“No,” Adonis shook his head as he peered at the various laptops and tablets scattered on the table. “St. X guys hate that douche, Shannon. They aren’t surprised he’s angled his way onto the stalker case for Gabrielle. It’s how he got promoted to detective, so why not use it to get the police chief gig here.”
“Wait. What are you talking about?” Sebastian sat up.
“Well, he solved one of the biggest cases since The Fury and rescued one of the heirs of the most revered families on our islands.” Sarcasm dripped from Adonis’s words as he referenced Gabrielle. “Rumor is that he’s on the list of candidates for the police chief job in St. Felipe.”
“You think that’s why he jumped on Gabrielle’s stalker case?” Sebastian asked, thoughts racing through his mind. “If he can solve this case and rescue her again, he’ll move to the top of the candidate list.”
“Especially if Serena King endorses him like Bernadette King did to get him promoted to detective,” Adonis explained. “The guy is ambitious at all costs. He’ll break any rule and use any connection to claw his way up the chain.”
Bobby leaned back in his chair. “He can’t find Brooks, so the next best thing is to pin the stalking on Sebastian so he can make an arrest. Look like the hero.”
Sebastian jerked up from his chair. “Fucking bastard. I knew there was something about that asshole that rubbed me the wrong way.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it has nothing to do with how close Gabrielle is to him,” Everett said, then took a long pull on his bottle of Felipe beer.
Sebastian glowered at him. “I need to get out of here.”
“Wait.” Kane wiped his greasy fingers on a napkin. “I’ll come with you.”
Sebastian shook his head. “No, stay here and keep trying to find Gabrielle. I got to clear my head.”
One thing Everett said had been right. He wasn’t in the optimal condition to see Gabrielle and convince her that Shannon was trying to frame him. Anger boiled in his veins, and all he could think about was hunting down Tony Brooks, then turning his attention to getting revenge on Shannon.
Sebastian pushed through the doors of the compound and stood still, staring up at the Cabrito Mountains. The air was dewy with a hint of a chill. The sun sat low in the sky, round and bright. Sunset was still a couple of hours away. He squeezed the bridge of his nose and tried to clear his mind.
He missed Gabrielle so fucking much. It physically hurt.
He couldn’t concentrate. The longer they were apart, the more time she had to believe Shannon’s lies. Shannon, the guy who’d been her hero a decade ago. She trusted that asshole. Despite how close Gabrielle had gotten to him, Sebastian still wasn’t sure they’d had enough time together for her to believe in him. Trust that he would always do what was best for her.
Sebastian stared into the dense thicket of trees, wishing Ike was here. Despite the guys’ thoughts, Sebastian didn’t believe Ike would be pissed about him falling for Gabrielle. Shocked. Absolutely. Upset. Never. Ike would be by his side, telling him to get a fucking grip and find his sister to make things right.
A flash of white caught his eye, darting between the thick brush. He walked closer to the mountain’s edge, peering through the trees. There it was again. He reached for his gun, training it on the flash in the distance until it reached a narrow clearing within the foliage.
What the hell?
Chapter39
Sebastian lowered his gun as he made eye contact with the white Labrador. Not just any white Labrador. The dog that claimed Ike as his human, whether Ike liked it or not.
“Tucker,” Sebastian called out to the stray.
The dog barked in response.
That damn dog only showed up when Ike was around. None of them had seen the animal in almost two years. He’d vanished when Ike left for Miami. But he was back now, sniffing around the compound.
Tucker barked again, more insistent.
Sebastian felt crazy, but he couldn’t ignore the thought creeping into his mind. If Tucker was here, did that mean Ike was, too?
He had to find out.
“Stay there, stupid dog,” Sebastian called out as he raced into the forest. “I’m coming.”
The dog barked and then raced through the trees. Sebastian sprinted, following Tucker onto path after path, splashing through muddy puddles and across gnarled tree branches. Jungle leaves scraped at his skin as he ducked and pushed his body to run faster. He rounded a bend and then another, then raced up a steep incline. The white Labrador burst through a tangled web of frangipani bushes, almost toppling Sebastian.
Tucker barked, jumped up on Sebastian, then turned and ran along another trail. He ran over ridges into dense jungle fauna, then emerged on beaten paths that S-curved around the mountains. Towering banana trees blocked the sun’s penetration leaving him in shadowy darkness as he kept an eye on Tucker in the distance. He followed the dog for over an hour, in and out of trees and brush, deeper and deeper into the mountain. Finally, the dog slowed its pace to sniff along the trail.
Sebastian bent over, watching the dog. “Alright, Tucker. Where are you taking me?”
