Creed 3: Undercover Read online

  Creed 3

  Undercover

  Phoenix Daniels

  Copyright © 2018 by Phoenix Daniels

  Published by Jessica Watkins Presents

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Synopsis

  1. Donna

  2. Lincoln

  3. Donatella

  4. Taylor

  VICTOR

  5. Donatella

  6. Lincoln

  VICTOR

  7. Donatella

  8. Victor

  9. Taylor

  10. Victor

  11. Lincoln

  Donatella

  12. Victor

  Untitled

  13. Lincoln

  14. Donatella

  15. Lincoln

  16. Donna

  LUCAS

  17. Lincoln

  18. Victor

  TAYLOR

  19. Donatella

  LINCOLN

  Chapter 20

  21. Lincoln

  DONATELLA

  22. Donatella

  23. Taylor

  VICTOR

  24. Donatella

  LINCOLN

  25. Victor

  26. Donatella

  27. Victor

  28. Donatella

  LINCOLN

  29. Victor

  LINCOLN

  30. Taylor

  VICTOR

  DONATELLA

  31. Donatella

  32. Lincoln

  DONATELLA

  33. Donatella

  34. Taylor

  35. Election Day…

  VICTORIA

  36. Donna

  37. Taylor

  38. Belladonna

  TAYLOR

  39. Donatella

  LINCOLN

  LINCOLN

  TAYLOR

  DONATELLA

  The End

  Synopsis

  Catch up with Governor Victor Creed as he battles political foes during a cutthroat gubernatorial campaign, while at the same time doing his very best to help his wife through a life-altering tragedy.

  Learn a bit about the life of undercover officer, Donatella Devereaux, as she infiltrates a powerful religious cult with every intention of bringing them to their knees. But will her desire for Lincoln Creed, the governor’s sexy younger brother, impede her concentration?

  Meet Army Ranger, Colonel Creed; soldier, brother, and overall badass. He is a two-time war veteran with his biggest battle ahead of him: getting the woman that’s invaded his every thought.

  This novel is dedicated to the memory of Rosemary McMorris, the only person who has truly loved me without condition. I love you, Mommy. Continue to rest in peace

  1

  Donna

  “Donna!” Marco, her teammate, called from across the room.

  Donatella Devereaux looked up from the computer screen. She had been checking out her twin sister’s social media pages. Since she worked undercover, having a social media page was not an option. However, it was a tool for her to keep up with her family and Donna loved scrolling through pictures of her family.

  “Commander Todd wants to see you.”

  Donatella nodded. She shut down her desktop and stuffed her cell in the drawer. Her commander was cool, but he didn’t like to be kept waiting.

  She stood and looked around. The rest of her team was seated at their assigned desks, probably checking social media as well. She grabbed an over-time slip from her desk and exited the shared office.

  A quick trip down a hall and around a corner led her to the big boss’ office. She entered the small outer office and walked up to his secretary’s desk.

  “The man wants to see me,” she announced.

  Gail, the commander’s secretary, looked up with a grin.

  “He hates when you call him that.” She chuckled.

  “Mm-hm. I know.”

  Gail shook her blonde head and waved her into the commander’s office. “Go on. He’s expecting you.”

  Donatella entered her boss’ office and placed her palms on his desk. “Wassup, boss man?”

  They’d always had a comfortable working relationship, so she was relaxed in his presence. However, the vibe he was giving Donatella was anything but relaxed. His jaw clenched as he chewed on his unlit cigar.

  “Wassup?” Donatella asked again.

  He leaned back in his chair and inhaled a breath before blurting, “You’re going back under.”

  Donna pushed off of his desk and looked down at her commander with disbelief. With a frown, she asked, “What do you mean?”

  Surely, he was fucking with her. She looked around his office as if waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and scream that she had just been Punk’d. Donatella had just completed an undercover assignment that had gone on for more than a year. Not even the big bad police department should expect her to go under again so soon. Not now, when she was looking forward to spending time with her family. She missed them, especially Belladonna, her twin sister. Hell, they’d shared a womb, and Donna’s life was incomplete without her.

  If she were the lungs, forcing everyone to take a breath, Belladonna was the heart. Whenever Donna was away on assignment, Bella held the family down, spending time with her parents and keeping them from worrying themselves to death.

  Belladonna was a homicide detective with somewhat normal hours. Family time was just easier for her. But, for Donatella, the guilt of not being there for her family was overwhelming. As far as her parents were concerned, she was the absentee, inconsiderate daughter. But this was the career path she’d chosen. She was an undercover cop. The job required that she be gone. Sometimes, for very long periods of time.

