Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3) (25 page)

“Yes, sir,” she shot off with a playful salute.

Bordering on hyperventilation, Taylor tried to focus on her plate. Her stomach churned as she pushed a piece of chicken around with dispassionate interest. Like fire, fear seemed to suck the oxygen from the room and she battled with the urge to fling the front doors open. Maybe she could push Irene through them before things got any worse. Feeling the full weight of Sebastian’s discontent, she slumped even lower.

“So what is it that you do, big boy?” Irene asked, aiming her attention Marx’s way.

He frowned at her choice of words and dabbed his mouth with his napkin. “I oversee company operations.”

“Sounds sexy,” she said. “Exciting…you must be a very powerful man.”

“I am well on my way.”

“
That’s awesome. What is it they say? Under every successful man lies a strong woman?” she teased with a lecherous waggle of her brows.

Taylor couldn’t smother her mortified gasp. “Irene,
please
!”

“What, honey? He’s a good-looking man and I don’t see a ring. You can’t blame a girl for trying.”

Marx’s fathomless laughter rolled through the room. “I assure you, it would take a much stronger woman than you to lie under me.”

“I don’t know
about that, honey. I’m a mighty quick learner.”

All hum
or fled his broad features. “How generous of you to enlighten me. I advise focusing some of that energy on learning proper dinner etiquette. It’s as good of a place as any to start. Someone pass the bottle. My drink is empty.”

J
ackson immediately snared the scotch from the middle of the table and handed it Marx’s way. He looked relieved to have found some form of distraction, no matter how fleeting. Taylor couldn’t blame him. A chilling silence gripped the room and she resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands and cry. It wasn’t as volatile as what had happened on Christmas Eve but, somehow, it felt infinitely worse.

Her head snapped up as Josh’s leg hit the table, jarring it hard enough to rattle plates and silverware alike. His dark blue eyes blazed as he shot a disbelieving look Irene’s way. Wordlessly, he cleared his throat and edged closer to the blonde on his other side. Worry lined Monique’s delicate brow as she
searched his face in confusion. Josh merely shook his head in response.

“My apologies,” he muttered. “Leg cramp. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t,” Marx advised. “Potassium, Reevers. Take some. Your team needs you functioning at full capacity.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What are you working on?” Irene asked.

“Nothing we can discuss, Ma’am,” Jackson said, flashing
a disarming smile. “Every mission is top secret.”

She
returned his grin. “Right. I forgot. So tell me, what’s it like working under Sebastian? He’s your boss, right?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” A collective ease fell over the room, the topic somehow seeming much safer. “Agent Baas is
extremely intelligent and intense. I find it both an honor and a privilege to serve under him.”

“Mmm
hmm,” Irene purred, looking Sebastian’s way. Her eyes trailed over him in an appreciative sweep. “I’m sure you do.”

Sebastian jerked back, his jaw knotting. Without warning, his hand flew, striking with the lethal speed of a cobra. Taylor’s eyes flared as a vicious backhand knocked the redhead out of her chair and sent her sprawling. T
he sharp crack echoed like a gunshot through the room. Ice crawled through her veins while her terrified brain tried to process what had just happened.

A low howl rose from the floor and ripped through her heart. Shaking,
Taylor started to stand to help, but Sebastian caught her wrist, his fingers biting deep.

“Sit. Down.
” His voice came in a low, menacing growl.

Numb, she dropped back into her seat.
Jackson remained frozen beside her, his fork still hovering in midair. Only Marx appeared unfazed. His mouth twitched with amusement as he lifted another bite of food to his lips. Irene pushed herself up onto her knees with a broken cry, her teary eyes wide with pleading and shock. A thin ribbon of blood dribbled from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Panic stamped her face as she tried to wipe the sinister trails away.

“What…”
Taylor shook her head and tried to make sense of what just happened. Her throat was too dry and tight to speak. “Jesus…Irene…what did you
do?
” she whispered.

