Sebastian (The Beck Brothers #2) (5 page)

"You want some coffee?"
Sebastian asked without turning around.

"Yeah, sure," she answered,
moving to sit on one of the stools that was set up at the island counter.

He opened the cabinet in front of him and
pulled down two mugs. "So what brings you by?" he asked, turning and
placing both mugs on the counter in front of her.

Raelynn sighed. "We've found out the
identity of the second man - the one who got away."

  Sebastian froze. His broad back
was to her, since he had turned back toward the other coffee maker. He had a
large tattoo of a hooded man with only his mouth showing; an evil, malicious grin
curled the lips of the man, and his arms crossed over his chest, a gun in each
hand. The tattoo covered pretty much his entire back and it was incredibly
detailed. Raelynn wondered how long it took to complete. Sebastian turned his
head to the side, giving her his profile. His hands flattened on the counter
top in front of him, and she could practically see the tension coiling his body
tighter and tighter.

"And?" Sebastian prompted.

"His name is Hector Marquez. He has
a rap sheet a mile long. Has been in and out of jail since the age of thirteen
and you killed his brother Renaldo," Raelynn said.

Sebastian bit out a nasty curse and hung
his head.

"Exactly. You could be in serious
danger, Sebastian. If and when Hector heals from his wounds, he'll most likely
come after you to avenge his brother," Raelynn said, watching his tattooed
back, wondering what he was thinking.

  The coffee pot beeped, signaling
that the coffee was done. Sebastian grabbed the carafe, turned, and filled both
mugs with coffee. His jaw was tight and his eyes were downcast, watching what
he was doing. Once the mugs were filled, he put the carafe back, and brought
over the sugar bowl and two spoons. He grabbed the creamer from the fridge and
set it on the counter with the sugar. Without a word, he put two spoonfuls of
sugar and a splash of creamer in his mug and stirred.

"I think it would be in your best
interest to go into the witness protection program until we can find
Hector," Raelynn suggested, as she fixed her coffee the way she liked -
one sugar and a dash of creamer.

"No," Sebastian said, his hard
tone telling her that he was not going to compromise.

She sighed. "Sebastian..."

"I can take care of myself," he
snapped.

Raelynn looked up to find him glaring at
her. His expression was tight and angry. "I know you can, that much is
obvious. But you can't watch your own back 24/7."

Sebastian shook his head. "I won't
let some scumbag deviant dictate how I live my life," he said, his lip
curled in disgust.

  Raelynn sighed heavily. She knew
he wasn't going to budge on this. The only thing she could do was keep an eye
on him herself, when she could. She didn't blame him though. She probably would
have been the same way if their roles were reversed. Fear was not going to rule
his life. She could admire that, she just worried for his safety.

"Did you get another gun?" she
asked, sipping her coffee.

Sebastian took a sip before answering
her. "I got one the next day."

  The shooting happened almost two
weeks ago now. She hoped that he had gotten something fairly quickly, though
she was shocked that he had gotten one the next day. Then she remembered that
he worked in a gun shop. It probably wasn’t difficult for him to get one.

"That's good."

Sebastian nodded. He glanced at her as he
shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I...uh...I wanted to thank you for
recommending Jared. He's helped a lot," he murmured quietly.

Raelynn smiled softly. "I'm
glad."

He gave her a tight smile, a small flush
creeping up his cheeks.

"You live here alone?" she
asked, turning on her stool to look around his very masculine apartment. There
were no feminine touches anywhere.

"Yeah, you're in a true bachelor
pad." He snorted.

Raelynn smiled as she turned back around
to face him. "Oh yeah?"

Sebastian nodded. "Yup...no women
allowed. Well, other than the occasional Detective that comes knocking on my
door." He smirked.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Are
you telling me you've never had a woman here?"

"Eh...I can't say that, my
sister-in-law comes here. What I meant, is that I don't bring dates here,"
he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh. You're one
of those guys, huh?"

He gave her a bitter snort. "I have
my reasons."

