Always Me (24 page)

I heard a commotion in my living room. Fear slowly replaced my moment of happiness when I remembered the hard look on Brett’s face. Something had happened. I needed to know if Sebastian was okay.

I opened the door slowly and peeked my head out just as Sebastian came around the corner. His eyes were black, his back stiff, blood spattered on his white shirt and thick neck, but he was alive. The thick veins in his forearms stood out, the muscles pulsing as he rubbed his knuckles.

Relief fluttered through me, and I let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Sebastian?”

His jaw flexed as his dark gaze met mine.

I took a step toward him but paused when I saw the cold satisfaction in his eyes at doing something I knew he didn’t regret.

I looked past him and saw Brett standing at the bottom of the stairs. His face was pale with horror, his eyes wide.

At that moment, for the first time since meeting Sebastian two years before, I was terrified of him.

***

When Garrith came back to my place, I practically dove at him.

Antonio’s deep brown eyes widened when he saw me. He lifted his hands up, and I grabbed him, wrapping my arms around him.

His bottom lip quivered and I clung to him, dropping to my knees as I held him against me. A lead weight was lifted off of my heart as I kissed his nose.

I cupped his chubby face in my hands and placed soft kisses all over his head and ears, inhaling his baby powder smell.

“Oh Garrith, thank you.”

He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “Where’s Keisha?”

“I don’t know, but Richards...the cop...he held Brett and I at gun point. He’s working with Jose,” I explained as I held my son tightly against me.

Garrith scowled and slammed his fist into the wall. “Fuck!” Plaster rained down onto the floor as he held his phone up to his ear. “We have a dirty cop...” Garrith moved out of ear shot.

“Garrith?”

His gaze met mine as he flipped his phone closed.

“Is Jose…is he dead?”

“He is.” Garrith walked past me to the patio doors.

I swallowed. “Did Sebastian…did he kill him?”

He paused. “I think you need to talk to Sebastian about that.” He opened the doors and met Brett in the back yard.

I frowned, watching them as they walked into the woods.

I rained kisses all over Antonio’s chubby face, hugging him tight against me. The sweet smell of baby invaded my nostrils, reminding me of when I first held him in my arms after he was born. “God, baby.” I kissed his forehead and inhaled, letting the scent of him flutter through me, relaxing me to the very core.

The pipes in the ceiling rushed with water as I waited for Sebastian. I needed to know what happened. I needed to know that he was okay.

A deep, dark part of me was thankful that Jose was dead. If he wasn’t and was just in jail, I would never be able to sleep again, knowing that he’s still out there.

“Oh, Antonio, I am never letting you go,” I said in between sobs. I checked him over and he seemed to be fine, but I needed to make sure. Jose was evil, but I was thankful that he didn’t hurt my son.

I held Antonio and pulled open the patio door, searching around the yard for my friends. I heard some yelling and cursing in the distance, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. “Garrith?”

Garrith and Brett walked around from the side of the house a moment later, both looking like they had rolled around in a pile of dirt. The hem of Garrith’s white button-up shirt was pulled out of his jeans, wrinkled with splotches of brown covering it.

I frowned. “What were you guys doing?”

Brett’s green gaze met mine and looked away.

“Brett?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and I noticed the dark green patches on his jeans.

“Where’s my mom?”

Garrith looked at me, his shoulders slumping. “She’s in the hospital.”

“What?” I gasped.

“She’s fine. Just banged up a bit.”

“Oh God.”

“Do you know where Keisha...” His cell phone interrupted him. “Yeah.” He waited a moment and then his eyes widened, his skin turning pail. “Who the fuck is this? Where is Keisha?”

My stomach rolled and fear flew through me. “Oh no.”

Brett and Garrith ran past me into the house, heading to the basement. “I have to find her. Keisha!” “Keisha!” I heard Brett yell.

“Love...please wake up,” Garrith’s voice cracked. “I need an ambulance to...”

He called 911? Why? Oh God, Keisha.

I stood at the top of the stairs. “Guys, is Keisha...is she...”

“She’s been shot too...” Brett answered.

“Is she...” Oh God, I couldn’t say it.

“She’s alive. She has a pulse but barely,” Brett said, his voice thick with emotion.

