“Trust me,” she whispered.
“Just trust me and let me love you the way you love me.”
His chest jerked with a quiet sound. She wasn’t sure if it was laughter or relief, but the look in his teary sage eyes as he tilted his head and stared back at her was humbling.
“You never fail to surprise me,” he whispered, trailing his fingers along her jaw. “I offer you anything you want, and that’s what you ask of me?”
“I don’t want things,” she said, turning her face to kiss his hand. “I want you, and I want you to
trust me enough to be the man you said you wanted to be. That’s who I fell in love with.”
“
I’ve given you that. You are the only one who’s seen that side of me, Taylor. The only one who really knows me. I can’t let my guard down and be that person around anyone else. Not even Monique. As much as I want to, I can’t always be him. I have to protect myself, and you.”
“Is that why you are so hard on your sister sometimes?”
Running his fingers through her hair, he nodded. “It’s my job to protect my family and keep them safe. I also have to watch out for my team. It’s a difficult line to tread, but I’ve lost enough. I can’t afford to lose anyone else.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I never meant to make you feel…I didn’t want to leave. Maybe after everything that happened, but I was so damn scared. I had no idea who that man was or where he came from.
It’s not something I ever want to go through again. You—this thing you’re in scares the hell out of me, but I love you and I believe you love me.”
“I do, baby. More than anything.
We’ll be okay.” He brushed his lips across hers before pulling her closer to claim a tender kiss. “I will always protect you, but you have to trust me,” he murmured. “You won’t always like it, but everything I do is for your own good. I can’t let you cross that line. If I push you behind me from time to time, it’s only to shield what is most precious to me.”
He kissed her again. Leaning back, he offered a tentative smile. “
Of course, I always enjoy it when you are underneath me.”
Laughing quietly, Taylor shook her head. His expression gave way to a boyish grin as his eyebrows quirked in a suggestive dance.
“You’re horrible.”
“I am,” he admitted. “But you make me want to be better.”
She snorted. “What’s next? Are you going to tell me I complete you?”
A smirk stretched across his face. Tugging her closer, he settled his forehead against hers. “No. As true as that is, I was
actually going to suggest we go to bed.”
“You do remember that I have cooties?” she whispered.
“I remember perfectly well,” he murmured, kissing her nose. “However, if you’re feeling up to it, it’s a risk I’m more than willing to take.”
“You’re so reckless.”
“Only when it comes to you, Miss McAvay.”
She giggled as he scooped her up and cradled her in his arms.
Flipping the switch on their way past, Taylor cast the downstairs into darkness but for the first time that day, her heart was heading toward the light.
VI.
Clasping the last button on his shirt, Sebastian stood at the side of the bed and stared down at her. It was so hard to leave. Every part of him wanted to climb back into bed beside Taylor and hold her tight. Last night had been hell. The fear, guilt, and remorse had threatened to crush him. Remnants of it still crawled through his veins, but his conscience was a bit lighter. At least the truth was out there. Everything was on the table, and though there had been traces of the things he’d feared most in her eyes, by the end of the night, somehow, that look of love had returned. She would never understand how much that meant to him—how broken he’d been thinking he would never see it again.
His
face twisted with a pensive frown. Marx and others like him would only see Taylor as a weakness. Perhaps that was true. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to see her again or keep her safe. But what they would never know, what they would never understand, was she was also his source of strength. Love didn’t make him vulnerable. It made him stronger and all the more willing to fight.
Leaning over, he brushed
a wisp of hair off her face and dropped a light kiss on her brow. He was relieved to find her temperature had cooled. Maybe their lovemaking had helped her fever break. A small smile played on his lips. There was no denying he’d enjoyed the extra heat or the added passion in their venture.
Taylor stirred beneath the covers. A soft groan rose in her throat as she stretched and her eyes fluttered open.
The black and silver comforter whispered with her movements. Squinting in the dark, she peered up at him.
“Seb?”
He crouched beside the bed and stroked her soft sable hair. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll be back soon, baby. Go back to bed.”
“What time is it?” she asked. Her voice was still husky and leaden with sleep.
“Just after three.”
“What are you doing?”
“Work called me in. Todd’s brother is on the move. Josh and I are going to check out some leads.”
“
Dressed like that?” Her hand unfurled from under the covers and she traced her fingers along the worn fabric of his hoodie. Peeling back the folds, she explored the soft cotton button up beneath.
Sebastian shrugged. “He may know what to look for
, and our uniforms would stick out like sore thumbs in a storage yard. The more we downplay things, the better.”
“But it’s so early. You hardly got any sleep,” she argued with a worried pout.
“I love you, sweetheart. Don’t worry about me. Everything’s going to be fine. You can do the resting for both of us.”
He kissed her softly and stood. His fingers
wrapped around hers and gave a gentle squeeze. Tugging away, Sebastian reluctantly headed for the door. Her voice stopped him before he could leave.
“I love you, too. Be careful, please.”
His grip on the doorknob tightened. He didn’t know if he could bear to look at her again and still leave. Regret carved his face as he glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
Lowering his head, he stepped into the hall and pulled the door shut behind him. Three
o’clock wake up calls were a bitch.
Josh gripped the steering wheel with a growl, pushing his body against the back of the seat. The leather creaked behind him, and his shoulders stiffened. Sebastian watched from the corner of his eye as his partner scraped a hand over his haggard features. Darkness enveloped them and cast the warehouse in sinister shadows. The yellow hue of streetlights and city still shimmered in the distance. Thick tendrils of factory pollution and smog wafted through the night sky.
“
It’s too damn early for this shit,” Josh grumbled.
