Nathan’s frown deepened. “I suggest that we follow them, listen to their conversations, find their contacts, and then send them to their eternal death.”
Troy nodded. “These men will act according to the top thug’s requests. Who knows what we may discover?”
Jorrit’s men were scum that didn’t blink an eye at making another person’s life a complete disaster. They were executioners without souls and without scruples, Sebastian took comfort knowing that soon they would never be able to hurt another soul or carry out any more filthy assignments for the mafia.
Nathan and Troy turned to look at Sebastian. Their eyes widened in question at the anger that flashed in his eyes. Sebastian made a dismissive move with his hand and stood up. It was seven-thirty, and they were ready to go. They had laid out a detailed plan and coordinated their activities. Determination lined their faces.
“I do hope that they are still in their rooms, because finding two men amongst many won’t be easy,” Nathan said.
“Assassins don’t hold regular jobs. Early hours aren’t their forte,” Sebastian said, smiling with amusement.
Nathan and Troy fell in behind him as he walked out of the hotel entrance. They strode slowly down to the valet and handed him the small ticket. Waiting for the rental car to be brought around, the three men kept their thoughts to themselves until they climbed inside.
As they drove away, Nathan ran a hand through his hair and asked inquiringly, “What are we really going to do with the men at the end of the day?”
Sebastian looked as if he were trying to grasp a thought that remained just within reach and scoffed. “We’ll dispose of them. We’ll send a message to their boss that things are not going to be as easy as he thought they would be.”
Troy tilted his head and laughed. “It will not take long for paranoia to set in, and you know what that will do to their team.”
It felt like the ground beneath Sebastian's feet had fallen away.
It was a cloudy morning with a light mist in the air, but the traffic was quite thick. There were several pedestrians walking hurriedly down the sidewalks while others strolled leisurely, protected by their umbrellas. Driving was turning out to be problematic because pedestrians dashed across the main road without paying attention to the light signals. After a thirty minute drive, they arrived at their destination. It was a nice neighborhood with apartment buildings. They located the building they were looking for and pulled into the parking lot. Wedging their small car between two large vans, they had a full view of the front of the building but were concealed from the sight of anyone coming out of those apartments.
Sebastian pulled the piece of paper out of his jean pocket one more time and checked out the room numbers. A gasp escaped his lips. Nathan and Troy turned sharply and gazed at Sebastian’s shocked face.
“What is it?” Troy asked guardedly.
“Look at these two names,” Sebastian said, pointing to the bottom of the paper. Troy glanced, and his breath caught short.
“What is it?” Nathan said, reaching for the paper. “We’ve looked at this paper twice now. What’s new on there that’s making you so anxious?”
Sebastian’s voice hitched. “Nathan, look at the two names on the bottom, Vitorio Capaldi and Mauritsio Visonde!”
“And…” Nathan seemed lost.
“Arielle said that the two guys they met at the pub had an Italian accent,” he said, pointing at their names fiercely. “Do you think that’s just a coincidence?” Nathan looked a little shocked, but he had to admit that was suspicious.
“Let's just see check out the rooms first, before we jump to any crazy conclusions,” Troy said. Sebastian could hear in his thoughts that Troy did not believe a word he just said.
The rooms of two suspects were located on the third floor, one on the second floor, and the last one on the fourth. They memorized the room numbers, and Sebastian left the paper on the car seat. They slipped past three rows of cars, moving at a speed that a human eye couldn’t follow.
They were on the second floor within a millisecond, outside the door of room 235. They could hear the television, and someone having a phone conversation using vulgar language. According to the information on the paper, this room belonged to Frans De Jong. It sounded like he was arguing about money he lost wagering on the wrong horse. Satisfied that the man was still in his room, they quickly climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Rooms 362 and 361 belonged to Vitorio Capaldi and Mauritsio Visonde. Their abilities would allow them to hear even the soft breathing of a human behind closed doors, but the silence in those rooms was deafening.