  Donatella walked across the room to the small loveseat and plopped down on the soft leather. “I just helped shut down the biggest dope run in the Midwest. Why would I have to go under again right now? The only thing left to investigate is the Neo-Nazis and the White Supremacists, and I can’t work them. So, what do you want from me?”

  Commander Todd grabbed a manila folder, stood, walked around his desk, and handed her the folder. Then, he sat on the edge of his desk and waited for her to peruse the contents.

  Donna rolled her eyes, opened the folder and flipped through the pages. After reading her assignment, she looked up at her boss. His pale skin had turned red. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted to give her the assignment. He appeared extremely uncomfortable.

  “What is this? Who is Robert Lee Khal?”

  The commander turned his back to her and slowly made his way back to the other side of his desk.

  “Who is Robert Lee Khal?” she repeated. “What is this shit?”

  He returned to his desk chair and steepled his fingers. “You’re being assigned to a federal task force and Reverend Robert Lee is the charismatic leader of The Blood of The Chosen religious commune, also known as BOC.

  “The what?”

  Donna had never heard of Reverend Robert Lee Khal or The Blood of The Chosen.

  “It’s a religious cult. The Feds want you to infiltrate.”

  Donatella raked her fin
gers through her hair. “The Feds want me? What the fuck do the Feds know about me?”

  “Headquarters recommended you.”

  Donna hopped up from the loveseat and tossed the manila folder on the desk. “Why?! Boss, I’ll never make it past the front door! I don’t know shit about no religious cults!”

  “You didn’t know shit about dope when you first came here, but you’re our best UCO.”

  Donatella folded her arms and glared at her naïve supervisor with narrowed her eyes. “I’m from the hood. What gave you the impression that I didn’t know anything about the dope game? Yeah, my parents were working class. But black working class is a lot different from white working class. I knew dope. Trust me…I knew the game.”

  Todd leaned back in his chair with a pained look on his face and rubbed his temple. “It’s out of my hands. The Feds asked for you, personally. The Gold Stars already approved it before it hit my desk. I got no say.”

  Donna blew out a harsh breath and stomped across his small office. She stared out of the window thinking of a way to get out of the assignment.

  “I’ve been under for a long time. I haven’t spent time with my family in forever,” she declared in a whisper.

  “I know Donatella, and I’m sorry.”

  His tone seemed sympathetic, but Donna didn’t care. She had plans. For a year and some change, she’d been out of commission with no social time, family life, or dating life whatsoever. Unless, of course, she counted being a dope boy’s bitch, constantly coming up with really bad excuses as to why she wasn’t ready for sex. Working undercover, Donna would take the occasional drink, smoke the occasional joint. Hell, she’d even snorted a line once when she thought that playing the good girl would get her killed. But giving up pussy for the Chicago Police Department would never be an option. What Donna wanted, at least for a little while, was a little time with her folks, and maybe a normal date.

  Strangely, the governor’s brother instantly popped into her head. Governor Victor Creed, once the most eligible and gorgeous bachelor in Illinois had been taken off the market by her sister’s friend, Taylor Montgomery. But the good news was the Creeds bred very well. There was another incredibly sexy, though rough around the edges Creed.

  Colonel Lincoln Creed (Linc) was everything—tall, handsome, and hard-core. He was exactly the type of man Donna craved when she was alone. They’d shared one incredibly hot night that had left her more satisfied than she’d ever been. The Colonel had soldiered her entire body as if she was his most important mission. Unfortunately, after his brother’s wedding, he was deployed and she returned to her undercover assignment. But he’d left his mark on her, and she hadn't been able to go a single day without thinking of him.

  Longing for him.

  “I ain't goin’, Boss,” Donna said with conviction, shaking her head. “Find somebody white. Aren’t white folks more likely to get sucked into religious cults?”

  “Ummm…no.” Her commander scoffed as though offended. “Do your research. There are lots of black folks in religious cults.”

  Donna rolled her eyes with a huff. He might have been right, but so what? She didn’t want any part of the undercover assignment, let alone a religious cult.

  “I’m black and Native American. Our Native American spiritual beliefs are infused into us at birth. Nobody in that commune is gonna believe I’m conflicted.”

  Commander Todd leaned back in his chair and glared a Donna. He folded his large arms and narrowed his cool, grey eyes at her. “You and I both know that there are several religions within the Native American community, of which many have Christian elements. Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid, Detective Devereaux.”

  Donna hopped up from the loveseat. “Boss, I—”

  “Boss, my ass. I have my assignment. Now, you have yours. You report on Tuesday. So, get your affairs in order.”

