Scarred (Unlikely Heroes Book 5)

by Leslie Georgeson

  Though she’d sworn she’d never again be someone’s prisoner, that’s exactly what she was. A prisoner.

  At least they hadn’t raped her. And she did have food, a bed, amenities…

  But she was bored out of her mind. A person could only watch so much television.

  Emily reminded herself she was no longer the scared teenager she’d once been. If an opportunity to escape arose, she’d take it without hesitation. If she had to kill to get away, she would.

  Or so she told herself.

  Whether or not she would actually be able to do it was another matter.

  She hadn’t seen Travis since he’d shoved her into the room five days ago. “I’ll be back to collect what you owe me, Sweet Cheeks.”

  He’d confiscated her phone and purse, then locked her in. She’d overheard him telling Marty, “No one touches her until I get back,” before he’d departed.

  She prayed he never came back. Maybe the FBI would catch him before he returned. She had no doubt what he wanted in exchange for getting her into the fight. She would kill him first before she let him touch her. She’d vowed she would never be taken by force again and she’d meant it.

  Now that she knew the meaning of true love, had experienced the physical side of love that she hadn’t known was possible, now that she’d experienced such happiness with Sebastian, she wanted no other man but Sebastian to ever touch her again. She belonged to him now. All of her. Their hearts and souls were linked in a way she’d never imagined possible. She loved him. And somehow she’d find her way back to him.

  Emily glared at the television as another reporter droned on about how Sebastian had been taken into custody by the FBI five days ago, but his condition and whereabouts were still not being disclosed. Where was Sebastian now? Was Craig with him? Was he even alive?

  He had to be alive. If he was dead, it would be all over the news, right?

  He’d been lying unconscious on the mat, bloody and beaten, when Marty had ordered her out of the warehouse Saturday night.

  Tears blurred her vision. This was all her fault. If she’d stayed away, Sebastian wouldn’t have been distracted by her cry of outrage when Marty grabbed her thigh.

  If she’d stayed away, Sebastian might not have been injured so badly.

  He might have even won that fight.

  Thanks to her, he was now either chained to a hospital bed or locked up in a California jail cell.

  Or dead.

  She hitched in a breath.

  No, he’s not dead. He’s not!

  Voices came from outside the room. Emily switched the television off and set the remote on the end table. It wasn’t breakfast, lunch or dinner time, the only time they unlocked and opened her door.

  Travis must be back.

  She jumped up from the bed, her heart pounding.

  The lock clicked. The door swung inward.

  Travis entered the room, his eyes glinting with calculated cunning. And meanness. His gaze zeroed in on her.

  “Hello, Sweet Cheeks. Your feathers look a little ruffled. Can’t say I blame you. But your days of boredom about to come to an end. It’s time me and you had a little talk.”

  Emily took a wary step back as he strode toward her. “Last time I checked, I didn’t have a big ass, so stop calling me Sweet Cheeks.”

  Travis paused. He chuckled. “Indeed you don’t. But you do have a fine, sweet ass, so the name is quite fitting.”

  Emily snorted. He wasn’t ever going to touch her ass. “What do you want? You have no right to keep me here. I want to go home.”

  He halted in front of her. His eyes narrowed, hardened as he stared at her.

  Uh oh.

  Emily’s heart thundered. The man scared the crap out of her. He was evil and creepy and made her want to flee. How could this man be Sebastian’s father? Other than the physical similarities, they were nothing alike.

  “In time, Sweet Cheeks. I’ve got a job for you first.”

  Emily took another step back. “Whatever it is, I won’t do it.”

  He strode forward, grabbing her arm and yanking her toward the bed. With a soft gasp, Emily fell on the edge of the bed. She tried to scramble away, but Travis pulled her back on the bed and sat next to her, draping an arm around her shoulders to hold her in place. The stench of cigarette smoke clung to his clothes and nearly choked her. The man reeked of foulness and depravity. She fought back a gag.

