Scarred (Unlikely Heroes Book 5) (9 page)

She was falling for Sebastian Wolfe.

Fool.

Didn’t she know he would only leave her with a broken heart?

I don’t care. He needs a friend and I’m all he has.

“I’ll be back after lunch.”

She would walk home, make herself a sandwich, worry about Sebastian, then go back to work and see if he was okay.

When she stepped outside, Sebastian was still in the parking lot. A black SUV had just pulled up and a couple in their early- to mid-fifties climbed out. The woman gave a shout of delight and launched herself at Sebastian. Sebastian caught her against him, hugging her tightly, then set her down. He grinned at her, a genuine smile that went clear to his eyes. The man shook Sebastian’s hand and slapped him on the back.

Curious, Emily paused on the sidewalk. Who were they? Friends? Family? The woman was tiny, no taller than five-foot-one or two, with an olive complexion and strikingly pretty features. She was still beautiful for her age with short dark hair and sparkling dark brown eyes. The man was more rugged, with a stocky build, shaggy, sandy-brown hair, craggy features and astute hazel eyes. They were a cute couple. The pretty, tiny woman and the big, rough, manly man.

The big, rough, manly man’s gaze landed on Emily, assessing. He said something to Sebastian. Sebastian glanced over at her.

Emily bowed her head and turned away. She didn’t want to intrude. Whoever they were, they obviously made Sebastian happy. If he wanted her to know who they were, he would tell her later.

She’d traveled only three steps before Sebastian’s voice halted her. “Emily!” His shoes pounded across the concrete as he raced after her. She turned back around.

“Emily. I want you to meet some friends of mine.” He motioned the couple over. “This is Craig Rawlins and his wife, Karen. We met under…unusual circumstances about six years ago, but they helped me out and I will forever be in their debt.”

“Now Sebastian...” the woman, Karen, patted his hand. “You don’t owe us a thing. You helped us as much as we helped you.”

The man shook Emily’s hand. “Nice to meet you Emily. Are you interning for Sebastian?”

Emily glanced from Karen to Craig and back. “Yes.”

Karen smiled warmly at Emily and clasped her hand. “You look familiar. Have I met you before?”

“I don’t think so.” Emily lowered her gaze. After what had happened to her, she kept her distance from people. How could anyone truly bond with her when none of them had gone through what she had? None of them could relate to her. To most people, she was strange. An enigma. She didn’t mind. One thing she’d learned while suffering alone in that dark prison was that being alone didn’t necessarily weaken a person. It could also make a person stronger. No one would understand anyway. They would only pity her. And she didn’t want anyone’s pity. She’d survived a horrendous nightmare. And she was stronger because of it.

Sebastian was the first person she’d felt truly comfortable around.

Karen didn’t look convinced, but she just shrugged. “Well, maybe you just have that familiar look about you.” She squeezed Emily’s hand. “You’re a pretty thing. Bet you’ve got boys panting after you everywhere you go.”

Emily couldn’t stop the blush that stained her cheeks. “Um, no. Not really.”

Sebastian’s gaze met hers. There was true happiness in his eyes. He grinned.

“So.” He glanced back at Karen and Craig. “What brings y’all here? This is a nice surprise. It’s been, what? About a year since we last saw each other?”

“Something like that.” Craig smiled. “We’re on our way to Seattle and had a little extra time, so we decided to stop and see you.”

“Well, I’m glad you stopped. Where’s Damon?”

“He’s spending the week at Nick and April’s until we get back.” Karen glanced at Emily. “April’s my daughter and Nick’s her husband. Damon’s our adoptive son. He just turned six. I have a grandson—Kyle—who’s a year younger than Damon, and a granddaughter, Brianna, who’s thirteen. She likes to babysit the boys,” she explained. “They live on a ranch in Sandpoint. Damon loves going there to ride horses and play.”

Emily smiled, trying to take it all in. They seemed like nice people.

Karen turned back to Sebastian and squeezed his hands in hers. “You look good, Sebastian.” Emily detected true sincerity in her words. “I hope…things are good for you now. You deserve to be happy.” She glanced at Emily and winked.

Emily’s cheeks grew hotter. They thought she and Sebastian were a couple. Her gaze darted to Sebastian’s. His mouth curled up into a smile. His gaze held hers.

“Things are much better now that Emily’s here. She’s…special.”

