Sebastian had to find her. And fast. But he had no idea where to look. He suspected Travis had her hidden somewhere in L.A. Travis had lots of connections in the criminal world. It wouldn’t be too difficult for him to hide her.
At least Cole’s safe.
Cole was now in a safe house. Once this was over and Travis was behind bars, Sebastian would collect his son and bring him home to Idaho. He wasn’t sure what kind of dad he would be, but he would do his best and hope it was good enough.
With Cole safe, it allowed Sebastian to focus all his attention on finding and freeing Emily.
Craig’s cellphone rang. He turned away from Sebastian as he answered it.
Sebastian had to get away from Craig so he could surrender himself and try to free Emily. It was the only way Travis would work with him. But Sebastian was virtually a prisoner until Craig arrested his father. Craig had worked a deal with the D.A. in exchange for Sebastian’s cooperation in bringing down his father. But Craig didn’t know his father like he did. Travis would not negotiate with them. Travis only did things his way. If the FBI showed up, Travis wouldn’t hesitate to kill Emily.
Sebastian couldn’t allow that. Craig might be the trained specialist, but Sebastian knew how his father’s mind worked.
If anyone was going to save Emily, it would have to be Sebastian. It was the only way.
So he had to find a way to sneak out of here without Craig or his team knowing. Once away from the FBI, he could communicate with Travis. He could surrender himself and work out some kind of deal to free Emily.
And then, if he managed to survive, he’d go back and do what he should have done years ago.
Kill the son-of-a-bitch.
Craig strode across the hotel room, still talking into the phone, and glanced out the window. Sebastian took a step toward the door. Then another. He kept his gaze on Craig.
Another step and he was almost there.
Sebastian’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at Craig, then yanked the phone out of his pocket.
It was a text from Travis.
Sebastian’s heart lurched. He opened the message.
Be out front of the hotel in five minutes or Emily dies. Lose the feds.
Shit. They knew where he was, which meant they must have been tailing him.
Craig laughed at something the caller said over the phone. Sebastian guessed he was talking to Karen or his son Damon. That was about the only time Craig laughed—when he was talking to his family. The rest of the time, Craig was too serious, in Sebastian’s opinion. Then again, the guy had a stressful job, catching criminals.
I never laughed before either. Until Emily.
The thought sobered him. He needed to get to her. Free her. Before it was too late.
Sebastian reached for the doorknob. Though Craig hadn’t watched him like a hawk, Sebastian had never had an opportunity to escape. It had never occurred to him to try to escape. Until now.
Craig was still staring out the window, talking on the phone.
Sebastian opened the door and rushed out.
There were no agents in the hallway.
Sebastian wasn’t a criminal, but Craig had informed him he couldn’t leave until he helped bring his father in. Until he fulfilled his end of the bargain.
Sebastian raced for the stairwell. It wouldn’t take Craig long to notice he was gone.
His phone vibrated again as he was bounding down the stairs. He ignored it, assuming it was Craig calling to ask him where the hell he was going.
Sebastian kept flying down the stairs, five or six steps at a time, using the side rail to keep from losing his balance.
Down he went.
Another floor.
His phone vibrated again.
Shit.
He flew down the next flight, tripped on the last step, and barely managed to catch himself.
Finally he reached the main floor of the hotel. He raced out of the stairwell and out into the main lobby, expecting to see a swarm of FBI agents waiting for him.
But all was quiet in the lobby.
Sebastian pulled the baseball cap low over his face and walked toward the main doors.
His phone vibrated once again.
He pulled it from his pocket.
Emily.
Shit! He’d missed two calls from her while he’d been fleeing down the stairs.
“Emily?” His breath hitched. “Where are you? Tell me and I’ll come get you.”
Travis chuckled over the line. “I knew if I had her call, you would pick up. That answers my question.” The line went dead.
What? Sebastian paused out on the sidewalk, staring at the phone. Answered what question?
