Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (7 page)

“Not quite, Troy was a little busy with Gabrielle this morning.”

“What do you mean?” Arielle eyebrows lifted.

“She told me she may not let him out of her sight today. I think I interrupted something significant,” he said, and laughed softly.

“I can understand how she feels,” she said meeting his gaze. “It’s
hard for me to let you go sometimes.” She giggled, and then
dropped her gaze to the open book on her lap.

Sebastian sat next to her and leaned in to check the book she was reading. “Another Austen romance story?”

“Yes,” she whispered, never taking her eyes off of the book.

He set the newspaper next to him on the bench and reached over
to slip his hand under her top. He felt her body shiver and smiled
inwardly, pleased that he could arouse her with just a simple touch.
She looked up and their eyes met. He pulled her to him and
delivered a
passionate kiss. The book tumbled to the ground with a small
thump, but they were too busy to notice.

As she pulled back from the kiss, her smile deepened. She
reached up and pushed back the hair from his forehead, and then leaned in again to touch her lips to his. Sebastian immediately took control of
the kiss and it turned passionate. Their encounters were an
experience
beyond anything he had ever felt with another woman during his long life. She was the most precious person, the center of his
universe, the woman that it was absolutely imperative he make his wife. Seducing
her became his top priority as it did every time he touched her.
Sensing
her excitement, he was sure that she would be receptive to his
passion and need, but he knew that he had to talk with Troy, so he eased back. He heard Arielle’s heart hammering in her chest. As if on cue, his mobile rang.

“Bloody hell!” she said as she pulled away, face flushing bright red. He chuckled.

Sebastian pulled her back for a quick kiss. “Sorry, baby, rain check?”
he asked against her mouth. She nodded seemingly unable to speak. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and saw Troy’s name on the screen.

“That was fast,” Sebastian said, clearly amused.

“Not quite that fast,” Troy replied. “Gabrielle has been keeping me quite busy since early this morning,” he whispered, and burst out in a hearty laugh. “What’s up, buddy?”

“I received a call from Dylan. We have a problem. I already
called
Nathan and we are meeting him Monday morning in my office. Can you come over today? I’d like to go over a few things with you before Monday.”

“How about meeting for lunch?” Troy asked. Sebastian turned to Arielle to make sure it was okay with her.

“Ask them to come and have lunch at the beach. It is a beautiful day, quite warm for this time of the year. I’ll make lunch for Gabby
and myself,” Arielle suggested. Sebastian gave her a peck on the
nose as he heard Troy agree.

“We should be there in about a half an hour,” he said, and the phone went dead.

Arielle picked up her book and walked into the kitchen. She proceeded to make a few small sandwiches for Gabby and herself.
She put some sodas in a cooler. When Gabby arrived they walked down to the beach, leaving the guys alone to talk. They loved spending time at the beach even on cool days just as they did when they were
young. Words couldn’t describe the feeling that consumed them
walking on the soft sand in the crisp air, the waves crashing on the shore. They took a long, leisurely walk while they discussed their problems in the most amusing way. They finally decided to sit down and have
some lunch. Gabby took two sandwiches and a soda pop, and
averted her gaze out at the beautiful blue waters. Arielle looked at Gabby’s disappearing sandwiches and giggled.

“Hungry, are you?”

“Sure, I always get hungry at the beach, don’t you? And these
are really good!” she said, pointing at her mouth full of food.

“Do you want another one?” Arielle asked as she took another bite out of her own sandwich, still laughing.

“It isn’t funny, Arielle! Even if I did want another, I wouldn’t say
yes. Look at you! Laughing at me for being hungry,” she shouted,
frowning playfully.

“Gabby, I’m not laughing because you had two sandwiches, I’m
laughing because it took you exactly two seconds to make them
disappear.” She broke out into a hearty laugh, and Gabby joined in. They looked out into the ocean and attempted to take in every little detail of the amazing view. They watched boys on their surfboards waiting in the distance to catch a wave.

“Don’t you think is a bit cold to be doing that today?” Arielle asked, and shivered as the crisp air brushed against her skin. Gabrielle agreed. They laughed joyfully, delighting in their easy
companionship.

Chapter 6

SEBASTIAN TOOK TROY
into the study and they sat down to talk. Each held a glass of salve, but neither were drinking.

“So, what did Dylan say?” Troy asked.

“The scums from Russia are on the move again. They have
bigger
and better plans for taking down our company. Dylan says they
have upped their game to a dangerous level.”

“What exactly do you mean when you say they have upped their game?” Troy asked, puzzled.

“Dylan says they intercepted a conversation between Alexie, the boss, and his boys. They were discussing the different methods they were going to use this time around to make sure they succeed.”

“And what did they say?”

“He said that they are ready to go after me, my family, and the people I love. Extortion comes to mind along with murder.”

Troy stiffened at the words but remained unruffled.

“So…have you got any ideas as to what you’re going to do about this? You know we can handle these guys, don’t you?”

“I haven’t come up with a plan, but I’ve no doubt that we can handle anyone who comes our way. However, I do have to wait for Dylan to get back to London. He’s in Brussels, and should be back next week. He has documentation and photos that he wants to share with us. I want you, Nathan, and myself to get together on Monday, and come up with some solutions or at least a few scenarios. What do you think about that?”

“I’m in, whatever the issue is, I’m in,” Troy said. “I think we
should call on the guys if we find out that we need more people.”