Sebastian motioned to Troy and Nathan, and with a swift move they were inside the apartments. Troy checked room 362 while Nathan and Sebastian walked into 361. The bed was not made, and the trash piled on the dirty sheets made it obvious that nobody had slept in the bed the night before. The room reeked of cigarettes. Shoes and dirty clothes were discarded on the floor while food leftovers were molding on the end table and the top of the dresser. A couple of expensive suits and a pair of jeans hung in a filthy closet.
Sebastian recoiled as he walked around the room. The things he saw told him that the guy had been gone for at least a couple of days. He turned around to face Nathan and froze. Nathan was standing still in the middle of the room with a shocked look on his face. Something was terribly wrong.
Chapter 19
SEBASTIAN LET OUT an uneven sigh. “What is it, Nathan?”
Nathan bit back what he was going to say and gritted his teeth.
“What do you see?” Sebastian insisted.
Nathan was able to see into the future just as Eva could. His ability allowed him to see things happening like a movie clip. Something in his eyes told Sebastian that whatever he was seeing wasn’t pleasant. His lips were pressed together, and he looked like he wasn’t breathing.
It wasn’t long before Troy walked in. He looked around the room and made a disgusted noise. “This room looks exactly like the one next door. These guys are pigs, t–” he stopped midsentence when he noticed Nathan standing motionless in the middle of the room. He glanced at Sebastian, who shrugged. He walked up to Nathan and put his hand on his shoulders, shaking him softly.
“What is it, Nathan?”
Nathan blinked, startled, and swallowed hard. “What in bloody hell!” he exclaimed.
“For God’s sake, Nathan! What in are you seeing?” Sebastian asked breathlessly.
“I see someone going after the girls!”
Sebastian's body tensed. He held his breath. The thought made his stomach churn.
“But I can’t see a face, and I’m not sure where or when for that matter,” Nathan continued skeptically.
Sebastian gave Nathan a calculated glance. “I’ll get Loren to watch them today, and we’ll be home tonight,” Sebastian said through clenched teeth. Troy’s jaw stiffened, and his fists tightened into hard balls.
“Let's get this over with. I hate being away from them,” Sebastian said and walked toward the door. Troy and Nathan followed. Nathan closed the door behind them. They quickly took the side staircase and climbed up to the fourth floor. Standing outside room 426, they listened carefully for signs that someone was inside. The room belonged to Gustaaf Jansen. The only sound was loud snoring.
Now that they knew two of the men were there, the immortals walked back to the car to wait for the goons to begin their miserable day. They were going to use the time they had to call home. Nathan wanted to make sure his wife was doing better. Troy and Sebastian called their fiancées to remind the women to stay safe until they returned home. They knew that the guys in rooms 361 and 362 were most likely the two guys that the girls met at the pub.
Before making the call to Arielle, Sebastian called Loren. He asked her to spend the day with Arielle and Gabrielle. He gave her the details about the Italian goons. Loren promised that she would take care of them and not to worry. He didn’t need to call Christian, because he could count on L
oren to handle threats from two human men. He felt relieved after the call.
He speed dialed Arielle next. “Hey, baby, did you miss me?” His voice held a tension that didn’t escape Arielle.
A long sigh escaped her. “Sebastian, we just spoke. Is there something wrong?”
“No, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to hear your voice. Do you find that unreasonable?”
His question caught her off guard. “Of course not. I could spend the rest of my life talking with you,” she said playfully.
A smile split his face, and he could hardly contain his delight. “All right. I just wanted to tell you that it is important for you stay away from guys with Italian accents.”
“What?” Arielle’s voice was coated in curiosity. Sebastian smiled. Arielle was the most inquisitive girl he had ever met in his life, and he’d had a very long life. She wanted to know every detail on every subject, and she usually extended the conversation until she was completely satisfied. He adored this about her. They had time to spare waiting for the goons to emerge from their rooms, so he decided to play with her over the phone.
