Logan (Federal Protection Agency #9)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Logan

“You go around looking like that, people are going to think you lost a fight.”

Sebastian’s voice greeted me with far too much enthusiasm when I stepped through the door of Alias Investigations.

I wanted to flip him off and tell him to shove his laughter up his ass, but I was too tired and just slumped into the chair on the other side of his desk.

“Shut up. I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“You sure it was only one night?” Sebastian eyed me up and down, laughter still evident in his voice, though his expression conveyed legitimate worry. “I’ve seen raccoons with smaller dark circles around their eyes than you have right now. I think you’re missing more than a single night’s sleep.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s just been a busy couple of weeks. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”

As I’d predicted, work had been hell when I was practically falling asleep on my feet. I’d been banned from any fieldwork that day and spent the time catching up on paperwork. When it was done, I’d been looking forward to falling into my bed and not moving for the next twelve hours, but a last-minute call from Sebastian had derailed that plan.

A file sat on the desk, obviously waiting for me, but when I reached for it, Sebastian pulled it away.

“Hey, Logan, maybe you should just go home and rest. We can discuss this later.”

“Sebastian.” I slammed my fist against the top of the desk, though my display of anger lost its impact when I was also slumped over that same desk. “I’m already here. Just give it to me.”

Sebastian—the annoying bastard—chuckled as he opened the file. “Didn’t know you were so forward, Logan. Usually, I have to buy someone dinner before they’ll beg me like that.”

I glared at the other man, wishing I had the energy to throw something at his stupid, smug face.

My prayers were answered when a paperback book came sailing out of nowhere and bounced off the side of Sebastian’s head.

Gabe strode into the room a moment later, glaring at Sebastian as he returned the book. “If you’re cheating on Newt, I will break that leg of yours beyond repair this time.”

The intense look in his eyes meant business, and I half expected him to reach over and break Sebastian’s leg right in front of me.

Sebastian, on the other hand, just laughed harder.

“Don’t look so worried, Logan. I promise, Gabe may lack a sense of humor, but he’s not as mean as he seems.” Then his laughter died and was replaced with a serious expression as he turned in his chair to face Gabe directly. “I promise I’m not cheating on Newt. So, you can stop plotting my murder.”

Gabe’s expression barely changed, but he gave Sebastian a slight nod as he moved over to his own desk. “Good. I don’t want to explain to Frankie why his best friend’s boyfriend is in the hospital again.”

Sebastian leaned over the side of his desk, getting as close as he could to Gabe’s space without standing up. The shit-eating grin was back on his face, stronger than before.

“Hospital? So, you wouldn’t kill me and put me directly in the morgue? I’m flattered.”

Gabe merely scoffed and started checking the book he’d used as a projectile for damage.

I hadn’t noticed while it was flying through the air, but based on the cover, the book seemed to be a sappy romance novel. From how much Gabe was worrying over the book, it was obviously his, but I never would have expected such a serious man to like those kinds of stories.

Maybe Sebastian was right, and Gabe wasn’t as cold-hearted as he looked. In fact, the more I studied him, the more I began to suspect he was truly a romantic at heart who just took his relationships very seriously.

That was a quality I could appreciate in a man. Gabe wasn’t my type at all, but I could see how he could make the right person very happy.

Speaking of which...

“Newt? Frankie? These are new names. Something you want to tell me?”

“Oh.” Sebastian perked up and immediately pulled out his phone. “Did I not tell you? My bachelor days are in the past. Here.”

The photo on the phone showed Sebastian standing with his arm around another man. The little redhead, who I assumed was named Newt, couldn’t be more different from Sebastian if he tried. While Sebastian was dressed in a long black coat like he was auditioning for a Matrix reboot, Newt was dressed in as many colors as possible. The two of them seemed to be at a convention or fair of some sort and were posing for the picture with comically serious expressions on their faces while holding up peace signs toward the camera.

“You look good together,” I said as I handed back the phone. I meant it, too. Although they were very different, they also somehow complimented each other. Like black and white, a picture needed both in order to create an image. Remove one, and you’d be left with just a blank piece of paper.

