Inferno (13 page)

“You don’t have to explain your reasons to me, Josh. They, along with your feelings for my sister, have always been quite clear. Just answer one thing. Is there anything else? Any other reason why there is a sudden rush to make sure everything is tied together and secure?”

Josh shook his head, a slight frown crossing his angular features. “Other than the fact that I love them and want what’s best here? No.”

The words hung between them for a long moment. There was no missing the defensive edge in his partner’s voice. It cut deep, reminding him of his own struggles with Marx. Wresting his focus from the glossy tabletop, he considered the situation with Taylor and his own child—how there was nothing he wouldn’t say or do to keep them safe and out of harm’s way. The truth was, blood or not, Marx had succeeded some in pushing Monique away. As much as the distance between them hurt, as much as it stung his pride to see, Josh was the center of her world now, the sole anchor keeping her in place. He had that with Taylor. It was time to trust them both and let it go.

Blowing out a heavy exhale, he shook his head in an attempt to lose the conflicting emotions crashing through him. His hooded gaze settled on Monique once again. Some things were easier said than done. Lifting his chin, he regarded his partner with a curious tilt of his head.

“Let me get this straight. You expect my sister to take on the responsibility of being a fulltime mother to your child and raise him as her own should something happen to you.”

“Seb, please. I want to.” Monique’s voice shook as she fidgeted with her silverware.

“I wasn’t finished,” he stated coldly. His attention swung back to Josh. “My sister takes care of you. She tends to your home and warms your bed. She does all of this, and yet you offer her nothing in return?”

“Baas…I…”

“You what? I put a ring on Taylor’s finger months ago. Is there a reason why my sister isn’t deserving of the same? She’s not a toy for you, Josh. She’s not your maid or your built-in babysitter.”

“Jesus! Would you calm down for a second and let me explain?”

“I’m waiting.”

Josh winced and raked a hand through his hair. “It’s not like that. I love Monique with everything I have. You have no idea how bad I want to make her my wife. She means everything to me. I’ve wanted to do that for a while, but truth be told, I wasn’t sure how you would react. Marx hasn’t exactly been gun-ho about you running off and starting a family.”

“That’s him. Not me.”

“So you’d be okay with us getting hitched?”

His cheeks tightened. The conversation had definitely taken a turn into the uncomfortable and strange. Still, he forced himself to meet his partner’s eyes. “I want my sister to be happy, Josh. I want her to have the life she deserves.”

“I will give her that, Baas. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on Mo that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Lowering his head, he shrugged. “Enjoy each other. Be happy and enjoy your family. You deserve it.”

“Really?” Josh asked. “That’s it? No threats? No menacing glares, just be happy? What is that? Like the kiss of death?”

He dropped his chin to his chest with a rueful laugh. “It’s my job to ensure our team performs the way Marx would expect. I am your boss, Josh. Nothing more. Believe it or not, I have no desire to micromanage your personal lives, nor is it my place as long as you continue to do your job.”

“Yeah, well, Marx might disagree with that assessment. Nothing is off limits to that man. Hell, if he had his way, none of us would ever get married or reproduce again.”

Sebastian’s shoulders rolled with his shrug. “Things have a way of changing with time. It may have to wait until the dust settles a bit, but nothing ever stays the same.”

Josh lifted his glass of scotch and tipped it in acknowledgement. He took a long swig and wiped his mouth with a grimace. “Yeah. I’ll drink to that. Cheers, buddy. Let’s just hope you’re right.”

He studied his partner, watching the candlelight play across his face. There was a sorrow and tension there he couldn’t quite place. Maybe Josh was closer to accepting the truth. Though he knew it would be hard on the man, he hoped that was the case. He needed Josh on his side.

Warmth brushed the top of his leg and Taylor gave his knee an affectionate squeeze. The gesture drew his thoughts away from the grim pallor SKALS managed to cast over their lives and gave him something better to focus on. Leaning over, he palmed the back of her neck and nuzzled the warm pulse behind her ear.

“I can’t wait to get you home and have you all to myself again,” he whispered.

