Sebastian’s head throbbed again, a merciless pounding. He’d suffered head trauma, including a broken nose, a ruptured eardrum, and a severe concussion. They’d kept him heavily sedated for the first day, then gradually let off the meds. Sebastian had woken that morning and learned the extent of his injuries. The doctor had informed him he’d been in the hospital for three days now. He’d warned Sebastian that since he’d suffered blunt head trauma, he might not recover his full memory. But Sebastian remembered.
He remembered everything.
Still, he didn’t speak.
Craig studied him. He let out a loud sigh. “Your silence tells me you remember what happened, Sebastian. So don’t pretend you lost your memory. I know better. If you lie to me, I’ll walk out that door and let you face this alone. Is that what you want?” He paused a moment, then gentled his voice. “I’m your friend, dammit. I want to help you.”
Sebastian swallowed hard. He met Craig’s gaze. “I didn’t have any choice.”
Craig leaned closer. “We all have choices. It’s a matter of whether or not we make the right choices.”
Sebastian jerked upright, then hissed out a breath as pain slammed through his skull. He leaned back against the pillow. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re law enforcement.”
Craig eyed him without blinking. “After the hell you and I went through at the Cobra compound six years ago, and all that I did to try to protect you in that place, you have the gall to even suggest I wouldn’t understand?”
Sebastian flinched. Okay. He deserved that. Craig wasn’t one to judge. He’d had to skirt the edges of the law in order to bring down a bad man six years ago. He’d gone out of his way to help Sebastian. If it weren’t for Craig, Sebastian would still be in prison right now.
“Have you been playing me all along?”
Sebastian pulled his gaze back to Craig’s. “What? No.”
Craig narrowed his eyes. “You know, when I met you six years ago, you put on a good show. I can see now how you won that Academy Award. You had everyone at that compound fooled into thinking you were weak, including me. I left that place not knowing who the true Sebastian was. But over the past six years, I thought I’d come to know you. Fuck, Sebastian, I like you. I consider you a good friend. But now I have to wonder if I even know you. So I’m going to ask you one more time, have you been playing me?”
Sebastian swallowed hard. “No.”
Craig stared at him. “Then why the fuck didn’t you tell me about this? I could have helped you. You know that.”
Sebastian groaned. He lowered his gaze.
“You don’t even like to fight, Sebastian. You know this. I know this.”
The Cockroach’s ugly face flashed through Sebastian’s mind, his lips curled back in a sneer as his giant fist slammed into Sebastian’s face, again and again.
Sebastian shuddered and pushed the nightmare away. It was true. He didn’t like to fight. And after this last one, he never wanted to fight again.
He jerked his gaze to Craig’s. “How did you find out about the fight?”
Indecision flickered in Craig’s eyes. “A concerned individual called me.”
A concerned individual? What the hell did that mean? Suspicion clouded Sebastian’s brain.
Then it hit him.
“Emily.”
Craig sighed. “Yes. She was worried about you, asked me to help.”
Sebastian’s heart went cold.
The traitor. I trusted her.
Not only had she betrayed him with his father, but also with Craig.
Though the pain meds dulled the physical pain from his beating, no amount of medication could block out the emotional pain that seared his heart at Emily’s betrayal. Why would she do this to him?
That’s what happens when you care about someone. You get hurt.
He shoved Emily from his mind. He was done caring. There was a reason he’d kept himself closed off from anyone for so many years. And this just proved he’d been right in doing so. No one could be trusted. Especially with his heart.
“Get that scowl off your face,” Craig ordered. “That girl cares about you and you know it. If it weren’t for her, you’d probably be dead right now.”
Sebastian stared down at the ugly gray hospital blanket that lay across his lap.
Then why do I feel so betrayed?
“So.” Craig cleared his throat. “You going to tell me what’s going on? The D.A. is anxious to lock you up, but I told him to give me a few minutes with you first. If you talk to him, Sebastian, tell him the truth, he might be more lenient with you.”