  Emily squirmed, but his arm just tightened around her.

  “I reckon you better calm down now or I’m going to have to hurt you. And you probably know by now that I like to hurt things.”

  She stopped struggling. “What do you want?”

  He chuckled. “Well, let’s see. I want a lot of things. But first and foremost, I wanna find my boy. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

  Emily leaned away as his foul breath fanned her cheek. “No. Why would I? You’ve kept me locked up here for the past five days. And you took my phone so I can’t contact him.”

  “Humpf.” Travis studied her a moment, then let go of her. She scrambled away, bolting to her feet.

  Travis remained sitting on the edge of the bed, staring up at her. “Know what I’ve been doing the past five days? Trying to find my boy. The FBI is hiding him somewhere, but I can’t figure out where. I checked all the local hospitals and the county jail, but he ain’t nowhere. That tells me my boy’s alive and well. And that he must be fucking with me.” Travis sighed, his gaze narrowing on Emily where she hesitated near the bathroom door. “If the FBI’s hiding him, it’s either because they don’t want the media to locate him or because he agreed to work with them to take me down. That little fucker!”

  He jumped up from the bed and advanced on her.

  “What does this have to do with me?” Emily took another wary step back until she was standing in the bathroom doorway.

  “Everything, Sweet Cheeks. I want you to tell me everything you know about my boy.”

  He snagged her arm and yanked her toward him. “Start talking.”

  “I don’t know much about him,” she admitted. “He’s very secretive.”

  Travis studied her with those calculating eyes. “You didn’t hear him calling the Feds and telling them about the fight?”

  “No. He didn’t do it.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You sure about that? He’s been trying to get out of fighting since he was a little kid, and the sneaky little bastard managed to get away from me for awhile. Did he tell you that? He changed his name, moved away…it was over ten years before I found him again and got him back in line. He knows better than to disobey me.”

  Emily cleared her throat. “Sebastian is a grown man. He’s not yours to control.”

  Travis wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and squeezed. Emily whimpered, her gaze locking on his. “He is mine to control. I own him.”

  You’re delusional.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t hurt Sebastian. It wasn’t him. He didn’t call the cops.” If Travis believed Sebastian had tipped off the FBI, he would hurt him somehow. Besides, it hadn’t been Sebastian. Travis’s hand tightened around her neck. He pulled her closer so her face nearly touched his. “You wouldn’t be trying to protect that boy now, would you?”

  “N-no. He didn’t do it.”

  Travis’s lip curled back in a sneer, exposing yellow teeth stained from years of smoking cigarettes. “And how do you know that?”

  “Because I did it.”

  His eyes widened. He released her abruptly and she stumbled back.

  He chuckled. “What did Sebastian do to piss you off so bad that you want him to go to prison? I thought you two were lovebirds.”

  Emily lifted her chin. “I didn’t do it because I want him to go to prison. I did it because I want you to go to prison.”

  He reared back as if she’d slapped him. “What? Me? What did I ever do to you, Sweet Cheeks?”

  “It’s not what you did to me. It’s what you did to
Sebastian.”

  You beat and terrorized a small boy and messed with his psyche so badly that he doesn’t think he’ll ever be free of you. You screwed him up, asshole, damaged his soul, left him so deeply scarred I don’t know if I can save him. But because I love him, I’m going to keep trying. I’m not giving up on him. And I’m going to do everything in my power to help take you down.

  Travis snickered. “Is that what he told you? What exactly do you think I did to him?”

  Emily didn’t answer. What was the use? He probably thought he had a right to hurt Sebastian the way he had.

  After a long tense silence, Travis turned toward the door. “Open up!” he shouted, marching across the room. The lock clicked. The door swung inward.

  Travis turned back to her, his gaze filling with lasciviousness as it raked up and down her figure. “Me and you are gonna have some fun real soon, Sweet Cheeks. Don’t go anywhere.” He chuckled, as if he’d said something hilarious, and strode from the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

  The door jerked open again. Travis stuck his head back in the room. He leered at her.

