Retrieval (23 page)

Her amazing abilities had nearly been the death of her, and while Raina said Sky wouldn’t be full strength for several more days, Sebastian knew better. With what he knew of this woman, she’d be up and at it in two days tops.

“They’re never going to get you, Skylar. If you believe nothing else of me, believe that. Smythe-Ward won’t get another shot at you, and if he does, it will be through me. Right now, you just need to rest. Let me hold you, and you just rest okay?”

She may resist, but he knew she needed this time of safety within his arms to gain control and strength.

“Think you can hold me forever?”

“I can think of nothing I’d like better, baby,” he whispered as he slowly shifted them both so that they lay on their sides facing one another.

“He’s going to come for me again, Bastian. Get your men ready. But for now, I’m going to trust in you and rest.” She was asleep before the end of the last word.

Chapter 15

Sky had woken up a few minutes ago. She hadn’t wanted to disturb anyone, so she’d come out to the porch for some fresh air. She was able to move now without excruciating pain, but she tired quickly. She’d wanted a few minutes to inhale some fresh air and maybe take a walk through the grass, but when Morrissey had stepped out onto the porch, followed by a grim-faced Sebastian, she’d taken cover in the shadows of the long wraparound.

“I talked with Dray Bonner about five minutes ago. He’s gonna call back in about an hour to talk with you Seb, but he gave me some interesting information. He says that Sasha’s having bad dreams lately. Says she’s dreaming about being lost and wandering around calling for her sisters, but when she wakes up she realizes the sisters she’s calling for aren’t the ones she grew up with.” Morrissey’s voice was hushed in the early morning air.

“It’s her isn’t it? Sasha’s the lost one. Damn it. You told Bonner to protect what was his right? Isn’t she pregnant?” Sebastian asked his man.

“With twins. She’s seven months along now. He’s locked everything down and is practically salivating at the chance to maybe get at Peter Dempsey.”

“Son of a bitch. You told him our suspicions about Post?” Sebastian’s voice was arctic even in the cold bite of the early morning air.

“He doesn’t agree with us, but it doesn’t matter. He’s convinced that Dempsey is wrapped up in this somehow, and he’s got Dare and their man Gavin working on information about Warren Goolsby. He wants to know when ya’ll can meet up.”

“Not until I’m assured she’s better. I have to get her settled, and then we’ll see about meeting up with Bonner. Bleak told me that Sky knows about Sasha. I’m going to tell her what we have when she wakes up. Can you imagine? Twenty-six years without knowing one of your siblings? And within a matter of a couple of weeks of us finding the McKannons their lives are topsy-turvy. All this shit is off the wall and coming fast. I almost wish we hadn’t taken the job in the first place.”

Skylar heard his words and had to stifle a gasp at the pain they caused her. Did he wish they’d never met? Surely if she were in his shoes, she’d wish the same thing, though. She couldn’t blame anyone for wishing they’d never gotten involved in her mess. It hurt to hear him voice it, but she tamped down the pain and tried to look at it from Sebastian and his men’s point of view.

It wasn’t in their nature to turn away from women in trouble. They’d taken a job, a very lucrative job according to Sebastian. They hadn’t known that their objectives would be so special or resistant. Or so damn dangerous.

Yeah, she couldn’t blame him for his words. But that didn’t mean they didn’t hurt. She couldn’t imagine wishing she hadn’t met Sebastian.

She watched as both men headed back inside. She moved out of the shadows and slowly sat down on the porch swing, turning inward to evaluate how far along her healing was.

After a few minutes of scanning she put herself at about seventy percent. Another day or two at most, and she’d be back at hundred. Then she was going for Smythe-Ward and GenTech.

And she was going to do it all without letting anyone else know her plans because they would either try to stop her or try to help. Neither of those options was acceptable to her.

“Hey.” Piper startled her out of her planning.

“’Sup?” she asked disinterestedly.

“Wow. What a warm welcome. My feelings aren’t hurt, mind you, but damn, what’s wrong with you? I figured you’d be on top of the world or at least on top of
someone
this morning after sleeping the last week straight.”

“Can you just not be an ass, Pipe, for a few minutes?” Sky asked harshly. Her sister’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Piper. I didn’t mean that, I’m just tired ya know? Still feeling down and chomping at the bit to get back up. I didn’t mean to bite your head off,” Sky apologized softly, pulling her sister to sit down beside her on the porch swing.

