" Alright Mr. Beck...," she started as she stood.
" Sebastian," he corrected, looking up at her.
She gave him a nod. " Sebastian...I'll be in touch," she said and handed him a business card.
" Call me if you remember anything else."
Sebastian nodded. " Will do," he murmured, looking down at her card. Detective Raelynn Reynolds. Raelynn? That was different. He liked it. A lot!
She gave him a tight smile then headed into the kitchen. Sebastian watched her go. Damn she had a nice ass. Those pants really showed off the heart shape of it. Henry and Claire came back downstairs with four bags, and a couple of garment bags that probably held Henry's suits. Sebastian got up and grabbed a couple of the bags from Henry's shoulders.
" Thanks," Henry said. " Listen, why don't you come to mom's for the night? I don't want you to be alone."
Sebastian thought about it for a minute. Sebastian and his mother had gotten into a huge fight and he hadn't really been speaking to her. His mother had been working on bettering herself and she apologized to him over a year ago. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to do about it, because she had said some really nasty things to him. But he didn't want to be alone right now either.
" Alright, let me make sure it's okay for me to leave. I'll meet you over there," Sebastian said.
Henry nodded. " Okay."
Sebastian helped them get everything in the car then went back inside to find Detective Reynolds. He found her in the kitchen, squatting down next to the body, gloved hands leafing though his wallet. Sebastian cleared his throat to get her attention. Her blonde head snapped up and her now cold light blue eyes glared at him.
" Mr. Beck, you don't need to be in here," she snapped, straightening up.
" It's Sebastian, and I just wanted to ask if it was okay for me to leave," he said, biting back his irritation at her three-sixty change in demeanor.
Her eyes scanned his face before she looked back down at the wallet in her hands. She pulled something out of it then walked over to him. She held up the drivers license with the name and photo of the man he killed on it.
" Did you know this guy?" she asked evenly.
Sebastian stared at it for a moment then shook his head. " Never seen him before."
She watched him intently. Probably to trying decipher if he was lying or not. She nodded slowly. " Okay then, you can go. We'll lock the house up when we're finished and have a patrol car sit outside for a couple days. Once we get the body out of here, I'll call a clean up crew that can take care of the mess. Just don't leave the state Sebastian. I'll probably have more questions for you once this investigation gets moving."
" Okay. Thanks for your help," he said quietly and turned to leave.
" Oh and Sebastian?" she called.
Sebastian turned his head, giving her his profile. He waited for her to continue.
" You might want to seek counseling. You shot and killed someone tonight. Whether it be in self defense or not, you need to talk to someone." she said gently.
" I'll think about it," he mumbled then left.
Chapter 2
Sebastian was completely exhausted by the time he got to his parent's house. It was now 4am and his adrenaline had worn off a couple of hours ago and he was ready to crash. He was just about to slide his key in the lock when the door flew open. His mother stood there in her robe, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed Sebastian and pulled him into her arms.
" Oh my baby. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Henry told me everything," she cried, stroking the back of his head.
Sebastian hugged her back, actually glad for the comfort and love. " I'm fine," he murmured.
His father's arms wrapped around both him and his mother. " Jesus son. I'm so glad you're okay," he croaked.
Sebastian took a deep breath and let his parents hold him for a minute. When he pulled back, they let him go. " I'm okay. I was only thinking about protecting Henry and Ethan."
" And you did. You're a hero," his mother whispered, cupping his face. " You're my hero."
Sebastian frowned. " I killed someone," he said roughly.
" You had to. You had to do it to make sure they couldn't go near the kids," his mother insisted.
Sebastian nodded. He knew he had to do it. And he'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was nice to hear someone else say it though. His mother took his hand and pulled him into the house. His parents house was a three bedroom rancher. It wasn't the house he grew up in though. That house had been much bigger and once him and his brothers had moved out, his parents downsized.
" Can I get you anything sweetheart? Something to drink? We have beer," his mother said, running her hand up and down his arm.
It was weird. If this had happened before the fall out with his mother, all her attention and questions would have grated on his nerves. But now...he welcomed it. He didn't feel smothered like he used to. She was genuinely concerned and wanted to make sure that he was okay. It felt really good. Maybe he should give her a chance.
" A beer would be great mom. Thanks," he said quietly.
She gave him a gentle smile then hurried into the kitchen. His father wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze and a kiss on the temple. He was in pajama pants and a t-shirt. His white hair sticking out in all directions. Obviously they had been asleep when Henry had called them. Speaking of Henry...he appeared from the hallway that lead to the bathroom and bedrooms. He had gotten changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt and had put his glasses on.
" Hey," Sebastian said wearily. Shit. He was tired.
" Hey," Henry said. Giving him a hug.
