Chapter 8
“Ihad a really wonderful time, Sebastian. Thank you.” Emma was exhausted, and yet, there was a wild hope that had been taking root in her chest over the last several hours. Getting to see the Sebastian outside of what she had read online was refreshing. He was still the same unabashedly flirtatious man she’d come to know but there was a new door opening between them, she just had to decide to let him in.
“It was my pleasure. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping you’d agree to let me take you out again sometime.”
“I’m not sure your wallet can survive another Clarence County auction night,” she joked.
“Like I said before, I’d spend way more than fifty thousand to have another night like tonight with you.” He wrapped his hand around her lower back and pulled her into his chest.
“Let’s see how I feel after the magic of being swept off to the coast of California for a dinner wears off. Okay?” Her hand patted over his heart.
“Fair enough. Goodnight, Sprinkles.” Sebastian leaned in and gently kissed her cheek.
“Goodnight, Suits.”
She felt Sebastian’s eyes on her until she closed the door to the alleyway. Slipping off her shoes, Emma trudged up the stairs, carefully holding the bottom of her dress up so she didn’t trip over the hem. The place where he’d kissed her felt warm and her mind felt dreamy with the thought of getting to go on another date with him.
When she reached the top of the stairs, her phone vibrated. Looking at the caller ID, she couldn’t help but smile.
“Suits. I thought we just said goodnight to each other.”
“Sprinkles.” His voice had the most delicious late-night gravelly tone and she swallowed, trying to focus on what he was saying, rather than what her mind was hoping he’d say. “I think enough time has passed. Are you willing to agree to that second date now?”
“How about I let you know the next time you come in to the bakery?”
“I’ll see you in a few hours, then.”
“Goodnight, Sebastian,” Emma laughed.
“Goodnight, Emma. Sweet dreams.”
She tucked her phone back into her purse, taking a few steps towards her apartment while her gaze was still locked on her bag. When she looked up, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and a shiver tore through her body. From the end of the hallway, she could see that the door to her apartment was slightly ajar. Emma’s heart pounded in between her ears. There was no way she forgot to close and lock it before she left.
She knew she shouldn’t go in, she knew it was a stupid choice to make. Just back out and call 9-1-1, that’s what she needed to do. But when her eyes caught a glimpse of her destroyed apartment, her feet took her forward into the space instead of away.
The apartment was a mess. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she took it all in. Dishes ripped from the cupboards, smashed into a million pieces on the floor. Slash marks cut into every inch of the fabric of her couch, causing the stuffing to bulge out. The rushing of blood pounded between her ears as she eyed the wall above her sofa. Someone left a message for her in bright red paint. It had her running to the kitchen sink as bile rose in her throat.
YOU’RE MINE.
Her stomach emptied in violent spasms. Emma stood, wiping the corners of her mouth with the back of her arm, when the sound of her door closing startled her. She ran to the living room, looking at the exit.
A searing pain radiated through her scalp as her head was forcefully pulled backwards. Muscular arms wrapped around her chest and neck, dragging her across the living room and into her bedroom. Emma kicked, trying everything in her power to connect with the soft flesh of the intruder.
Unable to get free, she fought to drag in a breath and let out a fierce scream. It was so late, and the shops would be empty, but maybe someone was walking out on the sidewalk and would hear. Maybe Sebastian was still out there. She had to try. The next thing she knew, her head was flying into the wall, black spots dancing in her vision. Her body went limp. No matter how much her brain told her body to move, her muscles just wouldn’t listen.
The intruder, who had a black mask pulled down over his face, threw Emma onto her bed. He pinned her down on her mattress, his hips grinding against hers. She could feel his arousal pressing into her belly and tears welled in her eyes.
“The boss told me to bring you to him, but he didn’t say I couldn’t have some fun before I did. This dress is really doing it for me.” The man’s disgusting, hot breath washed over her, nausea once again bubbling in her stomach. He pulled on the straps, breaking one clear off her shoulder and exposing her breast.
She needed a weapon. Her eyes frantically darted around her room.
Bingo.
If she could just reach over to her nightstand, she’d be able to launch the lamp into the side of his head.
The man lifted both hands off of her and worked to pull himself free from his pants. Emma didn’t think. She punched out at the man’s crotch, a groan of surprise and pain doubling him over. Her hips wiggled back and forth, furiously trying to pull herself out from under the dead weight.
“You bitch!” he wheezed, cupping his crotch with his hands. She watched as he moved one hand down, pulling a switchblade from his pocket. Excitement flashed in his eyes as he brought the knife down, slashing through her dress and across her thigh. The searing pain only made her want to fight harder. Don’t think about the blood, please don’t think about it. Her stomach flipped and lurched, but she pushed the injury out of her mind and fought again. She wouldn’t let him take her to whoever the hell had sent him. She’d rather die.
