Chapter 33 – Sebastian
Chapter
Thirty-Three
SEBASTIAN
S hit. My heart jackhammers in my chest, and I don’t have time for small talk with Meredith as she passes me the bag. After nodding my thanks, I leave.
“How do you know?” I ask, climbing into my car and starting the engine.
“I’m here right now, keeping the place under surveillance. I’m a distance away, but I can see it clearly with binoculars. They’ve both been shot in the head, and their bodies have been dumped outside the house, like he’s leaving us a message. I think we have to work under the assumption that Volkov knows what’s going on.”
“You think? Of course he fucking does, why else would he have them killed? Shit… We need to think. Are Caroline and Nicky still in there?”
“I don’t know. About ten minutes ago, four SUVs sped past, but the windows were blacked out so I couldn’t see inside. Could be he’s moved them, could be he was sending out soldiers. I think we need to plan for the worst here, my friend. Volkov didn’t get where he is today by showing restraint. If he’s found out, it will be scorched earth, and nobody who has touched this will be safe. That includes you, and that includes?—”
“Lauren and Samantha.” Slamming my fist down on the dashboard, I let out a roar. I need to get to them right now. I need to keep them safe. Caroline and Nicky matter to me, but I won’t be any use to them if all I can think about is my girls being in danger.
“Keep calm, Sebastian. We don’t really know what has happened yet. I suspect a leak at the courthouse or possibly in your team.”
“No fucking way! I trust every single man at Archangel with my life.”
Even as I say it, doubt creeps in. Is that really true? Most of them, yes, but there is one that I’ve had persistent questions about. Could it be Taylor Grant? Does he even know enough to tell? We’ve kept Irina and Vladimir’s involvement on a strictly need-to-know basis, but there’s always a way for information to get out. Torres showed us that. I shelve the questions for now—I have bigger things to worry about.
“Do you think he knows everything?” I ask.
“We need to assume so. The couple was shot, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t tortured beforehand. If that’s the case, then Volkov will be aware you and I are involved and know which law firm was involved. He’ll want to send a message, prove he isn’t weak. He probably suspects someone is watching, which is why he left the bodies in clear view. I’m going to try to get inside the house later, see if Caroline and her boy are there.”
That’s a dangerous move. “You sure?” I ask. “You need help?”
“It’s probably best done with stealth. I’ll be careful, and I’ll call if I need a blunt instrument. I just need to know he’s not… playing with them.”
We are both silent for a moment, picturing the horrific scene. My rage builds, and although he sounds calm enough, I know Sasha feels the same. “I need to make my people safe,” I say quietly. “Once that’s sorted, I’ll be with you and we’ll do whatever needs to be done. Just stay alive in the meantime, all right?”
He actually laughs, the crazy Russian bastard. “Better men than Ivan Volkov have tried to kill me, Sebastian, don’t worry. Now go do what you have to do.”
My next call is to Gabriel, who’s at home with Samantha and Max. We decide the best thing for him to do is stay there because the place is a fortress. He’ll see anyone coming from miles away and is confident he can look after his family. Not once have I doubted Gabriel’s ability to look after Sam, and I’m not going to start now. “What about you?” he asks. “And Lauren?”
“Don’t worry.” I maneuver in and out of traffic. “I’m on my way to her now. At least it’s the weekend, so there’s nobody in at the law firm. Nick’s away, isn’t he? Not that anyone else is likely to be a target, but maybe let him know. And contact the lads, will you? This is why we pay them to be on call. We need everyone in on backup, even Taylor.”
“What do you mean, even Taylor? He’s fucking good in a fight.”
I beep my horn angrily at some twat in front of me daring to drive at the actual speed limit. “I know he is. Look, I can’t explain it, but something about him feels off, all right? But yeah… Okay. We need them all.”
“We do. I’ll start ringing round now. And I’ll see if I can persuade Sam to go down into the basement.” The basement of their home is essentially a panic room, which she hates—she wanted a cinema room instead.
“Good luck with that, pal. My advice? Sell it to her as keeping Max safe from harm. She’s more likely to go along then. I’m going to get Lauren safe, then see what I can do to help Sasha find Caroline and the boy.”
“I wish I could come and help you.” There’s regret in his voice, but we both know where his duty lies.
“No. Your job is to protect Sam and Max. I’ll keep you updated, okay?”
After what feels like a whole day, I finally reach Lauren’s place. My messages have been going to voicemail, and I’m halfway to panic when I run up the stairs. Last time I did this, I found her battered and bruised, traumatized by Torres even though she’d taken him down. Volkov and his men won’t be as easy to defeat, and my heart is in my mouth as I stand before her door. It’s locked, but I have a key now, and I don’t hesitate to let myself in.
“Lauren. It’s me. You okay?” I shout as I walk inside. There are no sounds of a struggle—in fact, the only sound is the cheesy dance music she likes to work out to. Sure enough, I find her in the living room, her Lycra-clad ass toward me as she jumps out of a burpee. Any other time…
She whirls around, her face coated in sweat, and gives me a huge smile. “Hey handsome. Didn’t expect you ’til later. What’s wrong?” She can tell straight away, of course, that this isn’t a social call. She’s more finely attuned to my expressions and body language than anyone else.
