasize about him. It had been so long since I’d felt his skilled tongue between my legs, just the thought alone was enough to get me wet. How had I fucked up so badly with him? Not only as Mia but also as Ksenya?

  Now wasn’t the time. I was going to see my brother again. And this time, he knew who I was.

  We finished breakfast and then left in Grant’s truck.

  Daniel hadn’t wasted any time setting the meeting up. And I’d come up with a plan.

  I had to admit, it wasn’t my best plan. There was no way I could distract Grant and try to talk to Joaquín alone. My interactions would be video and audio taped. Good thing I had some tricks up my sleeve.

  We parked on the street in front of the prison and Grant fed the meter. I gazed up at the jail from below and stared at the tiny windows looked out on the ocean. I choked back a tear, imagining Joaquín wasting away up in his tower, with only a sliver of a glimpse to the outside world. Grant took my hand and led me into the building.

  The guard seemed to recognize me from our last visit on Monday, just two days prior. I gave him a polite head nod and sat next to Grant on an orange plastic chair. The floor smelled like bleach and desperation, and the toxic environment in the room made my stomach queasy.

  I squeezed Grant’s hand. “Why did he want to see you so very soon?”

  Grant smirked, pushing his blond hair off his chiseled face. “No clue. Said it was urgent.”

  I forced a smile. Grant was lying to me. He knew something was up with Joaquín. Or worse, me. Fuck.

  Joaquín appeared in his jumpsuit, but mercifully this time I was prepared for his disheveled appearance. Even so, my heart wept when his frame came into view.

  He picked up the phone. “Hey, thanks for coming.” He waved to me and I resisted the urge to shatter the glass to hug him.

  “What’s up, man? You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m good. I’ve made a decision.” He looked right at me. “I’m not going to plea.”

  Yes! Best news I’d heard since this nightmare started.

  Grant’s face beamed. “Great news. Is there anything I can do? Do you remember anything else about that night? I wish I were more helpful. Sorry, I was too fucked up and busy with Autumn to remember much of anything.”

  Fuck you, Grant. Even though he’d told me he was done with me two nights ago, he had picked me up from the park and brought me to visit his friend in jail. Why was he talking about Autumn? To make Ksenya jealous? Or was he just being honest with Joaquín?

  “It’s okay. Look, I need you to do something for me. I’m worried about Mia. I think something has happened to her. There was this man, Julián, who she dated after you. I didn’t like the guy.”

  Holy fuck! Did he say Julián? I stifled a gasp and my muscles stiffened, almost falling off my chair. A sudden coldness filled my core. Joaquín was lying to Grant . . . but why? I’d never dated a man named Julián. He was clearly saying this to let me know that he knew about little Julián,
who I now assumed to be his kid. But none of this made sense. If Julián was my nephew, then Joaquín had lied to me about never having met Tiffany before. And if he’d had a one-night stand with Tiffany years ago and discovered she kept a son from him . . . that would be a motive for murder.

  Alternatively, if he knew about his son, then he’d been lying to me for years. Granted, I’d lied to him about the birth of my baby, but he’d died and Joaquín had been deployed. This was too much. Our lives couldn’t be that parallel. We both couldn’t have had secret babies conceived and born around the same time and both hid said babies from each other. That was ridiculous.

  Grant’s teeth clenched and the color drained from his face. I thought a vein in his neck was going to pop. Was he reacting this strongly to thinking about me with another man?

  “I never knew about any guys after me, which was a good thing because I’d probably be the one in jail for murder. But I’ll find her for you. I love you, bro, but that sister of yours is one fucked-up bitch.”

  Thanks, asshole.

  Joaquín clenched his fist and slammed it on the counter. The guard glared at him. “Fuck you, man. No, she’s not. Listen to me. I know she left you, but you don’t know the real story and it’s not my place to tell you. That’s a conversation you need to have with her. It’s really not what you think. And if I ever hear you calling Mia a bitch again, I’ll fuck you up once I get out of here.”

  I loved my brother. Even in here, under the worst circumstances, he was my biggest defender. His reaction reaffirmed that all my sacrifice had been worth it. Joaquín would always have my back. Even so, I didn’t have a clue what the fuck my brother was talking about. He didn’t know why I had left Grant. Nobody knew. I hadn’t told a soul. It took every ounce of self-control to hold back my voice. I wanted to demand that Joaquín explain himself.

  “Whatever, man, relax. I’ll make sure she’s safe, but then I’m done with her. But I’ll always be here for you. If you need me to testify, I’ll be there.”