He called back, waiting for Travis to answer. The phone rang and rang, then went to Emily’s voicemail.
Shit!
Sebastian called again. And again it went to voicemail.
Son-of-a-bitch!
Travis must have shut the phone back off so they couldn’t trace it.
Sebastian called his father’s number and waited. Like most criminals, Travis had an untraceable cell.
Travis answered after the second ring.
“Do I got your attention now, boy?”
Sebastian swallowed hard. “Yeah. You got my attention. Where is she? If you hurt her, you bastard, I’ll kill you.”
Travis chuckled. “I figured you’d say that. You see, Emily here thought she could fool me. She pretended to hate you as much as I do and she even got me to tell her where your momma is buried. Can you believe that?”
“What?”
The breath whooshed out of Sebastian’s lungs.
Mom’s dead? But…I thought…how?
For a long moment, he struggled to breathe.
He gasped, sucking in a deep breath. “What do you mean?”
“If you don’t want Sweet Cheeks to end up in the ground next to your momma, you’d better do what I say, boy. We’ve got some business to settle, me and you.”
Mom’s really dead?
Sebastian’s heart pinched. Shock left him momentarily speechless. His father knew where she was buried? Why hadn’t Sebastian known that? The bastard! What was his father keeping from him?
“I’ll do whatever you say,” Sebastian promised, his heart pounding. “Just don’t hurt Emily. Please.”
“Is the FBI tailing you?”
“No. I already lost them. Tell me where to meet you and I’ll be there.”
“Where you at right now?”
“I’m out front of the Hilton.”
“I’ll call you right back.” The line went dead.
Sebastian paced along the sidewalk in front of the hotel, waiting impatiently for Travis to call back. It wouldn’t be long before Craig came looking for him. He needed to disappear before Craig discovered he was gone.
Finally, after an agonizing wait, the phone vibrated in his hand.
Sebastian swiped the screen.
“Marty sees you. He’s pulling up out front now. Get in the car and go with him.” Travis hung up.
Sebastian turned his ringer on, just in case. He didn’t want to miss any more calls.
He spotted the black SUV pulling up to the curb.
“Sebastian! Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
Craig strode across the sidewalk, his expression livid.
Shit.
Sebastian pretended he didn’t hear him and raced for the black SUV. Marty thrust the passenger’s door open for him.
Craig shouted his name again.
Sebastian leapt into the vehicle and pulled the door shut. “Go!”
The SUV screeched away from the curb, causing another driver to honk in annoyance. Sebastian glanced out of the tinted window. Craig stood at the curb, glaring after him. Pissed as hell. Would he be mad enough to have Sebastian thrown in prison for five years? If he did, Sebastian wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. He still planned to honor his end of the deal. With one minor change: he wasn’t bringing Travis in, he was
killing the bastard.
I’m sorry, Craig. I have to do this. It’s the only way to save Emily.
“Boss’s got another job for you.” Marty glanced across the seat at him. “And this one’s a big one.”
Sebastian’s stomach churned. He didn’t care what it was, as long as he freed Emily. “Another fight?”
Marty shook his head. “No. It’s bigger than that. You’ll see.”
Sebastian’s phone rang. He yanked it from his pocket.
Craig.
He rejected the call and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. No way could he talk to Craig right now. Craig was pissed.
His phone rang again.
Sebastian ignored it.
“You gonna get that?” Marty glanced sideways at him. “It might be Travis.”
Sebastian yanked the phone from his pocket again. “It’s not Travis.”
It was Craig again. Craig probably wouldn’t give up until Sebastian answered.
Shit.
He rejected the call and stuffed it back in his pocket.
His notification ring chimed, indicating he had a message.
Sebastian yanked the phone back out of his pocket and checked the messages.
“You really want to do this?” Craig’s voice boomed over the phone. “We had a deal, Sebastian. I honored my end. If you renege on your end, you’ll wind up back in prison and there won’t be anything I can do about it. Call me.”
