25. Sebastian
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
SEBASTIAN
Loud banging on the hotel door startles me awake. Stevie is out cold, her leg wrapped around my waist, and her hair is strewn over the pillow.
Another loud knock. She doesn’t stir.
Carefully, I gently move my left leg off the bed, then push myself up and gently lift her leg, softly setting it on the bed. As the knocking continues, I feel a rush of urgency.
I close the door behind me once I leave the bedroom, then I sprint to the door and swing it open.
“Yeah?” I answer and come face to face with Silas.
His expression shows concern. “Sorry to disturb you, but have you seen our member Larry at all today?”
Not expecting him to discover Larry’s disappearance so quickly, my back straightens, preparing to respond to him. “I haven’t. Annabel and I haven’t left the room all morning.”
His forehead furrows. “Huh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“He and Bob are sharing a suite this weekend, and Bob said he never came back to their room last night.” Didn’t see that one coming.
I twist my face, showing shock. “That’s strange. He was checking out those dancers pretty heavily.” I plant the thought in his mind. “Maybe he left with one of them?”
“Yeah, maybe. I thought I’d check in with everyone to see if they’ve seen him. So far no one has,” Silas says.
“I’ll ask Annabel when she wakes up,” I offer, trying to sound as troubled with the situation as he is.
“That’s great, thank you. And we’ll see you this evening for a check-in before everyone is released to do as they wish.” His eyes darkened, telling me exactly what he’s referring to.
“Tonight is the last night, isn’t it?” I say.
“These weekends go by so fast.” Then he suddenly dips his head toward mine. “But we all know the most anticipated part of this event is your free rein in this little unsuspecting town.”
Anger whips at my back. The only killing that will be done this weekend is by me.
“Yeah,” I grit out, forcing a smile.
“Let me know what Annabel says.” His reminder is stern, meant to show his dominance. What a joke. “Hopefully someone has seen him.” Silas turns his back to me, then makes his way down the hallway.
“You know our type…We thrive under seclusion and isolation,” I exclaim in a hushed tone.
Silas’s arm waves into the air as he gets farther away. “That we do.”
I close the door behind me and quickly realize I never updated Christian last night. I wasn’t thinking clearly after that kiss with Stevie, so I walk over to my suitcase and thumb through it until my fingers land on the SE earpieces.
“Christian?”
A few moments go by before he responds. “Sebastian.”
“Sorry I didn’t update you last night.”
“Too busy fucking?”
“Piss off. Nothing happened,” I lie.
“Give it more time.”
I squat onto the floor above my suitcase and keep the earpiece close to my mouth, making sure I’m not too loud. “Jealous? How long has it been since you got your dick wet?”
“I’m too busy handling everything for you and River because you guys can’t seem to be around an attractive woman without getting obsessed with her.”
“Sounds like someone needs to get laid.”
A different laugh vibrates the small speaker.
“Hayden?”
“Present,” Hayden answers humorously.
I laugh, not surprised to hear him on the call. “You could have announced yourself earlier, dickhead.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Hayden jokes. “Besides, I think you both need some pussy. Me? I get it whenever and wherever I want.”
Christian’s laughter is loud in my ear, forcing me to glance behind me as if Stevie can hear too.
“Okay, back to business,” I say. “Last night didn’t go exactly as planned, but whatever. It’s done, and that’s all that matters.”
“Which one?”
“Larry the Lurker,” I say.
“How’d Stevie do?” Christian asks.
Hayden clears his throat. “Wait, what do you mean it didn’t go as planned?”
I take a beat to think about how I’m going to respond to either one of their questions, but let’s be real, it’s a complicated answer.
“Stevie did very well. She was supposed to get Larry into the hallway so we could set him up for a suicide, but he insisted on taking her out onto the balcony instead.”
“Annnd?” Christian drawls out.
I rub the back of my neck. “Basically, I strangled him with my belt and then threw him off the ledge, sending him down a cliff.”
“No shit? Really?” Hayden chuckles.
“Not your typical MO, is it?” Christian cracks up, barely getting the words out. “More of a passionate murder, don’t you think?”
“Don’t start with me,” I warn.
“Oh man, thinking with your dick,” Christian says. “He tried to touch her, didn’t he?”
I blow out a frustrated breath, ignoring their comments. “Got the gun, but I didn’t get to use it. I’ll leave it at the same spot,” I tell Hayden. “I don’t want to have it on me much longer here. Security hasn’t been too tight, the others might be on alert, and I’d rather not take any chances.”
“Definitely not smart to hang on to it. I’ll pick it up tonight,” Hayden confirms. “So, who’s your next target? The guy who poisons women, right?”
