His eyes narrowed as Sebastian tried to figure out the man’s angle. He forced his attention to the ceiling with a wry smile. “Painful.”
“I bet it is,” Marx drawled. “So is the chaos you and your team stirred up today.” Sitting back, he rested his hands on the broad span of his thighs. His sausage-sized fingers drummed an impatient beat. “I’m waiting.”
Sebastian sighed. “Vince stepped away to piss. The next thing I knew, an SUV was barreling up our ass.”
“So this is his fault?” Marx pressed, a thick eyebrow lifting in question.
“It’s my team. It’s my responsibility.”
The director nodded. “The driver wasn’t Armando Soeleze, which is a very fortunate thing for you considering he’s dead. It was his younger brother, Pablo.”
“Great,” Sebastian muttered beneath his breath. “Now I’ll have two psychopaths after me for the same damn thing. Maybe they can join forces and blow Arizona clear off the map.”
Marx patted his shoulder. “I don’t think it’s going to come to that. The Soeleze boys were extremely close. Armando will want to claim his brother’s body and bury him. He’ll want that closure.”
For the first time in hours, hope flooded him. “The BATF will pick him up then?”
The commander donned a wide smile. “That they will. No one is without a weakness, Sebastian. If you look hard enough, even the toughest most coldhearted son-of-a-bitch will have at least one vulnerable point.”
A cold smirk played on his lips. “So what’s yours?”
Marx threw his head back. His enormous body shook with a deep belly laugh. The dark pools of his eyes shone as he leaned forward to clap Sebastian on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he asked, still bearing the traces of his grin. “Perhaps one day, you will figure it out, but again, today is not that day.” The humor slowly ebbed from his countenance and the big man sighed. “You may find this hard to believe, but I’m fond of you, Sebastian. You remind me of myself at your age in a lot of ways.”
Laughter threatened, making him cough. He grimaced against a sharp wave of pain. “Sure, Marx, just keep kicking me when I’m down.”
The director gave a terse smile. “It’s true. You have ambition, drive, and fire. You’re not afraid to get your hands dirty nor do what needs done. Whether you admit it to yourself or not, some secret part of you loves this job. The hunt, the challenge, it’s all a part of the game for you. This is what you were born to do. I’ve been with this organization for a long time, and no one in all of my twenty-three years with SKALS has done it better. You and your partner are one hell of a team.”
His jaw tightened at the compliment. “This is where the other shoe drops,” he stated quietly.
“No, Baas,” Marx said with a slow shake of his head. “Believe it or not, I was being sincere.”
“You will have to excuse me if I don’t mark that one on the calendar. My hands are a little tied at the moment.”
The director’s deep laughter rolled through the room. “That they are.” He cracked his thick knuckles with a series of sharp pops. “Tell me what you plan to do with Vince.”
“You might be better off asking me when I’m not strapped to a gurney and in pain.”
“I’m asking you now,” Marx said pointedly.
“As much as I would love to kill him at the moment, when you have to go, you have to go. He usually serves this team well.” His lips quirked with a brief bid of amusement. “Josh suggested a catheter. While the thought amuses me, Vince and our team would be better served with a reminder that a heads up is not too much to ask. Regardless of personal discomforts, the safety and success of a mission come first.”
“Yet they didn’t. It was almost lights out for you tonight and your mission was a bust.”
“Was it?” Sebastian asked softly. “We have a strong lead on one of the world’s biggest weapons dealers. Give him a week in the reconditioning cell. That should help Vince get his head on straight and give Josh and me time enough to cool down and keep from blowing it off.” He turned his head, his pale stare locking with the director’s. “The bastard owes me a new car, too.”
Marx nodded and patted his arm. “We’ll transfer the funds. Get some rest, Sebastian. You’ll get to go home soon enough.”
Chapter 7 ~
Taylor paced the kitchen, her stomach twisting. She chewed the jagged edge of her thumbnail, her gaze flickering to Josh and Monique as they sat at the table in the morning room. He’d tried to tell her Sebastian was okay, but the stress and worry lining his face claimed otherwise. The usually stunning blonde at his side bore the same troubled expression and her eyes were bloodshot and red from crying or a lack of sleep. Quite possibly both. Either way, she refused to look Taylor’s way for more than a few seconds at a time. Frustration wound through her frame, adding to her exhaustion and pain. She hadn’t slept much before the call came in, and after Sebastian left, she hadn’t slept at all. Pouring herself another cup of coffee, she turned her gaze out the window, her stare tracking the security team before shifting to the couple sitting at the table. She frowned, her mind spinning. He left her home alone while he was working all the time. What made now so different?
She whirled at the sound of keys in the front door. Hot coffee sloshed over the top of her hand, drawing a startled curse from her lips. Clamping a hand over her mouth, her eyes darted to Josh in apology as she hurried to set her mug on the counter. He offered a wan smile and eased to his feet. His obvious stiffness and discomfort only added to her concern. Rushing down the hall to the foyer, she froze as she spotted Sebastian. A pained grimace rode his face as he pulled the doors shut behind him and lifted his head. Bruises mottled his beautiful face, and a deep scratch carved a furrow between his eyebrows. Stitches stood out on the ridge of his right ear, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. Her expression crumpled and she fought back a sob. Anguish darkened his eyes as he shook his head.
“Shh, baby, no. It’s okay. Everything’s all right, darling,” he soothed, opening one arm to her.
She gingerly stepped into his embrace, letting him guide her. Resting he
r face against his shoulder, she tentatively ran a hand over his back. Her heart broke at the strained rasp of his voice and the way he shook ever so slightly against her. He pressed his lips against her temple for a long moment, before easing her to his side. He kept his arm draped around her shoulders, though it was hard to say if it was for support or the urge to be close. His steps were measured, but steady, as he made his way toward the back of the house.
Monique surged to her feet the minute they stepped into the area between the great room and the kitchen. Wringing her hands, the blonde regarded her brother with an open mixture of pity and concern.
“Sebastian.” His name left her lips in a tremulous waver.
“I’m all right, Monique,” he said softly. “Just a little sore. I’ll be fine.”
Taylor watched as he motioned his sister forward and palmed the side of her face in a tender gesture. For a moment, the blonde closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. When he dropped his hand, she straightened and Sebastian shifted his attention to Josh with a slight nod.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“It was no problem, Baas. You good? You need anything?”
“Just rest.”
“Okay. We’ll get out of here.” Josh hesitated for a moment and raked a hand over his short, dark hair. “What are you going to do for a car?”
“It’s taken care of, thank you.”
Taylor listened to a brief exchange of goodbyes and showed the couple out the front doors. After locking them and setting the alarm, she wandered back into the kitchen to find Sebastian looking out the windows. He hadn’t moved. Despite the rigid set of his shoulders, he looked lost. Creeping up beside him, she ran her fingers over the sculpted ridge of his cheekbone. Her heart swelled when he rewarded her with a tired grin. Guiding her hand to his lips, he kissed her fingers.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
“No, baby. They fed me on the way home. Did you eat?”