She had Sebastian to thank for that.
But their reunion had been short-lived.
Within ten minutes, federal agents and local police swarmed the house and yard. She was taken separately from Sebastian and Lachlan to the police station while they stayed behind to give their statements and walk the agents through what happened when they arrived and found her being held captive.
The man she’d loved had risked his own life to protect her from a deranged lunatic and survived. She couldn’t leave the police station without him. She couldn’t take the chance. They’d assume he’d shot Damian Hester in cold blood instead of self-defense, which it had been. She’d told the investigators that when they questioned her.
“Well, if you’re not leaving, neither am I.” Serena sighed. “I still can’t believe Brad Shannon was the one who put all of this into motion. If he hadn’t orchestrated the attacks against you, luring Tony Brooks to do his dirty work, we probably would have figured out earlier that Damian Hester had killed his brother and assumed his identity.”
“No one is more disappointed in Brad than me. I trusted him, and he used me and my tragic past for professional gain.” Gabrielle shuddered as memories of Brad’s delusional rant flooded her mind.
“His greed and selfishness led to his death.” Serena shook her head. “He never had a chance at the police chief job anyway. I’d been working with the Mayor and a search firm to find a highly qualified individual to step into the role. She’ll be starting in a few weeks.”
“Anyone I know?” Gabrielle asked, amazed at the power her sister wielded on the island. Serena had stepped into their mother’s shoes and not missed a beat.
“Not likely. Her name is Simone Brown. She’s an American from Atlanta, Georgia. Overqualified. Not sure how we convinced her to move to the Palmchat Islands, but we’re happy to snag her,” Serena said, then yawned. Her sister had been by her side when she arrived at the police station late last night.
The detectives had taken it easy on Gabrielle, finishing her interrogation in less than two hours. She’d kept her promise and removed Everett and Kane from her statement. Everything else she’d conveyed to the cops was precisely as it happened.
Gabrielle stood and walked toward the door. She peered down the hallway. The room the officers led Sebastian into was still closed.
“Why is it taking so long? Sebastian has less to tell them than I did. He showed up after Damian had killed Brad. How could my interview take a couple of hours and Sebastian’s still be going?” Gabrielle pressed her hands on her hips and turned to her sister.
“I can’t imagine the PIIB is happy that Sebastian withheld crucial information about your whereabouts from them. He’s not a PISCO anymore. As soon as he suspected Detective Shannon and Marvin Hester, he should have told the feds instead of trying to be the hero,” Serena said, running a hand through her long brown tresses. “What if his plan hadn’t worked?”
“But it did work. Sebastian was not trying to be a hero. He was my hero. He was the one who put all the pieces together and came to save me. There wasn’t time to convince the PIIB that he was on the right trail. You know how they can be. How much time could’ve been lost if he had taken that approach? Would I be here with you if he had?”
“Good point. Still, I’m not surprised they want to discuss how he gathered all the intel to come to his conclusions and find you,” Serena said, raising an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Sebastian dusted off the equipment at the Stingray Compound.”
“Stingray Compound?”
“I take it Ike never told you about the security firm he’d planned on starting. Sebastian, Lachlan and a few of the other guys Ike hung out with as a teenager were all going to work together. Ike used the bulk of his trust fund to build a military-grade training compound, fully equipped with top-of-the-line tactical gear and information technology systems,” Serena said. “When Ike left, all of that fell apart. The facility has been unused since. I’m guessing Sebastian had access to the compound and used the network and tools there to track you down.”
“Thank God he did.” Gabrielle was surprised Sebastian never mentioned it, though there wasn’t much time between them getting to know each other and her being stalked every few days. When had they had time to talk about mundane topics like what they each wanted to do with their lives when this chaos was behind them? “Have you heard from Ike lately? I’m not sure if news of my drama has gotten to him.”
Serena rolled her eyes. “He’s still M.I.A. We all lost our parents, yet he acts like he is suffering more than the rest of us. He doesn’t care about the family business or our legacy. I’m sure if he knew what you’d gone through over the past few weeks, he’d be here, though. He must be completely off the grid. That’s why we should move forward with the legal steps to enact our parents’ wills.”
Gabrielle looked away. After everything she’d been through, the last thing she wanted was to be pressured by Serena to have their parents declared legally deceased.
“Have you thought any more about it?” Serena pressed.
Gabrielle took a long sip of her coffee.
“Thought any more about what?” Sebastian’s voice floated into the room.
Gabrielle fumbled her cup. It fell to the floor, splattering coffee across the linoleum, but she didn’t care. She threw herself into Sebastian’s arms, leaning into his rock-hard muscles as he hugged her.
“Nothing,” Serena said. “It can wait. Are you free to leave?”
Sebastian nodded. “No charges will be filed against Lachlan or me. He’s already gone home to Paloma.”
“That’s great news. I’ll go tell the driver to bring the car around and give you two a moment alone,” Serena said, then side-stepped past them and out of the room.
Gabrielle pulled Sebastian inside and closed the door. Turning to face him, she bit her bottom lip. “Is it over?”
Sebastian cupped her face in his hands, his gaze intense. “Over? It’s not over.” A sexy grin spread across his lips. “It’s just beginning.”
He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, sending a wave of warmth through her body.