What?
Emily’s heart slammed into her ribs. He made it sound like they were dating. Why was he lying to them like this? She had to set them straight. She and Sebastian were just friends.
Friends.
They hadn’t even kissed or…anything.

Don’t deny it. You want him to kiss you. You’re just too scared to let him.

She jerked her gaze away from Sebastian’s and glanced at Karen. “Um, we’re…not dating or anything. We’re just friends.” She let out a humorless laugh. “I mean, he’s my boss.”

Karen’s eyes twinkled. “Okay.” She slid her arm through her husband’s. “Sebastian’s a pretty special guy too. The woman who wins his heart will be a very lucky girl.”

“
Karen
.” Color crept up Sebastian’s neck and into his face. “Stop it. You’re embarrassing her.”

Karen chuckled. “I’m embarrassing
you
, you mean.”

Sebastian’s gaze darted to Emily’s. He
was
embarrassed. Her heart warmed. Though she kept telling herself she and Sebastian were just friends, she couldn’t deny she longed for something more with him. He
was
special. Would she learn more about him from Craig and Karen?

“I agree,” Emily whispered. “The woman who wins his heart will be a very lucky girl. Sebastian can find happiness if he just learns to believe in himself.”

Sebastian’s blush deepened, endearing him even more to Emily. She doubted he blushed very often. He stared down at the sidewalk and kicked at a pebble. He wasn’t comfortable with people talking about him. Which was a contradiction, since he was a celebrity. He had to know people talked about him all the time.

But that didn’t mean he
liked
it.

Karen’s eyes filled with obvious delight. “I like you Emily. You’re good for Sebastian. I hope, when he’s ready, he chooses you.”

Craig sent his wife a warning look, then cleared his throat. “We’ve got about an hour to spare before we need to head for the airport in Spokane.” He glanced from Emily to Sebastian and back, his lips twitching. “Why don’t you two join us for lunch?”

CHAPTER TEN

Lunch with Sebastian’s friends ended up being enjoyable and interesting. Emily was able to sit back and observe Sebastian’s interactions with Craig and Karen. She got to witness him with his guard down, just being himself. It showed her he was human like she was and he truly cared about his friends. He wasn’t at all what she expected a big-screen actor to be like, but then she’d already come to that conclusion on her own. When Sebastian let his guard down, he was warm, friendly, caring, not cocky or arrogant like some famous people were. It made her like him even more.

She noticed how Sebastian kept the conversation steered away from himself. Whenever Craig or Karen asked him a question, he would give short, simple answers and didn’t elaborate. Emily came to the conclusion he didn’t like to talk about himself. Why? What didn’t he want anyone to know? What was he keeping from everyone?

Sebastian asked Craig and Karen how they’d been, what they’d been up to. He asked about their son, Damon. He was clearly interested in their lives and what they’d been up to for the past year.

“Craig works for the FBI,” Karen explained. “My son-in-law Nick is also an FBI agent. He works under Craig.”

Emily knew an FBI agent named Nick. He’d been there right after her father had rescued her. He’d helped with her case. Could it be the same Nick?

She hesitated.

“Is your son-in-law Agent Nick Miller?”

Karen smiled. “Yes. Do you know him?”

Craig’s gaze sharpened on her, scrutinizing.

Sebastian stopped eating and eyed her with interest. Did he know Nick too?

Heat crept into Emily’s cheeks.
Crap.
She should have kept her mouth shut. “Yeah, I know him.” She stared down at her pasta salad. Now they were all curious about how she knew Agent Miller.

The silence stretched as they all stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Well, as exciting as Craig and Nick’s jobs are, mine is pretty boring.” Karen broke the silence, the change of subject filling Emily with relief. “I’m a botanist for the U.S. Forest Service. I spend most my days trekking through the forest collecting plant samples.”

“Really?” Emily glanced across the table at her. “I don’t think that would be boring at all. Maybe I could help you sometime.”

Karen beamed. “Oh I would like that. April’s too busy with her family and her career, and Craig’s gone to Seattle a lot, so most of the time it’s just me and Damon in the woods. We’d love to have you. Anytime.”

Karen’s warmth and friendliness was genuine. She treated Emily like a close friend. Like a daughter. Emily’s heart ached for the mother she’d lost as a teen, a mother she’d never truly known because her mother had fallen ill when Emily was a toddler. Now she’d found a true friend and mother figure in Karen.

Emily had never had a friend like Karen before. “When you get back from your trip to Seattle, please call me. I’d really love to go trekking through the forest with you.”