  “I forgot to tell you about that job I have for you. I knew there was a reason why I kidnapped you.”

  Emily glared at him. “And what’s that?” She expected him to say he was going to make her his plaything or something disgusting like that. The thought of that man’s hands on her anywhere chilled her. She’d die first.

  He snickered. “As much as I wanna play with you, I’ve got a better use for you right now. You ever gone fishing before?”

  Emily hesitated. What did fishing have to do with anything?

  “A few times. My dad’s a fisherman.”

  Travis nodded, then he smirked. “Then you’ll understand when I say you’re going to be the worm on the hook that snags my boy and lets me reel him back in.”

  * * *

  Sebastian’s foot tapped the tile floor, his leg bouncing up and down as he sat in the chair on the left side of the table, waiting for Craig to bring Cole into the room. They were using a local police station for the meeting, not only for Cole and Sebastian’s safety, but also to keep the media from finding out about Cole and his relationship to Sebastian. The FBI hadn’t left Sebastian’s side since he’d been released from the hospital two days ago. Until Travis was located, Sebastian was stuck with them. Sebastian had agreed to help take Travis down, but first they’d wanted to get Cole into protective custody. Now the boy was here. Just moments away.

  Craig’s team had flown Cole to California yesterday afternoon. Craig had suggested to Sebastian that this would be a good time for him to meet his son.

  Sebastian had never been this nervous before, not even before a fight.

  He was about to meet his son.

  His son.

  He was scared shitless.

  What if the boy didn’t like him? What if Cole blamed Sebastian for what had happened to his mother?

  The door creaked open.

  Sebastian tensed, his gaze swinging toward the door.

  Craig strode into the room. A boy followed him, his steps hesitant. Gangly limbs. Tousled dark hair that was in dire need of a cut. The kid was dressed in a black T-shirt with the words, “Keep Calm” in white letters across the top, an image of a game controller in the middle, and the words “I Got This” at the bottom. As an avid gamer, Sebastian was instantly intrigued. They had something in common already. Video games.

  Sebastian let his gaze travel the rest of the way over his son. Cole wore ragged blue jeans with holes in the knees and well-worn black Skechers. He looked and dressed like a typical twelve year old.

  Cole lifted his head, his gaze darting to Sebastian.

  Sebastian’s breath caught.

  He looks exactly like me at that age.

  Cole was a good-looking kid, with pretty, perfectly symmetrical features.

  Light blue eyes—the exact same color as Sebastian’s—locked on Sebastian’s. Curiosity filled the boy’s features. A hesitant smile curved his mouth.

  “Hey.”

  Sebastian cleared his throat. “Hey.”

  Cole paused on the other side of the table, looking down at him.

  Craig discretely left them alone, closing the door behind him.

  “Does that hurt?” Cole motioned to the purplish-black lump on Sebastian’s face that used to be his nose but was now a garbled mess of cartilage and swollen tissue. Though his nose had been broken from the Cockroach’s meaty fists, the doctor had indicated it would heal on its own and Sebastian wouldn’t need surgery. The worst of it was he had to breathe out of his mouth because his nasal passages were blocked with swollen tissue. His face would never be the same again. He wouldn’t know the extent of the damage to his appearance until the swelling went down and his nose healed. There had once been a time when he might have been concerned about a crooked nose. But not anymore. It seemed insignificant compared to everything else he was going through.

  “Naw.” In truth, it hurt a lot, but he refused to take painkillers for it. He’d rather deal with the pain. It was a reminder that he was alive.

  Cole slid into the chair across the table. “So you’re my dad, huh.”

  Sebastian swallowed hard. “Yeah, it looks that way.”

  Cole talked like a typical southern Alabamian with the same lilts and drawls in his speech as Sebastian, the same dialects from the region. An unexpected sense of loss swept through Sebastian. He’d missed so much of his son’s upbringing. Cole’s first laugh. His first tooth. His first steps. His first day of school…

  It wasn’t fair. He should have been there for his son. He should have found a way to destroy his father instead of fleeing that night. If he’d stayed, he might have been given the opportunity to raise his son.

