Chapter 23
Emma sat curled up in Sebastian’s side, looking over all the paperwork from the fire department while he sat on his laptop, trying to make sense of the latest news from Agent Wilson. He’d wanted to have a meeting with Emma present when they got back into Bell Ridge, but Sebastian had insisted on getting her settled in at the hotel first. It had taken a day for the guys to shuffle around their accommodations so that two of them would always be staying right next door to her, and then they rolled right into Luna’s birthday and Daisy’s baby shower. It had all been too much to put another thing in Emma’s lap to deal with.
At least the temporary security measures he’d installed were up and running without a glitch. He didn’t feel good about having her stay at the hotel, but it was clear from the very first time he met her that her independence was of the utmost importance. Emma didn’t want to live in fear, and as long as she was willing to let him put his security protocols in place for her, he could give her this one little concession.
“Hey, Cap, you got a minute?” Gunner stood in the doorway of his office. “I know Agent Wilson is going to be calling through in the conference room but I was hoping we could talk before then.”
“Yeah, Gunner. Come on in and have a seat. What’s going on?”
He watched his friend walk into the room, but he remained standing. “Would it be okay if this conversation were just between me and you?” Gunner looked at Emma, and Sebastian gave her shoulder a little squeeze.
“Of course. I’ll just be down in the conference room getting ready.” Emma gave Sebastian a kiss before walking out and closing his office door behind her.
With Emma gone, Sebastian expected his friend to sit, but Gunner just stood looking at him. “We aren’t in the military anymore, Reap. You can sit down.”
“I’ll stand.”
Whatever his friend was about to say wasn’t good.
“Okay, tell me what’s going on? You good?”
“Listen, I want to be here and I want to help keep Emma safe.”
“I know. So what’s the problem?”
“My sister just called. It’s my mom.” His voice cracked and Seb immediately went into high alert.
“I take it there wasn’t good news.”
“She’s really sick. Gia said it’s advanced cancer, and it’s terminal. I talked to mom on the phone and she knows she doesn’t have much longer. Normally I wouldn’t even think of bowing out, Cap. But it’s my mom. I haven’t been home to see her in a few years, and I need to go and say goodbye.”
“Do you want me to reach out to some contacts I have in the medical field? She could get a second opinion, or maybe there are some alternative treatments we could set her up with.” Seb stood and walked towards his friend.
“I appreciate the thought, but the way Gia and my mom were both talking, there isn’t anything a second opinion is going to do. It seems like mom is at peace with the diagnosis. I’ll float the idea by her when I get there, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to just want to stay on palliative care until she goes. I just need to be there.”
“There are no words, Reap. Of course you need to go and be with her. I’ll still pay you the full amount we agreed upon for everything happening here, and you stay out there with her for as long as you need to. I know Emma would feel the same way.”
“You’ll let her know I said goodbye, right? I’m not great with those sort of things, but Emma feels like a part of our family, and I wouldn’t want her thinking I left for something that wasn’t serious.”
“Yeah, man. I’ll let her know. Just be careful because knowing Emma, a big delivery of baked goods will probably show up at your mom’s house in a day or two.”
“Lemon is my mom’s favorite, and I’m sure she’d love to try some of Emma’s stuff before she passes.”
Sebastian saw the emotions in his buddy’s eyes. They’d had losses before, and the same knife that twisted in his stomach when he watched Gage drop to his knees during the mission when he lost his wife and son twisted as he watched Gunner’s eyes shine with the tears he wouldn’t let fall.
“Keep in touch. Don’t go off grid like Gage.” His buddy stood silent. “Hey, promise me.”
“Yeah, Cap. I’ll let you know.”
* * *
“Is everything okay with Gunner?” Emma asked as Sebastian sat down next to her.
“No,” Seb sighed. “His mom is sick.”
“Oh no. Is she going to be okay?”
Sebastian shook his head, and Emma was flooded with the emotions of losing her own mother all over again.
“He left to be with her. He wanted me to tell you goodbye for him, and that he would have stayed to keep you safe if it was any other circumstance.”
“No, I’m so glad he went to be with her.”
Emma sat in silence as she watched the guys walk into the conference room. Looking at their faces, and the way they nodded at Seb as they sat down, it was clear that Gunner had told them what was going on.
“I’ll get the call started.” Gage walked towards the computer in the corner of the room and began typing. A few minutes later, a video feed of a very handsome man, likely in his early forties if she was to guess by the earliest signs of gray in his hair, came up on the screen in front of her. Introductions were made and she learned the man was Agent Wilson, the federal agent that had been working to dismantle the Santoro’s illegal operations. She’d been briefed by Stone and Hawk about what to expect earlier that morning, but her nerves were still churning in her stomach.
“Agent Wilson, the floor is yours.”
