Chapter 37 – Sebastian
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
SEBASTIAN
H e emerges into the clearing with Jacob and Alex alongside him, dragging an injured Russian between them. Their captive appears to have been shot in the leg, and they’re taking extra special care to bump into every dip and ridge on the ground as they go. He’s yelling in pain and trailing blood and only shuts up when he sees Volkov lying dead before him. I can’t imagine a man like Volkov inspired any genuine loyalty in his people, but he was at the top of the tree for a long time. Seeing him defeated is clearly a shock to this man.
“We need an ambulance.” I gesture at Taylor. “He’s still alive, and I’d like to keep him that way.” Lauren is still crouched at his side, showing no signs of letting go of his hand. I want Taylor to live because I’m not a twat and because I owe him—but I also need him to live for her sake. This has been a day of death and loss and too much spilled blood, and she needs a victory. Needs to keep some hope. It’s unlikely that Caroline and Nicky are alive, but I could be wrong, and I won’t give up on them until I know for sure.
Sasha makes a call in Russian while Alex and Jacob join their fallen comrade. “Fuck, Taylor,” says Alex, stroking his hair back from his face. “Don’t give up on us, mate.”
“Help is on the way,” Sasha says, staring at Volkov’s corpse.
“Real help?” Lauren asks, glaring up at us both. “I know this is messy, but he needs a real ambulance and a real hospital, not some shady-as-fuck field medic bullshit.”
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Sasha says reassuringly. “It will be real help. A private company I deal with on a regular basis, and they’ll do their very best for him. He is young, he is healthy, he is clearly a fighter. He’ll pull through, I’m sure of it.”
“You really think so?” The wobble in her voice breaks my heart. A warrior queen one minute, a scared little girl the next. I couldn’t love her more.
“Yeah, he’s right, babe,” I say, kneeling down beside her. “I reckon Taylor’s too stubborn to die. Now, listen to me—I’m going to go with Sasha and see what we can find out about Caroline and Nicky, okay?”
Lauren glances at the injured Russian on the ground. She obviously knows that us finding out about Caroline and Nicky won’t be something that he enjoys. He knows it too and tries to crawl away. Jacob kicks him hard in the leg wound, and he howls. Unless he gets wise quickly, there will be a lot more of that before this night is over. “Yeah, okay. Take him away. I’ll stay here with Taylor.”
I pull her to my chest and hold her tight, engulfing her whole body in my arms and wishing I never had to let her go, not even for a minute. My arms are empty without her in them, and my skin feels sad when I release her. I smooth a wild strand of hair away from her face and hold her chin, spearing her eyes with mine. “I love you. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Let me know where you end up with Taylor.”
“Don’t rush back—if you need to take your time with this asshole, take your time. He worked for Volkov, so as far as I’m concerned, he’s guilty. I don’t give a shit about him, I only care about finding Caroline and Nicky. And Seb? I love you too.”