Bound by Vengeance (27 page)

“I’m fine. Just drive.”

“What are you doing?”

He growled beneath his breath. Counting to ten, he fought to keep his perilous temper under control.

“What do you think I am doing, Josh? I’m looking up the coordinates on the necklace I gave her.”

Hesitance twisted his partner’s sharp features as the car sped underneath the yellowed glow of the streetlights. “You don’t think they might've ripped it off of her in the struggle?”

Turning in his seat, Sebastian tilted his head. His face throbbed as it tightened with fury. “Is that your idea of making me feel better?” he asked in a low whisper. “I’m injured, Josh, not dead. Keep that in
mind the next time you want to open your mouth.”

“Yeah, Baas. Okay,” his partner muttered in placation.

He peeled his stare away with a vast amount of effort. Rage still rolled through his system, and despite his condition, he burned for an outlet. Forcing his attention back to his phone, he squinted at the unfamiliar numbers flickering across the screen. As much as he hated to admit it, he could barely read them between the swelling in his face and the dancing line of his vision. Biting the inside of his cheek, he resisted the urge to hurl the damn phone through the windshield. A hesitant plea died in his throat as his partner’s phone broke the tense silence gripping the car.

Josh fumbled for it with one hand while keeping his other planted on the steering
wheel. He answered and issued a short strand of “yeah” and “okays” before ending the call and whipping a sharp U-turn in the middle of the street.

Sebastian gripped the dashboard, staring at him with a combination of ire and disbelief.

“That was Marx. They intercepted Taylor and your head of security on the way to the hospital. They’re taking them to headquarters.”

He tensed, the blood draining from his face. His entire body went numb with shock and fear. Jesus, would this nightmare ever end?

“What? How…how is she?”

Josh shook his head. “I don’t know, Baas.”

“Why the hell didn’t you ask?” he snapped.

The car jerked to the right with a hard swerve as Sebastian’s phone bounced off the side of the other man’s arm. Backing and battery alike broke free and tumb
led to the floorboards. Straightening the Benz, Josh grunted and rubbed the side of his bicep.

“Ouch! Jesus Christ! What the fuck, Sebastian? Are you trying to get us both killed?”

“Just you,” he stated coldly. “Don’t talk to me. Don’t even look at me. Just drive.”

Chapter 14 ~

Taylor stared at the big bull of a man with a combination of fear and dread. His heavy muscles strained against his black dress shirt and slacks as he strode down the hall beside the gurney. Sebastian’s boss was the last person
she’d expected to see when the door to the backseat of her car had swung open. She wasn’t too sure death wouldn’t have been a more merciful end.

He’d said nothing, not even when he’d hauled her out of her car and carried her to the back of a waiting van.

Her only relief came from the fact that they’d laid Henderson there on the floor beside her, and even that was short lived. Blood pooled from his abdomen and an angry side wound on his head, soaking the metal beneath them.

Once they’d shut the doors, he’d
turned his face toward hers with a sad smile. Fresh and dried blood alike stained the salt and pepper stubble smattering his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he’d whispered.

That simple declaration had hung between them the entire time. Unable to respond, she’d stared at him while tears leaked over her cheeks. Even now, it continued to haunt her and she glanced around in search of the wounded guard.

He was nowhere in sight.

Worry and fear clenched her heart like a fist. Her surroundings chilled her to the bone. The concrete walls shone a glossy painted grey, and dim strips of fluorescent light tubes flickered overhead as the stretcher passed beneath them. She was all too aware of the thick straps pinning her against the gurney. After being bound at home, the sensation made her want to scream. A whimper stuck in her throat when her eyes grazed over the massive skull and crossbones emblem stretched across one wall, the toothy leer sending a jolt of terror straight down her spine as she realized where she was.

She’d seen the same tarnished silver insignia on Sebastian’s lapel enough times to know what it stood for, even if she wished she didn’t.

Marx glanced down at her. A smug grin curved the full spread of his lips, and a spark of amusement danced in the dark pools of his eyes. “Welcome to SKALS, Miss McAvay.”

Her chest shuddered as she fought to breathe. Why? Why was she here? A sick ball of dread churned in her stomach. Did they think she had talked? She felt a slight quiver rattle her chin as she struggled t
o find her voice. It still wouldn’t come. Inside she screamed, railing against the complete and utter helplessness of her situation.

Why hadn’t Laychee’s men just killed her? As chilling as the thought was, she was certain it would have been a million time
s quicker and less painful than whatever lay in store for her now.

Marx’s smile faded. His hard eyes bore into her as he leaned down and studied her. “I’m not sure if you’re being rude or if you just aren’t much of a talker. Either way, I doubt Sebastian w
ould approve. I certainly don’t.”

Though her lover’s fate was still uncertain, the threat was enough to send a raw surge of panic down her spine. Her pleading gaze darted to the director’s, silently begging him to understand.

“Good,” he said, straightening. One big hand patted her knee as he winked. “I’m glad to see you’re still in there after all. Now let’s see what we can do about helping you find your tongue again, shall we?”

The pleading in her eyes intensified as she wondered if that meant he understo
od her situation, or if that was a veiled threat. Her fingers curled on the stretcher beside her, and she tried desperately to pump her fist.

He pulled the gurney in silence until they reached the end of the corridor. Taylor stared at the massive interlock
ing metal doors, her terror reaching an all-new level of extreme. Sweat beaded along her brow and slicked her hands. Her heart slammed against the walls of her chest and stutter skipped as Marx scanned his thumb, then his retina. He punched in a brief code and the hiss of decompressing air filled the hall as the doors slid open. If she could have clawed her way to freedom when they glided back shut, she would have.

