Page 83 of Undercover Desires

“To Jett,” I cheer with a proud smile.

“To us; we make an unstoppable team.” Jett clinks bottles with mine. “And kid, you’re next.” He clinks drinks with Ben.

“Sure am,” Ben agrees. He has his own fight booked for later in the year, and it won’t be too soon. The kid has worked his ass off this year, he’s ready.

I throw back my drink, ready for a big night of celebrations. My only disappointment is that Arabella didn’t show. Hazel said she will catch up with me tonight at the club, but I can’t shake the feeling that something has shifted with us. That she’s about to run, and I’m never going to see her again.

A knock comes at the door, so loud it can be heard over the commotion of our celebration. The door opens, and we all turn to face it, seeing Detective Reader, with Arabella by his side. I try searching her face for answers, but her head is dropped, focusing on a spot just in front of her, avoiding my gaze. My hackles rise. What the fuck is going on?

“Detective Reader, what can we do for you?” purrs Leo, a fake pleasantness in his tone.

“Sorry to interrupt the festivities. Congratulations, Jett,” the detective calls in our direction, his grin forced.

Jett glares at him, letting out something that sounds like a snarl. He hates this guy, and after what I found out last night, I’m with him. The sooner we deal with him like his friend Kahil, the better.

“Sorry to break up the party. I’m Detective Reader, and this is Constable Arabella Hamilton with the Palm Springs narcotics department.

I stare at her, waiting for her to provide some indication of what’s going on. A sign that we’re okay. But nothing comes, she won’t look at me. My heart races, and a mix of emotions floods over me. I knew she was a cop all along, but seeing it confirmed with my own two eyes makes it undeniably real. She seems like a completely different person now, and a deep sense of discomfort gnaws at me. It’s bewildering that she’s been fighting for the wrong team all this time. Can’t she see what this guy is truly capable of? She knows the kind of danger he poses, so how can she continue to stand by his side, supporting him?

“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice tinged with frustration and confusion. I wait for her to providesome explanation, any hint of what’s happening, but nothing comes.

As I observe her, a sense of remorse seems to wash over her, but she remains firmly on his side. It hits me like a ton of bricks. She was never truly mine; she was just using me, playing a role to achieve whatever her hidden agenda was.

For the first time since she entered the room, her eyes meet mine. “Kobe Rivera, you are under arrest for theft of police property. The Acevedo little black book has been found in your possession. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,” she says, her words cold and detached, delivered with robotic precision.

I look over at Leo, signaling for him to call a lawyer. He warned me repeatedly about getting involved with her, but I didn’t believe she would actually betray me. I thought there was something real between us. She’s the only woman I’ve ever had genuine feelings for, and I thought she was worth the risk.

“Please place your hands behind your back,” she instructs me, and I comply without resistance. I know Leo will handle the legal side of things, and resisting arrest will only make matters worse. The irony isn’t lost on me that less than twenty-four hours ago, I was doing exactly this to her. I had all the power. What was that? Her playing a game of her own, knowing it would be the last time with me? It makes sense now. Here I was thinking she was giving herself to me, but really, it was a perfectly practiced seduction. She used her body to trick me into trusting her. Bet she and Reader had a good fucking laugh about it after.

“You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you,” she continues, her voice trembling slightly as she recites the Miranda rights.

I nod, acknowledging that I understand my rights, even as a sense of betrayal and anger courses through me. I’m searching her eyes for a hint that this isn’t real, but they’re blank, distant.

“This sounds like a bullshit charge, Reader,” Jett snaps, his anger palpable. “You have no evidence to prove he had that book.”

“We have all the evidence we need. Did our research this time,” Reader replies, his smirk oozing arrogance. This guy is utterly despicable. “Jett, Leo,” he says, then nods in our direction, signaling it’s time to go.

We follow him down the hall, her hand lightly guiding me. The normal buzz between us is gone. I’m confident that I’ll be out by tonight. Leo will ensure that this baseless charge doesn’t stick. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the charge itself. It’s the fact that she’s the one who turned me in that’s tearing me apart. I trusted her, against all logic. I know I shouldn’t have, but I did. I thought we were building something real, something genuine. She’s the only woman I’ve ever had feelings for, and I honestly believed they were reciprocated. How fucking wrong I was. She was just a damn good actress, playing me for the fool I clearly was.

When we arrive at the station, they take me through the booking process, record my personal information, take a mugshot and fingerprints. Seize my phone, wallet, and keys. Then they leave me in a cell. I can’t shake the feeling that something is off about Arabella’s behavior. It’s not the typical satisfaction or confidencethat a police officer might display after making an arrest. Instead, she avoids making eye contact and seems distant, her actions speaking louder than words.

She lets Reader boss her around, none of her normal smart mouth to be seen. She complies, a shadow of the girl I came to know. I want to catch her alone and ask her how she could do this to me, but Reader doesn’t leave her side for a second. He leers over her shoulder as she fills in paperwork. It makes my muscles twitch, and I want to punch his fucking lights out for having the hide to stand so close to her.

They walk away; she has her head down, and as she gets to the end of the hall, she looks back over her shoulder, remorse in her eyes. She hates herself for arresting me. I glare back at her, imploring her to come back here and explain. Is she really a heartless bitch who would side with him? They turn the corner, and I drop onto the bench in the holding cell they have left me in, defeated.

From the highest of highs, thinking I was falling in love with the girl of my dreams, helping my brother to the best win of his career, to the lowest of lows, in a dingy fucking cell, with no idea when I’m getting out.

I’ve known Arabella long enough to sense that this situation is different. Her actions contradict the trust I had placed in her, and I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this arrest than meets the eye. My frustration grows, not just from being detained, but from the betrayal I feel from someone I thought I knew and cared about. I was damn close to thinking I was in love with her. That can’t all be bullshit. It felt real. It still does. She was right there with me.

Closing my eyes, I think back over the last couple of months since I met her. So much has changed. I’m not the same person I was. She’s made me a better man. I made her better; I know I did. She hates Reader. I saw the horror in her eyes when she heard what he had been up to last night. She wouldn’t stand by and help him. It goes against her pure side. Something is really wrong here, and the longer I sit and wait, the more my anger turns to fear for her.

As time stretches on and no one comes to secure my release, my impatience and frustration grow exponentially. Each step I take in the cramped cell feels like a blow to my pride and freedom. I should have been out of here by now, with Leo’s guy ready to pull some strings and get me released.

Reader is a dead man walking. I pace back and forth, the anticipation of confronting him and settling the score overwhelming my senses. I’m ready to take action, to unleash the storm that’s been brewing inside me since the moment I was arrested.

I hear the jingle of keys, and my hope surges as I look over to see Caleb. Thank fuck, a face I can trust in this mess. His demeanor is all business as he delivers the news. “You made bail.”

A silent understanding passes between us, confirming that something is amiss, something we can’t discuss openly here. So, I keep all the crazy swelling inside of me locked up.

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