A lump formed in my throat, and I held Antonio tighter against me, rocking him in my arms.

A warm hand wrapped around my nape, and I jumped, but the musky soap of the most important man in my life eased my terror.

“Little one.” Sebastian’s voice was clipped. He ran a thumb up the side of my neck and leaned down and placed a kiss on Antonio’s head. “Welcome back, little man.”

Tears welled in my eyes and I wrapped an arm around Sebastian’s waist. “I’m sorry for jumping. I just...my nerves are shot.”

He pinched my chin and brought his mouth down to mine, kissing me hard. “I’m so sorry you had to see me like that. I never wanted that to happen but when I saw his hands on you…I snapped.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry. I tried fighting—”

“It’s not your fucking fault, but it’s over baby. I got rid of him…” He cleared his throat and kissed my forehead.

As soon as he said those words, a weight lifted from my shoulders. I felt whole again, but something was off with him. “Sebastian?”

He kissed my lips. “We’ll talk later. I just need some time.”

I grabbed his hand. “Are you okay?”

His gaze met mine. His eyes were dark, cold and a lump formed in my throat at the pain I saw in them. He kissed my forehead. “I will be,” he whispered.

Understanding flew through me. He just got rid of someone for me. I couldn’t imagine taking someone’s life, even though Jose was evil.

“Something happened with Keisha,” I told him. Several loud pops rang out from outside and I screamed.

“What the fuck?” Sebastian grabbed me and pulled me into the office. “Stay here. Hide behind the desk.”

Heavy footsteps ran up the basement stairs and out the front door.

“Sebastian, I’m scared.” I cradled Antonio against my chest

“Cramer...he’s...oh God. He’s dead,” Garrith yelled.

I clapped a hand over my mouth as tears rolled down my cheeks. Cramer had watched over me with Lector for two years, though I didn’t know him well. But he risked his life for me. Sacrificed. “What...”

He grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles. “I need to do what I can for Garrith.”

“Sebastian. Please.”

He ran his fingers down my cheek. “I’ll be right outside, baby.”

I took a breath. “Who…?”

“It has to be that bastard, Richards.”

Heavy footsteps ran up the stairs. “Shots fired…Lector. No,” Garrith yelled.

“Shit.” Sebastian grabbed the doorknob.

“Sebastian?” I gripped his shirt. “Please, don’t leave me.”

“Stay. Here.” Sebastian kissed Antonio on the head and then placed a hard kiss on my lips and headed for the door.

“Sebastian.” He turned to me and I took a step towards him. I pulled his head down and crashed his mouth to mine. Our breathing picked up as I shoved my tongue in his mouth, owning, controlling the kiss. I released him a moment later and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Whatever you did, thank you.”

He stared at me a moment and then nodded once before leaving my office.

Antonio started crying. “Shhh, baby.” I ran behind the desk and kneeled on the floor, bouncing Antonio against my hip, but he wouldn’t stop crying. “Baby,” tears welled in my eyes. “Everything is fine now.” But it wasn’t, was it? Keisha had been shot. Oh God, please let her live.

Sirens sounded in the distance, and I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. “Antonio, the ambulance is coming. Auntie Keisha will be fine. She has to be.”

He sniffed and snuggled against me. I prayed I didn’t just lie to my son.

The sirens got louder as they neared the house and I kept making silent prayers that Keisha would live through this.

Red and blue lights bounced around the small room, through the small window.

I kissed Antonio’s head. “Auntie Keisha will be fine.”

The creak of the front door opening and several different footsteps sounding through the hall, gave me a sense of relief that the ambulance was finally there.

“She’s in the basement,” Sebastian said.

“Sir, you need to let her go.” A male voice I didn’t recognize was hard, demanding, like he was telling someone to back off.

My heart broke, knowing that he was talking to Garrith.

I rose to my feet and opened the door as a moment of déjà vu came over me. My eyes widened as a stretcher rolled past me. “Keisha.”

She was lying on the white bed, a respirator over her face. I rushed to her side, stopping the EMS workers.

My gaze ran over her still form. Bile rose in my throat and with a shaky hand, I brushed my fingers down her cheek. “Keisha…oh God...”

