Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3)

by Noir, Adriana

  Numb, she dropped back into her seat. Jackson remained frozen beside her, his fork still hovering in midair. Only Marx appeared unfazed. His mouth twitched with amusement as he lifted another bite of food to his lips. Irene pushed herself up onto her knees with a broken cry, her teary eyes wide with pleading and shock. A thin ribbon of blood dribbled from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Panic stamped her face as she tried to wipe the sinister trails away.

  “What…” Taylor shook her head and tried to make sense of what just happened. Her throat was too dry and tight to speak. “Jesus…Irene…what did you do?” she whispered.

  “Yes, Irene, what did you do?” Sebastian repeated in a soft cadence, his chilling stare settling on the woman.

  Fear writhed down Taylor’s spine. There was no mistaking the disgust in Sebastian’s voice, no matter how gentle and coaxing the tone. Her eyes darted between the two of them as he leaned back in his seat and regarded the redhead with a terse smile.

  “As much as you dislike me right now, you are going to like me even less if I have to ask you again,” he warned. “Tell Taylor what happened.”

  Clamping a hand over her nose and mouth, Irene gave a desperate shake of her head. “I don’t…I wasn’t th-thinking. It was the alcohol. I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “I didn’t mean…I’m so sorry.”

  Josh glared down at her as if she was the most vile and reprehensible thing to ever slither across God’s green earth. The thin line of his upper lip curled in disgust as he shook his head. “Really? You’re just making the rounds tonight, aren’t you cupcake? It wasn’t enough to try to play grab and go with my dick? You had to help yourself to a handful of Sebastian’s, too?”

  Monique straightened and twisted in her seat, some of the fear evaporating from her face as she stared down at Irene. Reproach flickered across her perfect features before she lifted her chin and turned away.

  “I didn’t mean…”

  Snapping his fingers, Josh silenced her with a stern point. “Spare us the bullshit. I don’t know what your angle was pulling that shit with me, but you’ve been panting after Baas like a raw bitch in heat since the second he met you. You meant every goddamn second of it. I just hope it was worth it.”

  Dumbfounded, Taylor shook her head, her mouth hanging open as she looked to her friend. She winced, realizing the word suddenly left a bitter taste in her mouth. Friends didn’t do that to each other. Hurt threatened to get the better of her. She wanted to believe there’d been some kind of mistake. She needed to. Irene had been like a mother figure in so many ways. Her heart shattered with that profound loss and betrayal all over again. It felt as if someone had stuck a hot poker through her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

  Blinking, she tried her damnedest to keep the tears from falling. “Sebby?” she whispered, her voice shaking.

  His expression softened some, but he nodded in silent confirmation. The murderous rage returned to his eyes, dimming the pale depths, as he shifted his attention back to the floor.

  “How could you do that to me, Irene?” she asked in a pained tremor.

  “Tay, baby, I’m so sorry…”

  “No,” Taylor argued, the strength in her voice returning. “You’re not. I trusted you. I welcomed you into my home. How could you sit there and do that to me? How could you do that to Sebastian—or Josh and Monique? You were supposed to be my friend!”

  “Taylor!” Irene begged.

  Clamping her eyes shut, she fought to keep her temper under control when all she really wanted to do was throw things or scream. She started to stand, fully intent on ripping the woman’s throat out, but Sebastian’s hand settled over thigh, keeping her seated.

  “Get out,” she ordered coldly. “Just get the hell out of my house. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Miss McAvay,” Marx stated. The deep boom of his voice shattered the stillness. “Your friend will be coming home with me.”

  There was a cold finality to the statement—an unspoken threat that almost collapsed her lungs. Silence gripped the room. Monique paled. Terror welled in Irene’s tear-filled eyes as she glanced around, suddenly no longer as eager to spend the night with the commander as she had been before.

  “No…please…”

  “It’s too late for a sudden injection of wisdom, sunshine. You’re getting exactly what you wanted. Now get your ass in that chair and shut your mouth until he is ready to go,” Sebastian snapped, pointing at the woman’s capsized seat.

