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CHAPTER TEN

Sebastian

Thomas intercepted me the next morning, as I was arriving at the house.

" Can I have a word? " he asked. He looked concerned.

I motioned him towards my office.

" What's up? " I asked, as he closed the door.

" I heard something last night from one of our guys overseas. It's just a rumour, nothing concrete, but word on the street is that The Syndicate might be planning something big. "

My eyes widened. The Syndicate were one of the closest things we had to a rival. They were less tightly knit than us, more of a financial conglomerate than anything else, but that only made them more ruthless. Russia, China, Saudi Arabia - anywhere with big oil or natural gas production - those were their strongholds. We'd had an uneasy peace with them for decades, mostly because butting heads would cause both of us immense damage; but it certainly wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that they were behind the recent attacks.

" Any idea what? " I asked.

Thomas shook his head. " It's just whispers at this point. It may not even be connected to all of this. "

" You don't sound like you believe that. "

He smiled thinly. " You know me. I don't like coincidences. "

" Me either. I can't see an end game in it for them, though, " I said. " We're not remotely close to any of their power bases. Even if they did manage to somehow destroy us all down here, it wouldn't make any difference to their operations. If they were going to make a play, I'd expect them to go after Europe or America, not us. "

" Maybe they're just sending a message? "

" Maybe, " I replied, although that didn't feel quite right. These attacks felt targeted and meticulous. " If it is them, they've certainly upped their game. They're not exactly the most subtle group, but the people messing with us right now are like ghosts. They're always one step ahead. "

Thomas nodded. " That's been bothering me too. "

" Well, keep your ear to the ground. Maybe they'll slip up and give themselves away. We could use a gift like that, right now. This whole situation is really starting to wear on me. Not to mention the toll it's taking on Sophia. "

My discussion with her had been on my mind all day. I desperately wanted her to be happy, and would have liked nothing more than to spend our nights out on the town, but that was a spectacular way to leave us both exposed. Leaving her alone at work was bad enough, but at least her office had door scanners and security guards and a thousand sets of watchful eyes. Bars and restaurants were a different story. They weren't contained, they weren't a known quantity. Even with our little rag tag security team, there were a million things that could go wrong.

But as the afternoon rolled around, I was struck by an idea. I tracked down Tony and Aaron, and organised for them to just go straight back to the house. Tonight, I'd be playing chauffeur.

A few hours later, I was waiting on the footpath outside Sophia's office. As she exited the building and caught sight of me, her face lit up with a curious smile.

" Hey you, " she said.

" Hey yourself. "

" To what do I owe this pleasure? "

I grinned and held up the bag I was carrying. " I thought maybe we could have a little dinner party in your office. Just because we can't go to a restaurant doesn't mean we can't eat out. "

" Oooh, my office. How exotic! " Her voice was sarcastic, but her smile only widened.

" Well, we don't have to... " I replied, trying my best to sound put out.

She laughed. " I'm kidding. That's very sweet of you. And good timing. I'm starving. "

I followed Sophia back inside, drawing a few strange looks from her colleagues, but we made it to the office without any awkward questions.

" It's still kind of early, " she said, as I closed the door. " What happens if my boss decides to pop round for a chat? "

" Then I will politely ask him to leave. "

" He might not appreciate that. "

" Well I might not appreciate him interrupting our date. "

She laughed. " I suspect you may just win that encounter. "

I reached into the bag and cracked open a container. The room instantly filled with the smell of peanuts and garlic. " I hope Thai is okay. "

She made an appreciative noise. " Thai is more than okay. "

" And the coup de grace, " I said, pulling out the bottle of wine I'd brought.

She clapped. " You know me too well. "

" Only plastic cups I'm afraid. "

" What? " she replied, with mock haughtiness. " This is an outrage! "

We settled in, passing containers back and forth and shovelling food into our mouths with those thin, store provided chopsticks. We were ravenous, and within just a few minutes we'd both managed to drip sauce down the fronts of our clothes, but all it did was make us laugh. There was something so comfortable about this sort of sharing. I'd eaten at a lot of fancy restaurants in my day, and while they had their charms, none of them compared to this. This was a level of affection and intimacy I assumed I'd never have, but by some miracle of God or fate, or whatever you want to call it, I'd found a woman who seemed to be willing to take all of my baggage on board. And amazingly, with our lives currently wrapped up in conspiracy and danger, we could still share moments like these.

" Thank you for this, " she said, as we were taking a breather.

