Blackest Red

by P. T. Michelle

  While Sebastian binds Nathan’s wounds with hand towels to slow the bleeding, I call the police and request an ambulance. Once I hang up, I pat Nathan’s curly hair and whisper in his ear, “Hold on, Nathan. Please hold on.”

  Releasing a shaky breath, I straighten and meet Sebastian’s gaze as he sets both guns on the end table. “Why didn’t your gun go off?”

  He lifts his gun once more, showing me the grip. “It’s a personalized gun, calibrated to my fingerprints. It won’t work if someone else tries to shoot it.”

  I nod my understanding, then frown. “Why did you kill Hayes? You could’ve shot him anywhere and taken him down. Now he can’t point the finger to Isabel for your mother’s murder.”

  Setting the gun back down, Sebastian cups my jaw. “Hayes has already stolen so much from both of us. I wasn’t taking a chance he could get out again and do even more damage. You mean more to me than anyone, and after what he did to you in the past…” He pauses and exhales sharply, trying to remain calm. “I should’ve emptied the clip into him in non-fatal places first, then taken him out.”

  “But it’s not right that Isabel will get away with—”

  “My mother’s killer is dead, Talia,” he snaps.

  The door bursts open and Den rushes in, his gun pulled. Sebastian calmly tells him, “We’re all good here, Den.”

  Den looks at me. “You okay?” When I nod, he lowers his gun and glances Sebastian’s way, his gaze apologetic. “The sleet caused a pile up. I would’ve been here sooner.”

  “Can you wait downstairs for the ambulance and escort the EMTs up?” Sebastian asks.

  When Den leaves, closing the door behind him, Sebastian slides his thumb down the side of my throat, his tender touch softening the harsh edge of his last comment. “I’ll deal with Isabel. For now, all that matters is that you’re safe.”

  I sigh, somewhat appeased. “When did you figure out that Paige wasn’t my stalker?”

  “The fact that last letter had your perfume on it kept bothering me. As soon as I learned Paige had an alibi for the fire, I left. That letter wasn’t from her, which meant someone else had to have access to your perfume.” Shaking his head, he exhales. “Paige still stalked you, Talia. Only it was for an entirely different reason. She sent those first letters because she wanted to make you edgy and nervous, like she felt. Then she tried to discredit you.”

  I twist my lips. “Jared told me someone dropped a note about my past on his plate while he was standing there talking to Nathan at the kick off party.”

  Sebastian shrugs. “Ultimately, her actions all boiled down to her trying to figure out what made you tick and what it would take to make Nathan give you up.”

  Shaking my head, I exhale slowly. “Did you ping my phone to know I was here?”

  He nods. “On my way here to check out your apartment, I got Connelly to ping your phone after you didn’t respond to my texts. Turns out Dwight Tucker had been Hayes’ cellmate. I thought I was coming here to protect you from Dwight and that Hayes had sent him after you. The last person I expected to see was Hayes himself, since he was supposedly in jail.”

  I shudder, thinking about my close call with Hayes. “He had something on the Warden and was allowed to sneak out to seek his revenge.”

  Sebastian’s jaw tightens. “We need to make sure the authorities know about the Warden.” Pushing my hair back from my face, he continues, “When the ambulance comes for Nathan and after the police do their thing, I’d like you to come home with me, Talia.”

  I tuck my hair behind my ear, wondering where we are. “Once I know Nathan’s going to be okay, I’ll come. It might not be tonight.”

  Sebastian glances down at Nathan, then meets my gaze. “Then I’ll wait with you, because I wasn’t just talking about tonight.”

  After eighteen straight hours of grueling police interviews, then hospital visits with Nathan after his surgery, followed by talks with Charlie to learn my aunt was diagnosed with lead poisoning—which thankfully the doctors were able to trace back to an imported ceramic coffee mug Charlie suspected and brought in for testing—I’m totally beat. While I’m relieved that my aunt will be okay now that the doctors have figured out the cause of her health problems, I just can’t bring myself to talk to her face-to-face. Charlie probably thinks the fact that I used him as a go-between with my aunt is odd, but thankfully he’s too kind to point it out.

