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He glanced up as Taylor entered the room. Confusion flickered across her face as she looked between the two of them. He shifted his attention back to his sister just in time to see her give a final shake of her head.
“Keep your mouth shut,” he warned in a low growl. She shuddered beneath his glare, but her hands wrung in a nervous tell. The tension humming through his lean frame heightened to the point of pain.
“Monique, come on,” Josh said. He stepped forward and gave her arm a reassuring stroke. “Now’s obviously not a good time.”
She turned to him. Her expression was incredulous and pained. “If not now when? It wasn’t a good time for me either, Josh. It wasn’t a good time to lose the rest of my family and bury them alone! Neither one of you were there! Neither of you, and that was the one time I needed you the most!” her words broke on a sob. “After everything that’s happened, what am I supposed to think?”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed and she stumbled back a step as he whirled on her. Her hands came up, seeking to brace against his chest in an effort to soothe and defend, but he batted them down with a forceful chop of his forearm. “Don’t touch me,” he snarled. “What did I just say, Monique? Hm?”
She backpedaled, flattening herself against the maple cabinets.
“Baas, come on. She’s just hurting and upset.”
“And I’m not?” he asked in a quiet tone. “No, Josh. You had your chance to handle this. Now it’s my turn.”
“There’s nothing to handle,” Monique said, her voice trembling. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I know you wouldn’t hurt him. Christian was your nephew, too…” Her hands came up as he prowled closer. A sharp cry escaped her as he grabbed her wrists and gave her a brutal shake.
“That is enough.”
His hands clamped around her throat. Somewhere, he heard Taylor cry out, but all he could focus on was the purpling hues of his sister’s face. His fingers sank deep, giving her neck a brutal squeeze. Her rounded gaze screamed back at him, wide with pleading and fear. His hold tightened.
“You are coming very close to finding out just what it is I am capable of,” he warned in a menacing whisper. “I have been there for you and given you everything since the day you were born. Don’t you ever come into my house with that look in your eyes again. If you do, I will choke it out of you until there is nothing left. Do you understand me?”
Her hands pawed at the air, knowing better than to touch him or resist. Monique offered a feeble nod. Her eyes rolled back in her head and he felt her knees start to give with a lack of oxygen and pain. Full-blown rage gripped him, saturating her and the room around them in a blood-soaked haze. For a moment, he pondered not letting go. The muscles beneath his eyes tightened and jumped in a dangerous twitch. Curling his lip, he unfurled his hands, and glared down at her as she hit the floor at his feet.
Monique coughed and sputtered, her fingers dancing over her neck. Sebastian coiled over her, his hand cocked and ready to fly as she shied away. Fingers latched around his wrist, stopping him from completing the swing. He whirled on his heels and spun to confront Josh.
“She’s had enough,” his partner urged. His rugged features pleaded for some small measure of compassion and understanding.
Sebastian gave a dry laugh. “She’s had enough,” he said, backing away. “There’s that concern you were talking about earlier. Tell me something, Josh, where were you when I needed it, huh?” he asked, lifting his arms and casting them wide in question. “Did you ever think maybe I had enough? Did that thought ever cross your mind over the last two weeks? Or does it just not matter when it’s me?” he asked cocking his head. His nostrils flared slightly as tears rose and stung his eyes.
Sorrow ravaged Josh’s angular face. He cast his attention to the floor.
“So that’s it?” Sebastian asked, letting his arms fall. He gave a sad shake of his head. “Get out.”
“That’s not fair, Baas.”
“Fair?” Sebastian whispered. He stepped forward. “No. You don’t get to tell me what’s fair. I got away and you hunted me down. I begged you for help. I begged, Josh. I told you I had enough and you turned your back on me.”
“I had to. You know that,” his partner stated, his eyes darting to Monique and Taylor. “Just like you knew you had to go back. Why’d you do it, huh, Baas? You took out three guards. Did you honestly think you weren’t going to have to answer for that? Who did you think they were going to send after you?”
Sebastian’s shoulders jerked as he splayed his palms. His swallow echoed in the room. The tears in his eyes brimmed and threatened to fall. “Don’t blame me. I was just being what they wanted, right? That’s what this is about. How am I doing with that? Am I where they need me to be?”
All fight fled Josh. His body sagged with visible defeat. “Yeah, Baas, you’re there.” He hung his head with a sorrowful shake. “I’m going to take your sister home.”