Taylor leveled him with a playful look of exasperation. It made him want to gather a thick fistful of her hair, sink himself deep, and turn that look into one of desperate pleasure. Not for the first time, he cursed his decision to join his partner and sister for dinner.

“Is that all you ever think about?” she asked, scrunching her nose.

God help him, he was going to lose it. For a moment, he pondered dragging her to the bathroom, but she deserved better than some tasteless romp in a toilet stall. Letting his head fall back to rest against the padded ledge, he regarded her with a raised brow. “Are you saying you never think about it?”

“Yeah, right. Of course I do.”

“Mm. That’s good to know. I am always up for a challenge, darling, but it would be exhausting to have to double my efforts.”

She blushed as he brushed his knuckle across the slope of her cheek. Squirming slightly in her seat, Taylor swung her wide gaze up to his. Her eyes shone like quicksilver in the candlelight and danced with the promise of things to come.

“Does that mean we’ll be skipping dessert tonight?” she whispered before kissing the side of his neck.

“What happened to you crying if I touched you again?” he whispered back, trying to shield his amusement.

“I got over it,” she admitted with a sheepish look.

Running his thumb over the pouty swell of her lips, he fought a smile. “We will see.”

“Please?”

Laughing softly, he shifted away from her before things got too out of hand. His cock was already hard and throbbing painfully against the seam of his pants. “Behave yourself before you end up in over your head, darling.”

“Yeah, about that. Why don’t you do all of us a favor here and get a damn room?” Josh teased.

Monique’s laughter wafted across the table. “Leave them alone,” she chided. “My brother just gave us free reign to enjoy ourselves. Let them do the same.”

“I’m just trying to hold onto my appetite, babe.”

“I know.” She traced the hard outline of Josh’s bicep through his sleeve. “But he’s been more than gracious about things. Let’s just enjoy the night.”

Sebastian fought to contain his amusement as his partner’s stony expression faltered and caved. The man had it bad.

His smile faded as the red glow of taillights shone through the restaurant’s tinted windows like a flickering beacon to his trained eye. Unease raked across his skin with razor-sharp talons upon spotting the slowing van. His hand lingered, fingers twitching near the pistol holstered at his hip. Only the outline of the vehicle was visible through the dark glass, but its size and bulk did nothing to alleviate his fears.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Sebastian’s stomach clenched as the van’s door swung wide open. In one fluid movement, he shoved Taylor face down across the booth and lunged for his sister, his partner’s name flying from his lips. Josh didn’t have time to react. The world around them exploded into a volley of gunfire and shattering glass. Flipping the table, Sebastian hit the floor, dragging Taylor to the ground with him as the restaurant erupted into a chorus of frenzied screams. Wood splintered, its shards flying left and right. Glass rained down around them, pelting his skin.

Cursing, he crawled over Taylor, trying to shield her with his body as he frantically searched for his sister.

“Monique!”

He screamed into the chaos, his voice breaking with panic, but there was no answer. The table rocked in front of them, buffeted by the endless onslaught of bullets. The shooters held nothing back. His heart hammered, slamming with brute force. The flimsy table shielding them wasn’t going to last much longer. Beneath him, he could feel Taylor’s body shake with her sobs.

The warm, sticky rush of blood pooled beneath his arms, as he tried to pull them both across the floor. The overhead lights and mirrors lining the booth behind them exploded in a savage hail, forcing him to still and cover his head. When he lifted it again, he found his sister sprawled across the floor, her slender body curled around Aiden’s in a protective hunch. Josh was trying like hell to cover them both but it wasn’t enough. Panic stabbed hard and deep. The meager shield the table offered was almost blown.

“Jesus Christ! Monique!” he screamed again. Another heavy assail forced him to bow his head. “JOSH!”

They were losing ground. Chunks of wood were starting to fly on both ends, leaving gaping holes in their wake. Rapid bursts of gunfire continued to pepper the night, flashing as bold and bright as lightning. All of it aimed their way. They had to move, and the desperation etched on his partner’s face said he knew the same.

Keeping his back to the barrier, he rolled Taylor over. Blood was everywhere. Hers, his. It was too hard to tell. His heart slammed even faster as he grabbed her face.