Sebastian stared at him
. “Drink your coffee and shut up.”
“
Seriously, I don’t want to be doing this crap right now.”
“I don’t care to listen to you bitch about it either. Yet here we are. Shut your mouth and drink your coffee
before I drown you with it.”
“I can’t drink it if my mouth is shut, asshole.”
Sebastian twisted in the passenger seat. He could see his lethal stare reflected in Josh’s pupils. His partner threw his hands up and shrank away, pulling his Pic-N-Run cup with him. Taking a sip of his own coffee, he returned his gaze to the dilapidated spread of the warehouse. Only a handful of dingy windows remained. A dim light radiated from the interior. Though abandoned, the building was far from vacant. At least for the moment. His attention shifted to the rusted railroad cars and battered truck trailers dotting the overgrown yard. Several plastic barrels sat in a row outside them, the blue coating offering the only splash of color in an otherwise dismal spread of corroded reds and browns. He glanced down as his phone quivered with a subtle vibration.
“The visual feed is almost up,” he said, returning his cup to the holder. “What do you think they are stocking in those barrels?”
Josh shrugged. “Hard to say with these clowns. It sure as hell ain’t Play-Doh though, I’ll tell you that much.”
Sebastian sighed and grabbed the door handle. “You ready?”
“Let’s roll.”
Staying deep with the folds of his hood,
Sebastian clung to the shadows nightfall offered. They had to move fast. Morning would be breaking soon, and with it, their cover. That also meant Laychee and his crew would be on the move. Criminals seldom liked to do their dirty work during the day. The smart ones did, but even they eventually slipped up somewhere. Josh stayed close behind.
“There’s an exit around back. The door’s unlocked. Take the rear stairwell and climb to the upper deck. There’s too much activity below. We have a virtual beehive down there, boys.”
Vince’s smooth voice echoed through his earpiece. A quick glance over his shoulder garnered a nod from Josh, assuring his partner had heard.
“Sector two is on the roof.”
He smiled. Dominic and Wes had made quick work. That’s what he liked to hear. Pushing the heavy metal doors as close to the hinges as he could, he slowly pried the barrier open. The pressure helped minimize the rusty squeak. Holding his breath, Sebastian realized he needn’t have worried. Vince’s assessment was right. A cacophony of deep voices rose from the belly of the warehouse. His gaze darted to the right and immediately settled on the metal stairs. He scaled them quickly, moving on the balls of his feet. The thin railing split at the top, circling the entire rim of the second floor. He chose a door near the center and motioned Josh to circle to the other side of the building. They would cover both angles.
“Sector One Alpha in place,” he affirmed in a whisper.
“Waiting on Bravo. Jesus, this place is huge.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened. He didn’t like small talk on recon. It was distracting and unnecessary. His fists balled and released in a bid to ease the tension creeping up his arms to spread across his shoulders.
Long seconds ticked by as he waited for Josh.
“Bravo, ready to go.”
“Have at it boys.”
Cracking his door open, he peered across the way and winked at his partner as he appeared through a slit on the opposite side. He kept the door propped against his shoulder, using it as a shield as he scanned the activity below. A quick headcount numbered seven different men. They swarmed across the concrete floor moving boxes and crates. Some of the boxes were stacked five deep, reaching close to ten feet high.
“What the fuck?” Josh whispered.
“Hold still, Bravo
, using your feed to zero in.” Vince paused for a moment. “Huh. The boxes are stamped Spunkmeyer. Something tells me these boys aren’t setting up shop in the middle of the night to ship frozen snicker doodles.”
“That’s a damn shame. I’m getting hungry.”
“Both of you shut up,” Sebastian snarled beneath his breath.
Blessed radio silence followed. His gaze tracked the men as they moved from one end of the warehouse to another. Tension battered his system, and his jaw ached as he
squashed a yawn. Blinking against the watery swell in his eyes, he glanced across the way at Josh. His partner was a mirror echo of himself, clad in black street clothes and a loose, flowing hood that helped shade his features. He edged back as a shout sounded below.
“The truck is rolling in. Get these loaded onto the forklifts!”
Craning his neck, he strained to get a visual on their proclaimed foreman. Dark hair and a narrow face stamped into his memory, as did the long and beakish nose. Whoever it was, it wasn’t Laychee. His brow furrowed. A rending sound tore his attention to the right and he watched as a stocky blond tore open one of the boxes. Bingo. There was their boy. Styrofoam peanuts spilled onto the floor as he rummaged through the contents. Intermittent flashes of black appeared through the sea of white packaging. He licked his lips in anticipation as Laychee lifted a gleaming assault rifle from the box. Then he froze.
Most
, if not all, that he could see were military issue, falling under the Special Forces divisions. There were SCARS that put out over six hundred rounds a minute. Nestled among the stash were guns with bullets capable of piercing bulletproof glass, armor, and concrete at distances of a thousand yards or more. Smoke grenades…flash grenades. Either these boys were making a killing shipping their stash or someone was gearing up for war. Quite possibly both, considering the loving way Laychee stroked his weapon. Sebastian’s blood ran cold and a prickle of unease danced across his nape.
His head snapped up as Vince’s voice echoed in his ear, and a simultaneous creak sounded across the tier.
“All sectors call in. There’s movement on the tier. Repeat, confirm locations sectors.”
One split second was all it took. He found himself trapped in
both man and camera’s sights. He knew the minute the shutter snapped shut, capturing his face. He could feel it.
“
Mother fucker,” he growled. Whirling, he let the door fall shut behind him as he darted down the railing after the cameraman.