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Still fixing the group with a steely glower, he lowered into the chair at the head of the table. He reclined against the padded leather until the seat leaned back, the position helping to ease some of the tension in his shoulders. The creak sounded unnaturally loud against the hushed silence of the room. “Since Dominic saw it fit to interrupt things and prove the ineptitude of this team, one of you is going to tell me where we are at in this situation. For your sakes, I hope I like the prognosis.”
His frown deepened at the stillness that followed. Most of the room refused to meet his stare. Brow lowering, he tented his fingers beneath his chin. Josh sat up but snapped his mouth shut at a discouraging shake of Sebastian’s head. Relief mingled with the frustration darkening his partner’s face. He understood the feeling all too well. Things did not bode well for them if the only man willing to speak up was the only one who didn’t have a reason to prove his worth.
Wes cleared his throat. Smoothing a hand across the top of his bald dome, he kept his gaze trained on the table but bravely broke the silence.
“We’ve been keeping a close eye on the situation, sir. They’ve moved most of the weapons out of the warehouse and have stashed them in various locations throughout the state. One of Laychee’s underlings rented a commercial space outside of Flagstaff this week. We’re confident they will try to ship a majority of the weapons there within the next few days. There’s also the matter of Armando Soeleze. The Feds withheld the body as long as they possibly could. His brother’s funeral is tomorrow.”
Sebastian nodded. “Good. That’s why I am here. Make sure every angle of that place is locked under heavy surveillance. Nailing Soeleze is the only way we are ever going to get to close in on Laychee”
“That’s been done, sir,” Vince said.
“I didn’t ask if it was done. I said make sure it is done properly. Amp up whatever measures you already have in place. I don’t want so much as one person blinking without our knowledge.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Has the BATF been notified of the situation?”
“They have, sir,” Wes said, nodding. “They’re going to pick Armando up as soon as the services come to a close.”
Sebastian cursed beneath his breath. “Why wait?”
“I can only assume it is out of respect for the rest of the family, sir.”
“Who knew other bureaus were so sentimental?” He scoffed then sighed. Raking his hands through his hair, he let his head fall back in a brief bid of frustration. “Okay. There is nothing we can do to speed them along. In the meantime, we are going to make one last move on Laychee. I want the son-of-a-bitch tagged with a micro dermal tracker, that way he’s locked into our sights with no escape.”
“That might be difficult considering his background, sir,” Dominic stated. “The minute he feels so much as a twinge, the man is going to get suspicious.”
Sebastian offered him an icy smirk. “Nothing about this job is easy, Agent Chase. That’s part of why you are paid so well.” Turning his attention to the rest of the room, he took a deep breath and stood. “Go home, relax, and get your heads on straight. Be ready for the call. I want this done tonight.”
Taylor stood at the sound of the garage door rolling into its tracks. Wiping her sudsy hands on the seat of her jeans, her gaze darted to the wet floor with a small frown of worry. For a moment, she pondered grabbing the dishtowel and trying to wipe it dry, but there wasn’t time. The kitchen was too big and Sebastian was already home. Blowing out a deep breath, she swept her hair off her face with her forearm and hurried to the door. She caught him before he stepped out of the laundry room. Her heart faltered seeing the stern expression carved onto his chiseled features. Wincing, she wrung her hands.
“Hi, handsome. You might want to leave your boots on,” she said, squirming in place.
“Why is that?” he asked, hanging up his overcoat on a hook before turning to face her.
Taylor swallowed and lowered her eyes. “The kitchen floor is still wet.”
Sebastian scrubbed a hand across his mouth a couple of times and nodded. “Okay.”
“I would have had everything done, but you came home so early.”
“I said it’s fine, Taylor.” His voice hardened with an impatient edge. “Don’t make me repeat myself the minute I walk through the door. It pisses me off. Now come here,” he said, pointing to the spot in front of him.
Feeling the blood drain from her face, she crept forward. She pressed her lips together and forced a wry smile that felt way too much like a grimace. Sighing, Sebastian snared her chin in his hand. The bite of his fingers was firm against her jaw, but the kiss he greeted her with was soft and tender. Wrapping her arms around him, she ran her hands up and down his back, drawing a quiet noise of pleasure from his throat. Taylor held her breath and clung to hope as he lifted her with ease and spun her around to sit her on the edge of the washer.
“There’s my little minx,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. “Are you that afraid of me, Taylor? Did you really think I would punish you for cleaning the house?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.
His brow crept lower and he frowned, tucking the stray wisps of hair behind her ears. “I don’t expect you to have everything finished before noon, baby,” he said lifting his gaze to hers. Confusion and pain lingered in his pale green eyes. “Yes, I would prefer it if everything was done when I got home so we could just spend time together and enjoy one another, but I’m not that unreasonable…am I?”
She chewed the inside corner of her bottom lip and shook her head.
“No, Taylor,” he said softly. “That’s not an answer. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going through your head.”
Her throat felt dry and constricted, and she battled the sudden, inexplicable urge to cry. She could feel the curious weight of his stare and the hurt rolling off Sebastian in waves. More than anything, she just wanted to fix it. Reaching up, she tried to run her fingers through his curls and tug him closer. Catching her hands before they reached him, Sebastian gently forced them back down to the washer and pinned them at her sides.
“Don’t,” he warned. “Answer me.”
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice bordering on a plea. “I just—last time you came home and things weren’t done, you got mad. Really mad.”
“It was almost three o’clock in the afternoon and you were too busy yapping on the phone to come say hello to me. What did you think was going to happen, Taylor?”
She gave a helpless shrug. Tilting his head back, Sebastian cast a frustrated look at the ceiling and sighed.
“Okay,” he said, forcing his attention back to her. Patting her hip, he urged Taylor off the washer. “Go sit. We’re going to get some things straight.”
She winced as she padded back through the kitchen and into the great room. By the time she reached the leather couch they usually used, her socks were soaked. She wiggled her toes in the fuzzy confines and blew out a deep breath as Sebastian lowered himself onto the cushion next to her. The cool leather made her shiver after the icy press of the washer lid. One corner of Sebastian’s mouth lifted. Reaching behind them, he pulled the fluffy cashmere throw off the back of the couch and draped it around her shoulders.
“You don’t have to freeze you know. If you’re cold, you can turn the heat up, baby. I can afford it.”
“I know,” she whispered.
His dimples deepened and twisted in a show of thought. The couch creaked as he turned and braced his back against the juncture of the cushions and the arm to look at her. Plowing a hand through his curls, he rubbed the back of his head.
“I don’t have a lot of patience left today, but I’m going to explain this as best as I can. I didn’t punish you because the chores weren’t done. It was your lack of effort concerning me and everything else. It was pushing three. You weren’t working on getting things done. You didn’t even greet me; all because you were too busy talking to your friend. You
come first with me, Taylor. Don’t ever put me last.”
His words made sense. Feeling the burn of shame creep into her cheeks, she lowered her head and nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“I know and, so far, you’ve proven it with your actions. So what had you in knots when I walked through the door?” he asked, tipping her face back up. “You never did explain that to me.”