Sebastian remained silent.
Craig motioned to the handcuff securing Sebastian to the bed. “You know who cuffed you to the bed? Me. You’re not going anywhere until you start talking. I’m in charge of this investigation. You’re at my mercy now. So if you don’t cooperate, guess where you’re going?”
Sebastian slowly lifted his gaze and met Craig’s stare. “He has my son.”
A sandy-brown brow shot up. “He?”
Heat crept into Sebastian’s face. “My father.” Shame washed over him in waves, smothering him. He wanted crawl underneath the bed and hide. Instead, he stared down at his lap, unable to meet Craig’s gaze.
“Was that so hard to admit?” Craig asked softly.
Sebastian made a strangled sound. “Yeah.”
Craig sighed again. “I don’t know why you didn’t just trust me with this information from the start. I could have helped you, dammit.”
Sebastian shrugged. “I didn’t want to get anyone else involved. You don’t know my father like I do.”
“Your father,” Craig said slowly. “Travis Wade.”
Sebastian’s head throbbed anew. How did Craig know that? “How’d you know he was my father? I changed my name so no one would ever find out.”
Craig’s gaze was steady on his. The look in his eyes said, I think you know.
Emily.
“Shit! Emily told you?”
“Yes.”
Sebastian glared at the handcuff securing him to the bed. Damn her. She’d only been trying to help, but her betrayal still hurt.
“Why are you in charge of this case? It’s a state matter, not FBI.”
“Wrong.” Craig leaned closer. “Travis Wade came under our radar several years ago. But he’s sneaky. This is the closest we’ve ever gotten to him. The underground fighting is the least serious of his suspected crimes. He’s into a lot more illegal shit, but I suspect you know that, don’t you? If I’d known of your relationship to him before now, I would have used you to help take him down. So guess what, Sebastian? You have two options here: help me take him down…or spend five years behind bars. What’s it going to be?”
Sebastian shook his head. “I can’t. He’ll know. He’s too smart. He’ll hurt my son.”
Craig cleared his throat. “Did I tell you that thanks to Emily, we were able to locate your son?”
“What?” Sebastian jerked upright again. Pain slammed through his skull. He squeezed his eyes shut and fell back against the pillow. “Ahh! That hurts.” He took several deep breaths, then looked at Craig again. “When? How?”
“Yesterday afternoon near Mobile, Alabama. He was locked in an old storage shed out behind an abandoned trailer on the Tensaw River. The property records listed your father as the owner, but the place didn’t look like anyone had lived there for years.”
Sebastian’s gut twisted. Why hadn’t he thought to look for his son at the place he’d grown up?
Because I hate that place. I’ll never go back there.
Travis had abandoned the property years ago when he’d bought a house in Mobile. Sebastian didn’t want to know what illegal activities had enabled his father to purchase a nicer house in town. He hadn’t known Travis still owned the property along the river.
Craig’s gaze narrowed on Sebastian’s face, scrutinizing him. “When questioned, the boy said his mother died last month and that Travis Wade ha
d approached him at the funeral and said he was his grandfather. He lured the boy home, let him move in, earned his trust, then said he had to go on a trip. He drove out to the property on the river and locked the kid in the storage shed. Cole said he’d been in the shed for four days.”
Sebastian’s heart twisted. That sounded just like his father. Travis pulled out the charm when he wanted, pretending to be nice, when in actuality he was evil.
“Did he hurt him?”
Please say no.
Craig’s gaze softened. “I don’t think so. Despite being hungry, dirty and dehydrated, the kid appeared to be okay. He hasn’t said much to anyone yet. I’m hoping, in time, he’ll tell us everything.”
Sebastian mulled that over. His father was probably getting ready to start prepping Cole for fighting. His stomach knotted. Thank God Craig’s men had found him before Travis returned. Sebastian couldn’t bear the thought of his son having to go through the same abuse he had.
