Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3) (22 page)

Snaking an arm around her waist, Sebastian tugged her closer. “I missed you,” he murmured with an eager press of his hips.

Grinning, she rubbed the tip of her nose against his and sank her fingers into the drying tumbles of his hair. “I missed you too.”

“Hey now,” Josh said, turning with the spatula
poised in his hand. “My kid is running around here somewhere. Don’t make me turn the hose on you two.”

Sebastian’s shoulders jerked with quiet laugh
ter and he tugged Taylor closer as he aimed a pointed look his partner’s way. “Do you really think that would be wise?”

“Not really, Baas, but it might be worth it if it cools you down.
What the hell is with you lately anyways? Are you in heat?” he asked, arching a quizzical brow.

“Perhaps,” Sebastian said, his lips spreading into a terse smile.

Josh chuckled with a shake of his head. “Keep your pistol in your pants until you get home, killer.”

Sebastian
glanced down and Taylor watched his expression soften. Tenderness flooded the sage pools of his eyes as he tucked her hair behind her ears. Without warning, his mood shifted and his back straightened. Annoyance and uncertainty flickered across the chiseled planes of his face as his gaze narrowed and scanned the yard.

“You okay, Baas?” Josh asked,
waving Monique out of the pool. He shot Sabastian an inquisitive look before starting to plate the food.

Taylor blushed when her stomach gave an audible g
urgle, her mouth already watering at the promise of Hawaiian grilled grouper. Skewered pineapple, peppers, onions, and cherries added bright color and extra flavor to the festive sticks.

“Yeah. I suppose. Have you noticed anything strange lately?”

The question drew her attention away from the food. Turning, she regarded her lover with a questioning blink.

“Can’t say that I have,” Josh replied. “What kind of strange are we talking
here, Baas? Strange like you settling down and being all lovey? Because that’s pretty damn strange if you ask me.”

“Cute,” Sebastian quipped. “
Taylor, go help my sister grab the salad and drinks,” he said, patting her wet butt in dismissal.

Frowning,
she headed for the house, but kept her steps slow and her ears strained.

“
The same people keep resurfacing wherever I go. The grocery store, the movies, the restaurant, and today, I could have sworn I seen one of them out at the lake.”

“Maybe Marx
is keeping an eye on us, making sure we weren’t trying to skip town or something. That last round of reprogramming was pretty fucking intense. For a minute there, I didn’t think I was going to make it out.”

“No. This isn’t SKALS. It feels…different.”

She hesitated, her fingers curled around the handle for the sliding patio door as she waited for Josh’s reply.

“Look. You and Taylor have been through a hell of a lot. Flagstaff is a big city. You’re bound to keep seeing more than one familiar face. You’ve been tense and on edge since that whole thing with Laychee went down. Believe it or not, the whole world isn’t out to get you
, Baas. Try to lighten up and relax a bit, okay?”

Sensing his eyes boring into her, Taylor quickly pulled the door open without waiting for Sebastian’s response.

A few hours later, they sat gathered around the built-in fire pit. Tucked between his knees, Taylor snuggled against Sebastian’s chest as they shared a blanket. He rested his chin on her shoulder while she slowly skimmed her fingertips up and down the coarse hair covering his legs. A quiet contentment flowed between, both staring at the fire and somewhat mesmerized by the hypnotic dance of the flames. It had been a long day. They’d gotten up well before the first traces of color spackled the sky and made the two hour drive to the lake. Five hours of jet skis, wind, sun, and swimming had left them all drained, and it had been another two hour ride back to Monique’s. Now, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into their comfortable bed and enjoy his touch.

Sebastian seemed to feel much the same.
Kissing her temple, he nudged her forward. “I’m going to go gather our things, sweetheart. Where did you put our bag?”

“It’s hanging on the hook in the laundry room.”

After unfurling himself from the lounger, he headed for the house. Monique quickly followed suit with an offer to help and send some food home. Mourning the loss of his heat, Taylor drew the blanket tighter and glanced up to find Josh studying her.

“You sure you’re feeling okay, kid?”

She gave an embarrassed nod. “It was just hard being away from him.”

“Yeah,” he said
, sighing as he leaned forward to prod the fire with the end of a stick. “I get that. It’s tough on all of us.”

A tense silence hung between them and his face darkened with the same tortured shadows that haunted Sebastian’s whenever he
disappeared into the past. Hoping to lighten the mood, she went out on a limb. “Sooo…did Monique really ban you from the kitchen?”

His head snapped up, his sharp
, rugged face squinting with confusion. “Say what now?”

“Sebastian was telling me about the pizza you made. He said it was so awful it almost killed him,” she explained.
Relief flooded her upon hearing Josh’s gravelly laugh.

“Oh he did, did he?”

“Yeah. How in the world did you ever manage to pull that off? It takes a certain kind of talent to botch something straight out of a box.”

Still laughing, he shook his head. Deep creases lined his forehead as he flashed a sheepish look. “Just between you and me? I did that on purpose, kid.” He
leaned forward and settled into a more comfortable position. “We were working late one night and Baas was starting to get hungry. Which is really a polite way of saying he was becoming a royal pain in my ass.”

Taylor couldn’t help but snicker.

Grinning, he pointed at her with the stick. “See? You know exactly what I mean. Anyway, yeah, I could have made a perfect pizza. It’s not exactly neurosurgery, but what purpose would that have served? It’s bad enough working with the man all day. The last thing I needed was Sebastian stopping by every night and demanding a hot meal. So…I fucked it up. He hated it and never asked me to make him anything again. Problem solved. Smart thinking, huh?”

Pressing her fist against her mouth did nothing to
quiet her laughter. “It’s genius if you ask me. Is that what happened with Monique, too?”

