Page 48

48

ELLA

The door to the office banged open and sent me dropping to the floor, my body instinctively making itself smaller. A part of me realized I was safe in the office, but another part remembered being helpless, waiting for Xavier’s footsteps on the stairs, wondering if this would be the time he decided to hurt me. My heart thundered in my chest as I forced myself to look up to face whatever threat might be coming. Seeing Sebastian stumble into the room instead of Xavier made my knees weak with relief, but my legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Sebastian?” I hurried over to him as he held his head in his hand.

“The bastard drugged me, and my head fucking hurts like a son of a bitch.”

“What?” I grabbed him, led him to the office chair, and helped him sit down. I knelt before him. “Baby, what happened? Kip and I looked for you, but we just thought you might have left me because …” I clenched my jaw. “Because you couldn’t deal with Death and wanted to protect me.”

He groaned and glanced up at me. “It had crossed my mind for sure, but once I took a walk and started to sort out my thoughts, well, before I got too far, I got a fucking tranquilizer dart in my neck. The next thing I knew, Death and the Pied Piper were talking. Even though I could hear every word they said, I couldn’t get past Death to talk to the man that killed my parents.”

I gasped, nearly losing my balance and falling backward.

Sebastian grimaced and then he said, “Yes, I’m aware of that. I’ll explain everything to her if you give me a damn minute.”

“Did he hurt you other than tranquilizing you?” I ran my hands over his shoulders and biceps as I searched for any wounds.

“No. He wanted to talk … and Xavier.”

A deep frown creased my forehead. “I don’t understand.” I looked around the room and located my thermos of water Kip kept in the office for us. After I hopped up and grabbed it off the floor in the corner, I flipped the top open and gave it to my husband. “Drink some water, maybe it will help.”

He drank it slowly and his shoulders slumped forward, exhaustion coasting over his handsome features. “I’ll start from the beginning, but it would be better if Kip were here too. That way I only have to tell everyone once.”

“Okay. I’ll text him to see where he’s at.” After I fired off a text to Kip, he arrived a few minutes later.

“Man, where the hell have you been? Ella and I were getting a bit concerned. You don’t typically just take off like that.” Irritation flashed in Kip’s eyes.

“He was drugged and taken, but he’s okay,” I said quickly so he wouldn’t chew Sebastian out.

“Have a seat, mate. I’ll fill you both in. We have a ticking time clock to decide what to do with Xavier. I can’t make the decision on my own, even though Death has made it abundantly clear what he wants to do.” Sebastian winced and placed his fingers on his temple, rubbing in slow circles.

As Sebastian unraveled the horrors of his past, my heart shattered into a million pieces. Tears cascaded down my cheeks in an uncontrollable torrent as I struggled to contain the scream of agony and rage building inside me. With each word, a fire of protectiveness ignited within me, burning fiercely for the innocent child who’d endured such trauma at the hands of Martin. With fierce determination, I vowed to always be there to shield Sebastian from harm and safeguard his secret at all costs.

When he explained what the offer was concerning Xavier, a vortex of anger and anxiety swirled to life in the pit of my stomach.

“He can’t get away with what he did to me!”

“I know, baby. He won’t ever walk again, at least. Maybe that will offer you some comfort. But I’m afraid if we don’t comply with the Pied Piper, life will get very dark for all of us, and I’m not willing to give you and the kids up. He’s a skilled hunter, and I can’t risk him coming after you a second time.”

“Can’t Death end the fucker?” Kip piped in.

Sebastian grew silent for a moment before he spoke again. “He said yes, but someone as powerful as the Pied Piper would have people that would never stop hunting us. We would always be looking over our shoulder. He said Xavier isn’t worth what it would cost us if we killed him. Plus, he offered protection for all the shit Death has done. Basically, we’re buying our freedom by returning Xavier.”

My hands balled into fists. “Knowing that you would never go to prison, and we would all be protected would be worth the peace of mind. Do you trust what he told you? Does he have the power to keep us all safe?”

Sebastian nodded. “He has a far reach apparently. Something about him … well, he was a no bullshit kind of guy. He and Death are similar in a lot of ways, and I suspect Death would have seen through his lies.”

I glanced at Kip, who popped his neck, his body rigid with tension. I understood the feeling.

“I’m not sure this is our decision. I think it’s Death’s,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “This is his past and future we’re talking about.”

“And my family’s,” Sebastian reminded me.

“I know. In my mind, there’s no real choice here.” I wanted to remind Death that he had promised I could kill Xavier, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t feed my fury at the expense of my family.

Sebastian nodded. “Kip? Even if Death has the final decision, I would like your opinion.”

“Give the little shit back to the Pied Piper. He’s not much of a payment for your future, but it affects all of us. I say drop the fucker off and let him go. It’s one less mess for me to clean up.”

“I feel the same way. Risking Ella and the kids isn’t worth it. The Pied Piper would turn Death in.” Sebastian arched a brow and grew silent again. “Death said he agrees. Let’s get rid of the son of a bitch.”

Sebastian leaned forward and removed a business card from his back pocket, then he opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a burner phone still in the package. “Not that he doesn’t know where we are, but I still need to be smart.” He ripped open the plastic.

“After the exchange, does that mean you can go back to New York?” Kip asked, a flicker of sadness in his tone.

The question sent my pulse racing with anxiety. Would we really be safe there?

“I’ll talk to Ella about it later, but I think we should hang out at the penthouse for now. I would love to work at the club a little bit for old times’ sake. Check the books, see Riley and you guys more before we plan the next steps.”

Inwardly I released a sigh of relief. “That would be nice. I have really missed Cami and my parents. If we can stay for a while in Portland with the Pied Piper’s protection, then I would like to.” My heart warmed with the idea. “Plus, the place is plenty big for our family and friends.” I gave Sebastian a smile, trying to ease the tension in the room. I could deal with my emotions later. This decision was about survival.

Sebastian tapped the phone screen and then held it to his ear. “Where and when?” He looked up, our gazes connecting as he briefly chatted with the Pied Piper. Once he hung up, he stood and popped his neck. “He wants to meet you, Ella. I’m not sure we have a choice but to be ready for anything. Kip, bring the van around so we can put Xavier in the back. We’ll secure and blindfold him so he can’t pull any shit with us. The sooner I don’t have to lay eyes on the sneaky bastard, the better.” Sebastian walked over and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him.

“Got it.” Kip gave Sebastian a salute before he left the room.

“I love you, baby. Please understand that if giving myself up would keep you and the kids safe, it would have been my first choice.”

I placed my palms against his muscular chest. “I know that. I’m glad it’s not coming down to that, though. I would rather be able to move on and live our lives together—grow old and raise the twins.”

“Not that you need to decide right now, but maybe we need to sell the property in New York. With everything that’s happened, I don’t think it’s the best place for us. We can stay at the penthouse and decide where we want to build our next home.”

I smiled up at him, my heart melting with his idea. “I was thinking the same thing.” I pushed up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “Let’s get this over with.” I released him and slipped my hand in his. “I won’t lie. I’m a little nervous and very interested to meet the Pied Piper. I just don’t know what he wants with me.”

Sebastian’s expression filled with worry. “Me either.”