“Thank you, Sebastian. Ms. Sullivan, I feel it’s necessary to remind you that anything discussed in this room is confidential and the information shared today is for only the people in this meeting to know. Is that clear?”
Although his voice was tight, there was a certain amount of empathy in his eyes that came across through the video screen, and that put Emma at ease.
“Crystal, Agent Wilson. And please, call me Emma.”
“Good, Emma. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s recap what we know. We’ve had two undercover agents in the Santoro organization for the last three years. Gunner and Hawk have been working closely with those agents during that time, although I did receive an email from Gunner earlier today and I understand that he has had to take a leave for personal reasons.”
“He’s still hoping to be kept up to date on the developments and will come back if we need to utilize his specific skill set,” Gage said. Emma almost questioned Gage before she remembered that Gunner was a sniper. That was the specific skill set he was talking about. Emma swallowed, trying to stop her nerves from spilling over.
“Good. I’m okay with you guys keeping him in the loop. Continuing on. Over the last three years, our undercover agents have been able to gather evidence of illegal gun and drug operations, but they haven’t been able to infiltrate what we suspect is their latest endeavor of human trafficking. We’ve been given the name Marco Santoro from Emma, who we all believe is connected to the crimes in Clarence County as well as the attempts to kidnap and injure Ms. Sullivan. Now, we’ve known for some time that Antonio Santoro uses his nephew, the surgeon, as an enforcer and as the person who handles removing anyone the Santoro family decides has wronged them. Thanks to Emma, we now know that Marco Santoro is that man, although we haven’t been able to capture an image of him, and his name is not registered anywhere on any legal identification.”
Sebastian felt Emma squeeze his hand. “Are you okay?” he asked, watching her bite her bottom lip.
“Emma? Is there something you would like to add?”
“No.” Her voice squeaked and she felt her cheeks flush. She just couldn’t believe how complicated everything was.
“Our main objective for this meeting is to come up with a plan for Marco to make a move against Ms. Sullivan, and for us to take him down when he does.”
“What do you need me to do?” Emma asked.
“You are going to be somewhere safe, away from whatever we plan,” Sebastian grumbled.
“No. I want to help. Agent Wilson just said that Marco needs to make a move against me. He can’t do that if I’m nowhere to be found.”
“While that’s very nice of you to offer, Emma, we aren’t in the business of using victims as bait for the monsters we catch. However, I would like to have you speak with one of our forensic artists to see if it’s possible to get a sketch drawn up of Marco for us to run through our various databases for identification purposes.”
“I’m more than happy to do that, but I also know that Marco won’t be fooled by a whispered rumor that I’m going to be standing outside a building at a certain time, or that suddenly my security detail has all pulled away from me and I’m sitting at the hotel all on my own. No. You need to put me out there and let him come for me. It’s the only way this is going to work. I want in on the plan.”
“Emma’s right,” Gage said, a soft look of resignation on his face as he turned towards Sebastian. “As much as I hate to admit it, Cap, any plan we have for catching him needs to involve her.”
“No.” God, he was almost as stubborn as she was. This wasn’t his choice to make!
“I’m not some princess that needs to be kept in an ivory tower. I’m perfectly capable of doing what needs to be done.”
“Are you? Because you’ll need to see him. You’ll need to be in the same space as the monster who took so much from you.”
“I’m stuck thinking of him non-stop no matter what! I might as well be useful, instead of just sitting around waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“No. You heard Agent Wilson. They have a policy to follow, and that policy is in place to make sure you stay safe. We aren’t going against that.”
“Will you excuse us for just a moment.” Emma said to the display where Agent Wilson’s concerned face was staring back. “Sebastian, a word outside, please.”
In the hallway, Sebastian tried to stop her, gently wrapping his fingers around her wrist as she walked into the elevator.
“Sprinkles…”
“No. Don’t say a word until we are upstairs.” She tapped her foot against the floor, breathing out a sigh of relief when they finally made it to his apartment.
“I can do it,” Emma blurted out before Sebastian was even fully off the elevator.
“It’s not about whether you can do it or not. Selfishly, I don’t know if I’m strong enough to see you how you were the first time you caught sight of Marco in town.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I mean, fuck, Sprinkles, that day, the sound of your sobs and the state I found you in…it’s not something I’ll ever forget.”
“I get it, Seb, I really do. But it will be different this time. I know he’s here, I understand the position I’ll be in, and I want to help.” Emma was so frustrated that she could have ripped her hair out. She threw herself down on his sofa, crossing her arms over her body as she waited to hear his next objection. Sebastian knelt down between her legs and cupped her chin with his hand.
“You being in a position where he can hurt you is out of the question. Besides, you are helping. You’re talking to Agent Wilson now, and you’ll speak with the forensic artist later. There is literally nothing more for you to do except stay safe until he can be caught.” He dusted a kiss across her lips, and for a moment, the electricity that moved through her brain short-circuited her thoughts. Leaning back from him, she shook her head gently before placing her hand on his chest.
