Chapter 24 #2
Sebastian releases my hand to close the French doors behind us, sealing away the sounds of the mansion.
Out here, the world narrows to wind rustling through ancient oaks, birds calling, and the faint, far-off hum of traffic beyond the estate’s walls.
The stone railing chills my palms as I lean forward, breathing in the fresh air.
“Cold?” Sebastian asks, noticing my slight shiver.
Before I can answer, his arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me against the warmth of his side.
His body radiates heat through his shirt, a personal furnace I can’t help leaning into.
The gesture comes across as protective rather than possessive, a distinction I’m learning to appreciate more with each hour in his world.
“My ancestors were monsters,” Sebastian says without preamble. “Not the kind from children’s stories. The real kind who built empires on broken bodies and called it business.”
The abrupt shift startles me, but I remain silent, sensing the importance of what’s coming.
“The Rockfords weren’t always wealthy philanthropists with art collections and charity galas,” he continues, focusing on the horizon.
“We were deeply embedded in what polite society calls organized crime. The Rockfords were involved in extortion, loan sharking, and protection rackets. They stole property and robbed people. Violence was their primary export.”
His arm tightens around my shoulders, though whether seeking or offering comfort remains unclear.
“The fortune that built this house came from generations of blood money. A few generations back, we tried to go legitimate, but then my grandfather managed to squander the entire fortune, and so we reverted to what we knew best.” Sebastian speaks without apology, only stark acknowledgment.
“When Aaiden took over, he cut out the worst of it. No more drugs or gun running.”
The city glitters as the sun comes out from behind the clouds, a constellation of human-made stars spread across the valley below us. From this distance, it’s beautiful. Up close, I’m all too familiar with its grime and dangers.
“Over the past decade, we’ve established legitimate businesses, philanthropic foundations, and community initiatives.
” Sebastian’s free hand gestures toward the city.
“We’ve reduced our ‘gray’ dealings to illegal imports.
Most of the family was satisfied with this new direction.
Clean-ish money, respectable reputation, and influence without explicit violence. ”
A cool breeze stirs his hair, and Sebastian pulls me closer to ward off the chill. The familiarity of the gesture strikes a chord within me, how fast we’ve fallen into these small intimacies.
“Then a customer got too aggressive with Leo at Nolan’s workplace, and Nolan put him in the ground for it. And then Leo was kidnapped.”
I stiffen at this revelation.
“Nolan was frantic. We used every resource, every connection to find him.” Sebastian’s profile hardens, the scars on his left side more pronounced from the tension in his jaw.
“When we tracked him down, what we discovered wasn’t just about Leo.
It was an entire operation. An Omega trafficking ring with connections that reached into police departments, courts, and even state government. ”
My stomach clenches at the thought. Omega trafficking isn’t new, but its persistence despite supposed legal protections reveals how vulnerable we remain, and how many people look away when profit is involved.
“Leo was lucky…but Phoenix was not. He lived as a test subject in a cage for over a year. And Jade…” Controlled rage simmers beneath his words. “He was taken trying to destroy the trafficking ring who tried to auction off Milo, and we didn’t save him as fast as we did the others.”
My hand finds his on the stone railing, fingers intertwining in silent support. Sebastian squeezes back, his grip tight but not painful.
“The victims who survived bear scars you can and can’t see,” he continues.
“Jade never smiles anymore. He only lives to hunt down the people who held him prisoner. Phoenix still wakes screaming some nights, convinced he’s back in the doctor’s lab.
Milo can’t be seen in public because those who sold him can’t discover he’s not with his owner. ”
Each name carries weight, each story a horror I can barely comprehend. These people I’ve met, shared breakfast with, whose lives are now tangled with mine through Sebastian’s Mark, all carry wounds beneath their polished exteriors.
“After Leo, after all of them, my family changed.” Sebastian turns to face me.
“We’ve waged our own shadow war against these networks ever since.
We blur the lines between justice and vengeance because the system is broken, corrupted by the same money that used to fill our coffers. We do what the law won’t.”
“So when Jade offered to ‘take care’ of Travis this morning…” I begin, connecting the dots.
“It wasn’t casual cruelty,” Sebastian finishes. “It was the response of someone who’s seen what predators can do if left unchecked. Someone who carries those lessons in his flesh.”
The realization settles over me, shifting my perspective. The Rockfords aren’t simply criminals draped in silk, maintaining power for its own sake. They’re soldiers fighting a war most people don’t even know exists, protecting their own because no one else will.
Their methods remain extreme, their morality questionable, but the motivation comes from wounds rather than greed or bloodlust.
“I understand now,” I say quietly, and mean it.
I’m still unsure about taking my blinders off about the ramifications of my hacking, or in taking such an active role in dealing out justice.
But something tells me it won’t take much more of a push.
Not if it means stopping men like Travis before they can hurt anyone else.