She drew in a stuttered breath. “He has to come home.”
A hand coasted over her hair. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now while you’re in the midst, sweetheart, but you can endure this. My girl has a strong will.”
“I’m trying to stay positive, but I miss him, Mom. Not knowing what’s happening is driving me crazy. What if he’s hurt?”
“Do you want me to call your dad for an update?”
“No, leave them to it. If Dad hasn’t called yet, there’s no update to give. He said he’d let me know when there’s something to know.”
No news is good news, was the saying. However, the news could also be bad. She didn’t want her dad to call to tell her it was bad news.
Seb, wherever he was, needed Sunny to remain calm and not fall to pieces yet.
So that’s what she did.
She paced and waited by the clubhouse windows, one unnerved breath at a time, watching the gate that didn’t open.
Sunny managed to hold it together for her husband.
Because what other option was there?
There was none without Sebastian.
* **
Sebastian
The clock on the wall said hours had passed.
Hours of lost time, and now Seb was inside a motel room. Where? He didn’t know.
His heart was still bleeding out onto the fucking floor after the phone call Dwayne made him make, but his head snapped up as he listened to the cackling old man as he switched Seb’s phone off before tossing it onto the dresser.
“Cut ties with your old life, son. It’s not you anymore.” He’d told him, like he was a doting father taking his kid for a family trip. Instead, he’d shot Seb up with the sedative again so he could barely move and held the phone to his mouth.
It was the only thing he could think of to warn her without telling her outright and putting her in danger.
“Don’t worry, the drugs will wear off soon. I just wanted time to talk to you without you going off half-cocked.” Dwayne said, sitting on the side of the bed opposite Seb, slumped in an armchair by the window. He glanced out and didn’t recognize the motel parking lot. He’d probably driven out of town long ago.
Though his head was fuzzy, it was less sluggish than earlier, and Seb stared at the man with a hand in half of his DNA. Thank fuck he didn’t see any similarities. It was going to make killing him easier.
“Spit out whatever you want to say to me, and let’s get this over with.” He said, making Dwayne grin.
“You got some spunk to you. I wondered if you’d grow up like a little pussy. Glad to see you didn’t.” Was Seb supposed to be flattered? He went on staring. Trying not to think about when Sunny listened to the message and how her heart would break at first before she hopefully realized he’d used their special word. “I kept tabs on you. The thingabout being in lockup is that you make a lot of contacts. They did me a favor once they were out and checked up on my kid. Big shot at engineering, huh? Saw a few articles about you, too.” Dwayne rubbed his chin and smirked. “Could’ve knocked me over when they told me you were in with the Souls. Guess that interfering bitch Ruby landed on her feet with that, huh?”
Seb ground his back molars until pain radiated along his jaw, holding inside his immediate anger. This lowlife could say whatever he wanted, but it didn’t make it accurate.
“Is there anywhere you wanna settle down? Delaware has a good scene and some opportunities to make fast cash. Maybe Austin, I’ve got buddies there. Lots of garages to work in down there.” Dwayne grabbed a bottle of beer from a cooler. He twisted the cap and drank half in one gulp before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “You and your old man setting up shop together. Never thought I’d live to see the day.” He sounded proud and drank again, twisting off a second bottle cap.
Seb pictured himself lunging out of the chair once he had regained the use of his body and choking the life out of that guy. He swallowed bile and stared, unblinking, letting the fool weave his fantasy life in words.
“Those bikers must’ve paid you a decent packet, yeah? They’re notorious and have their paws on everything in this country. We’ll have enough to buy a little place, go legit with my boy fixing up motors and shit and me working the front.”
The asshole was delusional.
Seb’s tongue felt thick and slow in his mouth, but he forced out words, working hard to sit up straighter in the armchair. “This was your plan? You stalked me on my honeymoon and talked to my wife when she was alone. You fucked with my vehicles.” And then something penetrated through Seb’s cloudy brain, and his eyes snapped forward. “Did you have something to do with a drive-by?”
Dwayne emitted a prideful snicker and took a long slurp of the beer. “That was spontaneous, with the help of a friend from jail. Just to see how well you’d deal with it. I never would’ve shot my boy. Just a bit of fun to fuck with the bikers. Got them scrambling, didn’t I? Few can say they did the same.”
