Behind the Secrets (Behind the Lives #4) (27 page)

“Beth.”

She turned back. “Yes.”

“Thanks for listening to me. No one
listens to me for long without yelling or telling me off. It wuz nice to speak
without someone gettin’ upset with me.”

“You’re welcome, and if Corey ever tells
you off for anything, tell him to leave you alone. He’s too opinionated. He
needs to think of your feelings, not only his.”

Sledge smiled. “I will.”

Beth smiled back. “Now rest, I’ll see ya
later.”

Sledge nodded and lay down. Beth slipped
out of the room, closing the door behind her, feeling proud that she’d set
Sledge on the right path. She wouldn’t put it past her brother to trick Sledge
into a relationship, especially since Dante’s brother wasn’t all there.

Voices came from the lounge, stopping Beth
in her tracks, one of them Corey, the other...

Saul.

She breathed in sharply, shocked he was
here. But how did he know she would be at her parents’? Maybe he’d assumed
she’d come here after he’d heard Josie kick her out. She wondered whether he
was asking Corey about her. She inched cautiously down the passage, needing to
know. Peeking around the door, she spotted Saul sitting on the couch, facing
away from her. He was talking to Corey, blocking her view of her brother.

“You have to take the stand,” Saul said.

“No I don’t,” Corey answered. “Nike’s
testifying for me.”

“Nike wasn’t there when Ant assaulted
you or took those nude photos.”

“I still can’t testify; I’ll stuff up.”

“You’ll do fine.”

“No I won’t! Please don’t make me do
this, I can’t face Ant, and if I take the stand, they’ll ask ’bout what he did
to me. I can’t say that in front of everyone.”

“That’s not your fault, it’s his.”

Beth fisted her hands, Saul’s hypocrisy
getting to her. He was just as bad as Ant, the both of them deserving to be in
jail.

Saul continued, “There’s no way round it,
Corey, you have to do this. Not only that, there’s a risk of Ant getting off on
a loophole if you don’t testify, and you know what he’ll do if he gets out:
he’ll be coming for you.”

“He held me at gunpoint; you and Nike
both saw that! How can they not use your testimonies against him?”

“He claims he was protecting you from
us.”

“That’s a lie! He kidnapped me and broke
my foot.”

“He said that was an accident, and
without you countering him, he’ll get away with it.”

“But you’re a cop; the jury should
believe you over him.”

“Ant’s lawyers will dredge up all the
things I had to do while undercover. It’ll weaken my testimony considerably. My
superior has already warned me that they’re considering putting me under
investigation. Not only that, Ant has the best lawyers who’ll rip mine and
Nike’s testimonies apart.”

“What ’bout Dante? He can testify; Ant
assaulted him too.”

“Dante just got out of a mental
institute. His testimony will probably do more damage than good. Not only that,
he has a record longer than the New York Marathon. The only person who can
bring Ant down is you. We can get him on kidnap charges as well as sexual
assault, along with those pornographic images he took of you. Your friend Tyler
is even willing to back up your story about you being drugged. But he will only
do it if you take the stand, because he’s just as scared as you are. Without your
help the case is considerably weakened. Ant will probably get off on
technicalities, then you better run, because, as I said before, he’ll come
after you.”

Corey started crying.

Saul reached out. “Don’t cry, you’ll do
fine up there.”

“I still can’t do it, he’ll hurt...”
Corey stopped talking.

“He’ll hurt who?”

“No one, he’s just scary.”

“Is there something you’re not telling
me, Corey?”

“No.”

“You’re lying, so tell me the truth.”

“I can’t!”

“Has he contacted you?”

Corey went quiet.

“Corey, answer me.”

“Yes,” Corey sobbed, “but you hafta keep
it a secret or he’ll order a hit on my family.”

“I can put them into a witness protection
program until the trial.”

“We’re in New Zealand! It’s not big
enough to hide from him. The best thing is for me to keep my mouth shut. You
also hafta leave my house. I don’t want him finding out I’ve been talkin’ to
you.”

“I’ll still ask for protection, because
if he gets free, you know he’ll come after you.”

“Stop sayin’ that!”

“Only once you get it into your stubborn
head you have to do this.”

“I don’t hafta do anything! Just get
out! Get out!”

