63. THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FOUR
ALEX
As it turns out, I’m not very good at waiting.
Because after listening to Eden sob into her pillow until four a.m., when she finally fell asleep, I snapped. This ends today. I don’t know how; I just know that it has to. Because if I’m forced to watch her cry to the point of dehydration any longer, then I might end up with a murder charge.
So, I did what any insane person would do and FaceTimed Aspen.
“So, here’s the plan,” she says, cramming one of Macon’s black fedoras into her backpack, alongside a lock-picking kit and what looks to be a pair of night vision goggles.
Where she even got those from on such short notice is lost on me.
“I’m gonna head to Sebastian’s place of work while he’s dropping Macon off at school and break into his office. ”
“Wait, what?”
“Focus.” She waves me off. “While I’m doing that, you are gonna go to Macon’s school and drop off his phone and Mr. Snuggles at the front office, just in case our plan doesn’t work, and slash Sebastian’s tires while he’s in the car line. Comprende?”
Calling her was a terrible idea. I know that now. But lesson learned. I’ll never turn to Aspen in a crisis again.
“Why the fuck would I do that?” We’re whispering because Eden is only down the hall, and not only do I not want to wake her up this early when she’s had so little sleep, but I want her to maintain plausible deniability when this inevitably goes south.
She rolls her eyes. “To stall him, dumbass, so that I can find something incriminating enough to take the fuckface down.”
“Do you even know if there’s anything to find?”
She snorts. “Of course there is. He’s shady as hell. Always has been.”
“Right, well, this is on you.”
I guess that’s how I find myself loitering outside of an elementary school at seven a.m. in a ball cap and sunglasses, looking completely comfortable in my surroundings and not at all suspicious.
Glossy leaves tickle my nose as I peer around the side of an evergreen bush, trying to catch a glimpse of Sebastian’s car.
Not that I even know what car he drives.
Idiot that I am, I didn’t have the foresight to ask Aspen before she sauntered off on her espionage adventures.
But I can imagine, given the type of man he is, that he’s chosen a vehicle to compensate for whatever he’s lacking in his pants.
That is to say, I’m looking for a red convertible sports car… or a monster truck.
My phone buzzes inside the pocket of my black hoodie.
“Come in, Agent Whiskers. This is Command.”
I’m not quiet about the heavy sigh I release down the line. “Is the spy-speak really necessary?”
“Obviously.”
“And whiskers?”
“Your last name is Wolfe.”
“Do wolves even have whiskers?”
“Of course they do, but we’re getting off topic. Do you have the target secured?”
I squint my eyes at the car line. A black sedan speeds away with screeching tires, and a gold-sprayed G-Wagon rolls to the front.
“What car does Sebastian drive?” I whisper into my phone like it’s a walkie-talkie.
“You’re not actually supposed to name the target, you know?” She tuts. “But, uh, he drives a black Mercedes, I think.”
“For fuck’s sake, Aspen. This is information I needed before this godforsaken heist.” I stare wide-eyed as the car I just watched drive away accelerates down the street. “Target is on the move. I repeat, the target is on the move.”
“What? You had one job, Alex. One job.”
“Technically, I had two.” And I didn’t complete either of them. “And we wouldn’t be in this predicament if you had told me what car to look out for ahead of time.”
“Go after him.” On the other end of the line, I hear something click followed by the squeaking of hinges. “I’m in his office. You’re gonna need to get here right the fuck now and distract him before he catches me.”
I fist my keys in my hand and sprint to my car. “Aspen, this is a horrible plan.”
“We’re doing this for Eden and Macon, remember?”
Damn her that she knows exactly what I need to hear right now to keep me on board.
It doesn’t matter how outlandish her idea is; it beats sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring.
I managed a total of eighteen hours doing that, and it got us nowhere.
At least submitting myself to Aspen’s unique brand of chaos gives us a chance of getting Macon home tonight.
At least it gives us hope.
Noises on her end rustle as I throw my car into drive and peel off after Sebastian. “Do you know where you’re going?”
I clutch the steering wheel with a death grip. “Nope.”
“Head west into Belltown. His building is a couple streets back from the waterfront.”
That’s about a ten-minute drive from here. By my calculations, Sebastian has a two-minute head start, so it’s going to take some serious gas and a couple of shortcuts to intercept him in time.
Shit.
I’ve gotta move.