“Yeah.” Sebastian smiled down at the phone before putting it away. “Our relationship had an interesting start. He got wrapped up in the case with the pedophile ring. Nearly got killed when Russo’s goons struck a hit on me at the old office and apartment, too, but he stuck it out like a trooper. Now, I think we’re in a pretty good place.”

He leaned across the desk toward me, cupping his hand in front of his mouth to stage whisper at me while blatantly staring over at Gabe.

“Newt’s best friend, Frankie, is also dating Gabe. Two of us are practically in-laws now, so I’ve got to be on my best behavior.”

Ah, that made sense. I’d known Sebastian Roth for several years, and he usually wasn’t the type to let new people into his inner circle so easily. At first, despite being vetted by Mason, I’d been suspicious of how quickly Gabe had been integrated into Sebastian’s life, but with this extra tie between them, the relationship made more sense.

I was happy to see my friend thriving, especially after the difficulties he’d faced recently, but it was a bittersweet feeling. It wasn’t jealousy, exactly, that sat heavy in my stomach. Sebastian’s partner, Newt, wasn’t my type any more than Gabe was. I’d always preferred men with a bit more spice to them in both looks and personality.

Yet, I was jealous of his relationship. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d managed more than a few dates with the same person, and I longed for the stability of knowing there would always be someone waiting for me when I came home.

Clearing my throat to drive away the ball of emotion that had decided to form there, I tapped the folder that was still lying on the desk.

“You said you had something to tell me? I assuming it wasn’t just about your relationship.”

“Ah, right.” Sebastian flipped open the folder and we were finally able to get to work. “Until now, we’ve been operating under the assumption that our two cases were unconnected.”

“Yeah,” I agreed as I looked through the information in the file. It was mostly a lot of names and numbers that didn’t make much sense without context, so I don’t bother to look for long. “Although both trafficking rings prey on kids, their victims and methods are completely different. Why? Has something changed?”

Sebastian’s previously cheerful expression grew pensive as he braced his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers in front of his face. “I don’t know if something has changed, or if we just didn’t have all the information before. Until now, these “Bell ringers” seemed old school. Going door-to-door. Physically stalking victims. Snatching them out of their houses in the dead of night. Those are tactics from a pre-technology era. The traffickers we’ve been chasing, in contrast, are very-high tech. Altering records. Manipulating systems. That kinda stuff.”

In a sudden burst of clarity, I realized what he was saying.

“The doorbell cameras.”

Sebastian nodded and a chilling shadow fell over his eyes. “When you told me about the info that Jordy gave you, I started to wonder. That’s a high-tech tactic that would require a lot of manpower and a lot of technological know-how.”

“Which sounds exactly how the traffickers you’ve been hunting down operate,” I concluded for him. “You think they’re the same people?”

Sebastian idly sorted the information back inside the file, straightening the pages until they were perfectly aligned.

“I hope I’m wrong, or that your Bell ringers are just an extension of the ring Gabe and I brought down that we didn’t catch. But...”

He sighed and slumped behind his desk. Those few words seemed to have taken all his energy to say, and he wasn’t done.

I could already see the connection he was making, so to save him the effort, I finished the explanation for him.

“You think the ring I’m hunting and the ring you’re hunting are both just branches on a much larger tree.”

Taking a deep breath and running both hands through his hair, Sebastian straightened his spine and forced a grin back onto his face.

“Well, maybe I’m wrong. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m just jumping at shadows and seeing threats where they aren’t. This case has driven me half crazy.”

The hair stood up on the back of my neck. Sebastian’s words sounded suspiciously similar to what I’d been thinking about Clay last night. I’d managed to make a few calls today to find out more about the therapist he was visiting, and so far, I didn’t like what I’d found. I still couldn’t say for certain that the doctor was being inappropriate with his patients, but it was enough to raise my suspicions. I’d already arranged with Clay’s brother to have him moved to a different therapist.

If Sebastian’s instincts were as accurate as Clay’s had been, then we couldn’t afford to ignore his ideas just because they were uncomfortable.

“Tell me everything about your case. From the beginning.”