Saul pushed to his feet. “Okay, but I’m
not letting up on this. I’ll go sort out some witness protection for your
family, because, Corey, you
will
testify against Ant. I’m not letting
you risk everything because you’re too scared to face up to him. It’s going to
happen whether you like it or not. I’ll even get you subpoenaed if I have to.”
He turned and exited the house, closing the door behind him.

Beth’s gaze shifted back to Corey, who had
his hands over his face, sobbing his heart out. Her chest constricted, pain
shooting through it at her brother’s anguish. Guilt also hit her, especially
since she’d accused Corey of wanting what Ant had done to him. She was just as
bad as Josie, causing Corey pain like Josie had caused her.

She emerged from the passageway and went
to Corey, sitting down next to him. He uncovered his face and looked up at her,
his sweet face shiny with tears, his hazel eyes paling to an olive green. She
placed her arms around him and pulled him to her chest. Instead of fighting
her, he snuggled in closer and continued sobbing. Beth ran her hand up and down
his back, wanting to make him feel better, their fight no longer important.

20

Saul

Saul got into his car and backed out,
stopping as a station wagon turned into the Connors’s driveway, blocking his exit.
He went to tell them to move, but stopped as a woman poked her head out of the
driver’s side, indicating for him to shift to the right. He stared at her for a
moment, taken aback by how much she looked like Beth. No, she was even more
beautiful, just older.

“Are you going to move?” she asked,
looking perplexed.

He pulled his head back in and steered to
the right, putting his car into park next to the wooden fence. The station wagon
drove forward, parking next to his unmarked police car. He waited in his seat
as the woman got out and walked around to his door. She was dressed in blue
scrubs, with a white cardigan over top, giving him the impression she was
either a doctor or a nurse.

She leaned down and looked through the
window at him. “Who are you? And why are you leaving my home?”

Saul stared up at her, not realising that
Beth had an older sister. He’d thought Beth was stunning, but her sister was
even better-looking. Like Beth, she had long black hair, hazel eyes, and soft
caramel skin, but with a curvier figure, her bust a lot bigger. She also exuded
confidence, her body language commanding him to answer her, unlike Beth, who
always looked fearful.

The woman smiled at him, a knowing glint
in her eye telling him she knew he found her attractive, which was an
understatement. “Cat got your tongue?” she said.

“Ah ... I’m a police officer.”

Her smile dropped, worry now clouding
her hazel eyes. “Is this about Samuel? Have you found him?”

“Samuel?”

“My son. His nickname’s Naf. He’s been
missing for almost two months.”

Saul’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re Beth’s
mother?” he asked, thinking she looked way too young to have a twenty-four-year
old daughter.

She nodded. “So, tell me what’s going
on.”

Saul stared at her, totally taken aback,
the woman definitely not looking old enough to be Beth’s mother.

“
Please
, just tell me,” she said,
her eyes misting up. “Is it to do with Samuel?”

“No, it’s to do with the Torres case.
I’m the undercover officer who helped bring him down. I spoke to you over the
phone the other day.”

Her face lit up. “Oh! You’re Saul! You
saved my kids!” She yanked open his door and grabbed him, giving him the
biggest hug.

Saul held his hands out, shocked at what
she was doing.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you
did.” She let go and indicated to the house. “Come in for a cup of tea and a
chat.”

“Sorry, I can’t, I have to arrange some
protection for your family,” Saul said, still taken aback she was Beth’s
mother.

“Whatever for?” she asked, her expression
concerned once more.

“Corey told me that Ant Torres has been
threatening to hurt your family if he testifies.”

Her face dropped. “Is that why he’s so
scared to take the stand?”

“Yes, which is why I need to go sort out
some protection for you. We may have to put you in a witness protection program
until the trial.”

“But that’s over six months away. Both
my husband and I work. Why can’t you just put a police car outside our house?”

“I’ll talk to my superior and see what I
can do, but my suggestion is to relocate your family.”

She ran her fingers through her hair,
looking distressed, making Saul feel bad for upsetting her, but it wasn’t his
doing, this one was all on Ant.

“I’m really sorry, Mrs. Connor,” he
said. “I know this must be a shock, but if this threat is as real as I think it
is, you will need that protection.”

She remained silent, probably still
processing his news.

“I have to go,” he added. “I’ll call you
once I’ve spoken with my superior.”

She nodded.

