And he needed to get back to St. Felipe. Now.
Grabbing his cell phone, he turned it on and heard a series of beeps.
One voicemail, four missed calls, and three texts from Gabrielle.
If she was calling him, that meant she was still safe back at King Estate.
He spoke into the comms.
“Brooks is dead,” Sebastian said, backing out of the room.
“Get out of there. I’ll take over,” said Adonis.
Sebastion described the bloody scene as he made his way out of the house. “Shannon has lost it. He set the room up to look just like the scene in the safe house.”
“Crazy fucker,” Lachlan said. “We should’ve taken care of that asshole when he arrived at the airport and tried to grab Gabrielle.”
Sebastian agreed. Shannon had fooled them all. “I need to get back to St. Felipe. His next stop could be Gabrielle.” Sebastian jumped the fence, then jogged down the street, heading south. The Chevy Suburban sat on the side of the road a few streets down. “I’m headed to the hangar now. About twenty minutes out. Lachlan, how quickly can you get there?”
Lachlan responded, “I’ll be there in five with the plane ready.”
“And I’ll get over to the house and take care of things,” Adonis added. “I have to call it into SXPD, but they’ll find no evidence you were there.”
Sebastian ripped the comms from his ear and slipped it into his pocket. He typed an emergency text to Bobby to locate Detective Shannon ASAP as he sat in the driver’s seat. Starting the engine, he burned rubber down the road and headed for the ferry.
Weaving through traffic, he connected the Bluetooth of his phone to the SUV’s infotainment system and dialed Gabrielle’s number. He needed to hear her voice. She wasn’t going to like what he had to tell her.
The phone rang twice, then was answered.
“Sebastian? Is that you?”
Ice-cold dread snaked through his body, numbing him.
“Serena … why are you answering Gabrielle’s phone?” His heart pounded against his ribcage, threatening to burst through the skin.
“She isn’t with you?” Her voice fell with disappointment.
Silence stretched between them on the line.
Sebastian swallowed hard. Realization hit him like a freight train, forcing the air from his lungs. His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “No. She isn’t.”
“Oh, God. She’s gone. Sebastian … Gabrielle is missing!”
Chapter50
Her lids heavy, Gabrielle’s body ached as she forced her eyes open. She blinked several times, trying to acclimate to the room’s darkness. A tiny window was near the ceiling, revealing the pitch black of the jungle outside. Memories crashed into her mind. Brad had taken her from the private beach, thrown her down in the jungle, and taped her mouth, wrists, and ankles. She’d tried to fight him. To get away. But he’d been too strong. No one was around to see him lift her body and place it into the trunk of his car. Tears had rolled down her face in waves as she watched the lid shut and trap her in darkness.
Now she was awake in a room that had been part of her nightmares in the past. The old recliner was covered with dust and spider webs. The fabric had faded over the years, but she still recognized it. It felt the same as it did when she was an eighteen-year-old girl tied to it. The fear she’d felt ten years ago rose in her mind. She’d thought she would die at the hands of Damian Hester all those years ago. There was no hope of being rescued. No thought that she’d make it through.
Only the guilt and shame of knowing that her actions had led to her misery. The boy she’d toyed with was now toying with her. Holding her against her will until she gave in to his demands. He wanted what he’d given her for years. Devotion. Adoration. Love.
Things she couldn’t give him.
They both knew it.
That’s why he beat her.
Starved her.
