“It’s at my cubicle workstation, not in my office. Bring the cord too.”
“Do you need the lights?” Sebastian calls as I leave the room.
“No, I’m good.”
On my way to Sebastian’s office, I wind my way through the dim rows of cubicles until I find Elijah’s workstation and Paulo’s phone. “Who knew the guy had his own office? No wonder I hadn’t seen him yet,” I mutter to myself as I unhook the phone from Elijah’s desktop computer but leave the USB cord attached.
Once I reach Sebastian’s office and locate the envelope with my name on it, there’s enough light from the street lights outside to allow me to see just how bad off my necklace is. It’s truly beyond repair. Sniffing back unshed tears, I drop the necklace back in the envelope and slide the envelope into my purse. With a sad sigh, I wind the phone’s USB cord around my hand as I start back across the office space toward the hall and the lunchroom beyond. The guys are laughing uproariously about something, and their amusement makes me pick up my pace. I could use a good laugh to lift my spirits right now.
A click of the Emergency exit stairwell door just ahead draws my attention and I instantly slow my steps. Is Cass early? Why is she coming in the back way?
When a man walks through the door, I move next to the wall near the copier hoping he won’t see me. His chest is the only part of him lit up by the dim lighting and he’s right in my path to get back to the lunchroom. He takes a couple of steps into the room and as he turns to scan over the cubicles and lifts his hand with something in it, the phone in my hand lights up with an incoming text.
Test
I glance up to see if he noticed the light. Oh shit, it’s the detective, Phil Mayhew, who was working the limo bombing. He turns in my direction, his gaze narrowed on me.
“Give that to me,” he hisses and starts toward me with determined strides, pulling a gun from underneath his jacket.
Heart racing, I pivot and bolt for Sebastian’s office. The only reason Phil would risk coming here is if the phone contains evidence that’ll tie him to Paulo. He must’ve traced its signal.
I drop the phone as I quickly turn and shut the door, but the dead bolt doesn’t budge, so I throw my back against the door and wedge my shoes on the carpet to keep him out.
A heavy thump shoves against the wood behind me twice, then stops.
Just as I exhale a shaky breath, several light pinging sounds hit the glass that runs along the top half of the wall to my right.
I need to warn Sebastian, but the damn phone bounced away from me when it dropped on the carpet.
Phil must have a silencer on his gun. I squeeze my eyes shut, ever so thankful for my husband’s paranoia. The bulletproof glass seems to be holding. The pings continue until all I hear is the click of an empty gun.
A couple seconds pass and then the door shoves toward me once and then again. Each time inching my feet forward. My pulse thunders and I feel slightly faint. I take a deep breath, while my legs shake to hold the door closed. At this rate, he’ll be in here in seconds.
This button is all it takes to lock down this office in seconds, Talia.
Sebastian’s comment about the office security system comes to me, and my gaze zeros on his desk. I just need to push the button underneath. But I’ll have to leave the door unblocked long enough to get to it. How the hell am I going to do that?
Glancing down at my toes straining against the edges of my wedge sandals instantly reminds me of Cass reprimanding me for not wearing toenail polish with open-toed shoes. She’s going to give me so much shit tonight…Oh God, tonight! Cass could walk into this standoff at any moment! I have to find a way to get to that button before she arrives. As I continue to stare at my shoes, my chest tightening with worry, I realize that I might be able to buy myself a tiny bit of time.
Two more hits against the door and Phil’s angry growl of frustration is enough to make me take the chance. Resetting my footing, I quickly bend my leg and remove my shoe, then return my bare foot to the carpet. Now I just have to wait for him to try once again.
My feet slip with the next powerful slam of his body against the door. I grit my teeth and use all my strength to keep him out. The moment the second hit happens, I quickly drop to my knees and slide the toe of my shoe under the space between the door and the carpet, pushing the thick wedge heel forward as much as possible to jam the door closed.