  Taylor flinched at the harsh grate in his voice. Her pulse roared in her ears, and she swore her heart was going to explode from her chest. He was perilously close to losing whatever fragile hold he had left. There was no telling what he would do then. Flashbacks of the Christmas Eve party rolled through her mind, and the air left her in a shallow wheeze as she prayed Irene had enough common sense to listen. She had no desire whatsoever to relive that night. Nor did she want to see if the other men reached the same terrifying potential as Sebastian when pushed.

  “I don’t want to. I j-just want to g-go hoooomeee,” Irene cried, inching away.

  Josh lashed out and wound a hand in the woman’s hair, cutting her progress short. “It doesn’t matter what you want, cupcake. Wise up and do what you’re fucking told. You get that?” he asked, dragging her back toward her seat.

  Irene sobbed and tried to twist away. Her fingers scrabbled against the hard wood as she struggled to find purchase along the sleek surface. Taylor wanted to tell her to stop fighting, but she was rendered speechless when Sebastian shifted in his seat and pulled his gun. It took everything she had not to hit the floor and crawl under the table. Jackson faltered and cursed beside her.

  The menacing click of the safety gave the waitress pause. Her hazel eyes flared upon seeing the brushed chrome pistol aimed her way. A callous smirk tugged Sebastian’s lips and Irene froze altogether.

  Taylor’s teeth clattered then sank into her lower lip, drawing blood, as Josh jerked the woman up off the floor. Standing, he flung Irene into her chair. He was brutal, savage, and not at all the laidback, good-humored man she’d grown accustomed to. It was like the whole world had turned upside down. Any preconceived notions or realities she thought she’d had went flying out the window in the blink of an eye.

  Irene hit her seat hard. The impact jarred the table, causing several drinks to slosh over their rims. Taylor remained rooted, a small whimper rising in her throat, her eyes tracking Sebastian. Lowering his gun, he eased it down beside his plate. His expression remained calm, but a lethal promise still resided in his stare. He kept one hand rested on the Desert Eagle’s grip. The wide barrel remained pointed Irene’s way.

  Clearing his throat, Marx wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin. “You will learn to obey the orders you’re given. I suggest you do so now. You will not find me as gentle or forgiving as my men.”

  “Taylor? What’s going on? What’s happening? Do something…please….”

  The tremulous plea broke her heart. Lowering her head with a sorrowful shake, she closed her eyes.

  “Leave her out of this,” Sebastian warned in a quiet rasp. “There is nothing Taylor can do for you now. You wanted to crawl in bed with one of us so badly. Now you are going to see how that feels.”

  “I was just playing,” Irene whispered.

  Sebastian settled back in his seat and raised a brow, his hand still resting on his gun. The terse smile he offered was cold and damning. “I don’t think so, Irene. I was far from entertained, and I fail to see the humor in a whore groping me at my dinner table. I warned you at Taylor’s party not to touch me again, and with me, one warning is all you get.”

  Josh gave a dry snort. “She couldn’t help herself, Baas. The bitch is like a fucking rollercoaster. Everyone gets a ride.”

  “This conversation is done,” Marx said, standing.

  Irene cowered, her entire body slumping lower when he approached. Misery and pleading contorted her face, and a violent sh
udder wracked her voluptuous frame. She tried to shrink away, but to no avail. Marx’s colossal hands eclipsed the entire upper half of her arms. The lusty coppertop’s head whipped back with the force as he hauled her out of her chair.

  Taylor’s cringed in empathy, her horror mounting, when the commander trailed a sausage-sized finger down the side of the woman’s face. His heavy silver rings reflected the candlelight in an ominous glint.

  “What an interesting acquisition you’re going to be,” he speculated, his ebony eyes taking on an even more malicious gleam. “First we will see how eager you really are to please me, pet. Then I am going to show you exactly what it is I do for a living. I promise you whatever curiosities you have regarding me and my men will be fully sated before the night is through.”

