“I can’t believe this.” Gabrielle shook with rage.
“Calm down. I’m not heartless. I won’t blackmail you for money. The Chief of Police gig will do just fine. All you need to do is stick with my story and convince your sister to help me get it. After I save you, of course.”
“You bastard!” Gabrielle said. She grabbed the bowl of stew and flung it at Brad’s face.
He ducked as the stew splattered against the wall.
A male voice thundered from behind her. “What the hell is going on in here?”
Chapter51
Sebastian glanced at the page of scribbled notes, half drawings, and doodles. He was perched on a stool in the kitchen away from Kane, Lachlan, and Bobby. Hours had passed since he and Lachlan had been at King Estate confirming that Gabrielle was gone. The island feds were perplexed and stunned, scrambling to figure out how she’d disappeared. There was no sign of forced entry. No message left by the stalker, and no sign of the woman he loved anywhere. He was the last one who’d heard from her. Her message to him had left him gutted.
Don’t make me start worrying about you. Call me back. Forget that. Come home so I can wrap my arms around you and give you a big kiss. You know where our kisses lead … so that should be enough incentive. Bye.
Gabrielle had no plans of leaving King Estate. She was waiting for him to come home. But Shannon had beaten Sebastian there and kidnapped her. Guilt threatened to drown him. Sebastian rehearsed every single detail of the stalker’s activities since Gabrielle arrived back on the islands. He had to be missing something. As much as the evidence pointed to Shannon, Sebastian couldn’t shake the one disconnect. He’d never witnessed any attraction between the man and Gabrielle. Shannon acted more like a doting and overbearing father figure than a man who was obsessed and in love with her. Was he that psychotic and able to cover? Or were they on the wrong track?
“I want to introduce you to Sebastian. He’s a former PISCO,” Everett said.
Sebastian looked up. A man stood next to him. Blond, brown eyes, definitely law enforcement trained, but something was off about him. A tinge of danger lingered in his gaze and mannerisms that set Sebastian on edge.
“You must be Dr. Forrester,” Sebastian said.
The man nodded. “No need for formalities. Rocco is fine.”
“So, Rocco, when the fuck is Ike going to wake up?” Sebastian asked. As much as the man made him wary, he knew they needed Rocco to treat Ike off the grid. Once his best friend was better, there would be plenty of time to learn more about Everett’s old friend from the D.E.A.
Rocco shrugged, grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl, and peeled it, dropping rinds on the counter. “You found him at the right time. When I got here, he was about ten minutes from flatlining.” Rocco shoved an orange wedge in his mouth, then took his sweet time chewing before continuing. “He has three broken ribs, broken leg, dislocated shoulder, and a nasty concussion. Not bad for falling out of the sky.”
“You think that’s what happened?” Sebastian asked.
Everett said, “He was fast roping out of a helicopter. We found the rope. It had jagged, frayed edges where gunshots splintered it. Residue was confirmed in tests I ran.”
“He was closer to the ground when he started the free fall, and likely the trees in the area helped to slow him down. It’s the only reason he survived,” Rocco said, then tossed another orange wedge in his mouth. “Treating his physical injuries is the easy part. The harder part is flushing his body of the drugs in his system that are inhibiting him from healing. Found both blue hibiscus powder and lazirprene. A wicked combination of fast-acting powders that sedate and paralyze. They’ve worn off enough for him to move but are still wreaking havoc on his body internally.”
“Rocco put Ike in a medically induced coma until he has better vitals,” Everett said.
Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. Not the news he wanted to hear when Gabrielle was missing, too.
“I’ll stick around to monitor him over the next few days,” Rocco said with a tinge of worry. “Not sure I can stay longer than that. Everett can update me, and I’ll come back when his vitals improve to finish treating him.”
Sebastian was relieved to hear Rocco say when and not if. “How much for you to stick around until Ike is better?”
“I don’t need your money,” Rocco said.
“But you need something from us. You and Everett may be old pals, but I sense you have another reason for doing this favor,” Sebastian said.
Rocco tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “When I call for help, I expect this whole crew to come running. No questions asked.”
Sebastian asked. “And when should we expect this call?”
Rocco glanced at Everett.
Everett gave him a quick nod. Sebastian knew his instincts were right.
Rocco shrugged, tossed the last orange wedge in his mouth, then left the kitchen.
Everett eased down onto the stool next to Sebastian. “Rocco lost his way, but he’s still a good guy deep down. May need some time to reconnect with that part of himself.”