“Yes, Irene, what
did
you do?” Sebastian repeated in a soft cadence, his chilling stare settling on the woman.

Fear
writhed down Taylor’s spine. There was no mistaking the disgust in Sebastian’s voice, no matter how gentle and coaxing the tone. Her eyes darted between the two of them as he leaned back in his seat and regarded the redhead with a terse smile.

“
As much as you dislike me right now, you are going to like me even less if I have to ask you again,” he warned. “Tell Taylor what happened.”

Clamping a hand over her nose and mouth, Irene gave a desperate shake of her head.
“I don’t…I wasn’t th-thinking. It was the alcohol. I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “I didn’t mean…I’m so sorry.”

Josh glared down at her as if she was the most vile and reprehensible thing to ever
slither across God’s green earth. The thin line of his upper lip curled in disgust as he shook his head. “Really? You’re just making the rounds tonight, aren’t you cupcake? It wasn’t enough to try to play grab and go with my dick? You had to help yourself to a handful of Sebastian’s, too?”

Monique straightened and twisted in her seat, some of the fear evaporating from her face as she stared down at Irene. Reproach flickered across her perfect features before she lifted her chin and turned away.

“I didn’t mean…”

Snapping his fingers, Josh silenced her with a stern point. “Spare us the bullshit. I don’t know what your angle was pulling that shit with me, but you’ve been panting after Baas like a raw bitch in heat since the second he met you. You meant every goddamn second of it. I just hope it was worth it.”

Dumbfounded
, Taylor shook her head, her mouth hanging open as she looked to her friend. She winced, realizing the word suddenly left a bitter taste in her mouth. Friends didn’t do that to each other. Hurt threatened to get the better of her. She wanted to believe there’d been some kind of mistake. She
needed
to. Irene had been like a mother figure in so many ways. Her heart shattered with that profound loss and betrayal all over again. It felt as if someone had stuck a hot poker through her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

Blinking, she
tried her damnedest to keep the tears from falling. “Sebby?” she whispered, her voice shaking.

His expression softened some
, but he nodded in silent confirmation. The murderous rage returned to his eyes, dimming the pale depths, as he shifted his attention back to the floor.

“How could you do that
to me, Irene?” she asked in a pained tremor.

“Tay, baby, I’m
so sorry…”

“No,” Taylor argued
, the strength in her voice returning. “You’re not. I trusted you. I welcomed you into my home. How could you
sit there
and do that to me? How could you do that to Sebastian—or Josh and Monique? You were supposed to be my friend!”

“Taylor!”
Irene begged.

Clamping her eyes shut, she
fought to keep her temper under control when all she really wanted to do was throw things or scream. She started to stand, fully intent on ripping the woman’s throat out, but Sebastian’s hand settled over thigh, keeping her seated.

“Get out,” she ordered coldly. “Just
get the hell out
of my house. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“That won’t be necessary, Miss McAvay,” Marx stated
. The deep boom of his voice shattered the stillness. “Your friend will be coming home with me.”

There was a cold finality to the statement
—an unspoken threat that almost collapsed her lungs. Silence gripped the room. Monique paled. Terror welled in Irene’s tear-filled eyes as she glanced around, suddenly no longer as eager to spend the night with the commander as she had been before.

“No…please…”

“It’s too late for a sudden injection of wisdom, sunshine. You’re getting exactly what you wanted. Now get your ass in that chair and shut your mouth until he is ready to go,” Sebastian snapped, pointing at the woman’s capsized seat.

Taylor flinched at the harsh grate in his voice. Her pulse roared in her ears, and she swore her heart was going to explode from her chest. He was perilously close to losing whatever fragile hold he had left. There was no telling what he would do then. Flashbacks of the Christmas Eve party rolled through her mind, and the air left her in a shallow wheeze as she prayed Irene had enough common sense to listen. She had no desire whatsoever to relive that night. Nor did she want to see if the other men reached the same terrifying potential as Sebastian when pushed.

“I
don’t want to. I j-just want to g-go
hoooomeee
,” Irene cried, inching away.