“Can we just talk about it tonight?” Sebastian feigned indifference. A wide smile painted his lips, knowing Arielle’s curiosity was going to rise quickly. He remembered Arielle’s unwavering need to know the details about their plan to get rid of Annabel, the trouble she had gotten into wanting to investigate every corner of the house, and how Arielle discovered Giovanna’s presence in his home. Sebastian put her on the speakerphone and smiled at his friends. Troy was already familiar with Arielle's never-ending inquisitiveness and would be greatly amused by Sebastian's ploy.
“If this is important, why don’t you tell me now?” she asked eagerly.
“Because it’s hard to explain over the phone,” he said. He couldn’t help but smile.
Arielle paused, and then she went on.
“Well, I had something important to tell you,” she said and paused again. “It had something to do with the guys at the pub that I forgot to tell you about last night, but I guess this can wait until tonight as well,” she replied. Sebastian went still. He quickly recovered, realizing that the best way to get information from Arielle was to pretend that he was unconcerned.
“I’m sure it’s of no importance,” he said. “It can wait until I get back.” A quiet chuckle left Troy’s lips, and he put his hand over his mouth.
Arielle snapped, “I guess your information is always more important than mine.” She paused for a moment as if she were deciding whether to tell him or just end the conversation. “Well, just so you know,” she said, making the guys smile. “They asked us to meet them this afternoon for tea, and we just might do that…” Her voice trailed.
Sebastian froze. He turned to glance at Troy and Nathan. Troy pressed his lips together and moved his head from side to side to express his opinion on the unlikeliness of Arielle's statement. Sebastian’s expression changed as he realized that Arielle was just playing with him.
“I guess if you and Gabrielle need to meet with…whatever their names are…” his voice trailed, “...then go ahead.” he tried to hold back laughter.
“You mean Vitorio and Mauritsio?”
Abruptly, Sebastian’s breath caught in his throat. His gut clenched. Astonishment covered the faces of Troy and Nathan. Sebastian pressed the mute button and growled with rage.
“Sebastian, they were safe last night, and they will be safe today,” Troy said. “I know that Arielle and Gabrielle are not going to meet those guys. She’s playing with you.”
Sebastian managed to smile and find his calm voice again.
“Troy and I will be home later tonight, and I guess we’ll see you then. Don’t feel that you need to be home. Go and have fun.” He coughed to cover his frustration.
Arielle took a deep breath and made of an exasperated sound.
“Bloody men,” she said in voice barely audible to a human but easily heard by immortal ears. Sebastian pressed the mute button again, and the three of them broke into hearty laughter.
“Sebastian! Sebastian! Are you there?” Arielle’s voice broke through their laughter.
He cleared his throat and unmuted the phone. “Yes, baby. I’m here,” he said in a nonchalant voice.
“The thing is…you sound as if you don’t even care if we meet these guys. Does Troy feel the same way?”
“I’ll let him address your question,” he said and moved the mobile closer to Troy.
“Hi, Arielle,” Troy said. “You go ahead and have fun. I trust that you both would never do anything to hurt Sebastian or myself.” He was trying to make his voice sound serious.
Arielle paused again and then humphed forcefully. “Bloody men,” she repeated. The guys laughed out loud again after Sebastian muted the phone. There was a long silence on her side.
“I guess you both don’t care, so we’ll see you tonight,” she said with a mixture of annoyance and disappointment. Sebastian ignored the tone in her voice.
“Miss me,” he said just before she abruptly ended the call. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.
“Well, she’s all worked up now,” Nathan pointed out.
“I know,” Sebastian replied, “but I also know that neither Arielle nor Gabrielle would make plans to meet any other guys today or ever,” he said assuredly. He didn’t want to tell Troy that he could read Gabrielle’s mind. Sebastian knew for a fact that there would never be another man for Gabrielle but Troy, and he was just as sure of his own girl. She was his world, and he was hers. Sebastian became lost in thought. Sometimes he couldn’t think past his yearning to simply lay in bed with her and keep her safe in his arms. His mouth went dry, and he ran his tongue over his lips.