  Sinking her teeth deeper into the swell of her lower lip, Taylor killed a whimper. The implications were clear. Irene was going to pay, and pay dearly. Her stomach clenched as she pondered where Marx’s comments would lead. She chanced a peek at Sebastian. His eyes were smoldering and crazed. Lowering her head, she tried to still the tremble that ran through her. He could be sadistic and downright cruel when provoked. There was no denying he made some questionable decisions, but she would rather face a lifetime of him at his worse than suffer a single night at Marx’s hands. Swallowing, she tried to calm her stomach and count her blessings, however few they might be.

  The SKALS commander regarded the room, his shoulders squared. “The rest of you enjoy your evening. As for you, Baas, I strongly advise you raise your standards. Get your family and affairs under control, or I will be the one to see those expectations are met.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he dragged Irene out of the room. Her hysterics echoed through the house as they headed for the front doors. A sickening crunch stopped her protests dead. Sebastian tossed his napkin on his plate and stood. Returning his gun to its holster, he barely glanced at the other occupants in the room before issuing his curt command.

  “Get out.”

  CHAPTER 10 ~

  Taylor watched their guests leave with a hammering heart. Part of her ached to slip out behind them. The other just wanted to beg them to stay. The empathy in the Monique’s eyes had been unmistakable when they’d parted ways.

  Wringing her hands, Taylor waited while Sebastian shut the front doors and set the alarm. She shivered. It felt like the equivalent of being sealed in a tomb. Bowing her head, she hurried to clear the dining room table rather than risk seeing the turbulence still fueling those pale green eyes. He followed her into the kitchen without a word. Her hands shook and the stack of plates rattled until she managed to set them down on the counter. She could feel the heat and animosity radiating off Sebastian as his lean body closed in with a menacing press. Resisting the urge to sink to her knees, Taylor drew a deep breath and turned around.

  Her nose damn near bumped his chin. Trapped between him and the counter, she had nowhere to go. Her throat bobbed with her hard swallow. Folding his arms behind his back, Sebastian stared down at her in silent expectation.

  “I can explain…”

  “I highly doubt that, Taylor. Finish cleaning up and meet me upstairs.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. Giving her a hard look of disapproval, Sebastian pivoted on his heel and strode up the steps. Not only was he livid, but thanks to Marx’s parting shots, he was all business. All business and still in uniform. An apprehensive tremble raced down her spine and made her stomach do flips. Her gaze darted down the foyer. The blessings she counted earlier now seemed perilously grim. Now would be a good time to take her chances and run, but she was smart enough to know she would never get away. Sebastian would find her…and if he didn’t, Marx would. Either way, the day would come and she would wind up praying for a night like this instead.

  The thought was beyond terrifying. Not for the first time, she wondered what the hell she’d gotten herself into. Not that she had much choice.

  “You got that right, sweetheart, because we’ll be watching you and listening. One word to anyone, and I will hunt you down and blow that pretty little face of yours right off…”

  She shivered, recalling Josh’s words and the next conversation that followed:

  “What did you guys do, bug me?”

  His gaze hardened. “We don’t need to, though with that attitude, maybe Sebastian should. Let me fill you in on a little something. One push of a button and your government can zero in on anything, and our reach extends even farther than theirs so now would be a really good time to cut the crap.”

  Josh’s warning looped through her memory in a chilling echo from the past. Watching. Listening. Lurking at every turn. There was no point in fighting it or trying to walk away. Not if she wanted to live. There was no escaping SKALS reach or refusing Sebastian’s demands. Not since that very first day in the woods. She shook her head. She’d known it. She just couldn’t admit it to herself. Not then. Sebastian had saved her life, and unexpected or not, falling in love with him had made the situation somewhat easier to accept. It was the things that came after that made it difficult. Things like tonight. The fear, the tension, the absolute sickening sense of dread.

  Releasing the breath she’d been holding, Taylor scraped the leftover food in the trash, not wanting any reminders of just how disastrous the dinner had been. She paused before rinsing the dishes, her ears straining in search of any sounds from above. Much to her dismay, she didn’t hear the whir of the jetted shower. Usually a rinse and a change of clothes helped ease his black moods away. A mad laugh bubbled past her lips. Who was she kidding? There was no way a quick scrub was going to fix any of this.

