“Shut the fuck up!” Dominic snarled lunging at Sebastian.
Laychee brought him up short with a hand around the younger man’s throat. “One thing you told me about Baas is proving to be very true. He is very smart. Was the chip your little safety net? Did you think if things went south you could turn on me?”
“No! The fucker’s lying. He’s playing with you!”
“And you’re not?” Laychee asked, a humorless grin curving his lips. “The chip just happened to slip your mind? I don’t think so Dominic.”
Sebastian tuned them out for a minute, his ears straining to hear what was happening on the other end of the video call. With all of the commotion, it was too hard to hear. At the very least, he’d just bought them both a little more time. Seconds, maybe a minute or two at best. His mind spun. Josh had to have reached out to someone by now. All he had to do was sit tight and hold on just a little longer.
His thoughts screeched to a halt as the distinct blast of gunfire filled the warehouse. Even Laychee paused, releasing his hold on Dominic to spin on his heel and gape at the floor where his cell phone sat unattended. Another shot broke the tension followed by a shout that was cut short when the line went dead. The blood drained from Sebastian’s face. Horror crawled through his veins. His entire body went numb. He’d heard nothing from Taylor. Not one sound. Dropping against the back of the seat, he cast his attention to the metal rafters overhead and closed his eyes. Madness threatened as he heard one of the men approach.
“I’m sorry, Sebastian,” Laychee taunted. “Doesn’t sound like things ended well for your little girlfriend, but that shouldn’t be a problem given how little you care. I guess the good news is she won’t suffer any more. I don’t give a fuck about your passwords. What I do want to know is what you did to my brother.”
His shoulders shook with dry humor. “Oh he suffered, Steven. He suffered long and hard. He was sobbing like a woman and begging for it by the time we finally put him out of his misery.” Rage shone in the other man’s eyes, prompting him to smirk. “Do you want to know something else? I enjoyed every minute of it. I would do it all again if I could.”
“You son-of-a-bitch!” Laychee spat.
“He was crying like a baby and screaming as his guts hit the floor.”
Sebastian’s head rocked when a violent blow threatened to capsize him and the chair.
“Hold him up,” Laychee ordered his men. “I want him to feel everything.”
Sebastian continued as two of the four closed in and gripped the sides of his chair. “We brought him back once after that. Just so he could suffer a few seconds more.”
Despite the men holding it, the chair scooted back twice more as Laychee’s fist drove into his abdomen like a wrecking ball. He welcomed the pain. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he watched the thug cross the room and rummage through the duffel bag he’d been shouldering when he arrived. He nodded, laughing softly to himself, as the other man procured a clear plastic bag. His pale stare shifted to Dominic and they locked eyes. He shook his head in disgust.
“You’re the worst kind of coward and traitor there is,” he whispered. “You helped this man go after my family. Enjoy this. I guarantee my partner and SKALS will come after you with everything they have. There won’t be a place in this world where you can hide.”
Shame branded his teammate’s face for the briefest of seconds before he turned away. Sebastian nodded. It was just as well. He didn’t want Dominic to be the last thing he’d see. There was too much rage, too much hurt, that came from that betrayal. His head snapped to the right as Laychee approached with the bag in his hand.
“You’re done talking, Sebastian.”
He offered a wry smirk. “I’ll save you a seat in Hell.”
The cold plastic slid over his head, the edge of the bag tightening around his neck as Laychee wrenched it from behind. Agonizing seconds ticked by as he struggled to keep his breathing slow and calm. The last thing he wanted to do was give Laychee the enjoyment of seeing him fight. His lungs started to burn and instinct kicked in, robbing him of pride. Laughter rang in his ears as he bucked against the tape binding his arms and thrashed his head from side-to-side in a desperate attempt to find a pocket of air. The warehouse pitched into a dangerous spin, and he slumped as it suddenly went black.
The bag loosened, allowing him to suck in a ragged breath. Sebastian gulped it in, his body heaving. Shouting erupted on all sides, adding to his confusion. He tensed when rapid gunfire peppered the air. His vision was blurred through the damp, bloody plastic. Squinting into the darkness, he strained to make out the dark figures swarming around him. Panic rode the voices of Laychee and his men as they spun around him, trying to return fire. He smiled to himself. Leave it to Josh to wait until the nick of time.
The cavalry had finally come.