His mom returned with two open bottles of beer. She handed one to both him and Henry. " Why don't you two sit for a minute and relax?" she suggested.
Henry and Sebastian did as she suggested and went and sat on the couch together. They both took long swigs of their beer.
" How are the kids?" Sebastian asked.
" Fine. They fell asleep in the car," Henry replied, laying his head back on the couch.
" And Claire?"
" She's shaken. But she's okay. She's sleeping too," Henry said, sending him a reassuring smile.
Sebastian sighed heavily and took another sip of his beer. His parents were sitting on the love seat together. His father's arm wrapped around his mother's shoulders.
" You did good tonight Sebastian. I'm glad you were there. I don't think anyone else could have done what you did as well as you did," Henry said, giving Sebastian's thigh a squeeze.
Sebastian smiled slightly at the praise. " Thank you, Henry. I'm glad I was there too."
" You look like shit though," Henry smirked.
" I'm exhausted," Sebastian sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Adrenaline let down is harsh."
" Finish your beer then go to bed. I set up the bed in the third bedroom for you," Anne said.
Sebastian sent her a grateful look. " Thanks mom."
His mother gave him a watery smile and a nod. Sebastian knew it meant a lot to her that he had come here tonight. He knew she was trying to better herself for them. So he was going to try and incorporate her back into his life. He loved her. She was still his mother.
After finishing up his beer, Sebastian went to the bathroom and then to the bedroom he would be staying in. He stripped off his t-shirt and put on the pajama pants his dad gave him. He hated sleeping in jeans and he didn't wear underwear. He didn't want to sleep naked because he was in his parents house. So he borrowed a pair of pajama pants from his dad. He got in bed and almost immediately fell into a fitful sleep.
" No comment," Raelynn said as she pushed past reporters on her way out of the Beck's house. One of the neighbors had probably called them.
They were swarming all over outside the front of the house. Fucking reporters. She hated reporters. Raelynn climbed in her car and slowly made her way down the driveway as other officers pushed people out of the way. She understood the appeal of the story. An uncle protecting hi
s nephews from burglars. She got it. It tugged at the heartstrings. But couldn't they at least wait until morning? Thank God Sebastian had left when he did. Another ten minutes and he would have been caught up in the media frenzy.
Raelynn had been shocked when she walked into the house and recognized the man standing there with two little kids. Not like she would ever forget that handsome face of his. The man was just gorgeous. From his blonde hair to his tattoos. He had bright green eyes and a full wide mouth that was just made for kissing the crap out of a woman. She hated that she found him so attractive. Especially that night at the bar. She had been so frustrated with a case she was working on that when this stunning man walked up and asked to buy her a drink, it had pissed her off for some reason. And then he went and tried to touch her badge. Instinct had her bending his finger back. She smiled and shook her head at the memory. He had probably hoped he'd never see her again. Especially after the wary look he gave her hand when she held it out for him to shake.
She could tell that he was shook up about what happened. He tried really hard to hide it but Raelynn was trained to see any form of weakness in people. She had caught the subtle twitch in his left eye and the tick in the muscle of his jaw while he rehashed the story for her. It bothered him that he had shot and killed someone. She knew he didn't regret it and would do it again in a heartbeat to protect those kids, but it still irked him that he had done it.
He was a great shot too. After hearing his name, she remembered seeing him a few years back in one of the state's shooting competitions she had attended with her dad. He had taken home first prize. He was an amazing shot. Plus he was a gunsmith and worked in a gun shop that had a shooting range. He probably got tons of practice. Way more then she got - most definitely. She had been stunned and awed when she found out he blew the guy's head off in the dark.
Raelynn pulled into her driveway about twenty minutes later. There was nothing else to do tonight. They had people working the phones, hoping for tips to come in about the other guy who had been shot but ran away. They checked all the hospitals in the area but none had anyone who walked in off the street with gunshot wounds. There were still investigators at the scene bagging up clues and dusting for prints. She wasn't needed anymore.
She walked into her house, turned off the alarm, shut her door, locked it and reset the alarm. Raelynn then tossed her keys into the bowl on the table beside the door. She moved further into her house as she took off her gun and badge. She carried them upstairs and into the bathroom, where she turned on the water and stripped out of her clothes. She undid her hair then got in the hot shower. After her shower, Raelynn got right into bed. She had to be up in a few hours to go back to work.
The next morning, Raelynn woke up, got dressed and headed to the office. Stopping at Dunkin Donuts on the way to grab breakfast and a coffee had made her was only five minutes late for work. She had just sat down at her desk when the phone on it rang. Raelynn didn't recognize the number but picked it up anyway.
" Detective Reynolds speaking," she answered.
A deep male voice drawled, " Hey Detective, it's Sebastian Beck."
