Page 77 of Undercover Desires

“Reader,” Kahil finally confesses. “He wanted Arabella to see some chick OD in your club, and the blame to fall on you.”

And it finally all makes sense. Detective Reader’s involvement sends shockwaves through me. He’s the worst kind of human. I get it now, what the Riveras are fighting against. Lies, deception, corruption, it’s all there, and they have to do whatever they can to survive. It’s fucked with their heads and made them the psychotic men they are now. Hardened underworld bosses. I see it every time I look at Leo and Jett, but Kobe, I couldn’t understand until tonight. He has two sides, and this is his reality, as scary as that is.

Kobe nods in acknowledgment, his eyes locking onto mine. He wears a frighteningly intense expression, and the room feels charged with tension. Ben and Rob await his next instruction,and I just stare back at him, frozen to the spot. I’m scared of what he’s going to do next, but at the same time, I know Kahil deserves everything that’s coming to him. Along with Reader, they plotted to kill some innocent girl, all to set up the Riveras. It’s madness. They can’t get away with it.

“An innocent sweet girl nearly died in my club so you could set me up,” Kobe growls. His eyes shift to me. “Bella, you hear how your beloved force operates?” he says, distaste dripping from his every word.

I glare back at him, frustrated by his attempt to drag me into this situation. I would never condone or participate in what this guy has done. He has to know me better than that by now.

He shakes Kahil. “Where did you get Euphoria X. It’s banned in this town, and since the Kings are out of business, production has stopped,” he presses, looking for the last piece to the puzzle.

“Reader. He owns that operation. It didn’t die with the Kings. He’s just rebranding it as something different.”

My heart races like crazy. Reader is the one in charge of everything. It feels like the air has been sucked out of the room. This is horrific.

Kobe drops Kahil, who scrambles on the ground, clearly beaten and defeated. “He’s all yours, boys,” Kobe says, dusting off his hands and turning to Rob with a nod.

Then his eyes come to me. “Sugarplum,” he says, extending a hand for me to join him. I hesitate, not sure I want to go anywhere near him.

He takes my hand anyway and leads me away from the room, my thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and fear, and my heart pounds loudly in my ears. I don’t know how to process all of this. It's too much. The reality of how brutal Kobe is, my fear of what’s to come with Reader being in charge of this illegal drug operation and the team tasked with bringing them down. No wonder the Riveras could never completely get it abolished,when he was working both sides. This must be what Caleb is investigating.

Kahil pleads desperately, calling out to me, “Constable Hamilton, you can’t just leave me here with them.” His eyes are cloudy with fear as he realizes his fate is sealed. It’s a stark contrast to how he was willing to betray me just minutes ago to save himself. I don’t agree with what they’re doing, but I won’t risk my life to save him. He willingly sold dangerous drugs to a young girl, all in the name of an alliance with Reader. He’s a piece of shit, and he sealed his own fate. I drop my head and let Kobe usher me away.

As Kobe closes the door behind us, the screams and pleas from the other room vanish, muffled by what I can only assume are soundproof walls. I pull my hands from his, not wanting him to touch me with his bloody hands. My skin prickles with goosebumps.

“Bella,” Kobe warns, reaching for my hands again.

Shuddering at his touch, I take another step away. “I-I need to go home,” I stammer, my fight-or-flight response kicking in, the overwhelming urge to run away from all of this. I am disgusted by the corruption in my station and terrified by Detective Reader's willingness to manipulate and deceive. “I can’t be around you right now.” My voice comes out in a whisper. I’m so close to panic.

“You knew what I did,” Kobe says, his eyes pleading for me to understand.

“But you doing it and me witnessing it are two totally different things, Kobe. How do I unsee you like that?” I reply, struggling to come to terms with the violence I just witnessed.

“You will forget,” he reassures me, running a hand up my arm in an attempt to comfort me. “Come home with me, I’ll make you forget.” His voice is playful. He’s already forgotten what he didand moved on, but I can’t. I’m not like him. I can’t just flick a switch and forget.

His offer to take me home with him is a major step for him, and I can see how much he needs me to be there, but I need space to process everything that has happened. And last time I let a guy manipulate me to get what he wanted in a relationship, it ended badly. He needs to know I’m not a pushover, and I won't go home with him just because I know it’s what he needs.

“That was too much for me. I need some time to myself,” I explain firmly, knowing it might screw up everything between us but needing to be strong for myself.

He looks me over, taking a step back. “Okay, if that’s what you need,” Kobe says, his expression reflecting the hurt caused by my rejection.

“It is,” I confirm. If he doesn’t get it, then that’s fine, but I’m done with trying to please all the surrounding people. I need to work out what I want and think for myself. And right now, I need to be as far away from all of this as I can so I can process.

“I know tonight was a lot, but you get it, right? What we’re up against. Your boss thinks he runs this town, he believes he can take an innocent girl’s life to prove a point. What we found out this evening will change everything. He needs to pay for what he’s doing to people, and we need your help to bring him down.”

I nod. I get it, I do. “You’re right. What Detective Reader is doing is disgusting, and he should be punished. Let the law do its job, and he will be dealt with in due course. Violence doesn’t have to be the only option,” I counter. I won’t agree with what he did. I can’t, it goes against my morals.

His expression grows more serious. “I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you, and in my experience, it is. We leave this to the authorities, and he will get off unscathed and will not only have the opportunity to fuck us over but to hurt innocent people in the process.”

“We’re going to have to disagree on that,” I assert.

Kobe assesses me. “I don’t want you to get hurt. He’s out for us, and you could get caught in the crossfire. Come home with me so I can make sure you’re safe. We can deal with the details in the morning when we talk to Caleb.”

“I can take care of myself, Kobe,” I respond, standing my ground and refusing to let fear dictate my actions.

“Bella. You’re not just some girl to me. You’re theonlygirl. When this is all over, I want you by my side. I need to know that’s what you want as well,” Kobe pleads. I can see the desperation in his eyes.

“Don’t make promises we both know you can’t keep, Kobe,” I reply, feeling like my heart is being ripped from my chest. I want to be his girl with my whole heart, but not like this.

---