I don’t even look behind me as I quickly crawl over to the desk. God, please let Cass still be on the road. My gaze shifts back to the door as I push the lockdown button several times and hope like hell it has an alarm attached to it.
At the same time the bolt on the door electronically flips into place, a loud siren begins to blare throughout the office.
Pumping a victory fist that the traitorous detective is now trapped in an office with no bullets and a group of well-trained alpha men bearing down on him, I slump over to my side on the carpet and exhale an exhausted breath of sheer relief.
“Yes, sir,” Sebastian says as he beeps his car and we walk across our apartment’s underground parking lot to the elevator. “First thing in the morning the BLACK Security team will be in to make a full statement.”
He slides his phone into his pocket and we step on the elevator. I wait for him to punch in our code before I speak. “I’m so glad you got the Chief to agree to wait until tomorrow morning. I’m so tired I might fall asleep before we get to our floor.”
Sebastian hooks his arm around my shoulders and pulls me against his solid warmth. “A police officer’s involvement and arrest adds a whole other layer to the investigation. Now internal affairs has to get involved. The Chief wants to tackle setting up the meetings in the right order and we’ll sit down with him after we’ve all had a good night’s sleep.”
I look at his knuckles hanging over my shoulder and grimace at their roughed-up state. “You’re going to need to put some ice on that.”
“Beating the shit out of Phil was worth the pain,” he says, curling his hand and flashing a dark smile.
His alpha ways frustrate just as much as they fascinate me, but I wouldn’t have him any other way. “What did the Chief say? It sounds like you got some updates.”
Sebastian nods as we reach our floor and step into our living room. “Once Paulo learned that Phil had been arrested, he started talking. He maintains that he never put the igniter on the gas tank flap. He said he only wanted to blow the tire, so that’s where he put the device. He says that Phil must’ve moved it that night. According to him, Phil started that heist ring—the one that was responsible for that stolen art collection among other things—to fund his true desire to run his own drug and gun running business in the Lower East Side. What Phil didn’t know was that Paulo kept one of the paintings they stole. It was Paulo’s way to protect himself in case things went south.”
“How would the painting protect him?”
Sebastian smirks. “Phil cut himself during one of the heists. His blood is embedded in the scrollwork of the frame. Turning on Phil could possibly reduce Paulo’s sentence.”
“Did Phil confess to moving the device?”
“I haven’t gotten information on Phil’s interrogation yet, but I can’t imagine him admitting murdering Isabel, even if he was guilty. Either way, both men have enough charges against them to put them away for a long time.”
I’m bothered by the fact Paulo claims Phil had to have moved the igniter. Even though it fits with what he told me…that he wasn’t a killer. I will have to review the tapes from that night to appease that nagging doubt that something doesn’t quite add up. Whether he’s guilty of that part or not, I really don’t like the idea that Paulo might get less time for turning on Phil. “I’m sorry about Phil turning out the way he did.” I wrap my arm around my husband’s waist and shake my head.
Sebastian gives a wry smile. “Who better to know how to bring a gambler like Vinny to his side than the guy who’d been through it with his own kid? Without Vinny lying abou
t Banks’s involvement in the threat against my family, I might never have gone after him.”
“Well, I just hope Phil’s betrayal doesn’t stop you from helping others, Sebastian.”
He curls his arm on my shoulders, pulling me fully against his solid frame. “That’s what I have you for…to remind me to be human when the ugliness of the world closes in.” Kissing my forehead, he lifts my chin up. “You impress the hell out of me in so many ways. What do you say to a Red and Black investigative team?”
My heart races, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. “Are we talking about fiction? Or in real life?”
“I’m serious. You’re such a natural, Talia, and we work so well together. I’d like you to come work with us at BLACK Security.”
Before I can speak, he continues, “You’ll have your own office, and I’ll make sure you get enough downtime to write your books between cases.” A cocky smile crooks his lips. “Maybe I’ll even give you some inspiration for Aaron White. What do you say?”