Raelynn's heart gave a traitorous flutter. " Sebastian...good morning. What can I do for you?" she asked, trying to sound as professional as possible.
Sebastian sighed, " I forgot to ask you last night...how long will it take before I can get my gun back?"
He sounded tired. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep last night. " It's going to take a while. It's evidence and you probably won't get it back until the case is closed."
" And who knows when that will be", he added.
" Right."
" So I'm better off just buying a new gun," he stated.
" Probably," Raelynn agreed.
Sebastian growled. " Dammit."
" Sorry," Raelynn said, not knowing exactly why she was apologizing.
" It's not your fault," Sebastian said quietly.
" Did you sleep at all last night Sebastian?" Raelynn found herself asking. Wishing immediately that she could take it back. That was a bit of a personal question that she had no right asking.
Sebastian snorted. " Yeah right."
" Listen...a friend of mine is a really great therapist. I can give you his name," Raelynn said softly. Praying and hoping that he said okay.
" It's a guy?" He asked curiously.
" Yes and he's young. He's in his early 40's, he's really easy to talk to, and I think you would benefit from going to see him," she said.
Sebastian's silence made her gut clench. Her hope plummeted. He wasn't going to..." Okay. Give me his name and number."
Oh thank god! " His name is Jared Walsh," she said, then gave Sebastian his number. Raelynn left out the fact that Jared was her brother-in-law. Sebastian didn't need to know that. " He deals with a lot of law enforcement and military."
" Okay. Thanks a lot Detective. I'll give him a call in a little bit."
" You're welcome. I'll be talking to ya," Raelynn replied.
They said goodbye then hung up. Raelynn immediately called Jared and explained the situation to him. He was more then willing to take Sebastian in as a patient. Raelynn sighed in relief. She was actually worried about the guy. Worried about his mental state. It's traumatic when an officer shoots and kills someone, but a civilian who was protecting kids? That was a whole other level. He needed help getting through this. And Jared would be able to help him with that.
Sebastian's face popped into her head. The distress in his eyes when she first walked in last night hurt her heart. He was swaying back and forth with an infant in one arm and a four year old attached to his leg. How terrified he must have been when he first realized what was going on. The fierce need to protect was etched all over his handsome features. She had first thought that they were his kids and her heart sank just a little. Not that she thought there was a chance for her to be with him, but it did kill her fantasy.
Raelynn had thought about him on and off since that night in the bar. She had wondered if she was ever going to cross paths with him again. To say that this was not the way she had pictured them meeting again was an understatement. Raelynn shook Sebastian free of her mind. She had work to do and she couldn't be thinking about him.
Sebastian walked out of his first therapy session feeling pretty good. He had called Jared Walsh about an hour after Detective Reynolds gave Sebastian his number. Sebastian had been surprised when Jared had wanted him to come in immediately. Jared was awesome. He was funny and kind and listened to everything Sebastian had to say. Then he provided his opinion and insight. He was very knowledgeable and intelligent, which Sebastian liked. He was going to have to thank Detective Reynolds for recommending Jared.
Sebastian headed to the shop. He had called his boss, Bill, and let him know that he was going to be in a little later today - which he was fine with. Bill was the greatest boss ever. As long as you got your work done, he didn't really give a shit what time you came in or left.
The bell rang as Sebastian entered the shop. There were a couple customers milling around. Bill was helping one guy at the counter. He looked up when he heard the bell chime. His eyes flashed with concern as he looked at Sebastian. He nodded at Sebastian before turning back to his customer. Sebastian gave him a reassuring smile as he walked through the showroom to get to the shop.
Sebastian headed into the back, where the shop was. He walked over to his station and got started on the gun that he had been fixing. He had gotten so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't hear the shop door open. He jumped and yelped when a hand landed on his shoulder.
" Shit Sebastian, I didn't mean to scare you," Bill said, stepping up next to him.
Sebastian looked up at Bill as he tried to calm his panicking heart. " It's fine."
" How you doing, son? Are you sure you're okay to be here today?" Bill asked, a frown pulling his white bushy eyebrows together.
Bill had just turned 70. The guy looked great for his age. He had pure white hair
, big white bushy eyebrows and a white mustache. He was just a tad overweight, mostly in the belly area. He always wore tan tactical pants and black polo shirt. Shirt was always tucked in and his gun was holstered at the small of his back. That was usually where Sebastian wore his gun too when he was at the shop.
" Yeah. I need this to take my mind off everything," Sebastian murmured.
Bill nodded. " Alright," he sighed. " How are the kids doing?"
" They're fine. I think my brother and sister-in-law were more shook up then the kids," Sebastian said.
Bill nodded in understanding. " Ah...yeah, well...little kids can't fully grasp the seriousness of the situation."
Sebastian (The Beck Brothers #2) Page 2
