Troy and Nathan looked shocked. Sebastian stood up and walked back to his desk. Gathering all the photos, he thumbed through them carefully. They all seemed to be taken when Arielle was alone. He had to step up security to eliminate this problem.
“Oh, my God,” he said in anguish. “She can’t find out that this scum is after her.” He ran his hands through his hair repeatedly, overcome with anxiety. Stony silence fell in the room again.
Finally, Sebastian spoke with a torment-filled voice. “I fell in love with her, and all I ever wanted was to give her the world. All I’ve done, though, is bring chaos into her life.” He shook his head in disgust.
Troy moved closer and stood next to him. “Sebastian, I know for a fact that Arielle loves you deeply, and none of all these things would change her feelings for you.”
“Troy, you know firsthand how many times you’ve saved Arielle’s life from Annabel’s wrath, and as if that’s not enough, the Russian killing machine is after her now.”
“You know that we can handle this,” Troy said. “I can’t understand why you are getting so upset. Nobody is going to touch Arielle. They’ve no idea who they are dealing with. You know we can handle this,” Troy said again, emphasizing his words.
“Yes, I’m sure that we can. However, I’m going to take further measures to keep Arielle safe.” He quickly fished his mobile from his pocket and pressed a number on the screen as both Nathan and Troy watched him inquisitively.
“Hey, Christian it’s Sebastian.”
“Hi, Sebastian. What’s up?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m walking to class with Isabella, keeping an eye on Arielle,” he said, mirth in his voice. “Something wrong?”
“I need your help, buddy,” he said, his voice betraying his concern.
“Just name it.”
“We’ve got a new problem, and it's threatening Arielle’s life again.”
“Sebastian, I promised Pier that I would come here to help with Arielle’s safety. Isabella and I are ready to do whatever you need.”
“Thanks, Christian. I need to talk with you as soon as possible.”
“Where are you?” Christian asked.
“I’m at my office. I have to meet someone at two this afternoon, but I’ll be here for the next hour. Can you come by?”
“Sure, I’ll leave school right now. I’ll leave Isabella in charge of your fiancé.”
“Thanks, Christian. I appreciate it very much.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you shortly.”
Sebastian took a seat and picked up the extortion note. He stared at it for several moments. His frown deepened as he tried to recall every step since he met Arielle and discern where he had gone wrong.
“How do you know Christian?” Nathan’s inquisitive voice startled him.
“Oh, Christian is Pier’s brother. You know Pier…”
“Yes, I sure do. He is a nice guy. I didn’t know he had a brother.”
“Pier is the eldest of three. He was an immortal way before any of us were transformed. He lost his parents in an accident before the plague hit Europe. He was left in charge of his two younger brothers. When the plague spread across France, he gave his brothers immortality, saving them from certain death. He is very close to both of them and extremely protective. Christian is the youngest of the three. He is married to Isabella, another immortal. Jon is the middle brother. He lives in Australia and is married to a human. Jon chose to sever their relationship, and the reasons have remained private between Pier and Jon. I don’t want to ask the details, because it isn’t any of my business.” Sebastian took a deep breath and continued. “Christian and Isabella work for my company in Paris. They both report to Pier. In St. Jean, Annabel’s renewed fury hit reached a dangerous peak, and she swore that she would be coming back with the sole purpose of killing Arielle. Pier suggested to me at that time that his brother and his wife would be excellent guardians for Arielle. Annabel is familiar with all of our immortal friends, but she doesn’t know Christian or Isabella. We decided that we should choose someone that Arielle didn’t know at all. Annabel could never make a connection between Arielle and Christian or Isabella if she never saw them socializing together. When Pier returned home from vacation at St. Jean, he asked his brother and his wife if they would come to Brighton and become Arielle’s guardians. They gladly accepted the assignment. Our lives as immortals go on monotonously year after year, century after century, and any new adventure is welcome,” he said and laughed bitterly. Troy and Nathan nodded in agreement.
“My friends in Italy frequent the same circles with Annabel, so I know that they are watching her activities on that part of the world,” Troy said.
“I know, and I appreciate that very much. Annabel lives to torture me by hurting Arielle.” He sighed deeply. He looked exceptionally frustrated. “One never knows what she is planning next.” With a muffled expletive, he stood up from his desk and walked to stand in front of the huge window overlooking the city of London. “She has many evil friends that are willing to do her dirty work, so I have to be on my toes. I’ve got to be ready for her. I know that by having Ian, Eva, Loren, and now Christian and Isabella I have secured a good circle of friends that will protect Arielle.” Silence fell and stretched. “I love her so much.” The words out of his mouth were a mere whisper.
“Well, that is exactly what I’m trying to tell you,” Troy said, breaking the silence. “You should feel a lot better about her safety and not get frustrated.”
“I do,” Sebastian mumbled. “I just can’t believe that I considered Annabel to be the number one threat with her reckless behavior toward Arielle.” He cleared his throat and turned away from the window. He walked back to his desk. “I now have the Russian mafia to add to the equation.” A low oath escaped Sebastian’s lips. Closing his eyes, he dropped his face into his hands as a ripple of tension shot through him.