Rolling with all her might, Emma made it within reach of her lamp. She yanked as hard as she could; her fear swelling until she felt the plug pull free from the socket in the wall. Without hesitation, she brought the ceramic down against the man’s head. Relief flooded her body as the man slumped over, unconscious.
Emma didn’t hesitate, she just ran like hell to get out of her bedroom. Her purse was still on the floor by the door where she had dropped it earlier, but she didn’t stop to think. She just scooped it up as she ran from the apartment. Her feet hit the pavement, and Emma flew across the road. There was no need to worry about traffic at that time of night. Everyone was probably asleep, except for Sebastian, she hoped. It had only been a matter of minutes since they’d said goodnight to each other.
She needed to put some distance between herself and the giant man she’d just subdued. The cool air rushed past her as a strong breeze passed down the road. The buildings in front of her began to swim as she frantically tried to find some place to hide.
Running into the alley next to Montgomery Equities, Emma ducked down between the dumpsters and pulled her phone from her bag. Her eyes took too long to focus, the awareness setting in that she probably suffered a concussion when her head slammed against the wall. The phone shook in her hand so violently the only thing she could do was hit redial.
A deep, confident voice picked up after the second ring. “Are you going to spoil the surprise for tomorrow and tell me yes early, Sprinkles?”
“S-Seb…” she whispered.
“Emma?” The worry in his voice showed he caught the distress in hers. “Christ, what’s wrong?”
“H-help.” Dizziness won out, and she slumped down the brick wall, still hidden by the dumpsters.
“Are you in your apartment? What’s going on?”
“N-next to your building, b-behind the dumpster. I-I’ll explain.”
“Jesus, Emma. What are you doing outside right now? I’ll be down in twenty seconds.”
“D-don’t hang up!” Her voice came out louder than she meant for it to, and she panicked, looking around the alley for any signs of movement. Everything was quiet.
“I won’t. Look, I’m coming down the stairs now.”
A few more seconds passed, and her heart continued to beat erratically in her chest as a large shadowed figure stood on the sidewalk between the buildings. It could be her attacker. The frame was the same size.
“Emma?” She heard the shadow call out her name at the same time Seb’s voice came through on the phone.
“Sebastian?” A strangled cry came out of her throat as she pushed herself up and ran from behind the dumpsters. She crashed into his body at full speed, not even aware that her face was crushed into his bare chest.
“Whoa. Em, you’re shaking. What’s going on sweetheart?”
Her face pulled away from his chest and she looked into his eyes. His gaze roamed over her face, turning his expression from concern to stone cold anger. Sebastian’s finger grazed her cheek where the intruder had hit her and she sucked in a sharp breath at the pain.
“Who did this to you?” He twisted the broken fabric at her shoulder before steeling his face.
When she didn’t reply, he held her arms and moved a step back from her, examining the rest of her body.
The cut on her leg was still oozing blood, and she could no longer ignore the amount that had poured from the wound. “Christ,” he mumbled.
She pushed away from Seb’s chest, pausing for a moment when she registered the questioning look in his eyes, before she stumbled to the wall and promptly gave in to the violent way her body emptied her stomach.
In the middle of the spasms, she felt her hair being lifted from the nape of her neck, warm fingers brushing over the sensitive skin there. It really did wonders for grounding her, and she focused on the safe feeling of his touch.
“I-I’m sorry,” she choked out. “I’m f-fine. It’s just the blood.” She shivered, and as if he’d read her mind, Sebastian pulled her back towards his body.
“Fuck, Emma. There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Are you okay to move now?”
Before she had even fully nodded, Sebastian had her in his arms, running back into his building. He didn’t wait for the elevator, instead, he carried her up the stairs as if she weighed nothing. All Emma could do was press her head into his neck and try to breathe.
The way he set her down on his couch with such care and caution had her head spinning. No wait, that was the blood. And it was probably running all over his beautiful furniture. She would never financially recover from needing to replace it, so Emma quickly decided to slip down onto the floor. Looking at her leg, she felt the familiar flip of her stomach and a whooshing noise flooded her ears. Oh lord, she was about to pass out.
Laying her head down on the cool floor helped ground her, lessening the roar in her head. She could hear Sebastian talking with someone, but couldn’t understand what he was saying.
“Shit, Emma! What the hell? Are you okay? Open those beautiful hazel eyes for me.” She felt him press down on her cut and hissed at the pain.