Sebastian groaned. Craig was right. But he had to save Emily, and Travis wouldn’t release her if the FBI showed up.
His phone rang again as he was slipping it back in his pocket.
Marty glanced at him. “Why don’t you just answer the damn thing? Or shut the ringer off.”
It was Craig again.
Sebastian sighed. Then he answered. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” Craig let out a string of curses. “What the fuck you doing, Sebastian? Where the hell you going? We had a deal, remember?”
Sebastian sighed. “I know. I’m not reneging on my end. I’ll honor the deal. But you have to understand he’s not going to release her unless I surrender myself. This is something I have to do on my own. If I show up with the FBI, he’ll kill her.”
Marty quirked a brow at him, then glanced back at the road. Sebastian didn’t care if his father’s man overheard. It wasn’t as if it mattered now anyway. They had Emily.
Craig sighed loudly over the phone. “If you do this, Sebastian, I can’t help you anymore. You’re on your own.” The line went dead.
Shit.
Sebastian stuffed the phone back in his pocket and turned to stare gloomily out the window. “Where we going?”
“To the airport. Travis is waiting for us there.”
The airport? Why? Where were they flying?
“Where we headed?”
“You’ll see.”
Sebastian pulled his phone back out of his pocket and called Travis.
“I want proof Emily is okay. Send me a picture of her right now.”
Travis snorted. “You ain’t got no business giving me orders, boy.”
“Do it,” Sebastian snapped. “Or I bail. I’ll jump out of this moving vehicle and you’ll never see me again.”
Marty cast a worried glance at him.
Travis sighed. “Fine. Give me a sec.” He hung up.
The wait was excruciating. Though it couldn’t have been any more than two or three minutes, it seemed like hours before Travis’s text came in.
See? She’s fine.
A photo accompanied the text. Emily wore the pink flowered sundress that she’d had on the night of the fight. She was gagged, her hands tied behind her back. Her hair was tangled. Her eyes wild and frightened. She stood in front of a small white airplane.
Sebastian’s heart lurched.
She’s alive.
Had Travis hurt her?
I’m coming for you, Em. Hang in there.
Sebastian pressed the phone to his heart, willing Emily to be truly okay, hoping Travis hadn’t hurt her.
He stuffed the phone back in his pocket.
Sebastian braced himself for the upcoming encounter with his father. It would be the biggest fight of his life.
He shut his emotions off, let the coldness overtake him.
Allowed the demons to consume him.
When nothing but the darkness surrounded him, he was ready.
He wouldn’t be fighting an unknown opponent this time.
He would be taking on his own father.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Travis shoved Emily up the steps of the small plane. She didn’t resist. She was bound and gagged, so it would be foolish to fight. Besides, Sebastian was on his way. He’d be here soon. He’d free her somehow. She had faith in him.
“Have a seat, Sweet Cheeks.”
There were a total of six seats in the plane, three rows with one seat on each side of the aisle. Travis pushed her down into the front right seat. “Don’t go anywhere.”
He bounded back down the steps of the plane.
Two thugs, each holding a gun, came up the steps. Emily recognized them as the men who had escorted her and Travis to the airport.
The first man entered the cockpit and slid into the pilot’s seat. The other man moved to stand near the back of the plane.
The sound of a vehicle screeching to a halt reached Emily’s ears. Was Sebastian here?
Male voices came from outside of the plane. Emily tensed, waiting. She glanced toward the doorway. Would Travis hurt Sebastian now? Would he kill him before she got to see him?
Moments later footfalls thundered up the steps.
Sebastian was the first to appear. His nose was a purplish-black, grotesquely swollen lump, giving him a frightening gnome-like appearance, but to Emily he was still beautiful. She didn’t care if he ended up with a crooked nose for the rest of his life.
She let out a muffled sob.