  Stepping into Sebastian’s elevator, I punch in the penthouse code, then lean against the wall and mentally go over everything I did to put my apartment back in order so Cass doesn’t freak out when she gets back tonight. Satisfied I did a thorough job, I exhale my exhaustion. Apparently napping in a hospital chair isn’t good sleep.

  “How’s Mina’s apartment?” I ask Sebastian as I walk in and start to unbutton my coat. When Mina called in a panic about water rushing in her apartment not long after Nathan went in for surgery, I understood Sebastian had to leave, but I missed his calming presence.

  Sebastian pushes my hands out of the way and quickly unbuttons my coat for me. “Between my dad and I, the pipe’s now repaired. Mina hates the loud fans drying out her floors, but at least she and Josi aren’t in crisis mode anymore. Did you eat something?” he says in a gruff tone, tugging my coat sleeves off my arms.

  I turn and let him, too worn out to argue. “Hmm, yes…it was supposed to be steak, I think. It’s hospital food, so you know…” I wrap my arms around his neck as he lifts me in his arms. “Where are we going?”

  “To bed,” he rasps against my temple.

  I wave to the daylight shining through the windows. “It’s three. I can’t go to bed now.”

  He walks into his bedroom and hits a button on a remote sitting on the nightstand. As room-darkening shades start to lower, he sets me down on the bed to tug off my shoes. “Sleep is what you need, Talia.”

  I climb under the covers and when he starts to pull them over me, I clasp his hand. The room is completely dark now except for the daylight coming from the hallway. “Lay down with me for a bit?” I ask, trying not to sound as needy for his company as I feel.

  He slides the covers up and then crawls in bed behind me. Hooking his arm around my waist, he tucks his other arm on my pillow and kisses the back of my head. “Go to sleep, Little Red.”

  I pull his hand to my chest and kiss the curve of his thumb, saying quietly, “Another first. Sleeping in your bed.”

  He chuckles, his chest vibrating pleasantly against my back. The sensation makes me smile and I snuggle closer, despite the covers between us. “The first of many,” he says, moving his hand to my hair.

  I sigh my contentment, totally entranced by his fingers gently massaging along my hairline. “I’m glad you spent some time with your dad.”

  “Arguing over which wrench to use?” He snorts.

  I don’t bother to point out that a couple of billionaires could’ve called a plumbing team instead of fixing it themselves. At least Sebastian’s grumbling sounds good-natured. “You only fight with the ones who matter.”

  “Says the woman who riles me more than anyone I know.” He tucks my hair behind my ear and presses his lips against the curve. “Close your eyes. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  “You matter the very most,” I mumble before falling asleep to the relaxing sensation of his fingers trailing to the ends of my hair.

  “I’m here, Talia.” My eyes fly open to Sebastian squatting next to the bed, his hand clasping my jaw.

  I shiver at the feel of his cold skin against my sleep-warmed cheek, but the sensation of his fingers digging into the back of my neck is so comforting, I don’t care. The shades are up in his bedroom now, letting in dim evening light. My gaze travels over his thermal athletic clothes to the snow coating his dark hair. “You went running?”

  He nods. “I think that big snow storm they were calling for is finally here. Are you okay? You were shaking in your sleep.”

  “Old stuff,” I mumble.

  “You w
ant to talk about it?” His blue gaze holds mine for a couple seconds. When I don’t blurt out the nightmare I had, he nods and moves to stand.

  I clasp his wrist, not ready for him to leave. “Wait, Sebastian. I want you to know what Hayes was talking about…what he said about me.”

  Sebastian sits on the edge of the bed, his comforting smell of all male, wintery outdoors and musky sweat sliding over me. I trace my fingers over his hand resting on the bed and tell him what happened between Hayes and me the night Amelia died.

