Retrieval (6 page)

His gaze was drawn to the screen. Sleep for him would be a long time in coming. How had she managed to get under his skin so quickly? Damn, but she was there, and if there was one thing Sebastian realized about himself, it was that he’d never let a woman in trouble slug through it on her own.

Luckily for her, he’d taken this job and made the decision to
watch
her back instead of haul her back to her father. But Smythe-Ward was a brilliant son of a bitch. Sebastian was sure if he’d hired his firm to hunt the women, he probably had another, possibly more than one other team doing the same thing.

He needed to talk with Skylar, warn her to be on the lookout for other teams following her. Had he led others to her? There was no way to be sure, but he had to let her know the possibility was out there. Unfortunately, she’d left him with no way to do that. And
he
didn’t have any superpowers.

“Need something, Sebastian?” a husky, feminine voice inquired.

His head shot up. He searched the room for whoever had spoken. His gaze fell to the screen. She was looking right into his hidden camera. His heart kicked into a full gallop. Her voice took his breath away. He closed his eyes and almost groaned. He wanted to hear her whisper in his ear as he filled her body with his.

“You can’t hear me, so why you asking?”

“Who says I can’t hear you? I may have gotten rid of your bugs, but I got crazy skills, remember?” She smiled into the camera before shifting her gaze back to the road.

What—the—fuck?

“I mean, I asked you a question right? You’re sitting there staring holes through my head. I just thought I’d see if there was anything I could do to, you know, help you out,” she teased.

Her voice made his body tighten.

“You’re shitting me right?” His tone was slightly less teasing, a lot more put out.

“Umm … no?” She shot him a quizzical look.

“You asking or telling me?”

“Both,” she responded with a laugh.

“How the hell is this possible?”

Maybe he was having a psychotic break, and in reality he was talking to a padded wall. Then again, if he was loony, so was Rover.
What a way to go though, right?
Visions of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen with a voice that brought wet dreams? Yeah, he’d take that in a nuthouse any day over the shit he was dealing with in real life.

“Do you want the scientific response to that, or just layman’s terms?” she asked as she focused on the road, and her driving.

“Please, please, please don’t say the word lay around me, lady. Just give it to me straight out in plain English,” he answered with a forceful groan.

“Geesh, you’re as uptight as Piper. You’re hot though, so you get bonus points for that.” She laughed into the camera then her face scrunched up as if she were pondering which came first: the chicken or the egg.

Fuck me, quit laughing!
His body hardened in a painful rush. He had to stand up to relieve the sudden constriction of his jeans.

“Just tell me how this is happening,” he demanded in frustration.

“Wellllll, I can bend matter. You know that old saying ‘it’s mind over matter’? Well, it’s kind of true, only I use my mind to control the matter. Oh and energy, don’t forget energy. You know things like sound, light, heat, yada, yada, yada.” Her tone matter of fact; she shrugged her shoulders as if that alone should answer all his questions.

“Yeah, I’m not following that. Can you give me something else here? Tell you what, maybe we can meet up, and you can explain it in person,” Sebastian muttered sarcastically.

“Ooh, not only are you hot, you’re funny. I like that. You’re racking up bonus points left and right. We keep chatting like this, Bastian, and who knows what it’ll lead to?”

Her voice had dropped into an even huskier alto tone that brought all of Sebastian’s senses into full awareness.

“My name is Sebastian.
Se
bastian Graham. So I guess that means you aren’t going to tell me how your superpowers work, huh?” he asked, and the hopeful note in his voice had her laughing again.

“And smart. The list is growing. Before too long I’ll be having dreams of white picket fences and two-point-five kids, Bastian,” she teased lightly

“So you’ll marry me then?” Sebastian asked giving up for the moment in the face of this insanity.
Holy shit, what’s the matter with you, Graham?
He recognized it was the first time he’d ever said those words to anyone, teasing or not.

“You work fast don’t you?”

“I get the feeling I have to with you. Never know when you’re going to up and disappear.”

“Just keeping you on your toes, big guy. Soooo … if you’re asking hypothetically, then I guess my answer is yes, I’ll marry you. But there are conditions.”

“What kind of conditions?”

