Sebastian (The Beck Brothers #2) (10 page)

"Ah, shiiiit," Sebastian bit
out.

"What?" Raelynn started,
sending him a questioning look.

"No condom."

"Oh, well, I’m clean and on birth
control," she assured him.

"I'm clean too, I swear." He
promised, stroking the backs of his fingers over her cheek.

Raelynn smiled softly. "I believe
you."

  Sebastian nodded. They quickly
washed then got out. After drying off, she put her clothes back on, while he
went to grab clothes from his room. Raelynn gathered up his jeans from the
bathroom, put them in a trash bag, and then put them in the kitchen trashcan.
When she was done, she waited for him in his living room. Sebastian emerged
from the hallway in a pair of faded jeans and a white polo shirt. He walked
over and sat down next to her on the couch.

Raelynn took his hand and held it in both
of hers. "I hate to do this to you right now, Sebastian, but you need to
tell me what happened."

  He nodded and went through the
whole story. Raelynn hadn't realized that the dead woman was his ex-wife. All Raelynn
saw was the blood and dark hair. By the time he finished his story, he was
shaking. Sebastian pulled his hand away, probably so she wouldn't feel it. He
leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, dropping his head in his
hands.

"I'm so sorry, Sebastian,"
Raelynn murmured.

"I just...I can't believe she's
dead," Sebastian rasped. "I spent eight years of my life with her. I
may not have loved her like I used to, but I didn't want her to die. It's my
fault she's dead."

"Oh no, don't you dare think like
that. She's the one who chose to come and see you. You didn't ask her to come
to the shop. You had no idea what was going to happen. There is no way you can
blame yourself for her death," Raelynn said, running her hand across the
back of his shoulders.

Sebastian shook his head and shoved his
hands through his damp blonde hair. He laced his fingers together at the back
of his head, dropping it down to hang between his forearms.

"Do you want me to call your brother?"
she asked gently.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Okay," she said and stood.

Raelynn paced into the kitchen and pulled
out her phone. Pulling up Henry Beck's number, she hit the call button, and
then put the phone to her ear. It rang four times before he picked up.

"Hello?" Henry's deep raspy
voice answered.

"Henry, this is Detective
Reynolds," she replied.

"Oh, hey, Detective. What's going
on?” Henry asked lightly.

"Listen, I don't want you to freak
out okay?" Raelynn said.

"How do you expect me not to freak
out now that you said that?" he asked dryly.

"Sorry. I'll just get right to it
then. Sebastian was attacked while at work today."

"Jesus Christ! Is he okay?" he
practically shouted into the phone.

"Yes. Physically he is fine.
Emotionally, I'm not so sure," she sighed.

"What the hell happened?" Henry
asked, sounding worried and angry at the same time.

  Raelynn gave him the
CliffsNotes
version, which had Henry cursing up a
storm. He then said he would be right over and hung up on her. Raelynn went
back over to Sebastian and sat down. She didn't know what to do for him. He was
rocking slightly, his way of trying to comfort himself.

  About half an hour later,
Sebastian's door opened and Henry and an older woman walked in. Henry
apparently had a key. Raelynn was rubbing his back when they walked in. She
turned and looked over the back of the couch. Henry gave her a tight smile and
a nod, while the older woman gave her a curious look.

"Thanks, Detective," Henry said.
She stood and moved to shake his hand.

"No problem." Raelynn nodded.

Henry gave her a grateful look, went to
his brother's side, putting an arm around his shoulders. Raelynn turned to the
older woman. "Hi, I'm Detective Reynolds," she said, holding out her
hand.

The other woman took it and held it in
both of hers. "I'm Anne Beck, Sebastian's mother."

"Mrs. Beck, it's very nice to meet
you," Raelynn said, genuinely pleased that she was here. Sebastian needed
all the support he could get right now.

"You, too, dear. My, you are
beautiful," she said, almost in awe, as she looked over Raelynn.

Raelynn blushed. "Thank you,
ma'am."

"Please, call me Anne," she
said, patting Raelynn's hand.

"Then I insist you call me
Raelynn."

"You got it." Anne smiled.

"I'm gonna get out of your
hair...let you two spend time with Sebastian," Raelynn said quietly.

  Anne nodded and let her hand go.
Raelynn started for the door and just as she was about to grab the knob,
Sebastian grabbed her arm and swung her around. His lips crushing hers cut off
her yelp. She sucked in a sharp breath through her nose and clutched his shirt.
He pulled back slowly, littering her mouth with small pecks from corner to
corner.

"Thank you for being there for me
today," he whispered against her lips.

"Anytime." she breathed.