Nathan and Troy waited patiently. Sebastian finally came up. He had a deep scowl on his face. “We may have to go away for a few days with this Russian organization issue, so I’ll feel better if I have more people watching Arielle,” Sebastian admitted through clenched teeth.
“It sounds like there will be many people happy to watch and protect Arielle if needed,” Nathan said.
Sebastian agreed, but he didn’t feel that confident. He didn’t think he could muster that kind of conviction when it came to Arielle’s safety.
Chapter 13
USING HIS IMMORTAL SPEED, Christian arrived at the IIRL building shortly after he finished talking to Sebastian on the phone. He glanced around and noticed several security officers wandering about the lobby, keeping a watchful eye on who was coming and who was going. I wonder why so much security?
Crossing the huge lobby, he approached the receptionist’s desk. The girl behind the desk was a young redhead dressed in an impeccable suit. Her eyes were focused on the computer screen in front of her. She had just lifted a can of Coke and drunk a mouthful when her eyes fell on Christian. A smile tugged at his gorgeous lips, and she nearly choked on the drink. It was as if every thought she had vanished into thin air. She gulped and struggled for several moments to find her voice. Christian was used to this type of reaction to his looks. He waited patiently for her to rein in her thoughts.
“Can I help you, sir?” Her voice came out a bit shaken.
“Yes, please. I’m here to see Sebastian Gaulle.”
“Is he expecting you, sir?”
“Yes.”
“Who should I say is here to see him?”
“Christian, Christian De Zorzi.”
“Thank you, sir. Just a moment, please,” she stammered. She picked up the phone and pressed the button to Madeline’s extension.
“There’s someone here to see Mister Gaulle,” she said in a quivery voice. She then covered her mouth and whispered into the phone piece, “Good God, Madeline. He looks almost like Sebastian. He is stunning....” Her voice trailed.
&nb
sp; Christian coughed softly, trying to suppress laughter. He could hear every word she said and every word Madeline replied to her.
She looked up at him and smiled. “He is expecting you.” She then motioned to one of the security guys, and he approached with a stoic look on his face.
“What’s up, Marian?”
“Mister De Zorzi is here to see Mister Gaulle.”
The security officer inclined his head politely and gestured for Christian to follow him deeper into the building, stopping in front of an elevator at the end of a long corridor. The word “private” was engraved in large letters above the elevator doors. A card-protected panel prevented access to people that may wander into that area accidentally. The security officer slid his identification through the key card slot, and the doors opened.
“Thank you,” Christian said as he stepped inside.
“Have a nice day, sir,” the security officer replied as the doors were closing.
He rode the elevator to the top floor, and when the doors opened, he came face to face with a very attractive, smartly dressed brunette.
“Good morning, sir. I'm Mister Gaulle's secretary, Madeline,” she greeted him politely.
Christian saw the same mixture of amazement and appreciation on her face that her friend from downstairs had on as well. She escorted him to Sebastian's office, knocking at the door. When she heard Sebastian’s voice, she pushed it open for Christian to walk in. He looked at her warmly and smiled at her dazed eyes.
“Hey, Christian!” Sebastian called. He rose to his feet and closed the distance between them. He greeted Christian warmly. “Thanks for coming, I ap–”
Christian held up his hand and stopped him. “I’m here for you and Arielle, so you don’t have to say another word.”
Sebastian smiled. “All right, I won't.” Walking back, he made the introductions. “You know Troy, and this is Nathan, my associate.”
“Nice meeting you, Nathan,” Christian said and shook Nathan’s hand. His gaze shot back to Troy. “How are you, Troy? Good to see you man, or should I say good to talk to you? I see you plenty at school; we just don’t talk due to the circumstances.”
“Yes, I know,” Troy said, laughing as they shook hands.
“Have a seat,” Sebastian said, pointing to a large recliner across from Troy and Nathan.
Christian paced away and took a seat. “What’s up, Sebastian?”
Sebastian explained the situation before handing Christian the photos and the note. He went into detail about the black Mercedes, revealing all that he knew to Christian about who might be following Arielle and why.
“These people are trying to intimidate me with these photos. They want me to give them the company designs and the location of the building materials for the new products. That’s something I could never do, as they can use those substances to destroy people and places. I can handle them, but I can’t be in two places at the same time. I’m sure that I’ll have to go to Brussels with Nathan and Troy for the next two days. I’m afraid that whoever is following Arielle might try and use this chance to abduct her and use her as collateral. I want you to keep an eye on her, a really close eye on her, and watch for anyone following her. Please make sure she gets home safely every night while I’m gone. Can you do that for me?”
Christian looked at Sebastian and thought that he truly seemed troubled. His expression was that of caged lion ready to strike and obliterate everything in his path.
“Sebastian, I don’t want you to worry about anything. Go and take care of business, and don’t worry about Arielle. Isabella and I will make sure that Arielle is safe no matter where she goes. I know that you have your sister and a couple of her friends that will take care of her as well, but Isabella and I will not leave her side until she is safely inside the house.”