“Good. Do what you should have done to begin with and straighten her out. I don’t care how. I don’t ever want to have this conversation with her again.”
“Sebastian…”
He turned and confronted Monique with a cold glare. His chest ached with the force of his anger and shame. An involuntary shudder wound through his lean frame. He clasped his hands behind his back in an effort to hide the tremble.
“I’m sorry…I didn’t know. I didn’t blame you. I was just hurting so much and needed your strength. You’ve always been my rock and you…” Her voice broke with a heartbroken waver. “You’re the only family I have left.”
He bit the insides of his cheeks and nodded, studying the floor. Tense silence hung between them. After a long moment, his shoulders lifted with a conflicted sigh. He understood that feeling all too well. Still, her initial reaction had cut him like a knife. It crushed him to know she could even entertain the thought of him killing his own nephew. Guilt washed through him, and he closed his eyes. Even if he hadn’t played a part in the accident that took Christian’s life, he was partially to blame. Part of him wanted to cling to her, grant forgiveness, and beg for the same. He shook his head. Those days were long gone. He was all too aware of Josh’s presence and weighted stare. The staggering effects of his reconditioning still rang loud and clear. Weakness and mercy were not an option—especially around the other members of his team.
Lifting his head, his gaze locked with his sister’s holding it until a slight shiver wracked her willowy frame. “Listen to me carefully, Monique. Cross me again and you will regret it in ways you cannot possibly imagine. I will show you the monster you think me to be. That is not a threat. It’s a promise,” he said prowling closer. “Is that clear?”
“Y-yes, Sebastian.”
His eyes bore into her. Nodding, he tilted his head toward the hall.
“Go home.”
She smothered a sob with her hand, but bobbed her head in understanding. Snagging her elbow, Josh steered her toward the hall. Sebastian watched as his sister turned around to peer at him over the slope of one slender shoulder. Her eyes told him she loved him even if her mouth could not. He softened his expression just a bit before turning away. It was all the reassurance she was going to get. Leaning against the counter, he folded his arms and waited until the front door had shut before turning his attention to Taylor.
She stood frozen by the stairs, her expression bewildered and scared. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he cursed. When had she come down? His mind scrambled, trying to remember. One thing was for certain, she’d been standing there for most of the heated exchange. His heart sank. First, Christmas Eve and now this—she’d already seen and heard far more than he ever wanted. When would it end? Forcing out a heavy breath, he called her forward with a crook of his finger. The uncertainty riding her pouty lips was enough to break what was left of his heart.
He reached for her. Her eyes closed, and her body stiffened with fear, but she didn’t flinch. He supposed he couldn’t blame her. The confrontation with Monique had been ugly a
t best, and his temples still pounded with the lingering tension. Some of that was bound to be branded across his face. Threading his fingers through Taylor’s dark hair, he pulled her head closer and eased his mouth over hers. He clung to her in a fit of desperation. The feel of her arms around him pulled him back down. Ravaging her lips, he held on tight until they were both breathless and she was all that remained.
He pulled back and traced his thumb over the slope of her cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Her brows lowered, hitching in confusion. “For what?”
“For being my anchor—for loving me despite my flaws.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her with his forefinger and a tired smile. “No more words right now, baby, just actions. Go pack.”
She bit her lip and shifted her weight. The pained look on her face told him she was dying to ask questions. His shoulders jerked with a silent snort.
“I still owe you a vacation,” he explained, smoothing the hair away from her eyes. “It’s nothing like what I had in mind, but I have the next three days off and I want to make the most of them. I don’t care where we go. It can be the next town over for all I care. I just want to get away from it all and be somewhere—something else for a while—just you and me.” He cupped her cheeks and leaned over to rest his head against hers. “Maybe some room service and a bed.”
Taylor’s eyes sparkled as she peered back into his. Reaching up over his arms, she returned the gesture and cradled his face tenderly in her hands. “Definitely a bed,” she murmured.
It was a small transgression, but one that was so easily forgiven. Pulling her closer, he kissed her deeply before sending her off to pack with a pat of warning. The smile she gave him was full of unspoken promise and delight. Leaning against the counter, Sebastian let his head fall back and sent up a silent prayer of thanks. His body shook with a rueful laugh when he caught himself. It was doubtful God or any other powers that might be were listening anymore. In truth, he didn’t blame them.
