Falling for Agent Cox:A Falling Novel Read online

  “See, I knew it.” We both laugh. “How about I finish this paperwork back at the office and tonight we head out.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  We both exit the restaurant and head back to the precinct.

  …and that brings me to now.

  The paperwork is completed. All my I’s dotted and all my T’s are crossed. Kye Vlahos is behind bars and will be for a very long time. I should be over the moon that this is over, but all I feel is sadness at never seeing Baylor again. By the time I got back to the precinct, she’d already been processed and was on her way to The Metropolitan Correctional Center.

  I will never see Baylor Evans again, and that upsets me more than it should.

  19

  Baylor

  Climbing out of the car, I can feel eyes on me—Cox is here. It’s comforting knowing he is but at the same time, I’m shit fucking scared for what’s about to transpire. Stepping onto the sidewalk, I look up and see Kye eye fucking me. My body heats from the intensity of his gaze. I smile seductively at him. He steps to me and slides his hand around my waist. “Fuck, you are a vision. My cock is throbbing at the sight of you in this dress.”

  “Well, let’s get this over with and then…” I don’t finish that sentence because there will be no after if all goes according to the plan. Kye licks his lips and we make our way inside. I look over my shoulder and up at the sky. It’s clear blue, not a cloud in sight. Taking a deep breath, I hope I will see daylight again.

  We enter the dark and dimly lit restaurant and a feeling of dread develops in the pit of my stomach, but I push it aside and follow Kye into a banquet room in the back. As soon as we enter, all conversation stops. Every head turns to face us. All eyes roam over me as if I’m a piece of meat. I remember the time Kye called, demanding I dress like a whore, and I smile at how far we’ve come. I look to him and I see the power emitting from him. He was born to lead. He’s thriving as the head of the Vlahos family and if today goes according to plan, he will be THE head honcho of the East Coast. Watch out world, Kye-fucking-Vlahos is coming. But then I wonder, can I stand by him and watch what he does? The drugs I can handle, but it’s the human trafficking and the murder I can’t deal with.

  He slides his hand around my waist and I’m snapped back to the present. He squeezes my hip in a possessive way and it reminds me of Cox the other night when he pushed me back to the counter and went down on me. I shudder at the memory and clench my thighs to ease the throb.

  Fuck, how can I be thinking of that, and him, right now?

  Looking over to Kye, I focus on him. “Gentleman, I give you Baylor Evans. My. Queen. Isn’t she gorgeous?”

  A murmur of agreements and head nods come from the men before us. Pussies, I think to myself as I raise my hand to silence them. “Kye, we are here to discuss business, not how fucking fabulous I look. Everyone in this room knows I’m hot and in a few moments, they will feel my wrath if they don’t stop eye fucking me,” turning to face Kye, I add, “you included. Now, everyone take their fucking seats and let’s get started.”

  Pulling away from him, I take my seat, lean back and look around the room. These eight men are the evilest of the evil and each one of them deserves everything that will be coming through that door any moment now. I sit and listen to Kye ramble on and I come to the realization that he is just as evil as them, if not more so. He killed his own family to get where he is, there’s nothing more despicable than that. I wonder if he will do that to me too, if I piss him off?

  “My queen has a point,” Kye says, leaning on the table. “We are here because I have a proposition for you all. As you know, I have recently taken over as head of the Vlahos family—”

  “Rumor has it,” a man to my left interrupts, “you killed them, including your own mother, to get this position of power. I speak for myself when I say, I’m not comfortable with that.”

  “And what proof do you have for this rumor?” Kye asks him pointedly. He’s met with silence. “Exactly. It’s all hearsay.”

  “Then why did you fake your death?” another asks.

  “Because I didn’t want to end up dead like them.”

  The room falls silent as everyone processes his words or should I say lies. For crooks, I can’t believe they cannot smell the bullshit coming from Kye’s mouth right now. Fucking idiots.

