Disguised Affection Chapter 33

"Cruz if you want to live to see tomorrow, you better shut your mouth," Troy said once more before tightening the tie around Gregorio's wrists.

As he faced the wall, Troy moved over and began to tie Juan's hands behind his back, not seeing Raul punch an un-suspecting Jason, causing the gun to fall from his hands, which Raul quickly grabbed and aimed at Troy's back.

"Troy look out!"

Before Troy could turn around to see what had happened, he heard a gunshot ring out in the room, quickly trying to duck to protect himself, his last thought being that he and his guys would make it out alive.

---

The sound of someone crashing to the ground and groaning in agony filled the room. Troy spun around to see Chad grabbing his left arm in pain, rolling onto his back as he moaned.

Before he could react, another gunshot sounded in the room, and this time, Troy saw Raul collapse to the ground in pain. Quickly glancing to his left, Troy looked to see Zeke standing there with a gun still trained on Raul.

"Watch them," Troy shouted orders to one of the agents next to him, who quickly took Troy's place in tying Juan's hands behind his back.

Acting quickly, Troy darted across the room, kneeling down next to Chad who was bleeding badly, his previously white shirt soaked with a deep scarlet color.

"Chad, man, you alright? Stay with me buddy," Troy said, looking over the gunshot wound for a moment before noticing Chad's eyes beginning to flicker close. "Chad, stay awake man."

Sitting up, Troy pulled his black collared shirt off, leaving only his white undershirt, and quickly placed his black shirt over Chad's wound, applying pressure.

"Zeke, call a medic!" Troy ordered quickly before returning his attention back to Chad.

As Troy checked Chad's pulse, he noticed Jason sit up, groaning and holding his jaw which was red from where Raul had hit him. Spotting Chad on the floor, Jason quickly crawled over towards him.

"What happened?"

"Raul knocked you out, and then tried to shoot me with your gun," Troy informed him, worry lacing his voice.

"What happened to Chad?"

"He tried to tackle Raul and instead got shot in the arm," Zeke told Jason. Troy suddenly felt even more grateful as he realized what had happened.

"You're lucky your friend jumped in front of you there Martinez," Raul's weak voice called out before he went into a fit of coughing as he struggled with each breath. "You two close or something?"

"Shut up Cruz!" Troy yelled, applying more pressure to Chad's arm as his anxiety grew.

"Maybe I should have aimed a little more to the right," Raul continued, gasping for air.

Finally fed up and seeing Jason had taken over putting pressure on the wound, Troy pushed up off the ground before taking two quick steps to where Raul was laying, not giving him any time to react before his fist connected with Raul's jaw, effectively knocking him out.

With a satisfied smirk, Troy made his way back to Chad, his eyes connecting with Zeke's who was looking at him curiously.

"What?" Troy shrugged.

"Dude, he was shot," Zeke stated the obvious.

"So? He was annoying the hell out of me. Besides, I put him out of his misery for the moment," Troy said with a small grin before kneeling back next to Chad.

"What's the status on the medics?"

"They'll be here in two minutes," Zeke told him.

"Jason you got this?" Troy asked, realizing they needed to finish arresting everyone before things got out of control.

"Yeah man."

"Hang in there buddy," Troy told Chad, patting him on his good shoulder before standing up and making his way over to where Matteo, Michael, and Joe were standing still, thanks to the guns pointed at them by Zeke and two other agents.

After tying everyone's hands behind their backs, Troy sat them all on the ground, just as the medics entered the house.

"We have two injured. This one here is a FBI agent, and the one over there is unconscious, but he's in custody," Troy told them, watching as they worked on Chad, checking his pulse and looking over the wound.

Troy watched as the medics quickly placed Chad on a stretcher and took him out before they came back in and took Raul out.

Minutes later, the back-up team arrived, helping to take the remaining Montez men into the van to be taken back to FBI headquarters.

Troy led Gregorio to the van, putting him inside to sit next to the others, not missing the pissed off looks on each of their faces as they realized who Troy really was.