  You’re here now. Here’s your chance to be his dad.

  Sebastian stared across the table at his son. Shit, now what did he say? His foot tapped harder on the floor. He pressed his hand down on his thigh, forcing his leg into immobility.

  Cole drummed his fingers against the tabletop. “Are you really that famous actor that’s all over the news? Did you really get your ass kicked in a fight?”

  Sebastian hesitated.

  This is your son. Tell him the truth.

  “Yeah, that’s me.”

  Cole nodded. “Cool.”

  Sebastian forced a sternness into his voice. “But fighting’s not cool. I wouldn’t recommend it. I only did it to protect you.”

  Color crept into Cole’s face. He lowered his gaze. “That’s what Agent Rawlins said. He said I shouldn’t judge you.”

  Really? Craig had said that?

  Cole’s gaze darted back to Sebastian’s. “How come I didn’t know about you before now? Why didn’t you come see me?”

  Two very good questions.

  It was Sebastian’s turn to blush. “I didn’t know about you,” he admitted softly. And my father threatened to harm you if I tried to contact you. His throat seized up. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. He stared at his son, unable to believe this handsome kid was his.

  Memories swamped him. Memories of him at Cole’s age.

  Bad memories.

  Beatings.

  Intimidation.

  Threats.

  Violence.

  No. Don’t think about that. Not now.

  Sebastian forced the memories aside.

  What kind of upbringing had Cole had so far? Had Travis beat, intimated or threatened him during the month he’d had him?

  Sebastian’s stomach churned. He wanted to ask, but he didn’t dare. He didn’t want to traumatize the kid. Maybe Travis hadn’t had enough time to inflict much damage yet. Cole seemed…happier, more carefree than Sebastian had at that age. Like a normal kid.

  Sebastian recalled being stoic and solemn as a kid. A loner. He’d had few friends. Because if he associated with anyone, his father would use them against him in some way.

  I haven’t changed much.

  He
was still stoic, solemn, guarded. He allowed very few people to get close to him. And only one had broken through his walls, melted the ice around his heart.

  Emily.

  They would find her. Soon. Once Cole was tucked away in a safe house, Sebastian would be able to focus all his efforts on finding and freeing Emily.

  “It’s okay. I understand.” Cole eyed him across the table. “I…don’t blame you. Honest. When Agent Rawlins told me about you, I looked you up online to see who you were. I even watched some of your movies. You’re an awesome actor. You play the bad guy really well.”

  Sebastian cleared his throat. “Thanks.” I had a good teacher. Your asshole grandfather.

  Sebastian’s foot tapped the floor again. He grabbed his knee, forcing his leg to stop moving.

  “So does this mean I get to come live with you now?”

  It was a question Sebastian had expected, but one that scared the hell out of him. He wasn’t sure how to answer.

  You can’t tell him no. He has no one else. He needs you. You’re his father.

  Sebastian hesitated, then reached across the table and squeezed Cole’s hand. “Sure.” He immediately let go, heat creeping into his face. He wasn’t one to normally initiate physical contact with another human being and was shocked he’d just reached out to his son. Emily had gotten to him more than he’d realized. She truly was helping him to heal. A month ago, even a few days ago, he wouldn’t have been able to face his son like this.

  He stared down at the tabletop, embarrassed. “I mean…that is…if you want.”

  He felt Cole’s intense scrutiny and glanced up.

  Cole’s gaze, so similar to Sebastian’s, studied him, searching…

  And as Sebastian stared into his son’s eyes, something softened inside his chest.

  Cole nodded. “I’d like that. You seem cool.”

  Sebastian puffed out the breath he’d been holding. This was going better than he’d expected. Maybe he really could do this.

  He cleared his throat. “So…” He motioned to Cole’s shirt. “You like video games?”