I shrugged. " It's no Mi Casa. "

She reached out to give my hand a little squeeze. " Maybe not, but it's perfect anyway. " And she was right.

It was a little sad, heading back to our makeshift fortress, but that couldn't erase the joy of the evening. Sophia's eyes were sparkling more than any time since before she was taken, and that alone made me incredibly happy. She had such life in her, and at times I was terrified the situation would crush that to dust.

It was dark by the time we pulled into the driveway, but I could still see the silhouettes of one of our guards sitting in his car on the grass to one side. The other would be around the back. It was encouraging to see that, even when we weren't home and they had every opportunity to slack off, they didn't. They were true professionals.

I parked the car and we hopped out. Thumbing the door scanner, I opened it and ushered Sophia inside.

" Home sweet home, " she said.

I followed her, my eyes shamelessly glued to her ass. She turned her head and caught me. " And what are you looking at? "

" You, " I replied. " Or rather, a specific part of you. " I gave her a gentle little smack.

" What ever happened to look but don't touch? " she asked coyly.

" I plan on doing a lot more than touching. "

I reached up to slip my jacket off, and then everything happened at once. There was a light, scraping sound from somewhere to our left. It was barely more than a whisper, a shoe catching a piece of furniture maybe, but my body had been on twenty four hour alert since this all started, so it was enough to set adrenaline exploding through my veins. If I hadn't already been removing my suit, I wouldn't have got there in time, but my gun was holstered in a shoulder strap that hung just below my armpit. As the two men appeared in the kitchen doorway, their own weapons pointed in our direction, I was already moving. My hand closed around my pistol grip as I lurched to one side, instinctively throwing myself in front of Sophia, knocking her into the room behind us. The air was suddenly thick with hot lead and the scent of gunpowder.

The first man missed his mark entirely, his bullets zinging into the plaster around me, and he paid the price as my first shot took him in the chest. However the next man was better. As his partner collapsed he took careful aim and fired a single round. I felt the wind of it plough past me as I threw myself behind the lounge room wall. Two inches to the left and I'd have been done.

I landed awkwardly and scuttled up into a crouch, then spun to check on Sophia. She looked over at me from the other side of the doorway, her face a mask of terror. I did my best to seem calm and collected, but blood was pounding in my ears. It had been a long time since I'd been in a real combat situation. I'd forgotten how sharp everything gets, how your heart feels like a fist pummelling the inside of your chest.

At any moment Tony and Aaron should have been bursting in through the doors, drawn by the sound of gunfire. But everything remained ominously silent. After a few seconds, I knew we were on our own.

I didn't understand how everything had gone so horribly wrong, but now wasn't the time to think. Now was a time for action. With every passing second, the situation grew more dangerous. Our opponent had gone quiet now. Probably holing up, to wait us out. He had a good position and a tiny space to watch. The moment I peeked out, I'd be done.

If I'd been alone, I could have simply looped around behind him through the lounge room's other doorway, but Sophia was essentially trapped in the corner. She couldn't go anywhere without exposing herself, which meant neither could I. I'd die before I left her alone.

I wracked my brains for some kind of plan, but nothing came. It would have to be a straight shoot out. That was the only way. He'd hit me, but maybe it wouldn't be lethal, maybe I'd still be able to take him out before I collapsed. I might not make it, but Sophia would.

She was still staring at me with those wide, beautiful eyes, her handbag clutched against her chest like a baby. I nodded reassuringly at her, trying to etch every line of that perfect face into my mind, then I crept to the edge of the doorway. She gasped as she realised what I was about to do, but I silenced her with a raised finger against my lips. There was no other option.

Taking a deep breath, I counted to three and then launched myself out across the doorway, the barrel of my pistol panning wildly for a target.

I expected to hear gunfire. I expected to feel that hot metal sting as he calmly picked me off from his perfect vantage. But instead, nothing happened.

The room across the hall was empty.

For a second I was confused, but then panic seized me, and everything suddenly seemed to slip into slow motion as I realised what had happened. I turned my head, catching sight of the man's profile in the lounge room's other doorway as he carefully took aim at me. I'd underestimated him. He hadn't been content to wait it out. Instead he was the one who'd looped around behind.

My gun was still pointed the other way. I tried desperately to bring it around, but my arm felt leaden and impossibly heavy, like I was dragging it through thick mud. His finger twitched toward the trigger. I wasn't going to make it.