“You need to pack a bag,” I say, taking her arm and leading her toward the bedroom. “We need to get to the cabin.”
She plants her feet firmly and slaps my hand away. “Seb, talk to me. Don’t just push me around—we both know that won’t end well.”
Part of me wants to yell at her, drag her out of here, knock her out and hoist her over my shoulder if I need to. I take a deep breath and remind myself that she’s entitled to know. I want to protect her, but that doesn’t mean I own her.
“Volkov knows.”
She frowns. “Knows what, exactly?”
“Probably everything. About Caroline filing for divorce, about you representing her, about us helping, about Vladimir and Irina.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because they’re fucking dead, Lauren—Vladimir and Irina are dead. Sasha’s there right now, he saw the bodies. We have to assume they told him everything before he finished them off. Which means we’re not safe.”
“What about Caroline? Nicky?” Her face has gone pale. I’ve had time to think this through, but it’s all new to her. I love the fact that her first fear is for them, but I’m also getting frustrated by the delay. What if Volkov’s men know where she lives? There could be a hit squad on their way here right now.
“Sasha is looking for them, and I’ll help him. As soon as I have you safe. Please, babe, get what you need—you must know I’m useless unless I know you’re safe.”
She throws her arms around me and kisses me on the cheek. “I know. I’m sorry. Give me five minutes.”
She’s as good as her word, and I break the speed limit all the way to the cabin. After we drive through, I get out and double-check the gates and locks. Inside the house, she immediately heads for the kitchen and puts the kettle on. Looks like living in the UK has infected her already.
“What’s the plan?” she asks, leaning against the counter. She’s remarkably cool, and again I am reminded of her heritage. Montoyas don’t spook easily. “Should I contact my cousin, see if he can help?”
“That’s an interesting idea. If we need more boots on the ground, then yes. But for now, we don’t know where Volkov is, or where Caroline and Nicky are. We might be completely overreacting by stashing you here, but your name was on the court documents.”
She nods thoughtfully. “That could be where the leak came from, the court offices. The person I’ve been dealing with seems like a straight shooter, but there’s a whole world of bureaucracy in the legal system, people who might be vulnerable to bribes or threats.”
“It doesn’t much matter at this stage. Irina and Vladimir knew who you were. They knew about Archangel. We’ve got to assume that Volkov now knows everything. Look, I want to get back out there. Sasha’s dangling in the wind at Volkov’s place. He’s a sneaky sod and pretty good at taking care of himself, but I need to join him. See what we can find out about Caroline and Nicky. Now I know you’re safe here, I can concentrate on them.”
She nods once, all no-nonsense calm on the surface.
“I’m surprised you’re not arguing with me. You feeling okay, sweetheart?”
Laughing, she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me in for a deep kiss that leaves me wanting more. “This isn’t my first crisis, big guy,” she says, rubbing against me and smiling when she feels I’m hard. “And I know you won’t be able to function if you’re worrying about me. Caroline and Nicky need you more than they need me right now, and the very best thing I can do for them is let you get out there and do your thing. So go. Find them. I’ll be waiting here for you at the end of the day. I’ll always be waiting for you. I love you.”
She looks up at me with those big brown eyes, that gorgeous smile, and the way I feel about this woman floors me. Fuck it. This isn’t the right time for it at all, but what if the right time never comes? Life is chaos, and none of us knows what happens next. We have to grab our moments whenever we find them.
I drop down to one knee, and initially she laughs. When I stay silent and raise an eyebrow at her, she realizes I’m serious, her hands moving to cover her mouth. “Seb! What are you doing?”
“What the fuck do you think I’m doing, sweetheart? I’m trying to be romantic—so shut up and let me get on with it.”
Her eyes are as big as the moon, and her fingers are visibly trembling. I’m not sure if it’s from excitement or horror, but either way, I need to do this. “Lauren Hayes,” I say. “I love you. I didn’t even know what loving a woman was until you walked into my world, and now I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Every minute I’m away from you is a minute wasted. Every minute we’re together is happier than the last. You challenge me, you thrill me, you fill me with joy.”
She’s full-on crying by this stage, her brown eyes shimmering behind the tears. “Not to mention, you have the juiciest ass in the known universe, and you suck my cock like you’ve been in training for it your whole life. Lauren, will you marry me?”
I offer up the open box, and she falls down to her knees in front of me. Her hands go to my shoulders to steady herself, and I gently wipe the tears from her skin. “That was quite the speech, Seb. Did you rehearse it in front of the mirror?”
“No. If I had, it would’ve been a damn sight better than that. That was all from the heart. I meant every word. So… are you going to keep me hanging on?”
She tilts her head to one side, her curls flowing over her shoulder, and I’m reminded of the night we first met. The way that one flash of her eyes, one glimpse of the curve of her neck, was enough to reduce me to rubble. I knew then she was trouble with a capital T, this woman. Thank god I didn’t listen to my own advice and avoid her.