Karen grinned. She patted Emily’s hand. “Oh I definitely will.”

Craig cleared his throat. Though Karen had changed the subject, obviously sensing Emily’s discomfort about explaining how she knew Agent Miller, Craig hadn’t been thwarted. “So tell us about yourself, Emily.”

Emily forced herself to meet his gaze. “What do you want to know?”

He bombarded her with questions about her life, where she was from, what had brought her to Scar Animal Rescue. But, surprisingly, he didn’t mention Nick Miller, though she’d been certain that would be the first thing he asked her. She was grateful he didn’t. If she explained how she knew Nick, then she would have to tell them what had happened to her. And she wasn’t ready to tell anyone about that yet.

Craig was very direct with his questions. It felt like an interrogation. Did he think she would hurt Sebastian? Instead of being insulted, Emily was glad Sebastian had a friend who cared about him enough to interrogate her to make sure she wouldn’t harm him. She wasn’t interested in fame or fortune or what Sebastian could “do for her.” She didn’t care if he was a famous actor.

“Working with Sebastian is an experience I truly appreciate. I hope to learn as much as I can from him. I just want to be the best vet I can be.” She sounded defensive, but she couldn’t help it. She would never hurt Sebastian like that.

Karen reached across the table and touched Emily’s hand. “Craig didn’t mean to offend you, Emily. He’s just a bit blunt sometimes. He’s overprotective of Sebastian. We both are.”

Craig sat back and eyed Emily. “I wasn’t implying you had dishonorable intentions or were using Sebastian to get something from him.”

It had sure felt that way. Emily lifted her chin. “That’s okay. I’m not offended. Sebastian’s my friend. I would never do anything to hurt him.”

She darted a glance at Sebastian and found him staring down at his lunch, an unreadable expression on his face. Why were they so overprotective of him? He wasn’t a child. And why didn’t he say anything?

Emily answered Craig’s remaining questions honestly. After she told them she was from Sandpoint and her father was a vet, something in Craig’s eyes told her he suspected who she was. Fortunately, he didn’t say anything about what had happened to her, so her secret was safe.

After lunch Craig and Karen dropped Emily and Sebastian back at the clinic. They told Emily it was nice to meet her. Karen hugged Sebastian, then Emily.

“I hope we see more of you,” Karen whispered in Emily’s ear. “I think you’re good for him. We’ll have to get together soon.”

Craig shook Sebastian’s hand. He eyed Emily with those astute hazel eyes. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Emily. I’m sorry I was so hard on you. With Sebastian being a celebrity and all, it’s hard to tell whose being real and who wants to use him for their own gain. I like to screen people to be sure they’re genuine.”

There was a kindness in his eyes that said he meant it and he truly hadn’t meant to offend her. As an FBI agent, Craig was probably good at reading people and picking out the liars.

“I wasn’t offended,” Emily assured him. “I’m glad you’re looking out for him. But thank you.”

Craig and Karen told Sebastian to keep in touch, then they headed for the airport in Spokane.

Sebastian turned away, entering the clinic without a word.

Something was bothering him, though Emily couldn’t imagine what. He’d been happy when his friends had first arrived, now he seemed…upset. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she didn’t know Sebastian well enough yet to probe into his personal life. She would have to wait. And be patient. And hope someday soon he would confide in her.

The rest of the afternoon was busy with patients. Sebastian was cool and professional toward her. Distant. Had he been acting earlier with Craig and Karen? Pretending for their sake?

What was going on with him?

* * *

Sebastian fired Peter at the end of the day. Emily didn’t hear what he said, because he took Peter into his office and closed the door. Peter emerged a few minutes later, marching past her and Julia. He stormed out the front door. Moments later his car screeched out of the parking lot.

Sebastian came out of his office and glanced at Julia. “I’m sorry I had to do that. He was making it uncomfortable for everyone.”

Julia nodded. “I understand. I’m sorry I even referred him to you. I obviously don’t know him as well as I thought.”

Sebastian cleared his throat. “How are you coming on finding a new vet tech?”

“We’ve got five applicants so far. I expect to have a few more before the week’s out.”

“Pick the three or four most qualified and Emily and I will interview them next week.”

He turned to Emily. “Since we only have the one dog in the kennel, I’ll feed him tonight. You can go home now.”

He went back to the kennels.

Julia gathered up her purse and shut down her computer. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. I apologize for Peter’s behavior.” She touched Emily’s arm as she went past. Emily waited until Julia went out and locked the door behind her.

