18. Sebastian
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SEBASTIAN
Ilean against the large bay window in the formal living space and look toward the west end of the property where the old graveyard is located. I get excited imagining how happy Stevie would be to do her grave rubbing out there. Maybe I’ll show her sometime.
I didn’t see Stevie again after dinner last night—I figured I’d give her some space before we’ll have to spend the weekend together sharing the same room.
This morning, Christian and I talked through a few scenarios about how we could kill off one member without causing too much alarm.
The ideas we had ranged from pulling one into a closet, shooting them with the silencer on and making it look like a suicide, to poisoning, and then pushing one off a cliff. If there are any cliffs…
With how secretive the Black Veil Society is, I doubt there will be cameras at the location.
A level of anonymity is essential enough for them to forgo their own safety—and I guess if they’re surrounded by like-minded individuals, then there would be a lower security threat once at the chateau itself.
But there are a couple of things I’m expecting, and for those, I grabbed a couple of TI’s gadgets for protection.
Even though Christian and I talked through the major things to consider, there remains much unknown which I’m starting to realize is common with the Society.
I’ve decided to attempt to plan as much as my personality will allow, since Stevie has been pressing me for my details.
So I’ve instructed Hayden and the night crew to travel down to Dupara County a day early to stake out the town and be prepared for when I receive the location from Silas.
Which I’m expecting sometime today. Having backup from my team adds another layer of confidence to the uncertainty of this project.
“Ready.” A sweet voice from behind pulls me from my mental spiral.
I turn around to see Stevie rolling her suitcase toward me as she makes her way down the long hallway from the East Wing.
“Me too.” I smile. The scent of her shampoo fills my nostrils the closer she gets.
“Where’s your stuff?” she asks, glancing at the space beside me.
I bend to grab the handle on her suitcase. “I already loaded it onto the plane.”
“Oh?” Her lips pout. “You weren’t waiting long for me, were you? I hope I’m not late.”
I shake my head. Then turn on my heels, gesturing for her to follow me outside. “No, I was ready early.”
“Anxious?”
“No.”
“Worried?” she asks.
I nod, shooting her a calming glance. “Just ready.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Then I remember the conversation I had with Christian about being searched as soon as we get to the location. They allowed us our phones at the dinner and the masquerade ball, perhaps because they weren’t exposed the same way, but I believe we won’t be so fortunate this time.
“I almost forgot to tell you,” I say, digging into my pocket to grab a tracker and an earpiece. “This is how we’ll communicate with Hayden and the team.”
“What about our phones?” Stevie asks.
“I don’t know if we can keep them. I’m thinking not.” I bend to the floor. “Let me see your ankle.”
She reluctantly raises her pant leg. “What is that?”
My fingers tingle as they touch her warm, smooth skin. “It’s a tracker.”
“You’re putting a tracker on me?”
“Yes, I have one, too.” I clasp the tiny hook on the delicate gold chain. “It looks like an anklet. Another of TI’s prototypes from the research and development department.”
“Oh.”
I let my touch graze the hollow of her ankle bone before pulling away. Her soft skin made my fingers tingle. I raise to find her face flushed.
“Is that how we’ll talk to each other, too?” she asks.
“We will not separate,” I state. “There’s no need. But we’ll both have these as well.” I hand her an earpiece.
“Should I put it in now?”
I shake my head. “No, keep it inside the lining of your underwear.”
“I’m sorry. What?”
I laugh at her expression. “Slip it into the elastic band that’s on one of your hips. See this hook?” I point to the small fishhook on the top of the earpiece. “It’ll fit perfectly.”
“And how would you know that, Sebastian?”
Stevie’s playfulness in tense situations surprises me each time. “I own a technology company that develops these types of things for the FBI and CIA, remember?” I smile. “It’s kind of my job.”
A muffled giggle escapes her pink lips. “Right.”
Once we have everything in place, we head outside to the short runway. The crisp morning air is invigorating as I guide Stevie onto the chartered plane, taking her luggage up the steps behind her.
“Welcome, Mr. Thompson,” the pilot greets us as we enter the cabin. “I’m Captain Boone.”
I extend my arm to shake his hand. “Thank you for coming out at such short notice.”
“Of course. It’s not a problem at all,” he returns.
I turn to Stevie. “This is my fr—girlfriend, Stevie.”
Her eyes widen with shock before turning to the pilot with a smile. “Wonderful to meet you, Captain Boone.”
“It’ll be a short flight down the coast and into the beautiful wine country that is Dupara County, California.”