“They are fine, Sebastian,” Troy said, clapping him on his shoulder. “Relax. Let's end this so we can go home.”
An hour had passed, and they were still waiting in the car. Sebastian was about to say something when the door on the fourth floor opened, and a man stepped outside. He had messy blond hair and was tall with wide shoulders. Though in his late thirties, his biceps looked like they were made of steel. He wore faded blue jeans and a white long sleeve T-shirt that was too small for his upper body. The man feigned staring out into the distance before leaning over the railing to glance carefully around the parking lot. He then looked up toward the sky as if curious about the weather. Slowly, he turned around and pulled the door shut and locked it.
He then slowly walked a few feet toward the stairs before stopping again and leaning against the wall. Pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pants' pocket, he took one out of the pack and placed his lips around the tip of the filter. After a moment, he pulled a lighter out and flipped it open. He stared at it for a short moment as if he waiting for the flame to appear supernaturally. Finally, his thumb pressed downward, and a high flame emerged. But he still didn’t light the cigarette. It was almost as if the guys were watching some sort of a ritual. They could see the flame getting hotter as the bottom turned blue. He held the flame about a half an inch from the tip of the cigarette while his eyes pierced through the flame.
“What the devil is he doing?” Nathan asked. No one answered. Troy and Sebastian were surprised by the strange behavior.
He finally moved the flame closer to the tip of the cigarette and took a couple deep breaths. With a quick move, he flipped the lighter shut and put it back in his pocket. He inhaled deeply. Then angling his head upward, he blew a thick cloud of smoke toward the sky. He stood there a short moment before pushing away from the wall. He leaned against the railing, his eyes searching the parking lot one more time.
The car was hidden from view, giving the immortals a clear view of him, but he couldn’t see them. He pulled away from the railing and walked down two floors, stopping in front of room 235. After three strong raps on the door, it swung wide open to let him in. The guys could hear every word they said.
“Are you ready? I’m starving for some breakfast,” Gustaaf said.
“Just a moment. I’m almost ready,” Frans replied. There was no more discussion until the door open again, and both appeared in plain view. Frans was shorter and a bit younger with brown spiked hair, a bulky upper body, and huge thighs. They both looked like they spent a lot of time at the gym. The men walked quietly down two floors and piled into a small, red Mazda. They heard a roaring rumble of an engine coming to life, and soon the little red car zipped out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Nathan tried to keep up at a safe distance.
The red Mazda moved at a fast clip. After several miles on the main road, they turned onto a small street, stopping across from what looked like a neighborhood restaurant. A large neon sign flashed above the door in Dutch: “Ontbijt tot 11:00.” Breakfast until eleven, Sebastian thought.
Nathan passed the Mazda and parked a couple of cars ahead of them. They waited until the men left their car before crossing the street to enter the establishment. Reaching the door, they pulled it open and crossed the threshold, looking around for an empty table. It was a small dinner with a few booths against the wall and a couple of tables close to the front window. There was a counter with four stools and a cash register. They immediately saw the two men seated in the last booth on the far corner. The men had their faces buried in the menus. Sebastian, Troy, and Nathan took a table against the window. Picking up the menus, they pretended consider a breakfast choice. They could easily hear every word the men said from across the restaurant.
A few other customers were enjoying their breakfast and carrying on private conversations. A girl sitting behind the counter close to the register was staring out the window while another girl walked around with a coffee pot, filling customers' cups with fresh coffee. A sudden, loud throat clearing attracted everyone’s attention, including the girl with the coffee pot. She approached the booth with the two men, seemingly ready to take their order.
They immediately turned their eyes on her, staring her up and down with lust plain on their faces. They placed their order and followed with chauvinistic remarks. The girl appeared upset. She turned slowly and sent a concerned look to the girl behind the counter. She then lowered her gaze and walked away with her pressed her lips together.
Arielle Immortal Fury (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 6) Page 20