I grin my happiness and wrap my arms around his neck. “It’s about time you recognized that my awesome investigative skills have BLACK Security written all over them!”
“Your skills were never in question, sweetheart.” His expression settles to a serious one. “I knew how much working for the Tribune meant to you, and I didn’t want to take you away from that.”
“Priorities shift,” I say, shrugging. “By the way, I…um quit the other day. So this career opportunity comes at a perfect time for this jobless girl.”
“What?” A dark scowl instantly forms around his mouth and he steps back to grip my shoulders. “Did they fire you? I’m going to—”
“No, Sebastian. I actually quit. I’m married now and have a family I would do anything to protect.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want you to bring me on BLACK Security out of some kind of kindhearted move on your part. I wanted to earn my seat at the table.”
“You’ve more than earned it, sweetheart.” The tension in his hold eases and his expression softens. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
I give him a “duh” look. “I asked to join BLACK Security a while back, remember? But fair warning, I will be suggesting some changes, starting with: Holy cow, can we please change the deadbolt on your office door to a manual one?”
Nodding his agreement, a pleased smile spreads across my husband’s handsome face as he gathers me in his arms once more. “We’re going to make one hell of an unstoppable team, Little Red.”
“I wholeheartedly agree, Mister Black.”
We both look down at his pants’ pocket when his phone pings with an incoming text. “Who would be texting you this late?”
Retrieving his phone, Sebastian sends a quick response, then slips it back into his pocket. “That was Mina saying thank you for catching Isabel’s killers.”
My chest feels like it’s sinking. “I’m sorry she didn’t call to say that, Sebastian.”
“She called me earlier today.”
“She did?” My heart rate jumps right back up. “What did she say?”
“She told me she understood my decision and asked if we could watch Josi overnight and on the day of the funeral, because she’s already feeling overwhelmed with all the preparations.”
I release a soft breath, so happy that Mina came around. “You told her we would, right?”
“Of course.” He leans close and kisses the tip of my nose. “You truly are a quiet storm.”
“Huh?”
“Just something my dad said about you,” he says, cupping my face. “Thank you for bringing my sister back into our lives, Talia. I never could’ve told her the truth about her mom.”
“You really didn’t think I was letting stubborn Blake genes interfere with our goddaughter time, did you?”
Sebastian snorts and quickly sweeps me up into his arms. “Off to bed with you, Little Red.” As he carries me through the doorway to our bedroom, he says, “So about my ring…how wide is the band?”
“Sebastian!” I laugh at his persistence and kiss his jaw, whispering into his ear, “Your ring is covered in red fur with black trim, for your comfort of course.”
Chapter 19
Sebastian
I haven’t seen my wife in twenty-six hours and as I arrive at the church to marry her again in front of our family and friends, I’m tense as hell. The Blake family buried Isabel two weeks before, and now that my wedding day has arrived, I feel like I’m being kicked in the balls as I walk up the church steps once more.
Talia and I purposely set our wedding to be during the brightest part of the day and with the least amount of traffic, but I can’t stop scanning for threats, looking for anyone lurking: a car that’s idling too long or turned at a strange angle, a man dropping a bag in the street or a woman biking past. My fists clench and my jaw tightens with worry that someone will try to harm the woman I would lay down my life for.
“Honest to God, Sebastian. I wish you drank, because you need a shot or ten of something that would knock you on your ass,” Calder says as he takes the steps two at a time to keep up with my fast pace. “We’ve got everything covered. No one is going to fuck up your wedding day.”
I turn at the top of the stairs and scan for the extra security I’ve hired to fill the streets around the church, both obvious security wearing tuxes as well as men in plain clothes out jogging, taking a dog for a walk, or reading a book on a bench. We had a brief issue with three men who seemed to be hanging around more than they should, but after my guys got involved, it turned out that Adam had sent some plain clothes guards of his own too. Once I reassigned those men to the reception hotel, where there are more vulnerable access points to cover, we’re now back on track.