“Hey, I’m like Teflon—your shitty mood ain’t stickin’ to me. So what’s really bothering you this bright and early morning?”

“I’m good, just tired. How’s Raina holding up? And how has Kinsey not killed Morrissey yet? Give me the deets.” Skylar leaned her head against the wooden swing back and let Piper do the work of pushing them.

“Raina’s withdrawn. We’ve got to get her out of here soon. Kinsey hasn’t killed Morrissey yet, but I swear that the looks they throw one another could melt the paint off our Dodge Charger,” Piper said with a grin.

“Oh, shit. The Charger!”

“What about the Charger?” Piper asked in confusion.

“Bastian didn’t tell you guys, did he?” Sky asked with a groan. She closed her eyes to deal with the headache coming on.

“Tell them what? And what the hell are you doing out of bed and out here in this cold ass air at,” the man in question had returned outside and looked at his watch before glaring at Skylar, “five in the morning?”

“It could be worse,” Skylar said. She got to her feet. So did Piper.

“Yeah? Please tell me how?” Sebastian demanded.

Not missing a beat, both Skylar and Piper rapped in their best Snoop Dog imitation, “It could be
six
in the morning.”

“Do you think he gets that?” Piper whispered loudly as they bypassed Sebastian and walked through the kitchen door from the porch.

“I’m older than you, but not that old. And uh, hey?” Sebastian’s prompt made them stop and turn around, their looks the quizzical ones now.

“I got a pocket full of rub—” He was stopped by Sky’s hand over his mouth, but moving to the side he finished with, “and my homeboys do too.”

“Oh, Mr. Funny Man. Who knew you had it in you?” Piper guffawed.

“I do actually listen to things like music and gasp! I actually watch things like TV and movies. Crazy right?” Sebastian teased the women.

“Uh, Skylar?” Piper asked as she finally quit laughing.

“Yeah?” She didn’t look away from Sebastian’s eyes.

“Where’s the Charger?”

Skylar groaned dramatically. “Damn it.”

Sebastian laughed.

“Sometimes people do sleep,” Bleak said grumpily as he made his way into the kitchen. His tone very clearly relayed his anger at being woken up.

“Why yes, Bleak, sometimes people
do
sleep. So why don’t you go on back to bed, and you can rejoin the land of the wakefully challenged,” Kinsey said as she too entered the kitchen though she looked much more alert than Bleak did.

None of the sisters had quite gotten used to Bleak. They knew how his presence affected their sister Raina, and the pain she went through on his behalf caused each of them, except for Sky, a bit of dislike for the man. Sure, it wasn’t his fault that Raina had homed in on him, but his presence was a constant reminder that there was nothing any of them could do to relieve her pain.

“Wakefully challenged?” Sky asked in wry voice.

“Skylar?” Piper’s tone was a loud warning.

“Bastian?” Sky called in a silky voice.

“Yes?” He struggled not to laugh.

“Now would be a great time to get into my good graces by explaining to my sisters exactly what happened to the Charger.”

“Skylar?” Sebastian asked.

His voice that sent shivers down her spine this time. “Yes?”

“I’m already in your good graces, remember? And that Charger? Well, I hate to tell you Piper, but that Charger is toast. Burned, fried, and crispy on the side of the interstate in Iowa,” Sebastian said with a wicked glint in his eye.

“Noooo,” Piper wailed loudly.

“Umm hmmm. It is. Honestly, it was nothing more than a big hunk of warped, hot metal when we rolled up on the scene. Sorry,” Sebastian informed her.

“That’s it, Skylar. You’re out of the family. Disowned even,” Piper said in a nasty tone as she began pulling things out of the cupboards to make coffee.

“You can’t just kick me out of the family. Besides, you haven’t heard my good news. Go on Sebastian, tell her,” Sky enthused, a warning glint in her eyes.

“Tell her what?” Sebastian asked. There was a warning in his voice now.

*

Fuck he was in trouble. It had been enough for her to taunt him a week ago while they ate with his men. Getting into it with her sisters wasn’t on his agenda for the day.

“Oh come on,
Bastian
,” she purred, looking up at him with the biggest, sexiest eyes she could affect, “You know what.”

