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He shook his head with a cold smile. “No, Monique. I am done listening.”
“I don’t know what to do here or what to say! What do you want from me?”
A quiet whimper escaped her throat as he leaned over her. The hard lines of his body pressed against hers, driving her against the counter. Tears stung her eyes as he stared down at her and the muscles in his jaw locked with rigid fury.
“Do you honestly expect me to believe that she’s gone? I can still feel her. Did you think that detail would slip my attention? What was the plan, sister?” he asked, reaching up to caress her neck. “Was this a plot Marx and Josh cooked up to break me down and pull me back in line? I will admit it was a brilliant scheme. That monster he loves is back. It’s all that remains. In fact, until I get her back, you and everyone else tied to that organization are going to start dying. I will pick you all off one by one until she is home again.” His lips twitched. “Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
“No. Sebastian, stop! Please, I’ll do anything.”
He smiled and pulled away from her. Sighing, he cast his attention to the ceiling and folded his hands behind his back. “You already had that opportunity. I gave you a chance and you gave me nothing.”
“What do you want from me? Please don’t do this. Please…”
“Where is she?” he roared.
She flinched. His sudden loss of composure frightened her more than anything. He watched as the blood drained from her face leaving it ashen white. He studied her. Even now, there was hesitation, reluctance…and perhaps uncertainty. He cocked his head and regarded her closely.
“If Taylor is dead, then you fail to serve any purpose, and our time here is done.” Tapping the small piece in his ear, he turned his back on her. “Get me a visual on the girl.”
Monique choked back a cry. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she shook her head in desperate entreaty. “No…Sebastian…no. Jesus! Please!”
The call came through on his phone. Swiping the screen, he stared at the video feed of his niece and watched the vibrant little girl running and playing beneath the hot desert sun. A sympathetic smile carved his face as he turned the device Monique’s way. She hit her knees, reaching for the phone with an anguished sob.
“Oh God,” she cried. “Not my baby. Don’t hurt my baby.”
“We all have our weaknesses in life, that one thing we just can’t live without,” he murmured, crouching down before her. “Taylor and our baby were mine.”
Her eyes darted up to his and flared.
“That’s right. She was pregnant,” he stated quietly. “I lost my child and you are very close to losing yours. The clock is ticking, Monique. Choose quickly.”
“I don’t know anything,” she sobbed. He yanked the phone back as her fingers clawed for it. “I swear. Sebastian, I swear to God. I know you are still in there somewhere. I know you are hurting, but you have to fight this and come back from it. Taylor wouldn’t want you to do this. She wouldn’t like the man you’re becoming. You know this. Please. You love Mia. I love you. We both do.”
He rubbed the light golden stubble on his chin before rocking to his feet. His eyes darted to the woman on the floor and pinned her in place. He disconnected the feed with a silent swipe, displeasure stamping the harsh planes of his face. Without warning, he wrenched her from the floor using a thick fistful of her hair. Pressing against her back, he clamped his other hand around her neck, silencing her shrill cry.
“I want what is mine, and you are going to give it to me,” he warned in a silken voice against her ear. “I can still feel her, and my instinct doesn’t lie. I don’t care what it takes, or what you have to do. Josh knows something. You pull her location out of him. One of you better bring her to me, or I will make you watch as I strip away everything you hold dear.”
~*~*~*~
Three more days had passed. He’d watched Marx’s every move until the son-of-a-bitch pulled a quick one overnight and disappeared off the grid. He’d scoured every inch of SKALS headquarters and every black site he could find, but there was still no sign of Taylor. Every day, he died a thousand deaths, but today…today was the worst. Sebastian hung his head as a harsh gust of wind swept across the ground. Steeling his jaw, he stared at the gaudy spread of Astroturf and the earthen hole it surrounded. Even now, Taylor haunted him. Her laugh, her smile, everything about her flittered nonstop through his mind. The images and memories assaulted him, nearly driving him to his knees. His fingers tightened around the rough bark of the tree, gouging until the loose clumps of wood splintered and broke free beneath his grasp. It was the only thing helping him stand.