  Donna groaned, tossed the folder on the commander’s desk, and stormed out of his office.

  “This fucking job,” she muttered before disrespectfully slamming the office door.

  2

  Lincoln

  The Fort Benning MPs saluted as Colonel Lincoln Creed drove through the front gate. He had just under an hour to get from post to the airport in order to make his flight to Chicago. It was his brother’s birthday and Belladonna, Luc’s cop girlfriend, was hosting a barbecue in his honor.

  Lincoln had only touched down on American soil twenty-four hours earlier. He was drained, but he’d needed to make the trip. He hadn’t seen his family since his older brother, Victor’s wedding almost a year ago, and he missed them. He was also looking forward to seeing Bella’s sexy twin. Even in the dry, hot deserts of Syria, he’d found himself thinking about his one night with Donatella Devereaux. Unfortunately, before he could see her again, he’d ended up accompanying three companies on a Middle Eastern recon mission.

  Lincoln was an Army officer in command of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Ever since he could remember, he’d always wanted to be a soldier. Unlike his father and Victor, he had no interest in politics. He didn’t have a hard-on for business like his brother, Lucas. He wasn’t into technology like Alexander, and he wasn’t interested in being a pro athlete like his baby brother, Jaysen. He was a Ranger and had been born to be that way.

  The shrill ring of his cell phone pulled his eyes from the road to the dash. He smiled when he saw Victor’s name. He pushed the talk button on the steering wheel, activating the call.

  “Hey, bro,” he answered enthusiastically.

  “Linc!” Victor’s booming voice filled the car. His big brother seemed just as happy to hear from him as he was to hear from Victor.

  “How’s married life, Governor Creed?”

  “Everything you thought it wasn’t, playboy,” Victor teased.

  “Playboy? Me? Fuck outta here!”

  “Oh, yeah?” Victor teased. “What’s the name of the last woman that you had sex with?”

  “Name?” Lincoln scoffed. “I don’t even ask them if they were born a woman anymore. What the fuck do I care about a name?”

  Victor’s roaring laughter made Lincoln smile. He was only kidding, but Victor would have no way of knowing that the last woman he’d slept with was Donatella Devereaux.

  The night they’d met, both Bella and Luc had been sharing a hospital room after being shot. When Donatella entered the hospital, her overwhelming beauty had made him choke on the stale coffee he was drinking. He’d used every excuse known to man to be near her, drawn to her like that thirsty ass moth to the flame. He encountered beautiful women all the time. But, in all his travels, he’d never seen a woman more exotic and intriguing. Her flawless skin was a blend of copper and crimson, her dark brown eyes slanted, both reflecting her African and Native American heritage. And her sharp cheekbones and plump lips only compounded the perfection.

  Although she looked identical to Bella, her short, sassy hair, tribal tattoos, and the fire behind her eyes set them apart. Donatella was more than pretty. She commanded attention. Her charisma was the giant magnet that pulled him, almost against his will, right where she wanted him. Thoughts of the night they’d shared invaded his thoughts.

  Lincoln pushed the door open and entered the hospital room. He was expecting to see his injured older brother and his brother’s debilitated detective girlfriend. But the first thing he saw was a beautiful woman with Belladonna’s face, but so much more.

  When she looked up at him with sensual brown eyes, he was ashamed that all of his brotherly concern for Lucas went out the window. His brother and his lady had become secondary. All he saw was Bella’s fiery, tattooed clone. Their faces were identical, their auras, attitudes, and personalities contradictory. Donatella’s presence was alluring and alluring, for Lincoln, was saying a lot. Being a soldier, he’d had access to women from all around the world.

  “Is he up?” Lincoln asked, entering the hospital room.

  The first words from her mouth were a lie.

  “Yes,” Donatella fib
bed.

  “No, he’s not, Lincoln,” Bella interjected. “But you can come in.”

  Lincoln walked across the hospital room, never taking his eyes off Bella’s gorgeous sister. And it hadn’t escaped him that she was watching him too. He’d hoped the attraction was mutual because he instantly wanted her. Yeah, he had been around the world, but Victor and Lucas seemed to always be surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous women. In love, his brothers had been very lucky.

  Taylor was a strong, dynamic beauty. Bella was gorgeous, headstrong, and ridiculously intuitive. But Donatella was… fierce. Even though she was a fraction of his size, he somehow knew that she was a giant.

  After an hour of ‘kumbaya’ moments, everyone was satisfied that Luc and Bella were going to make it. Family and friends slowly began to leave the hospital. When Donatella said her goodbyes and left the room, Lincoln hugged his big brother and kissed Bella’s forehead before running out behind her.