  Before any more can be said, the door to the room is kicked open. The cracking of the wood startles me and Kye growls, “What the fuck?” Just as the other door is also kicked in. His eyes widen as six agents storm into the room. All six of them ignore every other person in the room and have their guns pointed toward Kye.

  A hand squeezes my shoulder and when I look up, I see Kye, too, has his gun drawn. A fake smile is still on my face, and he glances down at me and winks. He thinks this is all a joke. I’m scared shitless right now but I cannot remove the smile from my face. I’m frozen with fear.

  At the sound of Cox’s voice, I turn my head and stare at him. He’s all decked out in his combat gear and holy fucking hotness, Batman. A man in uniform is hot, but a man in combat gear, fuck, it sets my insides ablaze. He’s focused on Kye and from next to me, I can feel the anger and rage building within Kye. He’s on the edge, one wrong move and this is going to end in a gunfight, I don’t have a good feeling for Cox and his team.

  Kye antagonizes Cox. “Like you have shit on me, pig. I suggest you turn around and walk out of here. That way we can pretend you didn’t just interrupt this reunion, and everyone can go on their merry way.”

  The room is silent, except for the heavy breathing of every person. Everyone’s eyes are darting between Kye and Cox. The barbs are tossed back and forth between the two of them and when Kye’s tone turns sinister, I begin to inch toward the front of my seat. Ready to drop and hide. I didn’t sign up for this and if I die today, I will be coming back to haunt Corey Cox for the rest of his days.

  I’m not sure who fires first but after that first shot, a symphony of gunfire follows. Grunts and bodies collapse all around me. I’m not sure if they are dropping from being shot or from hiding.

  Dropping to the floor, I cover my head and crawl under the table. Curling into a ball, I make myself as small as possible. Someone is screaming and then I realize, it’s me. Fear courses through my veins. My is heart racing, beating loud and fast in my ears.

  Opening my eyes, I see legs moving but they stop suddenly and the room falls silent. A few seconds ago, it was chaos, and now, nothing. Taking a few deep breaths, I crawl out from under the table and when my eyes land on the standoff between Kye and Cox, I gasp in shock. I don’t want either one of them to get hurt, but I know that one of them will not be walking out of here alive.

  It all happens so fast, yet at the same time, so slow. Kye drops to the ground, clutching his shoulder. His eyes wide open with shock. Dropping to my knees, I crawl over to him. “Kye, no-no-no,” I cry, as I press my hand to the bullet wound. Deep red blood stains his shirt. I’ve never seen blood up close before, it’s definitely not like it is in the movies.

  Lifting my head, I glance over the table and I see an agent with his arms raised. My eyes widen as realization hits that he’s going to kill Cox. My heart begins to race at the thought of Cox getting shot. He pulls the trigger, and I wait for Cox to collapse to the ground but to my surprise, one of Kye’s men grunts and drops to the ground before me.

  His eyes are vacant, staring into nothing. A trickle of blood drips down his nose from the single bullet hole in the center of his forehead.

  Kye groans and my attention snaps back to him. Gently I lift his head and cradle it in my lap. Over and over I repeat, “You shot him.” My cries becoming louder and louder. Someone grips my arms and lifts me into a standing position. Kye’s head drops to the blood-stained carpet and he grunts again. My arms are twisted behind my back and I’m cuffed.

  “Get the fuck off me,” I scream and wriggle, “you fucking dicks.”

  I try to pull free of the officer but he’s
got me cuffed and in his grasp. I look at Cox; I want nothing more than to hug him, but as Ave reminded me, I need to pretend I don’t know him. So I spit at him and growl, “Fuck you. Fuck you all.”

  Kye moans and my eyes drop to him. He deserves everything that’s coming but no one deserves to be in pain, I’m guessing getting shot hurts like a bitch. “Help him, you fuckers. He’s been shot,” I cry again. “Please,” I beg. “Help him.”

  Tears pour down my face as the adrenaline pumping around my body begins to fade. Lifting my gaze, my eyes meet Corey’s but I don’t see the man who cares about me. I don’t see the man who made me come on his face the other day. All I see is a straitlaced professional agent.