Everything he loved was gone.
A small crowd had gathered in the cemetery. They huddled together, their faces grim and somber while James Blunt’s Goodbye My Lover played. It had been the most fitting song he could think of, but the lyrics rang with a painful truth and ripped him to shreds. It described their life and everything they’d been through to a tee. Tears welled and his chest jerked in mute agony. How the hell was he supposed to get through this?
Forcing his gaze upward, he staunched the flow and watched the thick grey clouds. They churned overhead, threatening to unleash the heavy burden of rain they carried. Clenching his fists, he cracked his thumbs and turned his attention back t0 the lavish silver coffin. It wasn’t enough. The love of his life deserved so much more. It killed him to know an elongated box filled with satin was the last gift he might ever be able to give her. His heart shattered as he tried not to envision her and their unborn son reduced to nothing but a pile of ashy remains. As much as it terrified him to admit, until he had her back in his arms, that was still a very real possibility.
Branches creaked overhead, their spindly limbs bowing in protest of the wind. His throat swelled, cutting his air off. His eyes lifted to Monique, pinning the blonde. Sensing his attention, she glanced up. A violent shiver wracked her from the inside out, and her slender form trembled as she quickly averted her gaze. Her head bowed with her attempts to hide her face. She was wise to fear him. He hadn’t gotten so much as one condolence from her or call and he was far from forgiveness.
The disgust he felt was a welcome relief over the pain. His eyes narrowed as Monique pressed closer to Josh’s side. Her face lit with an apologetic smile as the man glanced down, one corner of his mouth returning the gesture. Sebastian’s stomach churned as he watched them lean on each other for support, as if it was their ordeal to bear. A rise of acid burned his chest. Anger pulsed low and seething in his veins, forcing him to brood in silence. Several deep breaths helped to curtail his emotions, but only a little. The muscles beneath his jaw corded as he glanced at Taylor’s coffin once again and forced his eyes away.
He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t bear the sight of it. It hurt too damn much.
Reaching up, he twisted the tarnished silver pin on the lapel of his shirt. The shaped metal bones beneath his fingers helped soothe his turmoil and gave him a renewed sense of purpose. This was the sort of situation he was trained for. He would find Taylor. All he had to do was pinpoint her location and flush Marx out of hiding. The problem was deciding where to start and when.
He scanned the pitifully small crowd, inspecting each face, searching for any sign of deception. Time and again, he found his attention drawn to the man behind Monique. Tall and broad in chest and shoulders, he had a chiseled jaw and almost model good
looks. He wasn’t someone from their social circle, but the man was too somber, too subdued. His lips pursed in thought. His gaze probed, searching deeper. Sebastian’s head cocked to the side as recognition hit and he remembered a name to go with the face. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Gavin Bradshaw.
He frowned, his forehead creasing, as he wondered what the man was doing there. There was no denying the anger in those icy blue eyes or the grief. The two came so quickly they often overlapped each other. It was a strange reaction. Especially since Mr. Bradshaw was the one who had sabotaged Taylor’s car. His interest deepened. He didn’t have an answer for the man’s demeanor yet, but he intended to get one.
He turned his attention back to his sister as the services ended. Monique was ravaged by grief and fear. She looked like she hadn’t eaten or slept in days. The willowy stalks of her legs trembled as she approached Taylor’s coffin. Closing her eyes, she kissed the tip of the velvety rose before gently laying it down. Tears fell as she cast an uncertain glance his way. Sebastian gave a curt nod, a terse press tightening his lips. To her credit, she held herself together quite well while exchanging a few brief words with the men who’d stood by her side. She even managed to force a smile or two for their benefit.
Biding his time, Sebastian waited until the vehicles were starting to pull away before levering off the tree to approach his sister’s side. Her attention remained rooted on the patch of grass between her feet.
“Hello, Monique. That was a lovely service, don’t you think?”
She shuddered, her body stiffening as he draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into the lee of his body. A low whimper broke from her throat.