Shutting the door, Troy watched as the van pulled away, the looks on their faces still in the back of his mind.

"Hey Troy."

Troy spun around to see Jason walking towards him, hand outstretched as he patted Troy on his shoulder.

"You alright man? I just got off the phone with the hospital. They say Chad's gonna be okay."

"Yeah man, I'm okay. Just tired is all," Troy lied, rubbing his eyes. He was tired, but that was the last of the feelings he was experiencing as he thought of Chad, his family, Angie…Gabriella. For so long he'd waited for this all to be over, and now that it was, he was completely overwhelmed. He had no clue what to do next.

With Chad okay, a part of him wanted to just hop in a car and take off for Gabriella, leaving his job and everything else behind, but he knew he had work to do. Plus as he thought of the little girl who he'd missed more than anyone over the past months, he knew he couldn't ever leave her.

"Chad's okay though?" Troy asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, he was still conscious when they got to the hospital, but they got him some blood and took the bullet out. He's just resting up now."

"That's good," Troy replied distantly as he looked back at the estate that had become his home over the past year.

"It's been a long time," Jason broke the silence, glancing over at Troy who nodded. "You know, Angie misses you a hell of a lot."

Troy felt a genuine smile form on his face for the first time in awhile as he heard that. "I miss her too."

"Chad told me you kept asking about her. Just so you know, she asks about you every day too."

"Well I can't wait to see her."

The sound of Troy's phone ringing interrupted them. "It's the Chief." Jason nodded in understanding before walking over to Zeke.

"Hey Chief."

"Bolton, what happened? I hear Chad got shot."

"He did. Jason got knocked out and Chad tried to tackle one of them before he shot me, but ended up getting shot himself."

"Everyone else okay? Are they all in custody?"

"Cruz, the one who shot Chad got shot as well. He's at the hospital, but should be released soon, since he just got nicked."

"Well I want you to head back here right away. You have a huge pile of paperwork waiting for you and we need to question all of them."

"On my way sir," Troy said before shutting his phone and going over to Jason and Zeke who were watching some FBI agents carry boxes of papers from inside the estate out to the cars.

"What'd the Chief want?" Jason asked as he got closer.

"He wants me back at the office. You guys good here?"

"Yeah man, go ahead."

After exchanging handshakes with Jason and Zeke, Troy drove back towards headquarters, thankful the first half of the day was over but not looking forward to the next few hours that he knew would drag on.

--

As predicted, two hours later, Troy felt as if five hours had gone by instead. Sitting at his desk that he hadn't been at in months, Troy busied himself typing up a report on his computer and filling out various paperwork sent to him.

Once he'd finished the last of his report, Troy sighed, bringing his hand up to rub his forehead as he glanced at the picture of Angie on his desk. As he looked at the smiling face he hadn't seen in months, he began to think of what it'd be like to see her again and introduce Gabriella to her—that is, if Gabriella still wanted to be a part of his life once she got to know who he really was.

Pulling at his phone, Troy read over his most recent text message. On his way back to the office, he'd texted her, letting her know everything was okay, but so far he hadn't heard anything from her.

A knock on the open door brought him out of his thoughts. "Hey Troy," Zeke greeted, stepping inside the door.

"Hey Zeke, what's up?"

"We just got a call. Cruz is out of the hospital and being transferred here for questioning."

"Who's in charge of questioning him?"

"Chief said you could, if you were up to it."

Troy smirked, he'd been looking forward to this for months. "I'm on it."

With a grin on his face, because for the first time he was glad to be back at the office, Troy made his way down to the questioning rooms. Stopping outside of the room Raul was in, Troy looked through the one-way window and smirked to himself seeing Raul sitting there, dressed in an orange jumpsuit with one arm in a sling.

As Troy pushed open the door, Raul looked up at him and Troy laughed to himself while Raul rolled his eyes.

"How's it going Cruz? That orange looks good on you," he said sarcastically, closing the door and walking towards him.