Talia made me promise I wouldn’t try to see her in her dress before she walked down the aisle. She’d spent last night with Cass at their old apartment and I still haven’t heard from Theo yet. “Report in, Theo. Where the hell is my wife?”
My ear bud crackles and his voice comes through. “They arrived with Den at the church twenty minutes ago, Boss. Now go marry our most valued member of BLACK Security. We’ve got this.”
“Thanks,” I say, inhaling deeply now that she’s safe in the church.
“It’s time to go in.” Calder buttons his tux as limos begin to pull up outside. Despite his calm comments, he’s staring at everyone, his gaze hyper-focused. I appreciate his diligence. He wants this to go as smoothly as I do.
Family members are already standing in the church’s entryway. With everyone attending in formal gowns and tuxes, there’s an air of heightened excitement and anticipation in their expressions as they all turn when Calder and I enter.
Damien swaggers up and claps me on the shoulder. “You must be doing something right if she agreed to marry your sorry ass again, old man.”
“You’re never letting that one go, are you?” I mutter as I switch off my earpiece.
Dark eyebrows hiked, his brown eyes flash with cocky amusement. “Nope. Soaking it up for all it’s worth, big brother.”
That’s the first time Damien has called me “brother” without snark. I hide my surprise behind a low chuckle. “That’s only because you’ve never grown up.”
“Why should I? It’s overrated.”
Gavin is standing just behind him, his expression stoic. We haven’t spoken since our encounter in our father’s office. The last thing I want is a confrontation, but he’s here, so Mina must’ve worked some of her magic.
When I nod to acknowledge his presence, Gavin slides his hands in his pockets and tilts his head to the side, indicating he wants to talk.
While Damien turns to Calder to chat about the reception afterward, I move away from the crowd to meet my resentful brother. “Whatever it is, Gavin. Today is not the day you want to go head-to-head with me.”
“You mustn’t ever tell him, Sebastian. I’ll do whatever it takes for you to keep it between us. He fee
ls guilty enough about you and the past. If he learned about our mother’s betrayal…as strong as he is, something like that could devastate him.”
“I have no intention of telling Adam, Gavin. Family always comes first for me. I thought you would’ve figured that out by now.”
The tension in his face eases. “Damien might hide his pain and regret behind humor and snark, but that’s not how I operate. Nothing can excuse what she did to you and your mom. All I can do is try to make it right.” He glances toward our father shaking hands with guests starting to arrive. “The CEO position is yours if you want it.”
I put my hand on Gavin’s shoulder, drawing his attention back to me. “What I want is for you to show our father what a kickass CEO looks like. If you need my help in any way, you’ve got it.”
Gavin’s bowtie bobs with his swallow as he nods, his shoulders relaxing. “You didn’t owe me that, so thanks. I’ll try to live up to the expectation.”
Releasing him, my gaze sharpens. “See that you do. One fourth of that company is mine, little brother.”
“I’m not sure that five months age difference counts,” he says, eyebrow elevated.
“Even one minute counts. Best you remember that,” I say just as Mina walks up in a dark floor length gown. Josi is on her hip in a floral dress and shiny patent shoes.
“Look how handsome you two are.” Mina eyes Gavin and me with a wide smile. “Makes me wish I’d brought my phone for a pic instead of leaving it in the car.”
“I’ve got mine,” Damien says as he and Calder walk up.
“Of course you do.”
I smirk at Gavin’s deadpan comment as Damien hands his phone to Calder, then waves us closer. “Come on, let’s grab a quick family shot before the photographer makes us stand in a gazillion different poses after the wedding.”
With Gavin and Damien flanking either side, Mina slides in between Damien and me. “Make room for the girls, boys,” she huffs, wrapping her arm around my waist. Smiling, I drop my arm around her and include Josi’s tiny shoulder too, pulling them close to my side.
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