Sebastian smiled wide and gave him a soft nod. “I thought the
very same thing. I’m sure the boys will relish the idea of taking on a new challenge. Don’t you think?” he asked, a mischievous smile on his lips.

“Absolutely,” Troy said darkly. “Where is Alexie located? Is he in Brussels?”

“No, he’s in St. Petersburg, and I’m sure he reports to someone
higher up, someone not officially associated with Alexie's organization.”

“As in St. Petersburg, Russia?” Troy was a bit surprised.

“Yes, I’m sure he is part of the Russian mafia running things from there. There is a top man that we haven’t met yet—and I’m saying yet because I’m determined to get to him. I’ll be the last
person he sets eyes on before he takes his last breath.”

“That’ll be a sight to see.” Troy grinned.

“I’m really worried about these guys coming after Arielle,”
Sebastian said contemptuously. He stood up abruptly and walked over to the
large window that faced the ocean. There was a short silence, and
then
he turned to face Troy. His eyes flashed with rage. “I’ll have to
destroy them, there’s no question about that.” His tone was icy. A low curse escaped his tight lips and his face expression turned deadly serious.
Sebastian’s hands squeeze into tight fists. It was plain that he was worried about Arielle’s safety. A long silence followed Sebastian’s words.

After a few minutes, Troy stood up and walked over to stand
next to his friend. He reached over and tapped Sebastian gently. “Hey buddy, take it easy. There’s no need to get overly anxious before we have all the facts.”

Sebastian turned his gaze from the ocean to Troy and nodded.
They walked back from the window and Sebastian sank into his
favorite
armchair. Troy took the seat across from him. He gazed at Troy
pointedly and tapped his fingers tensely on the armrest. Troy waited patiently
without saying a word. Sebastian pondered the situation before
saying
anything more. Finally, he said, “All I’m saying, Troy, is that if they threaten Arielle’s life I’ll have to kill them.” He spoke with acid in his voice.

“I suppose you could, Sebastian. No, I’m actually sure you will,” he said confidently. “But seriously… Listen, we’re not going to have any trouble getting to these guys, so let's just wait until we meet with Dylan and get more information. What do you say?”

Sebastian remained silent for a short moment before realizing that Troy was right.

“You’re absolutely right,” he said, slapping his hands on the
armrests
and standing up. “Thanks, Troy old boy, how about going and
joining the girls down at the beach?”

“I’m ready if you are,” Troy said joyfully. They started to walk out when Sebastian put out a hand and held Troy back. Troy turned to look at him a little surprised.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Troy, please don’t ever mention to Arielle anything about the threats on my life and hers. All she knows is that a group of scums is planning to sabotage the company.”

“Not to worry, I will not say anything at all. I don’t think she anticipates that we’ll discuss business in front of her.”

“Thanks again, Troy. You are a great friend, I’m sure glad that
we crossed paths.” Sebastian chuckled joyfully, and they walked out to the beach.

The two men stood together on the top of the hill looking down
at the water. They immediately located Arielle and Gabrielle walking by the water, clearly enjoying the day. Suddenly, they noticed two guys running down the side of the hill toward the girls and calling their names.

“I wonder who these guys are?” Troy asked, surprised.

“I don’t know, but let's listen and find out.” Their immortal hearing could easily pick up conversations from a very long distance.

Arielle and Gabby had been sitting for a while watching the
surfers
waiting to catch a wave and then surfing to the shore. It was a
pleasurable sight on a calm, crispy day.

“This is heaven,” Gabby said, breaking the long silence. Arielle nodded in agreement. They talked for a little while longer as they
finished their
drinks. They then decided to take another walk. They walked for a couple of kilometers. On the way back, two male voices startled them.

“Arielle! Gabrielle!” They simultaneously looked over their shoulders to observe two young men running toward them with surfboards in hand. Arielle’s eyes widened in astonishment. Gabrielle gulped flabbergasted.

“I can’t believe it,” Arielle whispered. “Do you see what I see?”

“Yes. It’s Stefan Broterik and James Drew!”

“What the—?” gasped Arielle. “That can’t be… I haven’t seen
them or heard from them in almost three years.” They turned all the way around to face the men closing in.

Without a word, both guys threw their surfboards on the sand and swept the girls into their arms, holding them close.

“Ah, it’s so good to see you!” Stefan said, giving Arielle a
squeeze
and a kiss on the lips. The squeeze was one thing, but the kiss was
indisputably deep; it left Arielle gasping. “Mmm…you feel so good!” Stefan said, his voice filled with indulgent pleasure.

Sebastian growled at the kiss and Stefan’s words but did not move. Troy’s eyes flashed with rage as he watched James holding Gabrielle in a tight embrace. Sebastian had to hold himself back from acting on his displeasure. He could hear in Troy's mind that he was also struggling.

The men's behavior caught the girls off guard. The sudden
warmth
that spread across their bodies when the men touched them
confused Arielle. She felt it hit Gabrielle too, but the sensation was gone just as fast as it came. Stefan and James held them for a short moment, and then they set them down. The girls staggered backward, astonished. Stefan’s face displayed a fondness that gave Arielle a strange feeling.

“Stefan, it is great to see you too,” she said. She looked over at Gabrielle and noticed her stunned look. She then glanced at James, whose eyes betrayed great joy at seeing Gabrielle. Arielle was not surprised about that. James had been in love with Gabby since
primary school, but she had never returned his feelings. The girls stood looking at each other as an awkward silence fell between them.