“That’s not true, Sebastian, and you know it. And don’t distract me from this conversation with sex. I know what you’re doing and it won’t work.”
“Oh, really?” He ran his fingers up her thigh and into her shorts. The light pressure from his touch made her head fall back as she moaned, her body opening up for more. “Sounds like I could be very successful at distracting you right now,” he laughed.
Her head snapped up, and she playfully shoved his chest. He took a step back, and that gave her enough room to jump up from the sofa and put some distance between them.
“I’m serious,” she said. “You can’t just distract me with the best sex of my life. We need to talk about this.”
“The best sex, huh?” he smiled, reaching for her waist and playfully digging his fingers into her sides. “Now who’s riling who up?”
“Knock it off,” she laughed as the tickling continued. “Sebastian! I’m going to pee myself! And the guys are right downstairs!”
“Alright, Sprinkles. I concede. We can talk. But I fully expect us to revisit the best sex part when we are done.”
She rolled her eyes. “Deal. Now, I go first. You didn’t even let anyone talk about the plan before you just completely dismissed it. I think we should entertain the idea that I’m used to lure Marco in.” Sebastian opened his mouth, but Emma quickly raised her finger to silence him. “I wouldn’t be in danger. You already know Nash, Gage, Stone, and Hawk would all be there watching out for me, and who knows how many federal agents.”
“If you’re near Marco, you’re in danger.”
“Not with four former SEALs surrounding me.”
“Five. I don’t know why you think I wouldn’t be there, but there is no way I’d let you walk into a situation like that without having you glued to my hip,” he sighed. “Gage was wrong to even bring it up in front of you. The guys are too busy trying to close the operation they’re running with Agent Wilson. They aren’t thinking clearly.”
“But I could help them bust the case they are working on wide open. Who knows what Marco would do, who he would turn against, once in custody.”
“No. You are a civilian, Emma. I let you run off to the hotel instead of staying with me. I’ve given you that independence, that choice. But I can’t give you this. You haven’t been trained in any sort of hostage survival or at the very least, self defense.”
“You could teach me a few things in the next couple of days before they want to move forward with the plan.”
“It’s not enough time to keep you safe. There’s a certain amount of repetition that it takes to become muscle memory, and we don’t have that sort of time.”
Emma could feel her frustration growing. It churned like a hot vat of lava in the pit of her stomach. Sebastian’s eyes never left her as she began to pace around his apartment.
“So what? You don’t trust me to keep myself safe, and you don’t trust the team either?”
“It’s not about trust, Emma! There are too many fucking variables. I’m not willing to risk one thread of the plan being pulled out to have everything around your safety unravel.”
“I want in on the plan, Sebastian. I am the best hope they have of catching Marco and making a break in their case. Marco wants me. He’s blinded by his need to get to me after all these years. Let’s use that to our advantage.”
“It’s not worth it, beautiful.”
“Tell that to those women who he’s already killed in Clarence County. To their families. Or the families of the women that he’s helped traffic. The innocent babies he’s taken. Tell that to Luna.”
Sebastian’s hard features melted at the mention of her baby, and it made Emma want to run into his arms and never let go. Instead, she stopped pacing and watched as he walked towards her, his hands gently sliding onto her face.
“It’s not on you to make it right,” he whispered as his gray eyes pierced into her soul.
“Then who is it on, Sebastian? He’s here for me. Me. I’m the person who is responsible for him being here. So let me do my part to stop him.”
“What would Daisy say right now if you told her what you were wanting to do? Would she be all for it?”
“She loves me, Seb. Her response would be tainted by that love. Just how yours is because you like me.”
“You think this is just me liking you, Emma? No, I like my team mates. I like Jackson and Grace. I like Hank and Daisy. What I feel for you is nothing like that.”
“I don’t?—”
He moved until his hands were resting on her hips, pulling her into his chest.
“You’re not ready to hear it, but you know deep down why I don’t want you to do this.”
“You can’t. It’s too soon.”
“Tell my heart that.”
“Sebastian, talk to the team. Figure out where the holes are in their plan, and get on board with me helping. Because I am. And I don’t want to walk into that without knowing you’re one of the people who will have my back when Marco finally shows up.” She stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek.
“I will listen to them. I will give them a chance. But if I don’t like it, Em, you’re not doing it. Promise me.”
“I promise that I will listen to your concerns. Now, go back and tell Agent Wilson I’m fully on board with whatever he needs. Gage can set up the meeting for me to meet with the forensic artist. I’m going to head back to my hotel, crawl under the covers, and not come out until the sun crawls back up into the sky.”
“You’ll take Gage and Hawk back to the hotel with you.”
“Yes, sir.” Emma winked with her reply, knowing that what was heading for her was going to change her life forever, one way or another.