  I stand in the dark alley, hunching over the artwork Amelia and I drew to protect it from the cold rain that’s starting to come down harder now. The image of her lying on the kitchen floor plays over and over in my head, squeezing my chest tight as I peer in the darkness at the brick wall, looking for the one brick that’s slightly tilted. When I spot it, I quickly tug the half brick free. I have no idea how long this hiding place has been here, but I’m thankful for it now. The rain will ruin the artwork, so for now, the hiding place should keep it dry. With a sob, I quickly tuck the folded paper into the square hole, then slide the brick into place.

  Patting the wall one last time, I lower my hand and start to run up the alley. Just as I reach the edge of the light near the top of the alley, I see Hayes walking past. The sound of my shoes slapping against the road draws his attention and he stops.

  “Where are you going in such a hurry, Talia?”

  Normally his slick-as-oil voice makes my skin crawl, but now it knots my stomach with fear. When he pivots and meanders into the alley, panic seizes me. He’s ten feet away, and all I want to do is run, to get as far away from him as possible, but I’d have to pass him to do it. As he draws closer, the memory of Walt’s blood spewing on me when I shot him flashes through my mind. Is it on my face? My neck?

  I quickly step farther back into the alley, hoping that if the rain hasn’t taken care of any blood that might be on me, the shadows will hide it from Hayes. Not that he gives a damn about Walt, but my aunt’s boyfriend represents a distribution avenue that leads to money flow for Hayes’ drug business, and intentional or not, I just cut that channel off permanently.

  Hayes backs me up against the wall, his hand on the cold, wet bricks behind me. “I think I’m going to be spending more time at this place.” I cringe when he pulls the pin holding my braid and it tumbles in a wet thump to my shoulder. “Been stock piling my drugs, saving for a big expansion I have planned. And I’ve been thinking…”

  “What do you want?” I say. It comes out raspy as the knowledge that I’ve destroyed half his stockpile burns through my mind. The instinct to shove him away is so great I have to clench my hands by my sides. If I act, he’ll hurt me. He’s far stronger.

  Hayes lifts my wet braid, flicking the wet ends with his thumb. “I’ve been thinking about all that studying you do. I could use someone like you in my organization. You could keep track of every aspect of my growing business with that book-smart mind of yours. And maybe, in a couple of years, you can go with me to set up new deals, really learn the ropes. What do you say?”

  He wants me to get deeply involved in his drug business? To help him? My stomach drops. All I want to do is run. I’ll say anything to make him move away from me. I don’t plan to come back anyway. “I’ll think about it.” A smug smile tilts his lips, and as I watch him start to turn away, I panic. He’s going upstairs now. He’ll see what I’ve done and kill me. I need time to get far enough away.

  “Send me to college.”

  He turns back, his gaze narrowed. “What?”

  I straighten my spine and meet his gaze with a confident one. “Promise to pay for college and I’ll work for you.”

  He steps back into my personal space once more and grasps my chin. “And what else will I get if I pay for your advanced education, hmmm?”

  I gulp back my revulsion. I can tell by the leering gaze he slides to my neck and chest what he’s inferring. I want to spit in his face, but I remain quiet and lift my shoulders, pretending indifference.

  With a pleased laugh, Hayes says, “Let’s seal the deal with a kiss, shall we?”

  As he presses his mouth to mine, I stand there immobilized in the cold rain, my body numb with shock and disgust.

  Lifting his head, Hayes tugs hard on my braid, annoyed amusement in his gaze. “You’re going to have to work on your technique, Talia.”

  I feel sick to my stomach, but what can I do to delay him from going upstairs right now?

  Just as he takes a couple steps away, my brain short-circuits to a solution that’ll buy me some time. “Prove you have the money to send me to school,” I say with self-confidence I don’t feel.

  He scowls. “I have the money. You’ve got a few years yet.”

  “Show me.”

  He throws his hands out. “It’s not on me.”

  I shake my head. “I want to know you can afford to pay, or no deal.”

  Hayes eyes me in the darkness, his demeanor coldly assessing. “I’ll get the money, along with my stuff. Go get dried off and be in your apartment when I get back.” He walks away, but when he reaches the edge of light at the front of the alley, he glances my way, his gaze glittering. “You turned out to be an interesting surprise, Talia. Quite the little negotiator.”