“Thanks, Christian. I’ll make it up to you.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Christian stood up, and they shook hands. He left feeling confident that he could keep Arielle safe.
When the door closed behind Christian, Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost time for them to leave for Dylan’s office.
As they walked out, he stopped at Madeline’s desk. “If you need to get in touch with me, call my mobile,” he said blankly.
Madeline flinched at his expression.
“Yes, sir,” she replied quietly. She watched Sebastian surreptitiously as he and the guys walked to the elevator.
“Are you working with any other authorities besides Interpol?” Troy asked when the doors closed.
“No, Interpol is the agency Nathan called last year when we had the break-in. They are the largest cross-border police. The scientists that were abducted worked in New Zealand, mainly Auckland, so we needed their assistance. We have laboratories in countries where no diplomatic relations exist. Interpol has the ability to facilitate cooperation between those countries. The three of us know that we don’t need the police to handle our problems. However, we’re trying to do business through the normal human channels. This way we don’t expose ourselves, and there will be no questions or misunderstandings,” Sebastian explained. “It’s like using a plane or driving a car to get to another destination when we know that we can get there faster on our own. Don’t you agree?” Nathan and Troy nodded in agreement.
Dylan’s office was located at on the fourth floor of the huge Interpol building. His secretary escorted them to his office. He seemed pleased to see Sebastian and Nathan again.
“This is my new assistant,” Sebastian said introducing Troy to Dylan. Dylan shook his hand and asked them to come in and make themselves comfortable. His secretary offered them a drink, but they declined politely, and she walked out, shutting the door discreetly behind her.
Sebastian was the first to speak, choosing to get right down to business. “What happened with the people you arrested and the person you followed to St. Petersburg? You never called to let us know the outcome. Nathan and I assumed it was resolved.”
“We did eliminate that particular cell, but like I said on the phone, no matter how hard we tried their agents preferred to take their lives rather than betray the identity of the boss. This particular group has several cells spread across the world, and it’s hard to find every member. We are trying, but it isn’t an easy task.” Frustration was spread across his face. “They have been a thorn in my side, Sebastian. They are after many companies and many individuals, but your company seems to be on the top of their list.”
Sebastian could read in Dylan’s mind that he was telling the truth. He could also see that he knew about the threats to Arielle’s life.
“I do understand. Do you have anything new for us?” Sebastian asked to keep up the appearance of a normal, human conversation.
“The particular cell that’s pulling the strings from Brussels is trying to get to your company through the Internet. I guess you have done a great job in finding and eliminating all the moles within your company, so they have to find other ways to get to your designs and the new products.”
“How do you know that?” Sebastian asked.
“We intercepted some suspicious emails that were being sent to your company systems. It looked like they were trying to force your system administrators to change passwords and codes while they were monitoring your activities, hoping they would capture the new passwords and access your documents.” Dylan ran his tongue over his lips. He looked bothered by something.
“What is it, Dylan?” Sebastian asked. “I’m sure that you already know that we have a foolproof system in place and another new security system designed for immediate launch. Based on that, I know this isn’t the reason you asked us to come down here. So what is it that you really want to talk about?” Sebastian pressed on.
Dylan took a deep breath, and he finally came out with it. “Do you remember when I called you a while back to tell you that I had set up surveillance to gather information?”
“Yes, I remember,” Sebastian said in an unruffled voice.
“Well, I’ve enough evidence to believe that they are willing to move on with something more intimidating than a system invasion against your company,” Dylan said.
“And that something is?”
“I’ve set up a surveillance post in Brussels right across the street from the building the head agent is occupying. My agents have several hours of recordings that indicate they’re planning something ugly to force you to surrender the documents they need. These people will go to extremes to get what they want. I want to make sure that you, your partners, and all of your families are safe.”
“We appreciate your concern, and we would like to be involved in this endeavor just as we were last year. I’m sure you remember that we did help to uncover those people and hand them over to you.”
“Yes, I do.” He smiled softly as he started to pace back and forth. “These people are deadly. They have no respect for human life, and they wouldn’t think twice about taking someone’s life.”
Sebastian felt a pang of anxiety. He knew that Dylan was talking about Arielle, but Sebastian wasn’t spilling the details, at least not yet. His mind was suddenly filled with Arielle’s beautiful face. He felt anxious. He wasn’t going to discuss the photos he received in his office earlier today. He decided to handle that issue the immortal way.
“We’re flying to Brussels tomorrow,” Sebastian said, “for business unrelated to this issue. We’ll be visiting our laboratories and monitoring our computers along with our systems security engineers to make sure that our new system is in place and prevent any penetration that would harm the company.” Sebastian was just making conversation. He was going to do a lot more than monitor the systems.
“I’ll let my agents know that you’re in Brussels and that you might pay them a visit. If you need anything at all, please call. I’ll make sure that they will be at your disposal,” Dylan said.
“Where have you set up surveillance?” Sebastian asked.
“We rented an office on Rue Bodenbroekestraat.”
Arielle Immortal Fury (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 6) Page 14