  The final knife to my heart is when I hear him say. “Get her out of here.” Those five words hurt like a sledgehammer.

  He won’t meet my gaze and it seems he really did only want me for my help to get Kye. He doesn’t care about me at all. I stupidly thought after the other night that when this was all over, we could try something but I guess, I was wrong.

  The officer escorts me out of the restaurant and into an awaiting cruiser. I’m taken to the station and placed into a holding room. I hated being in this room a few months ago and I hate it even now. It’s so cold and sterile. The door opens and a female officer walks in. “Baylor Evans?” she asks. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say no and be a snarky bitch but I just nod at her. “You’re being transferred in ten.”

  “Where’s Cox?” I ask her.

  “Not here. I will be processing your transfer to MCC.”

  “What the fuck is MCC?”

  “The Metropolitan Correctional Center. It will be home for the next,” she looks at the file in her hand, “twelve months for you, Ms. Evans.”

  “Can I see my sister before we go?”

  She shakes her head, “I’m afraid not. Details will be passed on to your family regarding visitation in the coming weeks.”

  “Weeks?” I shout, my eyes well with tears at the thought of not seeing or speaking to Ave for a few weeks. “I need my sister,” I blubber.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Well, can I see Cox then?”

  “As I said, he’s not here. If I see him, I’ll let him know but he’s currently out in the field.”

  “I fucking know that,” I snap. “I was with him when this all went down. Don’t you know who I am? What I did for you people?” I know I’m being a bitch right now, but this is all happening too fast. I knew it was going to happen but knowing and reality are two different things.

  “Curb the language and your attitude, Ms. Evans. I’ll be back to collect you soon.”

  The door closes and I mumble, “Fucking bitch.” Her words remind me of Cox and I smile to myself. Fucking Cox.

  Resting my head on the table, I sigh in defeat and begin to cry again. I did all of this for my freedom. Forgetting that before I get my freedom, I’ll be locked away. Tears cascade down my cheeks as the reality of it all sets in. I’m upset I can’t say goodbye to Ave. That I can’t tell her my plan to cozy up to Kye and be his queen worked. I’m sad I won’t get to see Corey again. That I can’t see the joy on his face at getting the bad guy. That I won’t get to kiss him again or sleep with him. I know we are different but we could work, if we tried.

  Sitting up, I lean back in my chair and whisper, “Falling for Agent Cox was fucking stupid. I will never fall for a man again, it hurts too much when it turns to shit.”

  20

  Corey

  …twelve months later

  A knock at my door has me lifting my head and grinding my teeth at the interruption. That anger is put aside when I see the captain at my door. “Captain,” I say in greeting. “What can I do for you?”

  He walks in and takes a seat. From the look on his face, I know it’s not going to be good. “I have some news,” he tells me.

  “Okay.” His demeanor is scaring me. I begin to think that something has happened to Mom and Dad but if it were in regard to them, Aunt Bec would have called me.

  “It’s Vlahos,” he says, his tone unnerving.

  “What about the asshole?” His lawyer has been a douchebag this last twelve months. He’s tried to have the charges dismissed multiple times but I have an ironclad case, and each time the DA and I get their motion for dismissal denied.

  “He escaped.”

  “What the fuck,” I shout. “How the fuck did that happen?”

  “He was taken to hospital with suspected appendicitis and with the help of his associates on the outside, he escaped. He killed two officers and severely injured a nurse.”

  “Fuck me.” Rubbing my forehead in frustration, I glance up and from the look on his face I can tell there’s more. “Just spit the rest out.”

  “Creed Dawson was found dead in his cell a few moments ago.”

  “Fuck me,” I groan, “and let me guess, it looks like a suicide but you and I both know it’s not.”

  “Not this time, Cox. He was definitely murdered.” He’s still shuffling and I just know there’s more. I wish he’d just spit to out.

  “Why do I feel like there’s more?”

  “Because there is,” he confirms.

  “Shit comes in threes,” I tell him, “What’s the third shitastic news you have for me?”