She stares at the ring and releases a sigh. “It’s beautiful. Exactly the kind of ring I would have chosen for myself.”
I’m pleased she likes it, but it hasn’t escaped my attention that she hasn’t actually said yes. Shit. Have I made a terrible mistake? Is this all too soon? She knows my history, maybe she doesn’t fancy being fiancée number six.
“I’m curious, though—why now? Why when you’re about to go off to war?”
“What better time? I get the feeling our lives together are never going to be simple. There’s always going to be something to fight for, and we’re always going to be the kinds of people willing to fight for it. Waiting for a quiet time feels like waiting for hell to freeze over. I love you now, and I want to marry you now. More than anything.”
“Right answer.” She kisses me again, then pulls back and waves her hand in my face. “Now put that damn ring on my finger and go be a hero.”
I do as I’m told, and as luck would have it, the gold band fits perfectly. It must be the only thing about Lauren that can be described as average. I stand up and pull her to her feet, and she yelps as I shove her back against the wall and pin her wrists above her head, then moans as I bite at her neck.
“Just to let you know, I haven’t gone soft,” I say.
“Definitely not soft,” she replies, grinding against my groin.
“Fuck,” I groan. “I’ve got to go. Save that thought, okay?”
Tearing myself away from her, I try to ignore my raging hard-on. I swear when my phone rings and pick up immediately when Gabriel’s name pops up. “Everything okay?” I ask. “Sam and Max all right?”
“Yeah, all’s good. I did what you suggested, and it worked. They’re safe in the basement, though I don’t think she’s happy about it. Listen, I’ve done like you asked and called in the troops. They’re all on standby, but the problem is I don’t really know where to send them. I don’t know where you are, mate—are you and Lauren okay?”
“We’re fine. I’ve got a place I never told you about. I’ll drop you and Sasha a pin, but so far, so good. Let me try to get ahold of him, see how the land lies, and we’ll take it from there.”
If he’s upset I’ve hidden this place from him, he doesn’t show it. We all have our secrets, and I guess he understands that. “Good. One thing to mention though, Seb—Taylor.”
“What about him?”
“He’s the only one I couldn’t get hold of. I spoke to the others, and nobody knows where the fuck he is. He knows he’s supposed to be on call at all times, but he’s gone AWOL. Probably off shagging his bird, but I thought you should know. I left him a message saying we needed him, that it was an emergency, but that was more than an hour ago, and so far, no response.”
I blink at this information, wondering how or if it fits into anything else that’s going on. Our work often involves unsociable hours, working nights and weekends, and because of that, we make it clear to all our staff that they need to keep themselves available. They get adequate financial compensation and work phones we can contact them on. Taylor going missing isn’t a massive deal, and under any other circumstances, I’d give him a bollocking and make sure he never forgot again. But right now? Right now, I’m paranoid. Right now, I don’t have a fucking clue who betrayed us to Volkov, and everyone is under suspicion.
“All right,” I say to Gabriel. “Probably just what you said—he’ll be balls-deep in his girl. You get back to my babies. Good luck, mate, and I’ll see you on the other side.”
He hangs up, and I find myself still staring at the phone.
“What is it?” Lauren asks. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure, but my spider senses are tingling. I need to check out the cameras, but I need to call Sasha as well…”
“I can check the cameras. You make your call. Teamwork.”
I nod and give her ass the barest of squeezes as she goes past me. I message Sasha first, not wanting a ringing phone to give him away if he’s hiding.
Can you speak?
Almost straight away, he calls me and starts talking as soon as I answer. “I can speak. I’ve already left—the whole place was empty. I started off sneaking around, skulking in hallways and hiding in dark corners, expecting to be caught. But the house is abandoned, at least for now. No staff, no soldiers, no Volkov. Sadly, no Caroline or Nicky either. I tried to find clues as to where they are, but no luck. The only things left out were things I can’t help thinking he wanted us to find.”
“Like what?” I ask, a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“Like a file of photographs. You, Gabriel, Samantha, Lauren. Myself, looking very dashing, I have to say. He knows we’ve been helping Caroline. The question is how long he’s known. Was today’s execution and evacuation spontaneous, or did he know the timing of everything—and if so, how? Not a question we’re going to be able to answer straight away. For now, I’d suggest you stay on high alert. He is armed, he has men, he knows way too much about you—and he is, above all else, a ruthless bastard. I’m going to call in a few favors with some mutual acquaintances. Did Caroline ever mention any place she was taken to? A venue for the parties she was shared at? Anywhere other than their home?”
I frown as I try to remember and tell him I’ll check with Lauren and get back to him. “Gabriel is safe with Samantha and the baby,” I tell him. “And for the time being, I’m at my cabin—I sent you the location just in case. But I’m probably going to head out soon, and if you let me know where you are, I’ll get a couple of my men to meet up with you. The more of us looking, the better.”
We agree, and I spend a few minutes on a flurry of messages. I’ve just finished when Lauren yells my name from the office, and I take off toward her voice. “What is it, babe? Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m all right,” she says, sounding a little breathless as she points at one of the screens. “But there’s something you need to see. I don’t think we’re quite as safe as you thought.”