“Stay with me,” he ordered. “I need you to stay with me.” Something sharp and burning gouged his shoulder, making him wince. “We have to move. Do you hear me?”

The blank terror in her eyes was numbing. She was bordering on shock, but she nodded into his hands.

“Good girl. On two.”

Deathly silence reigned.

He drew an uncertain breath, then another, his ears straining. The slamming of a van door and the shrill squeal of tires searching for traction broke the spell and brought a much needed bid of relief. Springing to his feet, Sebastian scrambled over the table and charged toward the shattered building front, his gun in hand. His partner’s labored breathing sounded beside him as he scanned the empty street.

“What…the…fuck…was
that
?” Josh panted. He slumped over to rest his hands on his knees, his shoulders still heaving, his breath bordering on sobs.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. You?”

The question fell across his back. Turning, he assessed the damage. The shooting had left a scene of carnage in its wake. Their waiter lay stretched face down in a pool of blood. A waitress was sprawled lifelessly before the bar. Two more patrons lie dead. Several wounded, but the worst was the elderly couple in the opposite corner. A tiny, frail little woman hung slumped across the table. Her wounded husband was screaming in anguish as he stroked her crimson-soaked head. He pleaded, howling and repeatedly begging her to wake up. Steeling his jaw, Sebastian strode past them.

Monique was forcing herself to her feet, her willowy legs trembling beneath the strain. Her hands shook as they fluttered over Aiden time and again. That was all Sebastian needed. Spinning, he turned to search for Taylor. She’d stumbled to her feet, presumably to head in his direction, but didn’t make it far. His heart stopped as he watched her drop onto the shredded leather remains of their booth. Her eyes were bleak and empty, her chest barely moving.

Rushing back to her side, he crouched in front of her, his hands racing over every inch in search of injury as the keening wail of sirens broke in the distance.

“Baby,” he choked. “Talk to me. Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

Her eyes flickered to his before darting back to the bodies and blood.

“Taylor?” He swallowed. His throat was closing off. She didn’t look like she’d been hit. He didn’t see any entry wounds or holes in her clothes, but the blood made it so hard to see. Was he missing something? Fighting tears, he lifted her chin and pulled her bewildered stare back to him. “Baby, please answer me. Please…”

“I…” She trailed off with a silent shake of her head. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, searching her face.

Unable to help it, he cradled her abdomen, spanning it with his fingers. The gesture seemed to pull her out of her daze. Recognition mingled with the horror dimming her mercurial eyes. A deep shudder wound through her, and he rocked back on his heels as she lunged forward and threw her arms around his neck. Her hold was tight, constricting, and her teeth chattered violently beside his ear. It wasn’t much reassurance, but she was alive.

Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed the top of her head and held on for dear life. “It’s okay now, baby,” he murmured. “Everything’s okay. I got you.”

CHAPTER 6 ~

Red and blue strobes flickered through the night, bouncing off the reflective glass storefronts lining the street. They mingled with the slow swirl of red, white, and orange cast by the ambulances and fire trucks. Still stunned, people shuffled from one station to the other, their tear-streaked faces dazed and blank. Most of the restaurant’s patrons had escaped with a few minor cuts and scratches, but the horror of what happened would last a lifetime. Keeping one arm draped around Taylor’s shoulders, Sebastian finished telling the police what he knew. The frustration stamping their faces mirrored his own. Both sides knew the trivial amount of information they had to go on was as good as it was going to get. At least for now.

A glint of metal caught his eye and he tensed. A hoard of new arrivals were descending on the scene, flashing badges and false smiles along the way. Anxiety crept into his spine, making the space between his shoulders ache. It hadn’t taken the suits long to muscle their way in.

The little bit he did know about Marx and Blue crashed to the forefront of his mind. Rage forced his hands to clench into tight fists. He needed to get out of here before the accusations started to fly. Turning, he winced at the tightness of the bandages circling his forearms and searched for Josh and Monique among the fray. His partner’s expression was drawn and haggard as he finished giving his side of the story to a set of officers a good twenty feet away. Monique clung to the support of his arm while doing her best to keep Aiden secured against her side.