“Oh. Yeah. You’re
sure
you want me to tell her? Okay. Piper, the car is absolutely totaled. No way are you going to put that puppy back together again. Sky wrecked the hell out of it, and then some of your good old dad’s guys set it on fire. Yeah, that Charger isn’t even fit for a junkyard anymore.” Sebastian finished by throwing a gimlet look to Skylar, daring her to continue.

“Now, Piper,” Sky said soothingly, no longer focused on Sebastian as her sister rounded on her and moved stealthily in her direction.

Sky moved quickly behind Sebastian for safety, and no matter which way he moved, she moved with him. She pinned herself to his back and bless her heart, he could feel the outline of her pert breasts and heavenly hips through her silk long john underwear. Which should in no way be sexy, but right at this moment had Sebastian hardening in a rush.

Deciding to end this now before he embarrassed himself in front of her sisters and his men, he turned, scooped her up, and started out of the kitchen.

“You’re dead meat, Skylar. I told you Kinsey and I should’ve stayed with you that night, but noooo. You had to play wonder freakin’ woman and do it on your own. ‘I’ve got it she says’. And now look. My car, Sky. It’s gone.” Piper sounded on the verge of real tears.

Sky threw her a look as she peeped over Sebastian’s shoulder. Then she winked and blew her a kiss. She was baiting an angry tiger.

Piper looked ready for blood until Kinsey said, “Please, the car belonged to all of us Pipe, we all worked on it. Simmer down now. So we take one for the team? It’s not like it’s the first car Sky’s destroyed. We’ll build another one. Damn, could somebody please make some java?”

“You build cars? I am so in love with you …
all,
” Rover said in a voice gruff from sleep as he too entered the kitchen.

*

The comment about it not being the first car she’d destroyed stopped Sebastian cold, and the look he threw down at her made her grimace.

She shrugged, gave a nervous laugh. “Cars, plural she says. It was really just the Charger, and well, maybe the Tahoe that time. Oh, and then there was the Corvette, but that really wasn’t totally my fault. Come to think of it, neither was the Charger.” She shrugged again and settled back down in his arms.

“Where are you taking me?” Nervous energy raced between them. Maybe it was the way he was holding her so close against his chest, or maybe it was the teasing they’d just engaged in, but her heart damn near raced out of her chest, and her nipples beaded under her silk long john shirt. “Yeah, they feel damn good, too. And I’m taking you somewhere we won’t be disturbed, so I can help you out with that,” Sebastian said in a low, growly voice.

Damn, he made her body go boneless with his voice alone.

“You are? How are you hoping to help me out with my little
problem
Bastian?”
she purred inside her head, well aware that he was in there with her.

“I’d much rather show than tell.”
And his look said it all.

The brush of his voice inside of her head had her shivering with anticipation by the time he ascended a short flight of stairs. He moved to a room at the end of a long hallway. Skylar had realized earlier on the porch that they were in a pretty damn large log cabin in the middle of the wilderness. It was a true cabin with wood paneling, and a very rustic feel to it. She hoped that it was someone’s who knew they were using it.

“It’s mine, chill out,” Sebastian ordered as he carefully set her on a bed that was big enough for her, him and three more of him.

“Nope, just you and me,”
he assured her as he moved to the gargantuan fireplace on the opposite wall and began to build a fire.

“You’re getting pretty good at mind talking, huh? Think you’re something don’t you?” she asked as she sat watching him do his manly thing at the fireplace.

“No I don’t, but I have it on good authority that you do,” he replied with a wink, and a slow smile.

“You’re so bad, Bastian. How did I manage to get tangled up with you?”

“Luck of the draw, baby. You could call it fate I guess. I’m a hell of a catch, so you might have a hard time wrangling me in. You’re gonna have to work for it,” he said mimicking her words to him days ago after he’d found her in that cornfield.

The smile was there in his voice, and she was taken back to a few minutes earlier when she’d been eavesdropping on the porch. He’d sounded so put out that he was involved with this entire mess. Now that she thought about it, maybe he was just frustrated at the complexity of the situation. Maybe he wasn’t upset at being involved with her
per se
.

Because they were involved, and she was really hoping that involvement continued over the next few hours in the very large bed she was presently sitting on. She covered her mouth and giggled silently. She wanted to do things with him she’d never dreamed of. And she wanted to do them soon.