“If we lock you up, Wade might just go away and leave you alone. You could do your five years and be free of him for awhile. But something tells me as soon as you’re released, he’ll contact you again. As soon as you start living your normal life, he’ll be back. You know it and I know it. So instead of going to prison, instead of waiting five years for him to make another appearance, you’re going to help lure him out so I can take him down.”
Sebastian groaned. “He won’t fall for it. He’s too clever.” His head pounded again. “I’m pretty sure he killed Cole’s mother, made it look like a drug overdose. She wasn’t a drug addict. She was a good girl. A nice girl. He’s been biding his time, waiting for Cole to get old enough to fight before he snatched him. I was about Cole’s age when my father made me fight for the first time.”
Craig eyed him, sympathy in his gaze. “I’m sorry about that. We will place the boy in protective custody until Wade’s locked up. Arrangements are already being made.”
Relief swept through Sebastian. How could he be mad at Emily when she’d helped save his son?
“Thanks.”
Craig nodded. “Now I want you to tell me everything that happened, start from the beginning when Wade first contacted you, how you got involved in the fights…I want to hear it all. Then you’re going to tell it all to the D.A. I promise I will help you if you help me.”
Sebastian heaved out another sigh. “Okay. Fine. I got a letter from my father a few weeks after I was released from prison three years ago. It was most mostly derogatory, calling me a stupid shit, saying I would never be free of him, that changing my name couldn’t change where I came from, stuff like that. Then I got another letter, this one more threatening, saying he knew about my ‘secret’. I had no idea what he was talking about. He kept taunting me about this ‘secret’ for almost a year. Then he sent a photo of Cole…”
Craig quirked a brow. “You had no idea you had a son?”
Sebastian shook his head. “No. I ran away when I was seventeen and never looked back. I changed my name. Margie and I dated in high school. We slept together the night I left town. She didn’t know I changed my name. She didn’t know how to contact me. So when she found out she was pregnant, she went to my father, hoping he could help.” He sighed. “You can imagine how that played out. My father knew I had a son before I did. And he used that knowledge to get me to do what he wanted.”
“Margie didn’t recognize you from your movies?”
Sebastian shrugged. “I guess not. I changed my name. Or if she did, maybe she just decided not to contact me. I don’t know. I wondered about that for a while, but I have no idea if she knew who I was or not. If she had contacted me, I would have helped her. I would have visited my son. I wouldn’t have abandoned him.”
“I know. You’re not a bad guy.” Craig continued to eye him sympathetically. “When you found out about Cole, did you help Margie financially?”
“Yes. I sent her a check for a hundred grand.”
Craig cocked a brow. “Did she know who the check was from and what it was for?”
“My name wasn’t on it if that’s what you’re asking. I had my lawyer send it to her. And yes, she knew it was for child support.”
“And she still didn’t figure out it was from you?”
Sebastian shrugged. “I don’t know. My lawyer advised against sending the money to her. He said it would only make her want more and more and before long we’d end up in court. But I never heard from her. I think Travis may have either intercepted the check somehow or threatened her to not contact me. I just don’t know.”
Sebastian sighed. He told Craig about everything, the letters, the photos, the videos, the threats to harm Cole if Sebastian didn’t cooperate.
“I had no choice but to do what Travis wanted. He threatened to hurt Margie and Cole if I attempted to contact them. And then, he followed up on that threat and got rid of Margie so he could move in on my son.”
A long silence stretched after he finished telling Craig everything. “So did you ever try to contact Margie or see your son?”
“Once.” Sebastian lowered his gaze. “But as soon as I arrived in Mobile, my father’s men spotted me. They held me at gun point until my father showed up. He was pissed. He said if I tried to see them again, he would kill Margie and hurt Cole.” Sebastian sighed. “So I stayed away after that.” Even though I was curious about son. Even though I longed to see him.
He told Craig about the private investigator he’d hired to help him find Cole and how Travis had killed the man. “You see. My father doesn’t make idle threats.” Sebastian drew in a deep breath. “Should I have tried harder to find Cole? Should I have done something different?”