“Well, there’s the name thing. I can’t go around calling you Sebastian our whole life together. I much prefer Bastian. Your whole name is a mouthful, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I like to talk. Don’t want to have to yell ‘Sebastian,’ when I can just shorten it to ‘Bastian.’ See, the shortened form is much easier, much more …
personal
.” Her tone was suggestive.

She’s just tired, dumb ass.

“So you’re going to be doing a lot of yelling I take it?” Horror laced his tone.

“Nah, not much. But you know how men are. You don’t know when to stop; you think you know everything; you’re all slobs. Anyway, the whole name shortening, it’s not
just
so I can yell at you easier.”

She blinked slowly. Fatigue had to be riding her hard.

“Hey, Sky? Why don’t you pull over, and find a place to lie down and rest, okay?” Another Sebastian first, his tone was gentle, coaxing.

“Trying to get me in bed already? You’re shameful.” A yawn followed her words.

“No, I’m trying to keep you safe,” he responded ruefully.

“Why do you care?”

“Hey, I’ve got a duty to my future wife, right? If you don’t pull over and get some sleep, you might wreck that beautiful Dodge Charger, and what will we have to pass on to those two-point-five boys?”

“See, I almost got a little mushy there thinking you cared about my health, and then I thought how sweet you were to be worried we may not have those two-point-five kids if I wreck and die. But, nooooo. You’re just worried about the car.”

“Right. It’s nice that I’ve picked a woman that gets me, you know? Now pull the car over at the next exit and find a place to hole up for the night. And be careful. I have a nasty feeling I’m not the only one looking for you.”

“Just figured that out did you?” she asked wryly.

“Nah, I’m a man. I know everything. So you’ll pull over?”

“I just need to get a little farther down the road, okay? Then I’ll pull over and sleep,
Bastian
.” She purred his name.

It almost unmanned him.

“You need to stop that.”

“Stop what?” she asked him, a curious look on her face.

“Saying my name that way.”

“What way?”

“The way you’re saying it. You’ll embarrass me,” he said in mock discomfort.

“That’s the very last thing I want to do to you, promise. I have a long list I’ve been formulating since I left you and your boys back at my house. Trust me,” she murmured, “I say that a lot around you don’t I?
Believe
me, embarrassing you is the very last thing on that list.”

Suggestion peppered her words, and it took everything in him not to yell out in frustration.

“Besides,” Skylar continued, “there’s nobody in the room with you anyway. They’ll never know about it; it’ll be our little secret. Hold on a second.”

She peered intently out of the front windshield. She stared at something out of the camera’s line of sight. A shiver of apprehension raced along his spine. He cursed savagely at being unable to see what held her attention.

“What is it, Sky? What do you see?” he demanded.

“I don’t know. Hold on a second. I’m getting closer to a roadblock. There’s lots of flashing lights. Hope it isn’t an accident. Have you noticed that you shorten my name too?” she asked, still distracted by whatever it was she was viewing ahead of her.

“Yeah? Well suck it up. If you have a problem with it all you have to do is let me know where you are, and I’ll fix it for you,” he replied silkily.

“Think you’re quick, huh? I’ll keep my location a secret for now. Adds to the adventure and all, ya know? Plus, you need to work to earn my affection. I’m not a wham-bam-thank you-ma’am kind of gal. You gotta show me what you’re working with, and then we’ll plan the wedding, ’kay?”

She was still paying more attention to whatever the hell was going on in front of her, and he grew more concerned by the second.

“Sky, turn the car around, take an alternate route,” he ordered.

Alarm flitted over her face as she glanced at the camera. Her gaze shifted again to something beyond his view. Her eyes widened. She slammed on the brakes, swung the vehicle around, and took off like a bat out of hell.

“I think your idea has merit. It was a little too crowded up there for me. Okay then, so, I gotta go Bastian. I’m gonna ask you one more time not to follow me. Let me go, please?” Her voice was coming in sharp bursts now, agitation drawing it tight.

Still she pleaded with him not to follow her.

“Looks like you need some help. I’m coming. Even if you don’t tell me I’ll find you one way or the other.” He was yelling now.

There was another car, a dark sedan, racing right along beside Sky. Before she had time to respond to him a shot rang out, and the passenger side window exploded inward.

