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Sebastian’s face tightened as he strode down the dimly lit corridor. Emotions weren’t allowed. Anything other than rage or bloodlust was a liability in his line of work. The doubts, the secret resentment, even the guilt he’d grappled with last night were things that would get him killed. He steeled his spine and pulled the door open. Despite popular belief, there were things much worse than death, and those things waited on the other side of the door.
His pale stare flickered over the men gathered around the table, settling briefly on Dominic and Josh before shifting to Marx. The man was as big and solid as a bull and every bit as aggressive. His light chocolate skin shone beneath the lights, and a hard gleam ignited the ebony pits of his eyes. Clenching his jaw, Sebastian held their director’s deadly glower, refusing to back down. He thought he detected a slight twitch in Marx’s lips before the man indicated to a waiting chair.
“Have a nice Christmas, Baas?” he asked in his gruff, booming voice.
He pondered that question for a moment and leaned against the back of his seat. “It was pleasant enough.”
“I’m glad. You never were one for small talk, but I’m going to assume you aren’t asking about mine because you already know it was shit. You gentlemen have some explaining to do.”
Sebastian donned a callous smirk. “Would this be in reference to Todd’s new and improved smile?”
Marx snorted. Though he tried to conceal it, a brief spark of appreciation illuminated his eyes. “It would.”
Sebastian shrugged. “He crossed the line. If he’s a smart man, he resigned and booked a one way ticket for an international flight.”
“Oh he is finished here, alright,” Marx snarled. “And given the situation, he’s looking at a permanent retirement. What I want to know is why. He had potential. He could have been a valuable asset to this team.”
Josh coughed. “No offense, Marx, but that’s a crock of shit. Baas did you a favor. The guy was stupid and reckless to boot.”
“That’s not what his IQ tests said.”
“It’s what his mouth proved. Would you play a game of grab and go with his woman?” Josh asked, jutting a thumb in Sebastian’s direction. “Or suggest that you’d like to take her for a test drive in his absence?”
Marx’s dark eyes flared. “No. No, I would not. Is that what this was about?”
“It is,” Sebastian stated. “That and his utter lack of respect in front of my team.”
“And given the fact that he was a part of this team, it’s fair to say he knew better. He knows how Baas is. It’s not like the man walked into the situation blind. He even had ample opportunity to rein it in and zip it, but he kept pushing.”
“It was the holidays. I was feeling generous,” Sebastian said with a cold smile.
“So I see,” Marx muttered, shaking his head. “He’s lucky to be alive. Unfortunately, that is something we will have to remedy when time allows. He’s too much of a liability now and can’t be trusted. Which brings us to our next point of discussion.”
Tension wound through Sebastian’s frame. He could feel the director’s dark stare drilling into him. Lifting his gaze, he met the man’s eyes calmly though his stomach churned. A cold prickle danced across the nape of his neck, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet several degrees. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. He could only pray it didn’t involve Taylor.
“It’s come to my attention that there was an unpleasant outburst Christmas Eve aimed at you and several members of this team. Explain yourself, Baas. Explain to me how it is your sister-in-law knows these things let alone feels at liberty enough to discuss them. Perhaps I am mistaken here, but it was my understanding you intended to keep your family separate from your career.”
Bracing his elbow on the arm of the chair, Sebastian ran his forefinger across his lip several times before speaking. The ball of dread in his stomach tightened like a hangman’s noose. His eyes drifted shut for a brief moment. Natalie had backed him into a corner this time. There would be no pleasant outcomes.
“That was my intention, yes,” he stated quietly. “Unfortunately, other situations arose. She overheard a conversation several years ago and has been holding onto that information ever since.”
Marx nodded. Leaning back in his seat, he folded his arms against the thick expanse of his chest. There was no sympathy or understanding on his face. Only cold, hard accusations.
“I see. The how doesn’t matter, Sebastian. The fact is she talked. There are rules, protocol to be followed in these types of situations, and you are as aware of them as any. If she felt comfortable enough to spew that level of venom in your home and make those sorts of claims against my men, I would say there is a very definite problem.”
Numbness swept through him. Clenching and unclenching the muscles in his jaw, Sebastian kept his attention focused on the table in front of him. He could feel Josh’s weighted stare, as well as Marx’s riding his shoulders. He let his eyes drift shut for the briefest of seconds, struggling to get his emotions back under control. Deep down, he’d known this was coming. He’d known and dreaded it clear down to his core. His head shook in a silent inner plea, and for a moment, he feared he would break. Beside him, Marx shifted his muscled girth in his chair making it creak in protest.
“Are we having a breakdown in communication, Baas?” he asked, leaning forward. “I find it disconcerting enough that this problem was not handled already, but your reluctance is starting to raise some serious concerns.”
Tension gripped the room and thrummed through his system. He felt his partner’s desperation, the silent pleading rolling off the man across the table. It was too late for that, and they both knew it. Marx nodded and reclined against the back of his chair again, his dark gaze flitting over the other men.
“Give us a moment, please. Don’t go far.”
Sebastian’s body stiffened as they pushed away from the table and the door clicked shut behind them. His muscles ached, threatening to shatter. It took every bit of effort he had to meet their director’s cold stare.
“She’s pregnant. Despite what she’s done, that’s still my blood inside her.”
“This is not my problem, Baas. It’s yours, and I suggest you fix it. This is not an option. It’s an order. Are we clear?”
He fought himself, struggling, desperately fighting to hold onto whatever small pieces of humanity and decency remained. Marx saw this. His expression hardened until it took on the consistency of chiseled granite, and his ebony eyes narrowed into scrutinizing slits. Without warning, his ham sized fist struck, crashing into the side of Sebastian’s face with the force of a wrecking ball. The blow rocked both body and chair hard enough to send him capsizing to the floor. His skull bounced off the wall behind him, setting off an explosion of blinding light before his eyes. Dazed, he shook as he pulled himself into a semi upright position. He braced himself as Marx stood. Slow, sinister warmth caressed the side of his cheek. It ignited a brief spark of hatred. He clung to that rage as Marx crouched over him, his expression mocking.
“See, it’s not so hard to spill your own blood after all, is it?”
Sebastian growled at the taunt, his body coiling with anger as the big bear of a man wrenched him to his feet.
“Ah, so you are in there after all,” Marx drawled. "This pang of conscience troubles me, Sebastian. There’s no place for it here. You have a team to lead and your professionalism is one we count on. Perhaps it's just a bit of leftover holiday spirit clouding your judgment, or maybe you need a refresher course. Either way, I will tweak that killer in you and bring you back to where you need to be. For your sake, I hope you comply. It would be a shame to use that pretty little girlfriend of yours as outside motivation."
INTERLUDE
Josh folded his arms and waited with no small measure of impatience. The last two weeks had been hell. The last time he saw Baas, the man had been crazed. Sweat had drenched his clothes making them cling to his skin. His hair had been soaked to the point of
losing all curl, and stuck out from the sides of his head in ragged spikes. Those images and the absolute desperation and insanity plaguing his friend’s eyes were something that would haunt him for a lifetime. There was nothing he could do. Nothing any of them could do but play along and just keep piling the torture on.