“No. You did the right thing, staying away, even if it hurt. You put your son’s safety above your own wants.” Craig paused. “Sebastian, if you tell the state of Alabama you’re the boy’s father, he will be released into your custody, rather than going into foster care.”
Sebastian turned away. That scared the hell out of him. Margie had raised Cole for the past twelve years. What did Sebastian know about kids? What kind of father could he be?
“I don’t know anything about being a dad. Besides, how do I explain to him where I’ve been the past twelve years? How do I explain the reason why I never came to see him? He probably thinks I abandoned him. He probably hates me.”
Craig eyed him with what could only be described as compassion on his face. “When Karen adopted Damon, he was just a few months old. And when I married her, I became an instant father. I’ll admit it was scary at first. Hell, sometimes it’s still scary, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Being a parent is something you won’t truly appreciate or understand until you experience it for yourself. And I’m telling you right now, you’ll regret it if you don’t at least meet your son. Don’t you think the boy deserves a chance to know his father?”
Sebastian fidgeted with the handcuff, wanting it off. Wanting to be free.
You won’t be free unless you help Craig take down your father.
He glanced up at Craig. “Yeah, I guess.” But what did he have to offer the boy? What kind of parent could he be?
Craig rose. “Think about it. I’m going to get the D.A. now. I want you to tell him everything you just told me. We’re going to take Wade down, Sebastian. You’re going to be free from the bastard once and for all. You can do this.”
He headed for the door.
Sebastian stared after him. Could he really do this? Could he help take his father down? The man who’d terrorized him, beat him since he was a small child? And now controlled him like a puppet on a string?
Not without Emily.
It was true. Emily had given him his soul back, brought his heart to life. Taught him how to feel again.
Where was she? Why wasn’t she here?
Craig reached for the doorknob.
“Craig?”
Craig turned, raising a brow. “Yeah?”
“Where’s Emily? I figured she would come see me.” He
tried not to think about the reasons why she might not have come. Did she not love him like she’d said? He didn’t want to believe that, but why else wouldn’t she be here? Despite her betrayal, he still cared for her. He still missed her.
He needed her.
So damn much.
Craig lowered his gaze. He cleared his throat. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you about that.”
Sebastian’s heart sped up. “Tell me about what?”
“She’s gone. Witnesses saw her leaving the fight with Travis.”
Pain slammed through Sebastian’s chest.
No. She wouldn’t do that.
He sucked in a breath. “She left with that son-of-a-bitch?”
“Not willingly.” Craig’s gaze turned serious. “He took her as a hostage.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Emily had failed Sebastian. Miserably. She’d foolishly believed she could somehow sneak him out of the warehouse before the cops arrived, that she could help him escape before Craig showed up with the cavalry. She’d been a naïve fool. According to the news, all she’d managed to do was get Sebastian arrested.
Craig had arrived Saturday night with a team of FBI agents and local law enforcement, who had swarmed the place. The FBI’s arrival had stopped the fight. If they hadn’t shown up when they had, Emily feared the Cockroach would have killed Sebastian.
The spectators had fled, a good deal of them escaping out the back door.
Marty had pressed a gun into her back and ushered her out of the building. Travis had been waiting for them out at the SUV. They’d shoved her inside the vehicle and sped away. They hadn’t traveled far before stopping and embarking, dragging her inside a house in a dark neighborhood. They were still in L.A. somewhere, though Emily had no idea where, since it had been dark out and she didn’t know the area. If the FBI went looking for Travis in Alabama, they wouldn’t find him.
It had never occurred to her that Travis would kidnap her. Or that he’d lock her away in a room by herself. Though it wasn’t anything fancy, Emily had all the comforts she needed: a warm bed, a bathroom complete with toilet, shower, and sink, even a television. A guard brought her food three times a day. But the door to the room was locked from the outside, the window was boarded up. There was no way out.
Scarred (Unlikely Heroes Book 5) Page 25