  “A note was found near Dawson’s body. It was addressed to you and let’s just say, it’s very concerning.”

  “What did it say?”

  “It said, ‘Rats like to squeal. You and that bitch are going down.’”

  “What bitch?” But as soon as I voice it, I know exactly who Vlahos is referring to, Baylor Evans.

  “I’m guessing he’s discovered Ms. Evans was helping you.”

  “Baylor-fucking-Evans, I thought I was rid of her,” I tell him, but it’s a lie, a big fucking lie. She’s been on my mind every single day for the last twelve months. Hell, I even dream about her and have woken up on several occasions with a rock-hard dick. I’d either have to take a cold shower or whack one out just so I could get back to sleep. “Where is she right now?”

  “Funny you should ask, she was released from prison today. The timing is quite the coincidence, if you ask me.”

  “Is she aware of the threat made?”

  “Not as yet. I came to see you to get your opinion on what we do from here.”

  “Me? Why do I care what happens?”

  “Because she was your informant. I thought—”

  “No, no, I get it. I’ll reach out to her and tell her to be careful.”

  “Maybe you should put someone on her. Just to be safe.”

  “I’m sure it’ll all be fine. Let’s just find this fucker and put him back where he belongs.”

  “Corey, you need to be careful, too. Don’t go all cowboy on this.”

  “You first named me, you really are concerned.”

  “When a threat is made against one of my agents, you bet your fucking ass I’m concerned. Now, I want you to arrange surveillance for Ms. Evans and you need to go see her and give her a heads-up.”

  “Fine,” I relent. “I’ll get on it after I finish this report.”

  “Now, Cox. The timing of all of this is too much of a coincidence. My gut is telling me this is going to turn to shit and as I said, I refuse to lose an agent or informant.”

  The look on his face doesn’t give me any room to negotiate, so I nod my head and begin to pack up, looks like I’ll be seeing Ms. Evans once again.

  21

  Baylor

  Today is the start of my new life…or so they say.

  Today I’m being released from jail for my part in the drug sting. I’m not the same person I was when I first went in. Hell, I’m not the person I was before I went undercover. I’d heard stories that prison changes a person. I thought they were full of shit but once again, I was mistaken.

  Don’t get me wrong; I’m still a bitch. But now, I’m a lovable one. I still love all things purple and bagels with cream cheese are still THE bes
t food items ever created in the history of foods…and grape taffy is life. But now, I have a future. I actually care about my future and have dreams. I want to work in a bar and I want to become a mixologist. I’m also looking forward to spending some time with Ave and her soon-to-be fiancé—that is if she says yes tonight.

  Flynn came to visit me the other week. I was shocked when I walked into the visitors’ room and saw him alone. At first I thought Ave was in the bathroom but when it became clear she wasn’t, my thoughts turned to the worst. She was dead, or sick, or she was abducted by aliens. Thankfully, she was fine—no alien anal probing for her—and he was here to ask, well, tell me, he was going to propose. I squealed in delight, garnering odd looks from the guards, inmates, and their visitors.

  Flynn really is the perfect person for my sister, sure they are polar opposites but as the saying goes ‘opposites attract.’ I nearly ruined that for them when I was in over my head, but I’m glad my meddling last year didn’t wreck this for them.

  That day still haunts me and I can never take it back, but I will spend the rest of my days making it up to my sister. I have a recurring dream of when Smallie and River kidnapped me from outside the hospital while Ave was recovering. The shrill sound of her screams as they drove off with me in the back of that van still haunt me, even when I’m awake…as does the last time I laid my eyes on Corey Cox.

  He’s the one who got away. Not that I stood a chance with him but now that I’m out, it’s time to focus on me. Love will come when I least expect it.

  Flynn and Ave walk back inside and the smile on my sister’s face is the biggest I’ve ever seen, she’s beaming. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy. Cress races over and hugs Ave and then grabs her hand to get a look at the rock on her finger. Flynn and Preston do the man hug thing and they both then join us. Preston embraces Ave, after a nudging from Cress