Page 35 of Broken By Sin

“You’re out to get yourself!” the little girl snaps as she moves to cling to Erika. Royal snorts and shakes his head.

“Sweetheart, what have I told you about teasing Royal?” Bishop says in a tone far too soft to come from a man like him. The little girl bats her lashes up at him and purses her lips before answering.

“Not to pick on him and make him look weak in front of other people,” she answers. Royal throws his hands into the air and continues to argue with a child. I tune him out as I focus back on the papers, spreading them out across the desk.

“What are you trying to tell me, baby?” I whisper to myself. Saying that shit aloud was a bad idea because I now have a gun pressed against my temple. I flick my eyes to the side and see Vincent standing there sneering at me.

“My love, you agreed you wouldn’t harm the boy if he helped,” Carlina says gently as she reaches out and grips her husband’s arm, forcing him to lower his gun. I brush off the encounter trying to appear unaffected when in truth, I have never had a gun pointed at me this many times. Even as an agent, I very rarely had to draw my weapon. I comb through the papers making sure to keep my thoughts to myself this time. After a while things start to stick out to me. It’s coded!

“I got it!” I shout. I point out to each of them what I figured out. “These aren’t clues, they are text messages between Halil and Quintin.” I arrange the papers in order so they can read the messages in order.

“I don’t get it,” Chaos says.

“Me either,” Havoc agrees.

“Halil and Q are discussing you blowing up their shipment of coke, it’s just coded,” I say.

“How the fuck do you know the code?” Vincent snaps.

“Because Q is using codes that we use in the agency. Like, here he says reaper destroyed our powder on the water, powder means coke and water is boat. I’m assuming the reaper they are referring to is Royal.” Royal admits that I’m right and he did in fact blow up one of their ships. “Down here, Halil says that he’sout of second chances and to keep it buried, let the wife go. I believe that is code for they know Chance is dead and not to worry about going after Erika. I don’t know why he would say that but I think Halil is happy to have Chance out of the way.”

“Why?” Bishop asks me.

“With Chance out of the way, Halil doesn’t have to pay him his cut. Chance was getting a kick back from a lot of illegal shit and with him gone that’s more money in their pockets. I believe Quintin is getting a kick back as well to keep the feds off their trail” Bishop nods and looks slightly awed by the fact I figured this shit out.

“You still didn’t find my daughter,” Vincent snarls. I straighten and meet his stare refusing to cower under the pressure of his gaze.

“I know exactly where your daughter is, sir. I also know what she needs me to do in order to help her locate Halil Kozma.”

“Where is she?” he growls.

“She’ll come to me.” Vincent’s eyes shoot fire at me.

“What are your intentions exactly where my daughter is concerned, Kacey?” I blink a couple times, shocked Carlina is actually addressing me. I see so much of Chanel in her mother.

“I have no intentions—”

“Bullshit,” Vincent snaps.

Fuck it, I’m gonna lay it out for them. “Fine, my intentions for Chanel are to love her for as long as she will allow me to. I fucked up, I know that, but I am busting my ass and going against everything I believe in to help her.”

“How the fuck do we know you’re not here playing us right now?” I can feel everyone’s gaze on me at Vincent’s question.

“If I were undercover right now, I wouldn’t be wasting my time here with you all. I would be with your daughter and exploiting her feelings for me to flip her and gather intel on all of you.” Vincent attempts to grab me but his wife steps in front of him, forcing him to stay his hand.

“If your feelings for my daughter are true, you need to understand that a relationship with her will never work. She is who she is and that can never change. She will never be a normal girl.” I can hear the remorse in Carlina’s voice. She wishes her daughter could have had a normal life.

“Mrs. Murelo, your daughter will never be normal because she was born to stand out. If Chanel gives me a chance to prove myself, I’ll…” I take a deep breath before uttering the words I never thought I would say. “I’ll give up being an agent for her. I’ll give everything up just to be able to be near her. If she chooses to walk away from me at the end of this, you have my word that I will do everything within my power to continue to destroy any evidence that is gathered against your family and do whatever I have to in order to make sure she remains safe.”

“Prove it.” Those two words from Vincent hold so much fucking weight. I know without a doubt I have to prove myself to him in order for me to have a fighting chance in hell with his daughter.

CHANEL

I use the cover of darkness to conceal me in the shadows as I scope out Kacey’s apartment. He hasn’t been back here in days, which leads me to believe that he is staying somewhere else. I left clues behind hoping Royal would be smart enough to know that Kacey would be the only one able to figure out my whereabouts. It was a long shot but I thought Kacey being the only one able to track me would give him some credit with my family.

I haven’t spoken to any of them since the night I turned my back on them and ran. I know Royal is probably feeling like shit but he deserves it. Dad went too far. He may be able to control others’ lives but not mine. I am not a child anymore and I can make my own choices. My burner phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. I fish it out and groan, I never should have called her when I ran.

“What, Erika?” I growl. She is the only person I have spoken to. I know it’s crazy considering what I did to her but the girl really doesn’t give up, and there is only so much one person can handle before they give in and cave.

---