Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3) (13 page)

“
Good work. That will be all.”

“Sir?”

“You are dismissed, Agent Pellagreeni,” he repeated, impatience marking his tone.

“Yes, sir.”

He waited until the door closed before sagging against the back of his seat. Scowling, he tapped finger against the top of his dark teak desk, his mind spinning. Four guards was an interesting bit of information indeed. Only Marx could sanction such an extreme cut back. The only question was why? Why would the commander make such a dramatic cut in security with Lychee and his crew on the loose? Part of him desperately wanted to rationalize things and make them fit.

Maybe Marx had hoped for a slow night.

He shook his head. It was too risky. With everything else going on, security should have been heightened, not diminished. What was the son-of-a-bitch plotting?

He frowned. Maybe
Marx hadn’t counted on him phoning his partner that night. Without Josh and that safety net in place, Laychee would have taken him out for sure. Without Henderson, Taylor would have died. Then what?

He grasped at
different scenarios, but only one seemed obvious. Laychee and Chase would have been free to march into headquarters using Dominic’s access card. Four guards wouldn’t have posed much of a challenge to either man, especially if they had the added help of Laychee’s men.

The skin on the back of his neck prickled
and chills raced down his arms. That was the play Marx had been hoping for. It was smart. Even if things had backfired, he still could’ve used Chase turning as a scapegoat—an easy explanation as to why the men were there. Mind whirling, Sebastian replayed the conversation he’d had with his teammate in the damp confines of the warehouse. Dominic had been prattling on about their service to other agencies being a waste of time—how it was stupid to be content with the scraps SKALS offered when they could have the whole damn buffet. At the time, he’d thought Laychee was the one who’d been whispering the poison into the man’s ear. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

His stomach clenched and
a hot splash of acid seared the back of his throat as he remembered Marx raving about his plans to take SKALS and its power to unimaginable heights. What would their next move would have been?

Blowing out a shaky breath,
he returned his focus to the mound of paperwork still piled on his desk. He couldn’t do this now. Not here. A short while later, his door swung open without warning. The furious reprimand he was about to give the guard died on his tongue as he watched Marx shove his way into the room. Careful to keep his expression neutral, Sebastian lifted a brow.

“Is the
re something I can do for you?”

“As a matter of fact, there is.” Marx tossed a thick packet
down in front of him. Generous lips spread into a smug tilt beneath his close-cropped moustache. “A new assignment just came through. Acquaint yourself with the details. I expect your team briefed in the morning.”

Sebastian glanced up in irritation as he spotted one of the new guys creeping into his office. “Consider it done, and you…get the hell out
of here,” he ordered, snapping his fingers at the recruit and pointing toward the door.

“Not so fast, Baas. I want you and your partner to take
Agent Lane under your wings and keep him up to speed. He will be working alongside you on this project.”

Sebastian
didn’t bother containing his scoff. “Marx…come on. He has no clue what he’s doing. I have enough on my plate. Give the guppy to somebody else.”

“I want the guppy, as you call him, to become a shark.
The only way he’s going to manage that is if he swims with the big boys. Chew him up and spit him out if you must, but he stays.”

“Fine,” Sebastian
growled. It was hard, so damn hard, to stay seated when everything in him just wanted to back the man against a wall and shove his gun under the bastard’s chin. “Anything else?”

“No
, but I want a plan of action on my desk first thing in the morning.”

“
Understood. You’ll have it.”

“Glad to hear it, Baas. Enjoy your evening.”

He offered a dry snort in response, his jaw clenching while he watched the commander leave. The new guy took the departure as his cue to approach. Sebastian halted him with a frosty glare.

The young man faltered and lifted his chin.
“It really is an honor to work with you, Agent Baas. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m more than happy to pitch in and help however I can. Maybe I could treat you and Agent Reevers to dinner. We can go over the files then?”

“I don’t know you
, let alone want to socialize with you,” Sebastian said, turning his attention back to the stack of paperwork.

“
Sir, the way I see it, the only way we are going to get to know one another is if we work together.”

Sebastian s
et his pen down and studied him for a moment. He was young and fresh-faced, probably not much older than twenty-four. Latte colored skin accented the smoky shade of his eyes, and his expression still glowed with the hopeful optimism of youth. That didn’t bode well. People like him didn’t last. He gave the kid three months tops before he ended up eating his own gun. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. He shook his head. There was no point in making nice.

“What was your name again?” he asked without glancing up.

“Jackson, sir. Jackson Lane.”

“Right.
Let’s get something straight, Jackson. I don’t like you. I’m probably never going to like you, and I certainly don’t
trust
you. If you choose to look past that fact and still feel the desire to ingratiate yourself, go get my partner.
Him
I like.”

“Yes, sir.”

He departed with a curt salute. Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. If the prick was aiming for cute, he’d failed. Blowing out a forceful breath, he started to flip through the files Marx had dropped on his desk. It wasn’t long before a familiar set of acronyms leapt out at him. Sitting up straighter, he squinted, but the letters remained the same.

Patrick James, FBI.

His brow furrowed in confusion. The name sounded familiar, but what the hell would SKALS want with someone from the FBI? They went after homeland terrorists. They snuffed out demented cult leaders and psychopaths, mass murders, and nut jobs like Laychee who tried to blow up buildings with innocent people inside…not decorated agents from another bureau.

The door swung open, and h
e glanced up in time to see Josh stride across the room and drop into one of the chairs on the other side of his desk, not bothering to wait for an invitation.