He reached out and touched her hand.
“It’ll be all right, I’ll make sure of it.”

She took hold of his hand and squeezed
it. “Thank you, I really appreciate all you’ve done.” She let go and ran up the
driveway.

Saul watched her disappear inside the
house, feeling sick over her thanks. He glanced up at the rear-view mirror,
seeing a hypocrite staring back at him, someone who was meant to protect, yet
had committed one of the worst crimes there was.

He started up the engine, knowing he
couldn’t live with his secret anymore. He didn’t deserve praise and thanks, he
deserved scorn and a trial. He was as bad as Ant, and he needed to finally pay
for it.

He
backed out of the driveway, intent on turning himself in.

***

“No!” Sarah was standing in Saul’s
office, staring at him in horror. He’d told her what he was going to do, so she
didn’t get blindsided when he was arrested. But now he was regretting it, his
friend’s reaction more than he could handle.

She grabbed his arms, giving him a
shake. “You can’t do this, Saul! You’ll go to prison. You know what they do to
cops in there.”

Saul pulled free. “You shouldn’t care
what happens to me, I sexually assaulted a woman. I deserve to be punished.”

“I still can’t believe you’d do
something like that,” she said, looking close to tears. “You’re a good man;
there must’ve been some sort of misunderstanding. Did you think she wanted what
you did? Maybe there was a miscommunication.”

“Only on my side. I closed my eyes and
ears to what she wanted, too blinded by lust. I need to take responsibility for
that and you shouldn’t defend me. You’ve seen the outcome of sexual abuse and
rape, so don’t try to dismiss what I did. I’m just as bad and disgusting as
those men I’ve put away. No, I’m worse, because I was meant to protect her.”

“But if you didn’t realise—”

“It doesn’t matter! She didn’t want what
I did, so stop looking for excuses. I’m the perp, not the victim here.”

“If you turn yourself in it’ll ruin your
life. I care too much to see that happen.”

“I could’ve ruined Beth Connor’s life
with my actions; I don’t deserve your consideration.”

“Can’t you speak to her? Make her see
you didn’t mean to hurt her, that it was a misunderstanding.”

“I penetrated her with my fingers. That
wasn’t a misunderstanding!”

Sarah went quiet, a single tear running
down her cheek.

He exhaled loudly, feeling guilty for involving
her. “I’m sorry, Sarah, you just have to understand I
need
to do this. It’s
the right thing to do.”

“You’re going to die in prison if you
do. The perps you put away will come after you as soon as they hear you’re
inside.”

“I can take care of myself. I survived
working for Craven, I survived Afghanistan, I even survived the cartel, and I’ll
survive this too.”

“You almost died from that cartel assignment,
those scars on your back—”

“Are a reminder of completing a
successful job, where I did what was needed, but didn’t take what wasn’t—unlike
with Beth.”

“Saul,” she breathed out. “You’re family
to me, which means you won’t be the only one taking that prison sentence. I may
not be prosecuted, but seeing you stripped of everything you love and thrown
into jail will be a sentence in itself.”

“I joined the force to do good
not
harm. If I don’t do this, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“I’d rather you be guilt ridden, than dead.”

“I’ll be put in a secure unit, away from
the gen pop.”

“They can still get to you, plus you’re
not the only one who’s done wrong while undercover. Christ! What I did still
plagues me.”

“You shouldn’t feel
any
guilt;
you sacrificed your own happiness for the job.”

“I betrayed the man I loved! Still love!
How can I not feel guilty over that? It doesn’t matter whether he was a
criminal or not, I should’ve done more for him. It kills me every fucking day,
but I live with it, like you have to live with what you did.”

“I
will
live with it—in jail,
because no matter what you say, I
am
going to turn myself in.”

Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll support you no matter what, you know that, but
please
, think about
this long and hard before you take it to Joseph.”

“It’s all I’ve thought about since that
day.” He stepped around her, intent on seeing Joseph right now.

“Saul.”

He stopped at the door and looked back
at his friend.

She breathed out, the sound shaky. “If
you end up in prison, I’ll do my upmost to make sure you’re protected on the
inside.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” He headed out of
his office, stopping in front of his boss’s door. He knocked, knowing this was
it—the end, because there was no coming back from what he was going to say.

Joseph called out, “Enter!”

Saul opened the door and slipped inside,
his career and freedom soon to be gone.