“Absolutely,” he said, laughing. “
I’m not as dumb as people think. It worked so well with her brother, I figured why ruin a good thing?”

“Huh,” she mused. “Why didn’t I ever think of that?”

“Probably because you know what would happen if you ever tried to deceive me.”

Startling at the soft rasp of Sebastian’s voice, she whirled in her chair. Shame crept across her face a
nd she offered a guilty smile. Winking, he stroked his thumb over her cheek.

“He
y, Baas. I never heard you come back out.”

“Obviously.
”

Josh grinned and shrugged. “You can’t blame me for trying.”

“Funny,” Sebastian said, tracing the shell of Taylor’s ear. “This one tried the same argument once. It didn’t work for her either and she has considerably more charm than you do.”

Taylor held her breath, wishing she
were brave enough to turn back around and steal a glance at his face. Josh looked relaxed but he didn’t say anything as he stared over her shoulder.

“Don’t encourage her mischievous side.
”

“I didn’t see the harm, Baas. It’s just us.”

“Until it’s not and she slips up. You know just as well as I do how devastating a single misstep for them can be.”

The rebuke was soft but she watched it smack Josh like a ton of bricks. Emotions flashed across his face faster than she could name them. He gave a curt nod, but Taylor didn’t miss the
forceful bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed.

“You’re right, Baas.
I’m sorry.”

Monique chose that moment to step out of the house with
a bag of leftovers. Taylor watched the blonde’s wide gaze leap between her brother and Josh, obviously sensing the slight tension between them. Thinking about what she must have went through at Marx’s hands made Taylor’s stomach churn.

Sebastian
turned to accept the food and brushed his sister's cheek with a gentle kiss. “Thank you for your hospitality, Monique. Everything was perfect as always.”

Mo’s smile lit up the patio at the praise. Taking Sebastian’s cue, Taylor stood and
enveloped the stunning woman in a hug.

“Thank you
for everything. I had a blast today.”

“Oh, me too! Thank you both
for coming. I’ll call you about lunch.”

“I can’t wait.”

Josh stood and walked them around front of the house. Taylor hoped the slap Sebastian gave his partner’s back meant all was forgiven. She smiled as Sebby tucked her close against his side on the way to the Mercedes. Peeking up at him, she noticed his gaze wasn’t on her but busy scanning the tree lined drive. His conversation with Josh popped back to mind. He’d said it didn’t feel like SKALS. What did that mean? And if it wasn’t SKALS…who was it?

Frowning, Sebastian studied the files in front of him. They were no closer to finding Patrick James than they had been weeks ago. For all intents and purposes, the man was a ghost. No credit, no banking or social security activity, no recent facial recognition hits. Somehow, the man had fallen completely off the grid. Pinching his lips, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing in thought. With all of the surveillance and technology available in this day and age, there were only two ways a man could disappear for good. Either their dear friend had shacked up in a cave and was living off the land somewhere or Patrick James was dead.

“Man, we
have to find
something
,” Wes exclaimed. His broad hands shook as he ran them over the thinning brown hair on his head. “I am
not
going back in a reconditioning cell again. I can’t.”

“Relax,” Sebastian ordered flatly.
“You will do as you’re told or things will get much worse.”

“Baas, I can’t. I can’t go back
in there. You don’t know what it was like in there last time. You don’t know what they did.”

Wesley’s
glasses magnified the terrified flare of his brown eyes, lending him an owl-like appearance. His chest heaved and small beads of sweat erupted along his ruddy skin. Nodding, Sebastian tented his fingers beneath his chin and watched the normally strong man border on the edge of hyperventilation.

“I assure you my last
stay was no vacation either. We go through these things and we learn from them. I suggest you move on.”

“I know, sir. I’m sorry. I wasn’t complaining. I just
--”

Lifting a hand, Sebastian silenced the man and stood
. “I would choose your next words very carefully if I were you. I don’t know why you feel comfortable enough to express these opinions in my presence, but I find this outlook deeply unsettling.”

Wesley’s
wide throat strained with his swallow. “Understood, sir. It won’t happen again.”

Sebastian studied him for a long moment, searching for signs of deception. The lowered head suggested he was trying to shield something. Then again
, it could be shame or fear brought on by the gentle reprimand. Frowning, he wondered if Vincent had said something about their conversations or his current outlook towards Marx. The thought troubled him more than he cared to admit. Sighing, he poured a tumbler of whiskey and held it out in offering.

“Drink this,” he ordered
before returning to the other side of his desk. His gaze bore into Wes as the man shakily downed his drink. “I understand that things are difficult lately, but I need you to pull yourself together and hold on. This organization needs men who can function without falling apart. I have lost enough of my team as it is.”

Wes nodded. His attention remained rooted on the beveled glass in his hands. “I know, sir. It’s just…” he trailed off with
a frustrated shake of his head.

“
Speak freely.”

“
I know that reconditioning serves its purpose. I’ve never liked it, but I’ve always understood. This time, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to make it out alive. To be completely honest, I still don’t understand why I was there. We were doing our damn jobs. What else did Marx want?”

Sebastian rubbed the dark golden stubble dotting his chin. “It
’s not up to us to question his reasons.”

“I know that, Baas.”

He nodded. “That said, I will agree the discipline was intense.”

“I just get the feeling that things are changing, sir. And I…”

“Continue.”

“I’m not sure where
SKALS is headed. As fucked up as our methods might be, I’ve always felt a certain sense of pride and accomplishment knowing, in the end, we were doing the right thing. We put down low life scum. We take them out before they can hurt innocent people. But right now? Right now, I don’t have the slightest idea what we are doing or where this might lead.”