  Sebastian stepped back and Raelynn
caught the amused look both Henry and his mother were wearing. Raelynn bit back
the urge to stick out her tongue at them. She opened the door and stepped into
the hall. She gave Sebastian a small smile before heading toward the elevator,
her heart pounding from that last kiss. She wanted to kick herself for caring
about him as much as she did, knowing it would only end in heartache.

~~~~~

  Quinn stared down at the
blueprints in front of him, unable to concentrate; all he could think about was
what Sebastian went through yesterday. Henry had called him this morning to let
him know. It was unbelievable. Quinn couldn't even imagine what Sebastian was
feeling right now. Henry had said he was completely out of it and that he was
going to be taking him to see his therapist today. How much could one man take?
Surely Sebastian was at his limit. He's killed three people now. Yeah, they
deserved it, but Sebastian wasn't a killer. His mind didn't work that way.

  Quinn had noticed a change in
Sebastian after the first incident. He was quieter. It kind of freaked him out
because Sebastian was not in any way a quiet person, he was boisterous and loud.
He liked to fuck with people and make people laugh. Quinn saw that person when
they were at the bar last week. It made him smile, and he had hoped Sebastian
was starting to return to normal. Then this had to happen. He hoped he hasn't
lost his crazy brother forever.

"Quinn, are you okay?" Margot's
sweet French-accented voice asked softly.

Quinn's eyes snapped up to hers. "Huh?
Yeah, I'm fine," he said, clearing his throat.

"You have been staring for quite
some time." Margot pointed out, her pretty hazel eyes searching his.

  Quinn just looked at her, his face
blank. He wasn't going to tell her anything. He didn't know her, and they
weren't friends. He didn't share his personal business with just anyone. Quinn
had a bit of a trust issue. It took a long time for people to gain his trust.
He'd been screwed over one too many times in the past, and he refused to let
that happen ever again.

  Margot sighed and went back to
what she was doing at her desk. Peter had insisted that she share Quinn's
office since they were working on this project together. Quinn was seriously
pissed off about that. His private space was being encroached upon, and it made
him seriously irritable and twitchy. Not only was it not quiet like he liked it,
but Margot was annoyingly outgoing. She talked a lot - even if she knew he wasn't
listening - she talked to him anyway. He was going to have to kill Peter for
this.

  Quinn tried to go back to his
work. A minute passed before Margot started humming and tapping her pencil.
Quinn tried to ignore it. He gritted his teeth and tried to focus on what he
was supposed to be doing, but all he could hear was her.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap...

"Margot, please!" Quinn
snapped, slamming his hand on his drafting table.

Margot jumped and looked up at him
wide-eyed. "What?" she asked, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Can you please be quiet? I can't
concentrate with you tapping and humming!"

She frowned. "It is too quiet in
here."

"I like it that way!" he
huffed.

"But..."

"But nothing. This is my office, and
I want quiet," Quinn barked.

  What the hell was she doing to
him? He's never disliked a woman like this. She just grated on his nerves. She
was bringing out a side of him that he didn't even know existed. He was usually
calm and collected, rarely getting irritated or angry. But this woman had him
practically yelling at her.
What the hell?

  Margot's eyes narrowed on him
before looking back down at her work and mumbling something in French. Quinn
took a couple deep breaths to calm himself, he needed to get under control.
This was not him. He was the quiet, keep to himself guy, not a man who explodes
when someone irritates him. But in the few days that Margot has worked in his
office, his stoic demeanor has been steadily deteriorating. He didn't like it
one bit.

  A cell phone rang, but it wasn't
Quinn ringtone. He glanced over to see Margot pull her cell out of her purse
and answer it - in French. Just fucking great! Margot's face lit up and she
smiled. Then she started spouting off in rapid French. She spoke very
animatedly, gesturing with her hand, even though the person she was talking to
couldn't see her. Quinn glared at her.

  After a couple of minutes, Quinn
realized that it was going to be a long call. So instead of sitting there
brooding, he decided to get the hell out of there. He shoved off his stool,
slammed his pencil onto the ledge of the table, and stormed out of there. He
caught Margot's amused look as she watched him leave. No doubt, she was talking
about him with whomever she was talking to. Quinn felt the sudden urge to
scream, but he swallowed it.
Damn her!
He got a few quizzical looks from fellow co-workers as he
stomped down the hallway. He needed air. He pushed through the office doors and
out to the lobby where the elevators were. He would take a long lunch; maybe by
the time he got back, he would be calm, and Margot would be done with her phone
call.

Chapter 7

  Sebastian hated funerals - he
hated wearing a suit, he hated all the crying and wailing, he hated everything
about them - but he had to go. It was Victoria's funeral, and his family insisted
on going with him, every single one of them. Henry and Claire. His parents.
Even Quinn and Christian. He was touched, and glad that they were there for him
when he needed them. He was thankful that he didn’t have to ask for the support
he so desperately needed, since he couldn't find the voice to ask.

  After the viewing and mass,
everyone headed to the cemetery. Standing there, beside her grave, Sebastian
found it hard to breathe. His mother was holding his right hand, while Claire
clung to his left arm. Henry, who was next to Claire, had his hand on
Sebastian's shoulder. He and his family stood on one side of the grave, while
her family stood on the other side. Her mother couldn't even stand; she was
sitting in a folding chair, clutching Victoria's favorite stuffed rabbit that
she kept on their bed when they were together. She never went anywhere without
it. When they went to her hotel room to gather her things, it was there.