  I might be thirteen, but I’m not an idiot. I know he’s expecting me not to fight him touching me. When he walks out of the alley, turning in the opposite direction, and I hear his keys jingling, I know he’s leaving, but he will be back.

  I try to wipe the taste of his mouth away on my wet sleeve, but sickening revulsion rolls through me. I end up puking in the street with the cold driving rain pounding the back of my neck. Wiping my mouth, I exhale a shaky breath and take off running as fast as my legs will carry me.

  When I’m done reliving the past, I squeeze Sebastian’s hand, my chest aching. “Even though it didn’t exactly happen the way he said it did, I played a part. My chest hurts when I think about the repercussions I didn’t know I caused. They’re all I’ve thought about since I learned Tommy was his son.”

  Sebastian folds his hand over mine. “We’ve all done things we regret, but there’s no way you could’ve known, nor should you feel responsible for how it all turned out. Hayes was a selfish, sadistic bastard whose choices were forced on you as a child. You survived a horrible situation, Talia. I won’t let you blame yourself. Not now, not ever.”

  “But I held that gun, Sebastian. Walt died because of me. I’m still not sure if I actually pulled the trigger, or if it was him trying to grab it from me that set it off, but the fact is…I killed a man.”

  “And I killed four of my own men,” he responds harshly.

  When I just stare at him with wide eyes, he exhales and slides his fingers through mine. “You asked why I left the Navy. That day of the explosion, it was my job to scan for threats. I made the call, deemed the area clear, but the insurgents were so well camouflaged, I couldn’t see them. My decision got four men on my team killed.”

  “Your situation was different. You were working for your country, doing the best with the intelligence you had at the time.”

  Pulling my hand to his mouth, he presses a tender kiss to my palm then slides his thumb over it. “The point I’m trying to make is, we can’t know the impact our choices will have on others’ lives, either right in front of us or down the road. All we can do is make the best decisions we can and hope the positive ripples far outweigh the negative ones.”

  He grows quiet, his gaze focused on the wall. I can tell he’s thinking about the men who died. “I’m sure no one blames you, Sebastian,” I say, tightening my hand around his.

  He shakes his head. “What’s ironic, is now my limited color vision allows me to see through just about any camouflage, and my night vision is better than a color-sighted person’s, but a SEAL can’t be colorblind. Too many other factors on the job depend on full color sight. Even though I could remain in the military in another role, staying didn’t feel right.”r />
  “Leaving allowed you to start a business where you continue to protect and help people.” I reach up and cup his jaw. “Theo and the others at BLACK Security…they’re all ex-military, aren’t they?” When he nods, I smile. “Seems to me they trust your leadership just fine.”

  Sebastian clasps my hand and kisses my palm, a half smile tilting his lips. “How did this turn into you making me feel better?”

  I shrug. “It’s a mutually beneficial conversation.”

  “No, it’s an honest one,” he says. “The first one we’ve had, and long overdue.”

  The tension between us shifts and heat builds as we stare at each other. I lick my lips and lower his hand to the edge of the covers, teasing, “Are there any more firsts you have in mind, Mister Black?”

  Heat sparks in his gaze and he pulls the covers back to slide his hand along my jean-covered thigh and then over the curve of my rear. “Absolutely, Miss Red.”

  Smacking my butt cheek, he stands. “I’m heading for the shower. Per your request, your belongings from the hotel are in the corner. I left some food and a new bottle for you on the island. Eat your fill. I expect to find you in the living room, holding a glass of wine when I get out.”

  His tone might suddenly be all business, but there’s an underlying sensuality in his promise to join me that can’t be mistaken. As soon as the shower turns on, I jump out of bed, switch on the light, then head for my suitcase.

  Just like Sebastian said, I find the unopened bottle of wine on the island along with a tray of cheeses and fresh fruit. I nibble on some cheese and pop pieces of pineapple and raspberries in my mouth as I walk around the island, opening drawers to find the bottle opener I saw him use the other night. I finally find it, but my gaze snags on the card from Mina he’d apparently shoved in the drawer and forgotten about.

  Lifting the small envelope, I slide the card out.

  Seb,