“Wonderful,” I say.
As Captain Boone returns to the cockpit, I gesture for Stevie to take one of the eight spacious, reclining leather seats. This plane is smaller than the one we own—missing the private bedroom in the back and an eating area.
Stevie sits in the seat on the left, closest to the aisle, and I do the same, taking the one parallel to her. Once we’re in the air, she turns to me. “You introduced me as your girlfriend.”
The back of my neck heats with slight embarrassment. I’m not used to calling her my girlfriend yet. “I did.”
“Aren’t we only pretending for the Society?” she questions with a subtle grin.
I rest my elbow on the armrest, placing my chin in the palm of my hand. “This pilot doesn’t work for us, so I’d rather keep up appearances everywhere else.”
Her lips purse together, then she leans back against the seat. “Makes sense.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Of course not,” Stevie says. “It simply caught me off guard, that’s all.”
A little less than two hours later, and with little said between the two of us, we land at a small airport in Dupara County. We grab our things, touch base with the pilot about when we’re leaving, and then I receive the text I’ve been waiting for all morning.
“Hang on a minute,” I tell Stevie, then pull the burner phone from the Society from my front pocket.
Silas: 4700 E. Marybrook Dr.
Me: Got it.
I slide the phone back into my pocket, then glance back at Stevie, who’s standing only a few feet from me on the tarmac.
“Everything all right?” she asks, the wind whipping her hair around her face.
I rest my hand on top of hers as she clutches the handle of her suitcase. “Silas just sent us the address where we’ll be staying.”
She blinks rapidly. “Okay.”
I plug the address into the GPS on my phone as we both walk toward the black Expedition waiting for us only a short distance away.
“Looks like it’s about twenty minutes deep into the wine country vineyards.”
Stevie nods as the driver steps out of the car. “Mr. Thompson. Welcome to Dupara County. Are you here for business or pleasure?”
“Both,” I answer.
“The perfect mix.” The driver chuckles. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”
“Yes,” I say, then open the door for Stevie. Once she’s safely in the car, I hand our luggage to the driver, who puts it into the trunk, and then I walk around to the other side and slide in next to her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing fine,” she says unconvincingly. “You don’t have to ask me that every minute.”
I reach over to the middle seat and grab her tiny hand. “You’re shaking.”
She flips her hand, threading her fingers through mine. “I’ll be okay. Just nerves.”
It’s normal for her to be uneasy. She’s kept it together with everything so far, but I can tell things continue to become more and more real for her.
With my opposite hand, I lean in, pinching her chin between two fingers. I gently tilt her face toward me. Her worried brown eyes meet mine. “I’ll take care of you, Stevie.”
“I know.”
She trusts me. I smile to myself.
The driver is back in the front seat.
“4700 East Marybrook Drive,” I tell him, without breaking eye contact with Stevie.
“You’ve got it,” he replies.
“You’re going to do great,” I whisper.
She flashes me a weak smile. “I guess this feels scarier because we’re far from home.”
“I understand that.”
“Like we’re more vulnerable or something?”
I smile, knowing Hayden and the night crew left last night. They’re staying in town until they receive the orders from me on where to go. I might have forgotten to tell Stevie that part.
“We have backup.”
“We do?” Her face perks up that we won’t be alone in this.
I nod and give her hand a gentle squeeze. “Yes, Hayden and the guys are staying close.”
An audible breath escapes her light-pink lips. “Thank goodness.”
“Feel better?”
“Marginally. But yes. I mean, what we’re doing is risky even with backup, but at least we aren’t alone.”
As the driver pulls down a bumpy, narrow road lined with tall trees and bright green vineyards in the distance, I can’t help but feel a little nervous about what this weekend will hold. So many things are left unknown, and so many opportunities for things to go wrong.
I glance over at Stevie, her hand still tucked safely in mine, and I think of how conflicted she must feel on the inside. And how brave she is for doing this with me.
Once we arrive and I see how far we’re out in wine country, I’m glad I opted for the tracking devices to relay our location to Hayden.
“We’re here, Mr. Thompson. Welcome to one of wine country’s oldest French chateaus,” the driver informs us as he pulls around the circular driveway. “This location is a commonplace for many types of corporate events, including weddings.”
The sun is bright, and the sky is clear—a beautiful day except for a lone, ominous gray cloud hovering directly over the chateau. Hopefully, in our favor.
“This place is beautiful,” Stevie mumbles as she peers out the glass window.