Chaos (Phoenix Undercover #2) by C.A. Harms

“You said he was willing to turn his father in. That he was willing to protect his mother and end her torture. Do you think someone forced Xavier and his mother out? Or took them?” I asked, wondering if Roman had found out and removed them before we could.
    “It doesn’t appear as if there was a struggle. Some of the neighbors reported that they saw them leaving in the early hours of the morning. They didn’t see anyone else with them.” Frank remained seated on the couch, and I began pacing once more. “Josh, we need more time. I think we’re getting close.”
    “I’m done.”
    “Josh—”
    “Don’t fucking give me shit about it, Frank. If someone ordered you to make your family believe you were dead, would you? If someone fucking told you that you couldn’t contact your wife, that you couldn’t see her, would you remain tucked away while your life went on without you?” I waited for his response, but he just stared at me as if he didn’t know what to say.
    “I’ll tell you what you would do. You’d tell them to fuck off, and you would go to those that love you. You wouldn’t stay away from Marie and you know it. So don’t you dare sit here and try to convince me otherwise.” I stepped toward the couch and placed my hands on my hips. “I’m done.”
    The look on Frank’s face told me he understood. He would just be wasting his time and mine if he tried to stop me now.
    I was finished with letting these fuckers control my decisions. It was time to take back my life.
     
    ***
     
    “Josh, is this the right move? I mean just to show up there. You’re gonna give your dad heart failure, not to mention Libby is liable to beat your ass.” Grey chuckled at that idea. “On second thought, I think I’ll enjoy seeing your sister beat the hell out of you.”
    “Yeah, what do you suggest I do otherwise? I know they’ll all be pissed off, hurt even, but they’ll eventually understand. I’m hoping their happiness at seeing me again outweighs their anger.” At least after the initial shock of seeing me.
    “Gabby’s in her office now. I honestly don’t think that would be the best place to spring this on her,” Audrey said as she tapped away at her phone, texting someone. “She said she’ll be home after five, and I promised to bring her dinner,” she added as she placed her phone into her back pocket and then looked up at me.
    “I’ll be there around five thirty,” I assured Audrey before I looked back over at Greyson. “You can go with me to my sister’s. After that, we’ll go to my dad’s.”
    He mumbled a few fuck s and holy hell s as he gathered his gun and phone from the coffee table. “Whatever, man, but if Libby cuts loose, I’m just stepping back to give her room. She has a mean right hook.”
    He rubbed his right cheek, and I remembered the time his mouth got a little too carried away a few weeks after I met him. My sister may be little, but she made it clear to Grey that she had no intention of having anything more than a friendship with him. The vision of my sister punching him still made me smile.
    “Yeah, asshole, I know you remember it,” Grey said as he pushed past me. “You could have warned a guy about how evil Lib actually is.”
    “As you just said not even five minutes ago, I just stepped back to give her room.”
    Mike chuckled this time, and Audrey looked at us all in question. As Grey and I left the apartment, Mike filled her in on my mean but adorable sister.
     
    ***
     
    For the entire ride to my sister’s house in Scarsdale, I sat staring out the window. It felt good to leave that shithole behind. The cool air on my face from the open window felt amazing. The weather was beginning to change, and fall had come to the city and its surrounding suburbs. Generally, I don’t pay attention to things like the vibrant leaves, but after being hidden away, they seemed so much more noticeable now.
    When Greyson slowed to a stop in front of my sister’s place, my