  Raelynn raised an eyebrow in
question, but Sebastian just smiled enigmatically and sipped his coffee.
Okay...he was going to be like that. Fine. It was nice to see him smile, though.
He had an alluring smile, all sexy and seductive. She wondered if he practiced it
in the mirror, or if he even knew what a smile like that could do to a woman.
Dammit.
Why did he have to be so
freaking attractive?

~~~~~

  Sebastian watched as Raelynn
finished her coffee then brought her mug to the sink. She rinsed it then set it
in the sink. She was wearing a tailored black suit with a white blouse and
black pumps. Her hair was in its usual bun at the nape of her neck, and her
makeup was subtle, highlighting her bright blue eyes. She looked professional
and sensual all at the same time.

"I gotta head out. Thanks for the
coffee," Raelynn said, starting for the door.

"No problem," Sebastian
muttered, following her.

  She pulled open his apartment door
and turned to look at him. He caught her gaze wander over his chest and abs
before coming back up to his eyes. He gave her a knowing smirk, making her
blush slightly.

"Watch yourself," Raelynn
grunted. She walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind her.

  Sebastian smiled. She was
something- beautiful and ballsy. He liked it, and he liked her. He'd like to
fuck her was more like it. He'd love to see what she had going on under those
suits she always wore. He could tell that she didn't have a huge chest, probably
just enough to fit in his hands, but that was fine by him. He wasn't really
into huge tits. They were nice sometimes, but they wouldn't have fit on
Raelynn's tiny body, and she was definitely tiny. She was no taller than five
feet three inches, one hundred and fifteen pounds.

  Sebastian got ready for work, and
then headed out to his truck. He just bought a new fairway green Chevy
Avalanche. As soon as he started getting a steady paycheck, he got an apartment
and the truck. When he lived in California, he had a convertible. He left it
there; it was not a car for the East Coast, especially with all of the snow and
bad weather that happened there. He always wanted a truck anyway. Victoria
hated trucks and never wanted him to get one. Now that he was on his own...he
would get whatever he damn well pleased.

  It has been over a year since his
divorce finalized. As soon as the ties were cut, he had no more contact with
her. There was no reason to. He had to speak with her here and there when the
papers were being drawn up and signed, but other than that, he didn't want to
see or hear from her ever again. She betrayed him, cheated on him. He thought
they were happy, that she was happy. God, how could he have been so wrong?

  Sebastian shook his head. He hasn't
thought about her in months, and he didn't plan to start now. He was over her.
He had his own life now. He did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Didn't
answer to anyone, and he liked it that way.

  Sebastian pulled into ‘Bill's Guns
and Indoor Range’ and parked his truck in an empty spot near a black Dodge
Charger. Sebastian frowned. He'd seen that car before, it had been out front of
Henry's house the night of the break in. Sebastian rolled his eyes when he got
out and saw Detective Raelynn Reynolds through the shop's window. Was she
stalking him or something?

He walked into the showroom. The bell on
the door chimed, making Bill and Raelynn turn their heads to see whom it was.
"Long time, no see, Detective," Sebastian teased with a wry smile.

  Raelynn raised an eyebrow at him,
but that was it. She didn't say ‘hi’ or anything. Ah...she was in cop mode. She
then turned back to Bill, basically ignoring him.
What the hell?
This chick ran hot and cold. She was all
relaxed and pleasant this morning at his apartment; now she was tense,
withdrawn, and a bit cold. Maybe fucking her would be a bad idea. He didn't
particularly care for bitches with mood disorders.

  Sebastian shook his head and went
to grab a pen and paper. The shelves needed restocking; while Bill and Raelynn yakked
it up about security and cameras, Sebastian went around and wrote down
everything he needed to fill the shelves. When he was finished, he took his
list to the storage room, and started grabbing what he needed. He filled up a
couple of empty boxes with stuff, and then headed out to the showroom.

"Ah...here he is now. Sebastian,
someone is here for you," Bill said.

  Sebastian glanced up and fucking
froze. Standing just inside the doorway was his bitch of an ex-wife, Victoria.
What. The. Fuck. What the hell was she doing here? How did she find him? He
never told her where he worked. She gave him a tentative smile. Sebastian
glanced at Bill and Raelynn to find them looking back and forth between the two
of them in confusion and curiosity.

Sebastian dropped the boxes. He felt like
he was on the verge of flipping the fuck out. He clenched his hands into fists,
and gave her a hard stare that he knew would have scared a lot of people.
"Get out," he growled.

Victoria's smile faltered and she took a
step forward. "Sebastian, can we please just talk for a minute?"

"No," he snarled, pointing at
the door, in the universal sign for her to leave.

"Please, just hear me out,"
Victoria pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't give one flying fuck about
what you have to say. Get out before I physically throw you out,"
Sebastian barked, causing her to flinch. Good.

"I've made a huge mistake..."
Victoria started, the tears rolling down her pretty cheeks.

"You're damn right you did! Don't
come crawling back to me because your boy toy isn't treating you as well as I
did! Now get the fuck out of my face, Victoria. I don't want to see you here
again," Sebastian snapped angrily, starting toward her.

Raelynn stepped in front of him and put a
hand on his chest. "Sebastian...don't," she said gently.

Sebastian clenched his teeth and watched
while Bill escorted Victoria out the door. That bitch! Coming to his job and
making him look like a fool. He could kill her!

"Ex-girlfriend?" Raelynn asked
quietly.

"Ex-wife," Sebastian spat.

"She cheated on you?" she
asked, her voice soft and sympathetic.

He gave her a nod, unable to meet her
eyes. He felt like such a loser.

"I'm sorry. That had to hurt,"
she said, dropping her hand from his chest.

  Sebastian swallowed hard and
nodded again. He needed some air, so he turned and headed for the back door. He
had to go through the shop to get there. He burst through the door, took a couple
of steps, and crouched down, dropping his head into his hands. His chest ached.
He could have sworn that healed completely, but her showing up had torn the
wound right open. His heart felt raw and exposed.
Dammit!

Sebastian stood and turned when he heard
the back door open. Bill stepped out, his face screwed up with concern. "You
alright, kid?"