“Son of a bitch! You shot my fucking car,” Skylar yelled, but the sounds were becoming muted as if they were coming from a long distance.

“Tell me where you are.”

“They’re gonna wreck me, Sebastian. I don’t have time. Find my sisters and get them to safety. Tell them I said it’s time; they’ll go with you. Shit!” she shouted as she careened wildly after the dark sedan rammed the passenger side.

More shooting followed. There was an ominous thud followed by a grunt, and she moaned slightly.

“Are you hit?” he asked frantically. “Bleak! Get in here” he shouted.

“Yeah, and son of a bitch that shit hurts.” She groaned, her eyes moving to the camera once more as she gave him an impish grin.

“I’m not gonna die yet; we’re getting married remember?”

She was teasing him? She was shot, running for her life, and she was fucking teasing him? The woman was off her rocker.

“Stop the car. Give yourself up to them, and I’ll find you. Tell me where you are. I’ll come get you.”

“I can’t. Get my sisters for me and tell them what I said. I can take care of myself okay?”

“Don’t do this, please. Let me help you.” His voice was hoarse with frustration, his blood boiling that anyone had dared to harm her.

“Who in the hell are you talking to man?” Bleak asked him in alarm.

“You don’t see this shit on the screen?” Sebastian asked never taking his eyes from the monitor.

“Yeah, I see it, but I still don’t know who you’re talking to—there’s no audio feed with this. Are you okay?” Bleak questioned, a look of concern on his face.

“I’m fine; she’s been shot though. Skylar?” Sebastian was hoping against hope that whatever connection she’d established with him was still there.

“Yeah?” Her voice was fainter; she was fading.

“Run. I changed my mind, don’t give yourself up, do your magic shit, and get the fuck out of there now.”

“And leave this car? Are you out of your freakin’ mind? My sisters will kill me, you’ll divorce me, and our kids will be without both parents in the home. No way. I’m staying with the car.”

She breathed in short, panting breaths, and for just a second, her agony was his. His knees buckled as he fought the tide of white-hot pain shooting up his side. He put his hand against his side, pulled it away expecting blood.

“I can’t divorce you if we haven’t gotten married yet, baby. I need a chance to get to you. Where in the fuck are you? Tell me.”

“Did I mention you’re a funny man? Okay, you win. I just passed mile marker twenty-seven off the 80 interchange right outside of Des Moines. I’ll hide as long as I can, but I’m hurt. I can’t jump anywhere with this bullet in me.”

“Ditch the car. Do what you can until I get there. You don’t want to give up, don’t give up. I’m on my way.”

She did what he told her. The car shuddered to a halt; the look in her eyes communicated so much: anger, fear, pain, resolve.

“Get away and hide. I’m coming,” he promised her.

“We’re rolling,” Sebastian shouted as he made his way out the door to the SUV parked in the lot.

“We’re with you man,” Morrissey said, tugging on a shirt and buttoning his jeans. He had his boots in one hand, a wicked-looking GLOCK in the other and was running right along with Bleak and Sebastian.

“What’s going on?” Morrissey asked Bleak when they were seated, and Sebastian gunned the motor to get them going.

“Crazy shit, man, crazy shit,” Bleak responded, shaking his head.

“I’ve got a location on Skylar McKannon. She’s been shot, and there’s no telling who’s chasing her. We’re headed her way. You can shut your mouth and ride along to help me, or get the fuck out now,” Sebastian snarled at both of his friends.

“We’re with you man, this isn’t going to do her any good. Jesus. Calm down,” Morrissey said, as he held a hand up to ward off the violence pouring off Sebastian in waves.

“Seb, you gotta get cool. Concentrate on driving. I’ll get Rover on the link and see if he knows anybody from back in the day that may be closer than we are. You okay, man?” Bleak asked him from the back seat of the big Chevy Tahoe.

“No, I’m not. What if they somehow got to her because of us?” Sebastian asked in a rough voice.

“She’s a job. We’re getting paid to retrieve her. If Smythe-Ward covered his bases by hiring on another crew, that’s his business. You know how this shit works. We get paid, and that’s all that matters, right?” Bleak asked.

“Not this time. Not with this woman.”