“Yeah,” I confirm. “Christian, can you get us a motel room for Pete?”
“We’ll need one close to wherever we end up picking him up from,” Hayden chimes in.
“Got it.” Christian clears his throat. “And Hayden, you and the guys will trail Pete tonight?”
“Yeah. So, track the SUV and get a room close to there,” Hayden adds.
“Sebastian?” a soft voice comes from behind me. I whip my head around to see Stevie standing in the doorway, her tiny shorts exposing toned and delicious legs.
“Okay, guys, I’ve gotta go. I’ll check in later this evening before Stevie and I leave.” I turn off the earpiece without waiting for a response from either of them and toss it back into my suitcase.
Then I rise to my feet and turn to face Stevie. “Good morning.”
“Hi.” She pulls her hair to the side of her shoulder and walks toward me.
“Already getting down to business?”
“Yes.”
“Who was at the door?” she asks.
I sigh. “Silas. He knows Larry is missing.”
Her eyes widen. “Already?”
I nod, pursing my lips. “Apparently he was sharing a room with Bob, and when Larry didn’t return last night, Bob alerted Silas.”
Stevie’s head drops. She bounds toward the couch. “They were sharing a room? I wasn’t expecting that.”
I chuckle. “I thought the same thing when Silas mentioned it.”
She doesn’t sit down, but paces a few times with her bare feet on the thick woven rug. “What does that mean for us? Is it bad he already knows?”
I’m not worried about it much, but I need Stevie to remain vigilant on what we’re doing.
I shove my hands into my front pockets. “It’s not ideal, but we need to remain focused on what the goal is. And right now, it’s making sure no innocent people get killed tonight during their free for all.”
“Yeah. Okay. So, who’s next and what’s the plan?”
She wants to move on, and I get it—pushing whatever trepidation she has aside.
I walk toward Stevie and clasp my hands in hers. “We’re going to take out Pete.”
“How?”
“Tonight is the last night here, and it’s also when Silas promised to let loose the serial killers into the town. I’m sure the next event will be to discuss what they did tonight. So, they’re going to want to make a big show of it.”
Stevie bites the inside of her lip, a look of confusion washing over her face. “But Pete is only one of them. What about the rest? We can’t knowingly let them kill people.”
She’s a lot better at this than she gives herself credit for. A strong desire for justice can be both a blessing and a curse.
Smiling, I keep my hands around hers. “I’m going to drug them. I brought liquid Midazolam to inject them with. It’s a fast-acting benzo. It should knock them out for a few hours at least. And Pete will get a taste of his own medicine by getting a healthy dose of GHB.”
Stevie’s face slowly grows pale. “Where did you get a medication like that? I know it isn’t hard to get access to roofie-type drugs, but the benzo?”
I find it interesting that she’s more shocked by access to a powerful sedative like that, rather than a gun. “We have a family doctor. He’s been with River and me since we were kids and is well aware of what we do,” I state. “And besides, when you have enough money, resources are endless.”
“Clearly.” She exhales. “Okay, well, how are you going to drug them, and then how do we kill Pete?”
Coming up with most of the details on the fly, I explain the major points as I trust the holes will be filled in as the night goes on.
“Silas mentioned last night that he would arrange a quick cocktail hour before sending everyone off for the night. I’ll go to everyone’s room and inject them with it, but not Pete.
Then we’ll follow him out into the night and see where he goes.
At that point, Christian will book us an hourly room at a nearby motel. That’s when we’ll take care of him.”
Stevie and I spend the rest of the afternoon going through the details of the plan. She offered her thoughts, and we’re able to talk it out, which feels good because normally I have River and Christian to do this with.
When it’s time to go, we’re ready.
“Hi.” Wendy answers the door in a plush white hotel robe tied loosely around her waist.
I lean against the frame, shoving one hand into my pocket. The syringe twirling between my thumb and index finger.
“Hello, Wendy,” I say.
“What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk about some ideas I have for our free night tonight.” I smile, trying to look less threatening. But who am I kidding? She’s a serial killer, too. I doubt she has any fear left in her at all.
Her eyes narrow. “I work alone.”
“I know. But what if we worked as a team for the night?”
She scoffs at me. “No, thank you,” she says and shuts the door.
I palm the wood, keeping it open. “Would you at least hear me out?”
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Wendy bites her bottom lip, her voice dripping with seduction. Not going to happen.
“She went for a walk.”
“And you took that time to come to my room?”
I smile. “I did.”
She gives me a once-over, then pushes the heavy wooden door open wider. “Come in.”