“I’m o-okay. I think it’s just shock. And I didn’t want to ruin your furniture.”
“Fuck the furniture, Sprinkles. What the hell happened?”
She shook her head slowly.
“I called 9-1-1, they’re sending an ambulance. Should be here in just a minute.”
“Okay.”
“The police are going to want to know what happened.”
If only she actually knew. Why the hell had someone been sent to kidnap her?
“I know. I just, I can’t think straight while my leg is bleeding.”
“I think you’re going to need a few stitches to fix it up. Will you let me put you back up on the couch?”
“No. I’m fine down here. I can clean up whatever mess my leg made easier once I’m stitched up.”
“You aren’t cleaning a damn thing,” she heard him mutter under his breath.
* * *
Seeing her in the alley, her already pale skin ghostly white, had pierced his heart. When he realized she was injured, it felt as though a bomb had exploded within him. He wanted to hunt down the fucker who hid in her apartment, waiting for her to get back so he could hurt her. That asshole from earlier in the night was top of his list. His mind was going a million miles a minute when several deputies and paramedics arrived to check her out.
He wanted to kick his own ass for not walking her to her door. If he’d just insisted on seeing her to her actual apartment, he could have stopped whoever was in there.
“She’ll need to head in to the hospital to get her leg stitched,” one of the paramedics said when Sebastian pulled him aside.
“I’ve already called a home-visit physician. I’ve been assured they will be here momentarily and can suture her leg.”
“Yeah, okay. Make sure you let them know about her head. It doesn’t seem to be a concussion, but they should still do an evaluation on her, just to be sure. We’ll finish bandaging her leg, so she should be stable until the doctor gets here. Just don’t let her put any pressure on it.”
Sebastian crossed the living room back towards Emma.
“And you didn’t see his face?” John Boone asked. Sebastian had met him a few times through Jackson, who was John’s younger brother.
“No, he was wearing a mask. The only thing I remember is him saying his boss wanted him to take me, but that he could have a little fun with me before then. That’s when he tried to…” she swallowed and her eyes went to the ground. “That’s when he tried to rape me.”
Sebastian’s muscles locked up. He’d seen the state of her dress, but he hadn’t allowed his mind to go there before he’d heard the words come out of her mouth. She was still laying on the floor, the EMT working to wrap up her leg. Sebastian sat down next to her, calmly placing her hand in his.
“I’m so sorry that happened, Emma. How did you get away?”
“I punched him right in his disgusting junk. I was surprise when I actually made contact, I had just assumed it was so tiny I wouldn’t be able to find it.” The EMT laughed. “That’s when he pulled out a knife and cut my leg. I knew I needed to get him off of me, so I grabbed out for anything I could use as a weapon. I had a really heavy ceramic lamp next to my bed, and when I launched it into the side of his head, he didn’t stand a chance.”
Sebastian squeezed her fingers.
“You are amazing, Sprinkles.”
She smiled. After everything she’d been through, she smiled at him. And it completely tore his heart to shreds.
“Is there anything else that you think I should know?”
“No, John, honestly, that’s everything,” she yawned and he watched as her eyes fluttered closed. “He wasn’t still there, in my apartment?”
“No, I’m sorry, Em. The crime scene techs will go through and try to pull any evidence they think could have his DNA on it. Hopefully we’ll get lucky.”
“Crime scene techs,” she mumbled.
“You okay?” Seb asked.
“Yeah. I mean, as okay as I can be. I think it’s just the adrenaline finally leaving my system.”
“Em, I’ve got everything I need for now, but you think of anything, or you need anything, I’m just a phone call away.”
“Thanks, John. I appreciate that.” She closed her eyes as the EMT finished bandaging her leg, and Sebastian stepped away, stopping John from leaving.
“I want you to check into Alan Freemont. He was harassing Emma at the charity auction last night. Put his hand on her arm and wouldn’t take no for an answer until I stepped in. It felt like he didn’t like the idea of Emma having someone defend her like I did.”
“Okay, good.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
“Not good that it happened,” John said quickly. “Just good that we have a place to start. If Emma wants, I’ll work up a restraining order against Alan.”
“I’ll let her know. Thanks, John.”
“I’m happy to help, anytime, but try and keep our girl safe, okay?”
“Yeah, I’m not letting her out of my sight from here on out.”
John laughed. “Good luck with that. I think she’ll probably fight you harder than a bobcat in a snowsuit would.”
“I have no idea what that means, but I’m sure I can pour on the charm and win her over.”
“Well, I for one am rooting for you, man.” John clapped his hand over Sebastian’s shoulder and nodded as he walked out of the apartment.