Eden will already be less than pleased once she finds out about our little vigilante adventure. She’ll be beyond pissed if I end up getting her sister arrested for breaking and entering on top of it. Though, I’d argue Aspen had brought it on herself.
“Have you found anything yet?”
My car hits a curb as I turn a sharp corner.
“No.” There’s a bang, then another one, followed by some clattering. “To be honest, I don’t really know what I’m looking for.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Sebastian’s brake lights blink ahead of me as he stops at a red light. I whip left down a side street, speeding through an avenue of parked cars and nearly taking out a side mirror before rejoining the road ahead of him.
“How far out are you?”
“I’m close. Just gotta find parking.”
She huffs in frustration. “There’s no time for parking, Alex. Just abandon it somewhere and run. You can afford the ticket.”
I don’t like it, but I do it anyway. I mount a yellow curb, praying that I won’t find my car booted when I come back, and charge across the street to Sebastian’s building.
“I’ll hold him for as long as I can. Call me when you’re in the clear,” I pant, hanging up. I fiddle with my phone for another few moments, doing my best to act nonchalant when I’m feeling anything but, then shove it into my pocket.
Because the prick himself has arrived.
He’s wearing the same suit as he was the day I met him. Navy. Versace, if I know my designers well enough. Sebastian may not be the only ostentatious fucker between us, but he is the only one who uses it to make up for his absolute shit stain of a personality.
His eyes narrow on me before a slow smirk laced with contempt curls a single corner of his mouth. “Alex Water, is it?”
He holds a hand out between us for me to shake, and I leave it there.
“Wolfe,” I correct, “which I suspect you know well enough already, considering the article you sold.”
He doesn’t even try to feign remorse. “It was just one of those things. No hard feelings.”
I definitely have hard feelings. Very hard feelings. And not in the fun way that I have them toward Eden. These hard feelings have me hoping that Aspen packed her hatchet so that I can use it to split his fucking smirk in half.
God, Aspen, hurry up.
“I wouldn’t say that.” I let my stare deaden to match his. “I may not be acting on them right now, but you can trust that I will. I’m just biding my time.”
If only he knew how true that statement is.
At the thought, my gaze strays to the building behind me, and Sebastian’s forehead creases in suspicion.
“What are you doing here, Wolfe?” March wind whips against Sebastian’s hair, disrupting his part and revealing the balding skin at the back of his head. He takes a step closer to the building.
“Macon left a few things behind that I figured he might need. Just dropped by to hand them over, since he’ll be living with you from now on.” I offer him a smile that looks sweet but holds a hearty dose of hatred.
He squints at the bag containing Macon’s phone and Mr. Snuggles, but he makes no move to take it. “He doesn’t need that stupid stuffed—”
My phone rings, and I hold my finger up to silence him. Thank Jesus. It’s about fucking time. “Sorry, could you hold that thought for a sec?”
“Hello?”
“Alex, I’ve got it.” Aspen’s voice has taken on a manic edge and is at least three octaves too high to listen comfortably. “I’ve fucking got it! Oh, that motherfucker is going down.” She delivers that last bit in a bad imitation of an NYPD interrogator.
Sebastian moves to walk around me, but I stop him with a hand to his chest. He bats me away immediately but, thankfully, stays where he is.
“Could you get to the point faster please?” I grit through my teeth to Aspen.
I battle to keep my expression neutral as she relays everything she’s found. Every new piece of information is a new spike of rage in my soul, a new blade of loathing I wish I could sever him with, but I listen to it all with an almost eerie sense of calm.
“So, Sebastian…” I grin, slipping my phone away. “Since you’re here, I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”
“No, I’m not going to withdraw the petition for custody. No, I’m not going to withdraw the emergency motion. No, I’m not going to allow Eden visitation rights until the court has made a decision. Does that answer your questions?”
Much to his confusion, I laugh. “Not really, no. You’re taking a child away from his mother for, from what I understand, no other reason than simply because you believe that you can.”
“I already have, haven’t I?” That nauseating smugness returns.
“And contrary to what you believe, I’m doing it for Macon.
I can offer him a much better life than what his mother can.
A family, for one thing, that I didn’t have to trade myself for.
A house that I own. Money that I didn’t earn from lying on my back. ”
“You sonofa—” I stop myself, sucking in a long breath through my nose.
He’s goading me. I know he is. In fact, I’d wager that he wants me to hit him. And I’d do it too—I’m only a man after all—but if I let my fist eat his face, then he’s won.