“I knew you’d miss me eventually.
Does this mean your little bromance with Vince is done? We going back to being exclusive now? Because you know, that whole being the other man shit was starting to get old.”

He
smirked but offered no response. There was way too much on his mind, though he did appreciate his partner’s attempt at humor and keeping the peace.

Seeing the tens
ion lining his face, Josh sat up straighter. “What gives, Baas?”

Saying nothing, Sebastian let his gaze shift to the newcomer stationed on the other side of the room. Josh
took the hint. Whirling in his seat, he pinned the man with a steely glare. “Take a hike, kid,” he ordered, jutting a thumb over his shoulder.

“Where am I supposed to go?”

“Go stick your nose in a damn corner somewhere for all I care. Just get the hell out.”

“When do I come back?”

“We’ll tell you when grown-up time is over. Hit the road or I’m gonna hit you.” He watched the man leave then turned around and shot Sebastian a look of exasperation. “Where the hell do they even find these people? Is there some secret stash of Romper Room rejects they dig through and toss our way?”

“I don’t know,”
Sebastian stated quietly, “but he is the least of our problems right now. Have a look at this.”

Josh grabbed the file and thumbed through it.
His cocky grin faded beneath a wave of confusion and a questioning grimace contorted his rugged face. “What the hell is this? A Fed? Is Marx serious?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“James,” Josh repeated, snapping his fingers in thought. “I know that name.”

“It rang a bell
for me, too. I just can’t place how I know him. There’s no picture in the file. Just a note that all pertinent information will be updated.”

“
Huh,” Josh muttered, still skimming the pages. “Hell if I know. Jesus, there’s not much here to go by. Are we just supposed to pull this guy out of a rabbit hat or what?” Pursing his lips, he flung the file back on the desk and shrugged. “Oh well. Orders are orders, right? Do you want me to swing by tonight and see what else we can dig up on this guy?”

Sebastian
studied the man across from him for a long moment. In the seven years they’d worked together, they’d shed more blood, sweat, and tears than most people endured in an entire lifetime. Josh was more than a partner. He was his sister’s protector, a voice of reason, and perhaps the only person he would ever trust enough to consider a friend. He was also Taylor’s only hope for survival if anything ever happened to him, and even that outlook was grim. Downing a pull of whiskey, Sebastian gave a reluctant shake of his head.

There were too many unknowns. Too many variables that didn’t make sense. As it stood, the assignment was a bust. He had nothing to go on, a fact that wasn’t apt to make Marx happy come morning. There was no sense in dragging the rest of the team down with him, and if the mission was just another ploy
for power, things were going to get ugly. There were plenty of people he’d sacrifice if need be, but his partner wasn’t one of them. He owed the man too much, and as much as it pained him, he regarded Josh with the same fondness he’d had for his own brother. Perhaps even more so.

“No,” he
finally managed. “I appreciate the offer, but I can handle reading through these on my own. See what you can dig up on the new guy. I’ll bring you up to speed in the morning.”

CHAPTER
7 ~

The rich aroma of charr
ed meat and spices wafted on the air, making Taylor’s mouth water. Billowing clouds of smoke mingled with the warm spring breeze and rolled across the grounds in hazy plumes. Resting a hip against the open sliding glass door, she watched Sebastian man the grill. He’d obviously been home for a while. His unruly curls were still damp and glistened with vibrant shades of auburn and gold in the late afternoon sun. No longer clad in his menacing black uniform, he looked casual and comfortable in a white button up tee and loose fitting khakis. The sight of his bare feet poking out the bottom of his pants made her smile.

Sensing her perusal, he glanced up
. His pale green eyes squinted against the shifting tide of smoke rising off the steaks, but his face broke into a bright smile. “Hi, beautiful.”

“Hey handsome. How long have you been home?”

“Just long enough to shower and get dinner started. How are you feeling?”

She shrugged. “Lazy as sin. As relaxing as it is to spend the
entire day in bed, all it seems to make you want to do is sleep.”

Sebastian set the spatula down and approached. “That was the point, darling.”

Wrapping her in his arms, he drew her close. She couldn’t contain a small sigh of pleasure as the dark, sensual undercurrent of his cologne teased her nose. Closing her eyes, she let the smell and feel of his warm body envelop her senses.

“I missed you,” she confessed.

“Me or the freedom to do as you pleased?” he asked, lifting a brow.

“You, Sebastian. Only you.”
She rubbed her nose against his neck before kissing the hollow of his shoulder. He drew a deep breath and held it as if pulling her inside him. A shudder worked through his sleek muscles and then he slowly relaxed. 

“I missed you too,” he admitted
. Pulling away, he straightened.

“What’s with the place settings?” she asked, throwing a curious glance at the plates and silverware gracing the patio table.

“I thought we would eat out here tonight. The fresh air and sunshine will do you some good. If you’re feeling better, you can bring me the serving platter off the counter and get our drinks ready while I pull the meat.”

“Do you want a glass of wine?”

“No, baby. Tea will be fine. I have some work to get through later. Grab the cucumber and seafood salad from the fridge too please.”

He turned back to the grill, his lean frame once again stiffening
, as his gaze grew distant. Taylor snagged her lower lip between her teeth, reluctant to leave him for the fear he would slip away. She could feel the darkness and anger gathering around him. It loomed, brooding in the distance, just waiting for its chance to strike. Sebastian set the tongs down and fixed her with a piercing stare. Not wanting to hear what might come next, she hurried for the kitchen.