Her normally tanned skin was ashen, beads of sweat coating her forehead. A lump formed in my throat at the thought that I could lose my best friend. The closest thing I had to a sister.

I looked up at the male EMS worker. “Is…is she going to live?”

“We need to take her to the hospital, ma’am.” The female attendee told me and I nodded, letting go of Keisha’s arm.

I watched them pull the stretcher out of the house.

A sob escaped my lips as Garrith came barreling past me. I reached out and grabbed his arm when he spun on me making me flinch. His eyes softened a moment later and he pulled me in for a quick hug. “Richards is dead. I don’t know anything about Keisha. Sebastian will take you to the hospital.”

I nodded, swallowing past the hard lump.

Brett came up beside me. “I’m going with you.”

Garrith shook his head. “There’s not enough room. You can go with Tori and Sebastian.”

“I’m her fucking brother.”

Garrith took a step towards Brett. “Yeah? And I’m her fucking boyfriend.”

Brett tensed. “Family only, asshole.”

I took a step between them. “Guys, this isn’t the time.”

“You really wanna play the family card right now?” Garrith’s eyes went cold, the muscles in his jaw flexing.

I looked up at Brett. “We’ll get you there just as fast as the ambulance.”

“Fine.” He crossed his arms under his chest and leaned against the wall, scrubbing a hand down his face.

Riding in a car with Brett and Sebastian would be so much fun.

Garrith took his chance and left as Sebastian walked up to us. “Pack a bag for Antonio,” he told me and took him from my arms.

I nodded and ran upstairs to do just that saying prayers on the way. Keisha couldn’t die. Who shot her? Was it Richards or Jose? How the hell had Jose gotten into my… Richards… Oh God. I felt like such an idiot. I now knew that Richards worked for Jose, but I hadn’t put two and two together before.

I quickly ran around Antonio’s bedroom, throwing clothes, diapers, toys, and anything I could think of that I would need into a bag. I didn’t want to bring him to the hospital, but with my mom there also, I had no one else to watch him, and Keisha needed me. She needed all of the support she could get. This was all my fault. Brett warned me years ago that if something happened to his sister …tears welled in my eyes. He was going to hate me if she didn’t pull through.

“Tori.”

Brett stood in the doorway, his face grim and the shadows under his eyes like he’d aged ten years in the last day. I threw down the bag and ran into his arms. “I’m so sorry.” I choked on a sob and wrapped my arms around his waist, not caring in the least if Sebastian saw. Brett was my friend.

Brett ran a hand over my head, his back stiff like he didn’t know if he should hug me or not. Hug me back. Sebastian wouldn’t do anything. Please. I needed to know that our friendship wasn’t hanging by a thread.

He pulled me off of him and held me at arm’s length. “We need to go.”

I looked up at him. He wouldn’t meet my gaze. Something had shifted between us since Sebastian came back. Maybe even before that. I just nodded and grabbed the bag for Antonio. “I am sorry.”

He didn’t respond and left the bedroom.

I wiped away the tears on my cheeks as I met up with them at the front door. As soon as Brett saw me, he headed outside.

“Little one.”

I ignored Sebastian’s scrutiny and grabbed Antonio from his arms, needing the comfort of his warm body against mine. The sweet scent of baby powder wafted into my nostrils, easing my tense muscles. I kissed him on the head and went to go outside when Sebastian grabbed my arm.

“Hey. What happened?”

Swallowing past the hard lump in my throat, I shook my head.

“Talk to me.” He wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment.

I sighed. “Keisha…” Fresh tears filled my eyes and I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Sebastian didn’t respond but nodded in understanding. He took the bag from me as we headed outside. Cop cars and an ambulance were still surrounding the house. Lector sat at the back of the ambulance, talking to police and an EMS worker. “Sebastian?”

He turned to me and took Antonio from my arms. “Go see him.”

I headed over to Lector. “Lector?”

His head slowly rose. Pain and sorrow marked his handsome features and it broke my heart. He rose to his feet and I slowly walked up to him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I squeezed him tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

He cleared his throat a couple of times. “It’s all over. It’s finally fucking over.”

“Cramer would be relieved,” I said, releasing him. Not knowing exactly how it was over and not really sure if I wanted to know in the first place, a weight slowly lifted off of my shoulders anyway.