Gathering her purse, Emily headed for the back door. She had to pass through the kennels to get out. When she entered the room, Sebastian was just finishing up with the dog.

“Hold up.” He followed her to the door. “I’ll walk you home.”

They were both silent as Sebastian locked the back door and they headed across the street. When they reached the sidewalk in front of his house, Emily glanced up at him.

“I enjoyed lunch with your friends today. They’re really nice. Will you tell me how you met sometime?” Not once during lunch had anyone mentioned how they’d met. Emily had gotten the impression it was a big secret. She was curious about the circumstances that had caused them to meet and why Craig and Karen were so overprotective of Sebastian. 

Sebastian stared down at her, his luminous blue eyes swirling with secrets she could see he desperately wanted to share. “Craig can be a hard ass. I should have told him to back off when he was interrogating you, but I didn’t want to make a scene at the restaurant.” His eyes filled with anger. “He had no business treating you like that.”

Was that what had upset him earlier? Why he’d been so distant all afternoon?

“It’s okay.” Emily stared into his eyes, urging him to let it go. “I’m not offended. I promise.”

He hesitated, then gave a quick nod. “If you want, I can teach you some self-defense moves this evening. I’ll unlock the connecting door to the basement so you don’t have to go outside and around to come in, okay? Just come on up when you’re ready.”

Once again he’d avoided answering her question. But that was the least of her worries.

He’d just invited her into his home, into his lair. A mixture of terror and excitement consumed her. She was about to be alone with him in his domain.

Emily swallowed hard. Could he tell how nervous she was?

“Okay. What time should I come up?”

He shrugged. “Whenever you want. I don’t have any plans.”

He walked her to her front door, then headed for his own. Emily peeked around the corner, watching as he disappeared. He seemed so…sad.

Of course he was sad. He’d lost his dog yesterday.

She unlocked her door and went inside.

Sebastian had said to come up whenever she was ready. She went to her bedroom and searched through her clothes. She’d brought most of them with her yesterday, and fortunately she had a pair of running shorts and a sports bra that would work for her first self-defense lesson.

She changed clothes, then pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She didn’t want to appear too eager. How long should she wait until she went up the stairs to the connecting door?

She glanced at the clock. It had only been fifteen minutes since he’d walked her to her door.
Crap.
She was nervous.

She paced across her small living room to the staircase that went up to Sebastian’s house. She’d avoided the stairs thus far. Knowing who awaited her up there made her heart flutter with a mixture of fear and anticipation. She glanced up the stairs.

Get a grip, Emily. It’s just Sebastian.

Yeah, the most gorgeous man in the universe.

But the man underneath the handsome face had a heart of gold and he didn’t even realize it. He was trapped in his demons, in a past Emily longed to learn about. Would he talk to her today? Share some of his secrets?

She headed up the stairs.

When she reached the top, she knocked. Several minutes passed. Maybe he hadn’t heard her. Hesitantly, she turned the doorknob. Indeed, he’d unlocked it, though she hadn’t heard him doing so.

She pushed the door open, calling softly, “Sebastian?”

The door opened into a large workout room. Sebastian stood near the far wall. He turned at the sound of her voice. There was a feral, almost maniacal gleam in his eyes. He lifted a hand and jabbed a finger at her.

“You!” He stalked toward her.

Emily gasped, stumbling back.

What was wrong with him?

She lost her footing on the stairs and tripped backwards. A soft scream escaped her lips as she tumbled down the long staircase, head over heels. Thud, bang, scrape. Thud, bang, scrape. Thud, bang, scrape.

At last she reached the bottom and lay still, trying to catch her breath. She hurt everywhere. She didn’t dare move.

“Fuck.” Sebastian thudded down the stairs after her. Moments later his face appeared in front of hers. “Emily?”

She flinched and drew back. “Don’t…touch me. You’re scaring me. You’re…not you.”

He sighed and lowered his gaze. He leaned back. “I’m sorry. I…had another flashback. It’s the third one I’ve had since I met you. You’re bringing my demons out, forcing me to face them.” His gaze came back to hers. “That wasn’t you I was seeing just now.”

Emily gingerly sat up. She didn’t think she’d broken anything. “Who did you see?”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “My father.”

He’d had a flashback about his father that had made him act like that? He’d been…frightening. Almost crazed.

Knowing he probably wouldn’t answer, she asked anyway, “Will you tell me what happened?”