And then, when he was surely just milliseconds from firing, a percussion of loud cracks rang out from the corner of the room. Plaster floured the air, and the man's expression went loose. As the red punctures on his chest began to blossom out across his shirt, his legs caved underneath him, and he fell limply to the floor.

For several moments, all I could do was stare. I'd been resigned. In my head, we were already dead, and it took a while for me to understand that that wasn't the case.

I turned slowly to Sophia. The gun I'd given her was still trembling in her hands. Every part of her was shaking in fact. She'd emptied the entire clip, only hitting him twice, but that was all it had taken.

The pistol dropped to the floor. " He was going to shoot you, " she said woodenly.

That jolted me back to reality. Glancing over at each body once more to check for movement, I stumbled over and wrapped her in my arms. " I know. I know. You had no choice. "

She nodded slowly, although her eyes were still distant. She was the strongest woman I'd ever met, but killing is something you can never be prepared for. It changes you. I couldn't believe I'd put her in that position.

I pulled her against me tightly, stroking her hair. She was in shock, and really needed time to recover, but that wasn't a luxury we had yet. For now I had to comfort her enough so we could move.

The fight felt like it had taken hours, but I knew from experience it was probably only about fifteen seconds. Still, we had to leave. There was a good chance that even through the solid walls someone had heard the shots. The police would likely be on the way, and spending several hours clearing up the mess would only serve to leave us more exposed. Then of course there were our assassins to consider. Things had just gone up to a whole new level, and I doubted that whoever was responsible would suddenly back down just because they'd lost this fight. More men could be on their way. We had to get somewhere safe.

" Sophia, look at me. We need to move now, okay? "

She turned slowly and stared for several seconds, before eventually blinking several times and nodding. " Okay. I'm okay. Let's go. "

After scooping up our two weapons, as well as those of our assailants, I led her into the study. " Just getting some supplies, " I said, removing my emergency duffel from the bottom of the cupboard.

She didn't reply.

Unzipping the bag I surveyed the contents; two changes of clothes for each of us, cash, phones, passports, and a laptop computer. I'd hoped to God we wouldn't have any cause to run, but I'd been prepared nonetheless.

I withdrew one of the phones and powered it on. It was a cheap, prepaid model, bought from a convenience store. In other words, it was utterly untraceable to me.

I guided Sophia back towards the front door, pausing briefly to snap pictures of the two men. Even as my brain struggled to process what had just happened, the logical part of my mind was still firing on some level. We couldn't stay, so I had to collect whatever evidence I could.

The air outside was warm and heavy. Raising my gun, I scanned the yard slowly, searching for any further danger. It was unlikely — it made more sense for our enemies to just stay together and ensure the job got done — but I wasn't taking any risks.

The garden appeared to be empty.

I started moving towards the gate with Sophia in tow. I could see how hard she was trying. The expression on her face was constantly shifting from frightened confusion to grim determination as she battled to keep her emotions in check.

As we passed the security guys' car, I couldn't help but glance over, already knowing what I'd find. From a distance nothing had looked wrong, but up close, it was Tony's shocked expression that greeted me. He wasn't moving. The red misting on his skin was lit up vividly in the moonlight like a poster for a horror film. Aaron would be around the back somewhere, in a similar state. I felt a hollowness building inside me, but I shoved it to the back of my mind. Not now.

Sophia followed my gaze, and let out a little cry, but I reached out and seized her chin, pulling her eyes to mine. " Don't look. " She trembled a little in my grip, her eyes glistening and impossibly wide. " Don't look, " I said again. And after a moment, her expression hardened and she gave a curt nod.

" We're going to take a taxi, " I said, as we headed up the street. The house was only a five minute walk from the main road. It would be easy to flag down a cab at this time of night. " We need to get somewhere private. For all I know, the car is bugged. I need your phone too. "

Her brow furrowed slightly, but she pulled it from her purse and handed it over. I threw it, along with my own personal one, into a bush. " Can't be too careful. " I handed her the second prepaid. " Use this instead. I've got one too. The number is already programmed in. "

To her credit, she simply nodded again. I was partially awed and partially sickened at how quickly she was becoming used to this.

As I'd suspected, a cab was easy to find. I directed the driver towards Newtown, towards Sophia's house. That wasn't where we were really headed, but I had no idea how many resources our enemies had anymore. I wanted to keep them on their toes.

Once on King Street, we jumped out and hailed another taxi. " North, " was all I said to the driver.

Sophia took my paranoia in stride, sitting and staring out the windows, hugging herself lightly despite the warmth. I didn't know what I could say, so I stayed quiet too.