"Shut the hell up Martinez, or whatever the hell your name is."

"Damn, a little grumpy huh? Did they not give you enough painkillers? How's the arm?" Troy taunted, being sure to roughly pat his injured arm, causing Raul to grimace.

"How's your friend? Still in the hospital I presume." Raul grinned at Troy, trying to get under his skin.

Ignoring him, Troy pulled up a chair across from him, leaning back and crossing his arms as he stared across the small table at Raul.

"Alright, here's the deal. We have most of the information we need."

"I bet you do. Spending almost a year undercover with the biggest mafia family in this region…not a bad assignment. I knew there was something off about you. I decided at first it was just because you are too much of a pretty boy to be involved in this business, but things still didn't add up. I knew I should have killed you way back then."

"The feeling's mutual Cruz," Troy responded with a condescending grin. "Back to what I was saying though…we have what we need. I have all the proof to lock all of you up for the rest of your lives, and as long as our justice system holds up, that'll be your fate. But, you should know, the more you tell me now, the easier things will be."

"I'm not telling you shit," anger laced Raul's voice as he quickly responded.

Troy smiled to himself, enjoying that he was getting to him, leaning back further in his chair. "Well, let me make it simpler. Cooperate with us. Tell us what you know. And we can arrange for you to live comfortably with a bed, tv, good food, the works as far as prison is concerned, for the rest of your life, or you can live in a cold cell with nothing and a not so friendly cell mate."

"Personally though," Troy continued, leaning his elbows on the table as he looked at an extremely pissed off Cruz, "I hope you don't say anything, because the second option is my favorite of the two, and don't you doubt for a second that I'm going to hand select where you go and who your cell mate is." Troy smiled, leaning back once more. "So what'll it be?"

"Go to hell."

"Option two it is," Troy smirked before standing up and pushing the chair back. "Don't forget to write."

Not wanting to push it any further, and satisfied with the response he got, Troy started to walk away, but only took a step before pausing as he heard Raul speak up.

"You know, you better hope your justice system holds up and I end up staying in prison for the rest of my life," he threatened, catching Troy's attention.

"And why's that Cruz?" Troy asked, turning back around to face him. "You couldn't hit me if I was standing two feet away from you."

"Don't you worry Martinez. First chance I get, not only will I take care of you, but first I'm going to find that girl of yours and take from her what you only wish you could get, and then I'll finish you both off. And you can bet she won't be screaming your name for the reasons you want."

It took all of two seconds for Troy's right fist to pound into Raul's left jaw, sending him spiraling to the ground.

Knowing he only had a few seconds before the security came in and pulled him away from Raul, Troy quickly stepped over to where he was laying on the ground and picked him up to throw him against the wall, watching as Raul stumbled backwards before hitting the wall and falling to the ground.

Walking towards him, Troy picked him up by the collar, being sure to put his hand right over Raul's bandaged wound and pressing it into the wall, while his other hand grasped his throat.

Troy's eyes darkened as he stepped closer, leaning up towards his ear, "Lay a finger on her and I swear to you that you'll wish I would have put you out of your misery the last time I beat the shit out of you a few months back, because this time, I'll make sure you feel every ounce of pain possible before I finish you off."

Pushing him hard into the wall, Troy took a step backward, his eyes still darkened and filled with fury, a glare that sent more of a warning message then his words ever could. "By the way, threaten me or Gabriella again, and I assure you that you won't walk out with just a broken nose."

Hearing someone outside the door, and knowing he only had a few points to send his message home, Troy brought his fist back again, never once looking away from Raul as he connected it with his opposite jaw, sending him flying into the wall where his head hit before he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Troy, back off man. What are you doing?"

He felt someone's hands gripping his arms and pulling him backwards, but Troy couldn't take his eyes off of Raul lying bloody and unconscious on the floor. Zeke's calls for him to back off and walk away fell on deaf ears as Troy kept his eyes trained on Raul, barely even moving backwards as he felt two guys pulling him away.