  After starting the dishwasher and wiping the kitchen and dining room table down, she tossed the rag into the laundry with a disheartened sigh. There was no point in dragging things out. On her way back through the kitchen, she peered through the sliding glass doors one more time, her heart full of fear and longing. A timid voice in the back of her mind whispered it might very well be the last time she ever saw the rocky landscaping, wooded forest, or jagged mountaintop peaks again.

  It took every ounce of effort and willpower she had to cut the lights and climb the stairs. She had to keep reminding herself that no matter how mad he might be, Sebastian loved her. Her dangerous lover was a bad man, but he wasn’t the worst. Like Irene, she could have been leaving with Marx. Still, her hands shook as she pushed open the heavy double doors to the master suite.

  Sebastian stood at the far end of the room near the chaise lounge. His back remained turned as he stared out the window across the darkening grounds.

  “I am going to be very generous here, Taylor. You have one chance to explain. I suggest you use your words and time wisely. Whatever patience I had this evening is gone.”

  Twisting the ring on her finger, she lowered onto the edge of the bed. Her heart felt lodged in her throat. What was there to say? Knowing she’d be stupid not to offer something, she searched for her voice. “Nothing I can say will change what happened, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry Sebastian. I tried to get her out of here. She promised to be gone by the time everyone arrived, but you showed up early and then Marx told her to stay….”

  The rest of her explanation locked in her throat as Sebastian spun to confront her. His hands remained cinched behind his back as he craned his head.

  “So this is my fault?”

  Recoiling, her mouth fell open. “No! That isn’t what I was trying to say!”

  His stare constricted. Slowly prowling the room in front of her, Sebastian kept Taylor locked in his sights. His chin lifted as he came to a stop, his powerful hands settling on his belt buckle. She stared at it in horror, a combination of fear and panic rolling in her stomach.

  “I don’t even know where to begin. I have never been more disgusted in my entire life. Your friend completely humiliated me in front of my men. As disturbing as that ordeal was, that doesn’t even begin to touch the issues this is going to cause with Marx. Do you have any
idea how badly her behavior reflected on me? On our home?”

  “No, Sebastian.” Closing her eyes, she forced herself to breathe. “I’m so sorry. I tried to make her leave. I told her she had to go…”

  “That is not enough!”

  She flinched, her heart hammering from his slow enunciation and forceful roar. Rage simmered in Sebastian’s eyes, the heat almost palpable. Despite his efforts to change, it was never far from her mind how dangerous and brooding he was, how he was capable of ending her life if that was his whim. It took everything she had not to slide off the edge of the bed and prostrate herself at his feet.

  “What you are telling me is not enough,” Sebastian warned, grabbing her chin. His long fingers wrapped around bone and bit deep enough to draw a wince. “You know I can barely tolerate her lewd behavior. The minute you heard Marx was coming, you should have sent her away. Why would you even put us in that position, Taylor? Are you trying to get us killed?”

  “No! I tr--”

  “I don’t care if you tried,” he warned, cutting her off. “She should have been gone. End of story. Instead, you let her drag things out and that mistake is going to cost your friend her life. Not to mention what it might cost us. Fair or not, her actions were a direct reflection on you and the things I allow to go on in my home!”

  She felt the blood drain from her face. Trying to stay strong, she trapped a hoarse sob in the base of her throat. “Sebby, please. What she did was awful, and I don’t ever want to see her again, but he can’t…”

  Releasing her face, he flung his arms out at his sides with an abruptness that made her flinch. “What is it you want me to do here, Taylor? Do you want me to go in there and stick my neck out after the way she betrayed you? Is that really what you are asking me to do?” Sebastian plowed his hands through his hair with a wry snort. “I don’t believe you,” he muttered. “I really don’t. It doesn’t matter what people do or say, you think everyone should be forgiven for everything. I have news for you, sunshine. That’s not the way the world works.”