Josh lashed out
and wound a hand in the woman’s hair, cutting her progress short. “It doesn’t matter what you want, cupcake. Wise up and do what you’re fucking told. You get that?” he asked, dragging her back toward her seat.

Irene sobbed and tried to twist away. Her fingers scrabbled against the hard wood as she struggled to find purchase along the sleek surface.
Taylor wanted to tell her to stop fighting, but she was rendered speechless when Sebastian shifted in his seat and pulled his gun. It took everything she had not to hit the floor and crawl under the table. Jackson faltered and cursed beside her.

The menacing click of the safety gave the waitress pause
. Her hazel eyes flared upon seeing the brushed chrome pistol aimed her way. A callous smirk tugged Sebastian’s lips and Irene froze altogether.

Taylor’s teeth clattered
then sank into her lower lip, drawing blood, as Josh jerked the woman up off the floor. Standing, he flung Irene into her chair. He was brutal, savage, and not at all the laidback, good-humored man she’d grown accustomed to. It was like the whole world had turned upside down. Any preconceived notions or realities she thought she’d had went flying out the window in the blink of an eye.

Irene hit her seat hard.
The impact jarred the table, causing several drinks to slosh over their rims. Taylor remained rooted, a small whimper rising in her throat, her eyes tracking Sebastian. Lowering his gun, he eased it down beside his plate. His expression remained calm, but a lethal promise still resided in his stare. He kept one hand rested on the Desert Eagle’s grip. The wide barrel remained pointed Irene’s way.

Clearing his throat,
Marx wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin. “You will learn to obey the orders you’re given. I suggest you do so now. You will not find me as gentle or forgiving as my men.”

“Taylor?
What’s going on? What’s happening? Do something…please….”

The tremulous plea broke her heart. Lowering her head with a s
orrowful shake, she closed her eyes.

“Leave her out of this,” Sebastian warned in a quiet rasp. “
There is nothing Taylor can do for you now. You wanted to crawl in bed with one of us so badly. Now you are going to see how that feels.”

“I was just playing,” Irene whispered.

Sebastian settled back in his seat and raised a brow, his hand still resting on his gun. The terse smile he offered was cold and damning. “I don’t think so, Irene. I was far from entertained, and I fail to see the humor in a whore groping me at my dinner table. I warned you at Taylor’s party not to touch me again, and with me, one warning is all you get.”

Josh gave a dry snort. “
She couldn’t help herself, Baas. The bitch is like a fucking rollercoaster. Everyone gets a ride.”

“This conversation is done,” Marx said, standing.

Irene cowered, her entire body slumping lower when he approached. Misery and pleading contorted her face, and a violent shudder wracked her voluptuous frame. She tried to shrink away, but to no avail. Marx’s colossal hands eclipsed the entire upper half of her arms. The lusty coppertop’s head whipped back with the force as he hauled her out of her chair.

Taylor
’s cringed in empathy, her horror mounting, when the commander trailed a sausage-sized finger down the side of the woman’s face. His heavy silver rings reflected the candlelight in an ominous glint.

“
What an interesting acquisition you’re going to be,” he speculated, his ebony eyes taking on an even more malicious gleam. “First we will see how eager you really are to please me, pet. Then I am going to show you exactly what it is I do for a living. I promise you whatever curiosities you have regarding me and my men will be fully sated before the night is through.”

Sinking her teeth
deeper into the swell of her lower lip, Taylor killed a whimper. The implications were clear. Irene was going to pay, and pay dearly. Her stomach clenched as she pondered where Marx’s comments would lead. She chanced a peek at Sebastian. His eyes were smoldering and crazed. Lowering her head, she tried to still the tremble that ran through her. He could be sadistic and downright cruel when provoked. There was no denying he made some questionable decisions, but she would rather face a lifetime of him at his worse than suffer a single night at Marx’s hands. Swallowing, she tried to calm her stomach and count her blessings, however few they might be.