"Troy, let's go! Chief wants to see you," Zeke finally got his attention, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and pushing him towards the door.

"Dude, what the hell was that all about?" Zeke asked once they were outside.

"What?" Troy shrugged, fighting a small grin.

"You normally beat the crap out of guys in custody?"

"If they deserve it, hell yeah," Troy replied, not missing a beat. "And trust me…he deserved it."

Zeke rolled his eyes walking out to the hallway with Troy right behind him. "Whatever you say man, I just hope you know you have to explain to the Chief why you knocked him out."

"Trust me, getting to beat the crap out of him was well worth any grief I'm gonna get right now. You going to go see Chad?" Troy asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I'm headed over there in a bit. He has to stay the night for sure, and he's been bugging me to bring him something other than hospital food."

"Sounds like Chad," Troy chuckled, as the two began to walk down the hallway towards the Chief's office. "I bet the nurses are ready to strangle him."

"Most likely," Zeke laughed as the two stopped outside of the office. "I'll talk to you later man. By the way, congratulations on getting this bust. It's good to have you back."

"Thanks Zeke," he replied, the two pounding fists. "Tell Chad I'll stop by to see him soon."

After agreeing to relay the message, Zeke headed towards his own desk, and Troy turned to the closed office door, taking a breath before pushing it open.

Troy poked his head inside the door to see the Chief staring at his computer screen, an angry look on his face.

"Chief?"

"Bolton, take a seat," he ordered, the tone of his voice revealing how pissed off he was.

Taking a few steps forward, Troy plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. "Zeke said you wanted to see me."

"Yes, I did. You want to explain to me what this is?" The Chief fumed, turning his computer screen towards Troy, the video on screen of Troy punching Raul in the jaw.

"A pretty damn good right hook?" Troy offered sarcastically.

"Bolton, I could have you fired for a stunt like that. Now I don't care what the hell you did while undercover, but when you are here, you are an FBI agent who needs to uphold that image. I told you to go in and question him."

"Sir, he wasn't going to tell us anything more than we already know. Besides, he deserved what he got."

"I don't care if he deserved it Bolton!" The Chief yelled, slamming his hand down on his desk. "I have to explain now why this guy we have in custody is suddenly unconscious and in need of medical assistance once again!"

Listen," the Chief sighed, "I understand that this was a tough and long assignment for you and that he and you didn't really get along, but I cannot condone these actions. You did a great job on this assignment, taking down one of the biggest crime families in the area, along with exposing a lot of other organized crime in the city. But we have protocols, and unfortunately, I'm going to have to suspend you for this."

"Suspend me?" Troy shook his head, his own anger surfacing now. "I just gave up almost a year of my life, put my life on the line multiple times, and almost single-handedly took down the Montez family—a family that I remind you had been a problem for this agency for years. A family you have tried multiple times to take down by agents who failed miserably. And after all of that, this is the thanks I get."

"Look, I have to suspend you for two weeks. Now it's supposed to be without pay, but I'll just give you some time off, you'll get paid, then you'll come back and start working again."

"And what? You'll send me on another year long assignment, I'll put my life on the line, give it up, and get nothing in return?"

"Troy, lis-," the Chief began, only to get cut off.

"No, I'm done with this job." Troy ran his hand through his jet black hair before pushing the chair back and standing up.

"Done? That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it. Find someone else who will put up with all this crap. I have other things I want to do with my life," Troy told him, Gabriella being the first thought that popped into his mind. Quickly he glanced at the clock—he needed to go see her.

"Troy, you're one of the best we have. And you did a great job with this last assignment. This is what you are meant to do. No one else has ever been as successful as you have at this agency. Don't throw that all away. We both know you deserve a good break anyways, and then you can come back refreshed and ready for the next assignment," the Chief pleaded, not wanting to lose such a great asset to the agency.

