it was one he’d always abstained from. Being inside a woman was far too personal, the connection existent no matter how fleeting. What those men did to Taylor wasn’t subjective. It was sick and brutal. Even by his standards.
It took everything he had not to hurl the laptop across the room. Knowing what they did was too much. Whatever Josh had done, whatever gruesome ends those men had met, it wouldn’t be enough. Nothing would. He launched his glass into the mantel with a heated snarl. Minutes ticked by as he struggled to get himself back under control. For a moment, he regretted not watching the tapes before he’d visited Dominic. At least then, he would have had the satisfaction of knowing someone still suffered every ounce of humiliation and torture Taylor had endured. Dead or not, the son-of-a-bitch could count himself a very lucky man.
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Sebastian glanced up in time to see Henderson stagger into frame and prop himself up against the doorway. Despite the blood running down his face, the guard managed to get two shots off before taking a hit to his midsection. He caught the third assailant on his way down.
Realization struck Sebastian with a physical force. His breath faltered and shame spread clear down to his core. He’d almost taken the guy out when he caught Taylor giving him a cup of coffee. He’d almost eliminated the only thing that kept her alive. The thought numbed him and, pinching the bridge of his nose, he winced. That small act of mercy had been his only saving grace. If not for Henderson, Taylor would have died.
Frowning, Sebastian pushed those thoughts aside and keyed into the security system’s data logs. Only two automated calls had left the house that night. One had triggered the application on his phone. The other bounced back as unreturned from headquarters. His brow furrowed at the lack of response. It wasn’t concrete enough to peg anything as deliberate on Marx’s end, but it did nothing to lower the red flags of caution either. Had Josh placed a call requesting backup by then, or was there another reason there had been no response?
“Seb?”
His head snapped up at the lilting notes of Taylor’s voice. Doing his best to pull himself back together, he tried to force a reassuring smile. “Yeah, baby?”
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you in bed?”
One side of his mouth lifted in a rueful tilt. “I couldn’t sleep.”
He shut the laptop and stood before carefully picking his way over the shards of broken glass and making his way to where she stood. Worry shone in Taylor’s grey eyes, dimming them to a shade of dark iron as she took in the sharp slivers on the floor.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing, Taylor. I’ll take care of it. Go back to bed. I will be right up.”
She bit her lip, doubt and uncertainty lining her face.
“Now, Taylor,” he directed.
Images of the men assaulting her on the floor slammed through him without warning. Guilt and shame battered him as he wondered how she could even bear to set foot in that room. Sebastian slammed his eyes shut. He was going to get sick. Plowing a hand through his hair, he staggered back a step and turned away. Taylor rushed to his side, her hands fluttering over his back in a frantic show of concern.
“I’m all right,” he said, twisting out of her reach. “ Just stop it and get out of here before you cut your feet.”
“Please don’t push me away. Don’t shut me out. Talk to me, Seb. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help fix it.”
A half-crazed laugh bubbled from his lips. Turning, he regarded her with a questioning tilt of his head.
“Fix it? No, Taylor. There is no fixing it. If I had any decency left in me at all , I would tell you to run as fast and far away from me as you could, but I can’t, and I don’t.” He shook his head. “Even that wouldn’t help. There’s nowhere to hide. No way to escape and I just can’t keep doing this! ”
The last
It took everything he had not to hurl the laptop across the room. Knowing what they did was too much. Whatever Josh had done, whatever gruesome ends those men had met, it wouldn’t be enough. Nothing would. He launched his glass into the mantel with a heated snarl. Minutes ticked by as he struggled to get himself back under control. For a moment, he regretted not watching the tapes before he’d visited Dominic. At least then, he would have had the satisfaction of knowing someone still suffered every ounce of humiliation and torture Taylor had endured. Dead or not, the son-of-a-bitch could count himself a very lucky man.
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Sebastian glanced up in time to see Henderson stagger into frame and prop himself up against the doorway. Despite the blood running down his face, the guard managed to get two shots off before taking a hit to his midsection. He caught the third assailant on his way down.
Realization struck Sebastian with a physical force. His breath faltered and shame spread clear down to his core. He’d almost taken the guy out when he caught Taylor giving him a cup of coffee. He’d almost eliminated the only thing that kept her alive. The thought numbed him and, pinching the bridge of his nose, he winced. That small act of mercy had been his only saving grace. If not for Henderson, Taylor would have died.
Frowning, Sebastian pushed those thoughts aside and keyed into the security system’s data logs. Only two automated calls had left the house that night. One had triggered the application on his phone. The other bounced back as unreturned from headquarters. His brow furrowed at the lack of response. It wasn’t concrete enough to peg anything as deliberate on Marx’s end, but it did nothing to lower the red flags of caution either. Had Josh placed a call requesting backup by then, or was there another reason there had been no response?
“Seb?”
His head snapped up at the lilting notes of Taylor’s voice. Doing his best to pull himself back together, he tried to force a reassuring smile. “Yeah, baby?”
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you in bed?”
One side of his mouth lifted in a rueful tilt. “I couldn’t sleep.”
He shut the laptop and stood before carefully picking his way over the shards of broken glass and making his way to where she stood. Worry shone in Taylor’s grey eyes, dimming them to a shade of dark iron as she took in the sharp slivers on the floor.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing, Taylor. I’ll take care of it. Go back to bed. I will be right up.”
She bit her lip, doubt and uncertainty lining her face.
“Now, Taylor,” he directed.
Images of the men assaulting her on the floor slammed through him without warning. Guilt and shame battered him as he wondered how she could even bear to set foot in that room. Sebastian slammed his eyes shut. He was going to get sick. Plowing a hand through his hair, he staggered back a step and turned away. Taylor rushed to his side, her hands fluttering over his back in a frantic show of concern.
“I’m all right,” he said, twisting out of her reach. “ Just stop it and get out of here before you cut your feet.”
“Please don’t push me away. Don’t shut me out. Talk to me, Seb. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help fix it.”
A half-crazed laugh bubbled from his lips. Turning, he regarded her with a questioning tilt of his head.
“Fix it? No, Taylor. There is no fixing it. If I had any decency left in me at all , I would tell you to run as fast and far away from me as you could, but I can’t, and I don’t.” He shook his head. “Even that wouldn’t help. There’s nowhere to hide. No way to escape and I just can’t keep doing this! ”
The last
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