He spied her immediately. Striding across the small aircraft, he gently pulled the gag from her mouth.
“Em, I’m so sorry.” He kissed her, tenderly, then drew back. He ran his fingers gently over her face, brushed her tangled hair behind her ears. His gaze, so full of sadness and regret, held hers. “Forgive me?”
She hitched in a breath. “There’s nothing to forgive. It’s my fault. I’m the one who should apologize.”
“Shh.” He pressed a finger against her lips. He pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tight. With her hands bound behind her back, she was unable to return the embrace.
“How touching,” Travis snickered from behind him. “Have a seat, boy.”
He shoved Sebastian into the chair across the aisle from Emily’s. Travis moved past and slid into the seat directly behind Sebastian. Marty pulled the lever and yanked up the stairs, then closed and latched the door. He moved down the aisle and sat across from Travis, directly behind Emily.
Sebastian reached across the aisle and untied Emily’s hands. Travis didn’t stop him. He yelled to the pilot to get moving. The man in the back took a seat in the last row.
The plane’s engine roared to life.
Emily waited patiently until Sebastian had freed her. He gently rubbed her wrists, then lifted her hands and pressed kisses to her palms.
Travis wedged his arms between them, slapping Sebastian away. “Enough touching.”
Emily settled into her seat and snapped her seatbelt into place. Sebastian glowered at his father, then followed suit.
The plane moved forward, picking up speed.
Emily glanced out her window as the runway zipped past.
Then they were airborne.
Nothing but clouds and blue sky.
She turned back to Sebastian, who was staring out his own window, lost in his own thoughts. She glanced at Travis, but the man was talking to Marty and ignoring her. Emily reached across the aisle and squeezed Sebastian’s hand.
Sebastian turned his head, his gaze meeting hers. He squeezed her hand back. There was so mu
ch pain and sadness in his eyes. Did he think Travis had abused her?
She squeezed his hand again and shook her head. “I’m fine. I promise.”
Relief flickered across Sebastian’s face. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
Travis’s gaze flicked to Sebastian, then Emily. He stared down at their clasped hands. Something flashed in his eyes before he glanced away. Envy?
Emily almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
“It’s gonna be a long flight.” Travis undid his seatbelt and settled back in his chair. “I’m taking a nap.”
“Where are we going?” Sebastian glanced back at his father.
“Home to Alabama. Your momma’s been waiting a long time to see you, boy.”
Sebastian’s gaze flicked to Emily. She shook her head sadly and squeezed his hand.
“Don’t listen to him,” she whispered. “He’s being cruel.”
Travis cracked open an eyelid and glared at Emily. “Cruel? You think I’m being cruel? You got it all wrong, Sweet Cheeks. He’s the cruel one.” He motioned to Sebastian, then closed his eye and settled back against the seat again.
Sebastian’s eyes filled with pain and confusion. He probably didn’t understand his father’s cruel words. Emily didn’t know how to explain, because she wasn’t sure what Travis had planned.
Would seeing his mother’s grave break Sebastian? Would the truth surrounding his mother’s death be too much for him to bear? Or would it free him from the feelings of being unloved and unwanted for so long? Sebastian had endured so much at the hands of his cruel, heartless father. A lesser person would have broken by now. But Sebastian was so strong. Did he have any idea how tough he really was?
She squeezed Sebastian’s hand again and held his gaze.
I’m here for you.
His mouth flattened out. His eyes hardened. He turned away from her, pulling his hand from her grasp. He stared out his window. She felt him drawing away from her, shutting himself off. Though it hurt, she had to let him go. He would need to shut his emotions off if he was going to survive whatever his father had planned.
He stayed that way, staring out the window, not talking or touching her, for the rest of the long flight.
* * *
It was dark when they landed in Alabama. Sebastian rose tensely from his seat, anxious to protect Emily from whatever his father had planned.
Scarred (Unlikely Heroes Book 5) Page 28