Running a hand through his hair once more, Troy sighed. He knew the Chief was being sincere. Despite all of their run-ins in the past, Troy knew that the Chief really wanted him to stay. But as he thought of Angie's face when he had to tell her he was leaving again, and when he thought of leaving Gabriella for months at a time, that is if she decided to be with him, Troy knew he couldn't do it.

It was the time for him to leave - to do something else with his life. He wanted to stop living the lies of his job, and be a normal guy.

"I appreciate what you said sir. But I don't want to do this job anymore. I've been thinking about this, and I don't want to be an undercover agent anymore. I love my job, but there are people in my life now that I can't bear to leave for months at a time," Troy said honestly, watching the disappointment revealed on the Chief's face. "I still want to be a part of this agency, put me at a desk job somewhere. But that's it. I can't be the go-to-undercover agent anymore."

Reluctantly, the Chief nodded, reaching out to shake his hand. "If that's what you want to do, then I can't stop you."

Troy smiled sincerely, shaking the Chief's hand. "Thank you sir."

The Chief nodded, "There will be a desk waiting for you when you get back in a couple of weeks."

"I appreciate it," Troy told him, before turning to head out of the office.

"Bolton?"

"Yes sir?"

"Great job on your report. The family will each be tried over the next few months, except Gabriella Montez, who has full immunity now on the condition she agrees to testify at the trials. You'll relay the message?"

"Yes sir, and thank you once again."

After exchanging another handshake with the Chief, Troy made his way out of the office and quickly out the doors of the building. As the fresh breeze blew against his face once he pushed open the doors, Troy stepped onto the sidewalk, a smile making away onto his face as a sense of relief filled him.

He headed to his car with a new sense of freedom and only one thing on his mind—being able to finally show Gabriella who he really was.

---

Speeding down the streets of New York, Troy finally pulled into the Hilton hotel where he'd booked a room for Gabriella. Glancing at his phone once more, Troy furrowed his eyebrows. He'd yet to hear anything from her despite his numerous texts and calls throughout the day and over the past twenty minutes of his drive.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried. With the Montez family and Raul especially all in custody, he knew she was safe from them, but the Montez family had many friends and enemies, both who could be pissed off.

Troy took comfort in the fact that after the post-investigation was finished, the majority of those who dealt with the Montez family would be brought to justice. The Montez family was the key to taking down a huge crime ring in the city.

But for now, the lack of response from Gabriella led Troy to believe the worst. She said she'd be there by the phone, and she wasn't. Troy cursed himself for failing to ask someone in the agency to keep an eye on her.

After haphazardly parking his car in the nearest parking spot, Troy sprinted inside the hotel, stopping by the front desk.

"Can I help you sir?"

"Yeah, there should be a room key here for me. Reservation under Bolton," Troy blurted out quickly, watching anxiously as the teenage girl behind the counter popped her gum, slowly typing the name in the computer.

Troy clenched his fists, trying to keep his anger in check as the girl took her sweet time scrolling down the screen.

"You said Bolton?"

"Yes," Troy said through gritted teeth, his eyes nervously scanning the lobby for any sign of her.

"Okay, under T. Bolton?"

"Yes," Troy repeated, sighing in frustration as she slowly stood up and made her way to the back counter, pulling out an envelope and a single card. "Room, 324."

"Thank you," Troy said quickly before swiping the card out of her hand and dashing towards the stairs, thinking the elevator would take far too long.

Sprinting up the flights of stairs up to the third floor, Troy finally pushed open the door and ran down the hallway, counting the rooms. '319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324.'

Troy came to a halt in front of the door, sliding his card into the door and quickly springing it open, not caring as it swung open and loudly banged against the wall.

"Gabriella? You here?" Troy called out, running into the room, his hopes completely shattered as he saw the room empty, the bed appearing seemingly untouched, and Gabriella nowhere to be seen.

Erin & Corri AN: Daaang, that was a lot of reviews...the most so far for this story. Glad to know so many people are still reading. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. We hope you liked this chapter. Another cliffhanger, we know, but cliffhangers make things interesting. :)

Let us know what you thought, and the next update should be soon.