The ocean fanned out in front of us, as we drove out over the Harbour Bridge, but my mind was racing too fast to appreciate the view. When we arrived at the mini-CBD that is North Sydney, I ushered Sophia out once more and then, picking a random direction, we began to walk. I figured if I did everything as randomly as possible, it made the chances of someone guessing where we'd gone almost impossible.

Two blocks later we found a hotel. It wasn't particularly big, nor were the rooms particularly nice. Sterile was probably the best word to describe it. Cheap furniture, cream coloured linen, and the slightly sickly scent of lemon detergent in the air. People didn't come to this part of town to holiday. They flew in on rushed overnight business trips, their only requirements a clean bed and a well-stocked mini bar. The mere fact that we were a couple checking in together drew a raised eyebrow from the concierge.

The moment I closed the door behind us, something seemed to drain out of Sophia again. She sat down on the bed and turned to face me. " I thought you said that place was safe. "

I exhaled slowly. " I thought it was. Nobody should have been able to get in there. "

" So what does that mean? "

I could see she already knew the answer. I almost couldn't muster the words, words that had been playing in the back of my mind since the moment the fight ended. " It means you were right, " I said slowly. " Someone in the group wants us dead. " Despite how obvious it was, hearing myself say it out loud was like a punch to the stomach. One of my brothers had betrayed me. It was inconceivable.

Sophia closed her eyes briefly, like she'd just realised how little she wanted to be right this time. " So what do we do now? "

I shook my head, a sense of hopelessness clawing at my stomach. " I don't know. " And it was true. I had no idea what our next move was. Without knowing who to trust, I couldn't properly use the group's resources. I was effectively cut off. Before, it had been our team against theirs, but now, it was the two of us against the world.

She gave a little nod, like she'd been expecting that, then slipped off her shoes and curled up on the bed. I stood there, staring at this broken woman, feeling so completely ashamed. The signs had been there, but I'd been too blind to see them, and once again she'd nearly paid the price.

" Can you hold me? " she said, after a few seconds. The tremble in her voice was enough to break my heart.

Hurrying towards her I lay down, looping my arm under her neck to cradle her against me. " Hey, hey, it's okay. " She didn't cry, she simply burrowed against me, as if she were trying to disappear beneath my skin.

I kissed her forehead softly. " Don't worry, we'll work something out. " I filled my voice with as much confidence as possible. What else could I do?

" Okay. "

We lay there like that for a few minutes, enjoying the security of each other's presence. Despite my calm facade, the night's events had shaken me. I'd had a little combat exposure back in the day, but nothing ever makes getting shot at any easier. I knew it would pass, but right now, every nerve in my body felt frayed and agitated.

" We should get some rest, " I said. " We can deal with this tomorrow. We'll think better with a night's sleep in us. "

" Okay, " she said again.

I leaned down to kiss her goodnight. It was an instinctive gesture. I hadn't planned for anything to come of it, but the moment our lips touched, a massive current sizzled between us. The lingering adrenaline from our fight surged in my veins, driving my body against hers as though she might be ripped away from me at any second. She was hesitant for a moment, but then she was kissing me back with equal urgency, a fearful hunger that was heartbreaking and yet utterly beautiful. The air swirled, heady with our need; the need to feel each other, to affirm we were both here and safe and together. That somehow, we'd survived.

Our hands fumbled for each other's clothes, tearing them free, and I lowered my naked form over hers, sinking into her wet heat. She arched beneath me, drawing a long intoxicated breath as our bodies joined.

I pulled her against me, welding her form to mine, desperate to be as close to her as humanly possible. There was nothing sensual or controlled about our lovemaking. It was raw and desperate and devastatingly passionate. There were no words to express the way we both felt in that moment, but our bodies could say what our mouths could not. After the terror of what we'd just been through, I desperately wanted to feel something good, something pure, and I wanted her to feel the same.

We came together, our eyes locked, our muscles quivering in unison. We didn't speak when it was over. We just lay there, bathing in the tender glow that, at least temporarily, kept the darkness at bay.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Sophia

For a few minutes after I woke, I actually felt really good. It was one of those lazy awakenings, where things come to you gradually; the sun through the window, the warmth of the blanket, the weight and scent of Sebastian besides me. Soon enough though, everything else made itself known.