They made a quick right. Straight metal doors with no windows and thick numbers stenciled in
black lined the long corridor. They reminded her of the solitary cells in the prison shows she’d seen. Somewhere, she thought she heard someone scream. She tried her best to forget they tortured people here and get her raging pulse under control.

Marx tur
ned left, dragging her along with him. Gooseflesh erupted as the air grew colder. All of the twists and turns made Taylor think of the infamous catacombs. The irony was not lost on her. Grim, grey, and hidden out of sight from the rest of the world, this too was a place of death.

Another set of interlocking doors waited at the end of the hall. The light inside that room was bright, blinding, after the comfortable dimness of the corridors. Her eyes darted around and a low, pleading noise rose in the base of
her throat. Thin fluorescent strips dangled from the metal beams overhead, along with the same massive metallic spotlights they had in hospitals. The glossy white walls lent to the cold sterility of the room, and the harsh smell of antiseptics and disinfectants hung in the air, making her nostrils sting. Seeing the stainless steel trays and sinister looking medical contraptions, she shook with an imploring moan.

Marx barely shot her a second glance. He strode across the room and pressed a button she could
only assume was an intercom.

“Where the hell is the medical team? I need them in here STAT,” he barked.

Something deep inside her winced and tried to burrow into whatever protective shell it could find. Despite the man’s imposing size, his footsteps fell silently against the floor as he approached. His heavy brow furrowed as he took note of the tremors wracking her from the inside out.

Taylor stared at him through a shaky haze. Her heart thudded even harder when he reached for her and pried back an eyelid,
his gaze narrowing.

“No,” the director snapped in a forceful voice that vibrated clear through her. A scowl stamped his expansive face. “You aren’t taking the easy way out. Do you hear me, Taylor? You’re going to
fight
.”

Sebastian stalked through the halls with as much speed as his battered body could muster. He’d squinted several times trying to clear his vision enough to keep from running into a corner when they turned. Beside him, Josh said nothing, though a nervous tension radiated off the man.

They’
d heard security announce his arrival, meaning Marx was here, and he was smart enough to be on the defensive. A blackened frown rode his face as they turned down the hall toward the infirmary. Caution wasn’t going to be enough to save him. Not this time. He barely caught sight of the slender sheet-clad body on the other side before their director stepped between them and the doors slid shut behind them.

Sebastian felt the muscles beneath his right eye twitch and jump in response. “Where is she, you son-of-a
-bitch?” he growled. “Where is Taylor? Is that her lying in there? Is it?”

He prowled closer, his head cocking in question.

Marx frowned, his square jaw lifting an authoritative notch. “Stand down and calm yourself, Baas.”

Rage blinded him, eclipsing all
else. His fists curled at his sides as Marx’s dark stare drilled into him.

“Calm myself?” he asked with a soft laugh. “I warned you. I told you something like this was going to happen. Did you even care or was this your intention all
along? Was this your way of trying to get her out of my life?”

“Sebastian…”

“No,” he interrupted with a slow shake of his head. He took another step forward and whipped his pistol free. The brushed chrome glinted beneath the lights.

“Whoa!” Josh yelled. “W
hoa! Baas, put the gun down.”

Ignoring him, he kept his sights trained on their director. Surprise flickered in the big man’s eyes. “What do you think, Marx?” he asked in a cold rasp. “Is today the fucking day?”

“Baas! Seriously, put that damn thing down!” Josh exclaimed, reaching for him.

He spun out of reach, his eyes hardening, but never leaving his target. “What did I say, Marx? What did I tell you would happen if they went after my family?”

“Reevers, I strongly suggest you get your boy under control…”

“I am not his
boy
. I’m not anyone’s boy. You better get that straight right now,” Sebastian warned, his body trembling with fury.

His jaw tensed as Josh boldly stepped into the line of fire, his hands outstretched and pleading.

“Baas, give me the gun. Don’t do this. Please. Come on, man. Your head’s all fucked up and you aren’t thinking straight. It’s not worth it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Josh.”

“Then don’t. Come on. Put that fucking thing down. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Do you think I care
?” he asked, tilting his head. “What am I supposed to do, huh? Just go back on my word? Pretend none of this ever happened? No…get out of the way.
Now
.”

“You might not value your own life at the moment, Sebastian,” Marx stated flatly, “but you seem to plac
e a great deal of importance on Miss McAvay’s. I’m going to chalk this unpleasantness up to a head injury, and you are going to understand that Taylor is under our care. She’s receiving treatment from our medical staff, one of the finest teams in the world. I can easily pull the plug on that generosity and leave her to die like your security guard. The choice is yours.”

His jaw clenched, the muscles beneath knotting with hatred and rage.

“Seb…Seb, listen to me,” Josh soothed, stepping closer. “Taylor needs you. She’s right there on the other side of those doors. You’re not doing either one of you any good standing out here having a pissing match with Marx. Just calm down and give me the gun…
please
.”

His lip curled. Lean body shaking with fury and disgust, he
shook his head, locked the safety, and slammed the pistol into his partner’s waiting palm. The smug smile and gleam in Marx’s eyes made him regret that decision. He brushed past their director with a glower.

“After you,” Marx said with a sweeping bow.

The red-hot anger pumping through his veins fell beneath a wave of concern as he spotted Taylor. She looked so small and fragile strapped to one of the gurneys with a team of medical personnel swarming around her. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he rushed across the room. His eyes burned as he took in the bloody, tattered remnants of her clothes and the electrodes stuck to her chest. One of the doctors nudged him out of the way. Shooting the short, chubby man a brief glare, Sebastian made his way to the head of the stretcher.