His relief was fleeting as concrete exploded behind him in an outward hail. Some of the bullets were hitting too close. Using the distraction to his benefit, Sebastian rocked in his chair until it fell on its side, giving his team a clearer line of fire. He grunted as his shoulder again bore the brunt of his weight. The intermittent flashes were blinding and seemed to come from everywhere at once. One of Laychee’s men hit the floor a foot away. Another lay sprawled face-first in a pool of blood a few feet from the door. It figured the cockroaches would scuttle.
Scanning his surroundings, he searched for any sign of Dominic. He wanted the traitor brought in alive.
He turned his head with a snarl as fingers gripped his arm. Wes’s face loomed over him in the gloom, a wry twist riding the corners of the man’s mouth. Stilling, he grit his teeth as his teammate swiftly cut him free and hauled him to his feet, half-running, half-dragging him to safety behind a wide metal pillar.
“I never thought I’d be so happy to see your ugly mug,” Sebastian panted.
“We have to get out of here, Baas. The building is set to blow in three minutes,” Wes warned, pressing a pistol against his palm.
His fingers curled around the familiar grip, its cold weight lending him comfort he’d not felt in hours. “Where’s Chase? I want him alive.”
He jerked back as a bullet struck the pillar and sent out a blinding spray of sparks. Several more followed in quick succession.
“Someone want to take that asshole out?” Wes barked against his throat mic. “We’re taking heavy fire over here!”
“On it, Three.”
Sebastian closed his eyes as his partner’s voice came over the radio. It was a welcome sound, to say the least. Snapping back the safety, he took an unsteady step out and around the protective shield of the pillar. Wes shouted at him, screaming at him to get back. His eyes riveted on Laychee, just in time to see a bullet hit the man from somewhere up above. Blood shot outward from his skull in a fine, red mist. It was a disappointing and anticlimactic end, far too quick given the hell he’d just been through at the man’s hands. Ignoring the warm splatters, he scanned the shadows in a frantic search for Dominic, unwilling to lose the last chance at vengeance he had.
He tensed at the sound of feet thundering up behind him. Spinning on his heel, he trained his weapon, bringing Josh up short.
“Whoa, Baas, easy,” his partner coaxed.
His shoulders heaved with rage and pain, but he slowly lowered his gun. His lip curled in protest as Josh lunged forward and slung a steadying shoulder under his arm. Sebastian decided in that moment that the feeling of another man’s hand around his waist was something he never wanted to feel again.
“Sorry, Baas. No time for hugs. We have to get the hell out of here before this place blows.”
He dug his heels in as much as his unstable legs would allow. “I’m not leaving here without Dominic. That traitorous fuck is going to pay and pay dearly for this.”
“He took a shot to the leg and one to the arm when we came in. They already dragged his ass outside, now move it!”
Sebastian had his doubts, but there wasn’t time to argue. Nor did he have
the strength. Hauling him along, Josh made a frantic beeline for the doors. The cold night air hit him full force, battering his tortured lungs. He almost hit his knees, but Josh somehow managed to keep them both moving. They were halfway across the overgrown warehouse yard when the ground rocked and the world exploded behind them.
A roaring ball of fire rushed past. Josh dove, knocking him to the ground as well. The heavy steel doors rocketed past them, along with chunks of metal and debris. Searing heat engulfed them for a few seconds then mercifully faded. Sebastian was sure if he hadn’t been soaked with a combination of sweat and blood, his arm hairs would have singed. His ears rang with a high-pitched keen. Though he couldn’t hear it, he knew, as he lay sprawled on the ground with his partner beside him, his entire body shook with his laughter.
Chapter 13 ~
Taylor groaned while the world around her continued to veer out of control. She felt unsteady and unstable, unable to move. She was only dimly aware of the scalding wetness tracing her cheeks.
Slitting her eyes open, she squinted and blinked against the sporadic flashes. Panic lanced her, shocking her body with a cold chill, when she realized they were the streetlights racing by overhead. The familiar scent of her car engulfed her, a mix of newness and leather despite the upholstered seats, and she cringed. They’d stolen her car, and now they were taking her God knew where.
The sweet, coppery undercurrent of blood flooded the vehicle, making her stomach churn. Unable to move her head, she swung her eyes toward the front seat. Only one lone occupant accompanied her for the ride. Confusion flooded her upon seeing the dark hair. One of the men had already gone grey. The other had been a strawberry blond, and this man, though large, was nowhere near the size of the gorilla who’d tortured her.