Thinking back over it all, I felt strangely numb about the whole thing. I didn't know if that was normal or not. I'd killed a man. It seemed like I should have been balled up in a corner somewhere. But I wasn't. Maybe if I'd still been living my ordinary life, blissfully ignorant of this world, it would have been different. But given everything that was going on around us, it somehow didn't seem so shocking. He'd been trying to kill us, and I'd stopped him. That was all there was to it. I suspected it would come to haunt me, in time, but at that moment, I felt eerily calm. Perhaps it was just my body doing what it needed to, to get through this thing.

I glanced over at Sebastian's sleeping form, my eyes drinking in the taut coils of his back. It made me feel a little perverted that even now, the first thing I did was check him out, but the memory of our recent love making was blaring like fireworks behind my eyes. I had to admit, being shot at did have its perks. Our coupling had never been like that before; so raw, so desperate. He'd loved me like he might never get another chance, and my body had responded in kind.

He woke a few minutes later and rolled towards me, smiling through sleepy eyes. " Hey. "

" Hey, " I replied.

He leaned in to kiss me, and for a second I thought we might be taken by the same manic combustion that had seized us last night, but I had to settle for a little tingle in my belly instead. The crushing fear that had fuelled us appeared to be all burnt up.

" I'm starving, " he said.

" Me too. "

He slipped out from under the sheet and walked to the mini-bar. " Well, we can either have Snickers for breakfast, or we can venture out. "

" You think that's safe? " I asked.

He shrugged and nodded. " It's going to be buzzing out there pretty soon. Finding two people in suits will be needle in haystack territory. Besides, nobody has any idea where we are. We're off the grid. "

I glanced out the window. He was right. The streets were already thronging with people. North Sydney is the biggest business district outside of the actual CBD, making it a perfect disguise for people dressed like we were.

We found a little cafe in a side street and snagged a table in the back corner. We'd missed the breakfast rush and the place was starting to empty out, so if we talked quietly enough, we had a little privacy.

" So, what's our plan? " I said, when our waitress was out of earshot. She'd brought coffee, and I could already feel the sweet rush of caffeine wending its way through my brain. I was alert and ready as I was ever going to be to work out our next move.

He blinked several times, apparently taken aback by my directness. It was then that I noticed how tired he looked. The little lines that webbed their way out from his eyes were more pronounced than normal and his expression was slightly slack. I suspected he hadn't got much rest last night.

" I'm not entirely sure, " he said.

" Well, let's work out what we know. We know that someone from Alpha sent those men to our house, correct? "

He closed his eyes briefly and nodded. " Nobody else could have gotten in there, let alone known where it was. "

" Okay, so that gives us something to aim at. "

" Kind of, yeah, " he replied. " But whoever it is, they're smart. When they kidnapped you, we threw everything we could at them, and we came up blank. Property ownership, the identity of the thugs they'd hired, everything. It was like trying to track down a ghost. Assuming that they're still that competent, I doubt we're going to find them easily. "

I knew this conversation was difficult for him, but there was no way to avoid it. " Well, surely some members are bigger candidates than others? "

He understood instantly. " You mean Ewan? "

I nodded. " It was pretty clear from the outset that he didn't exactly approve of me. What did you say he called me? A liability? If those aren't the words of a man who wants me out of the picture, I don't know what are. "

His brow furrowed, and he let out a long breath. " I know he seems like the obvious candidate, but I just can't see it. Maybe he'd move against us, maybe, but even that's a stretch. And Charlie and Simon? I'd bet a million to one he'd never do that. They were his closest friends. They'd been in the group together for decades. "

" People can surprise us in the worst ways, sometimes, " I said.

I could see him trying to make the pieces fit in his head, but eventually he shook his head. " You didn't see his face, hear his anger when he heard about their deaths. Besides, why would he be upset with you for endangering the group if he was also working to destroy it? "

He had a point. That didn't quite stack up. " So what about the others? "

He stared desolately down at the table. " I don't know. I can't really believe it of any of them. The group is a brotherhood, Sophia. I've known them all for years. I can't see any of them just turning power hungry all of a sudden. "

" So that's what you think it's all about? Power? "

" Maybe. None of it really adds up. Taking out a few council members, sure, I guess I can see that as part of a larger plan, but then why go after you? That part still puzzles me. "

I nodded. " Me too. "

The waitress arrived with our food, and we ate in thoughtful silence for a few minutes.

" Let's try a different approach, " I said eventually. " Who knew you were coming to my office last night? "

His eyes widened a fraction as he realised my implication. " Of course. I missed that. Whoever it was must have known we'd be out late. Every other night we arrived separately, and at different times. It would have been a nightmare to coordinate. "