Page 49 of The Predator

Bel smiles at me, "You know the best part of all of this?""

I shake my head, my mouth dry from the scare, and she continues. "You're my sister. And there is nothing I wouldn't do for my family. You have me, and you have Drew and those morons at the Mill, Lee and Aries. Oh, and you have Sebastian. Despite how he went about things, I have no doubt he did this with the best of intentions. After all, you’re the only thing he thinks about.”

“I don’t know about that.”

Bel shakes her head. “Is it really that difficult to think you’re worthy of attention and love? Sebastian loves you. There isn’t a doubt in my mind. He might come off as heartless, cruel, and a prick, but once you get past the icy exterior and into the underbelly you discover a different side of him. A warm and fuzzy side. If you’re someone he cares about, someone he considers family, there isn’t anything he won’t do for you. And I would know. We found out we were siblings on a whim. Our mother had died, and worst of all, he never got the opportunity to meet her, and when I say that I mean genuinely get to knowher. He lost so much, and since you’ve come along it seems like he’s opened up a little more.”

I want to tell her she’s lying, she doesn’t know anything but the truth is, she’s right. I’ve seen it for myself. I nod, and she changes the conversation, jumping into what shoes go with what dress, but my mind remains stuck on Sebastian. What horrors is he trying to protect me from? And will we survive the revelation of all our secrets?

CHAPTER 14

SEBASTIAN

After the phone call I couldn’t risk causing Elyse any more stress, so I texted her father and told him if he wanted to meet all he needed to do was pick a place and time and let me know. Thus here we are. The public cafe is a smart move on the sheriff's part. If he'd been stupid enough to meet me somewhere alone I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't put a gun in his mouth and gleefully pull the trigger.Problem solved.Well, partially.

I scan the small restaurant while I wait. It doesn't appear to be seeded with any cops, but just because I don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t here. There's no guarantee the sheriff's other associates aren't hiding in here. Men like Yanov, casually sipping on London Fog and acting as if they aren’t sexual predators preying on the innocent. That’s fine. Let them learn who they are up against by siding with the Sheriff...my guess is, though, the man has an ego and comes alone, or maybe with a flunkie, to try and intimidate me into surrendering to him. Surrendering Ely to him. Not going to fucking happen.

I force the thought from my mind before I lose it. I'm not stupid enough to put myself in a situation that would give him the upper hand, anyway. Not with my life or my friends’ liveson the line, but especially not with Ely’s hanging in the balance. I wanted to meet here, force him to drag me out, if he’s man enough, so if the time comes I can claim self defense when the good sherriff inevitably goes too far. Who would blame me...the good ole college football star, the man who stepped up for his family after so much tragedy. I’ll put a bullet in Ely’s father’s head, make him disappear, and the town will still call me a legend.

Which is why I'm sitting here with a paper cup of coffee in my hand,alone. I’m aware I should’ve told my friends of my plan but then they would’ve tried to talk me out of it. No doubt, Drew and Aries both would kill him on sight, crowded cafe or not, and I’m not really in the mood to search for a lawyer today. That or pay off a judge, or whatever else it would take to protect those I care about.

I should really be worried about myself and the effort it’s going to take me to not shoot this fucker in the face the second I see him. If there is anyone deserving death, it’s him. It would almost—almost—be worth the hassle.

I peer around the room once more, twisting in my seat to make sure no no one is creeping up on my back. There’s a window behind me, and I wouldn’t put it past the sheriff to send one of his men through it. I settle into my seat, relaxing when it appears no one is watching me, and nothing seems to be out of place. It’s a little surprising I haven’t received more curious looks, as I've been staring the patrons down like they owe me money.

I glance down at my cell phone. He’s late. If he's going to threaten me and my wife, he should at least have the decency to be on time.

The bell above the door jingles, alerting me to another patron walking into the cafe. I look up to see the sheriff, his gaze roaming over the space until he pinpoints me. He skirts thetables around us and casually comes to stand in front of the only empty chair at the table.

I ensured it was the only one there, back to the room, just to piss him off.

"Mr. Arturo." He greets me, tipping his finger against his hat like an old time cowboy.

I don't return the pleasantries and instead continue to study him. This is the first time I've seen the sheriff up close, and I can see Ely in his eyes. Somehow the similarity pisses me off more than anything else.

"Did you want to get some coffee before we start?" I offer with a blank face.

Shaking his head, he removes his hat and then combs his fingers over his sparse gray fuzz. He's buzzed it short, but it's easy to see there's not much hair left. He's maybe an inch taller than me, his build lean. If it came down to it, and he didn't have his gun, I'd be able to take him easily enough.

He pulls out the chair and sits, leaning his legs out like he's relaxed. "We have a couple of things to discuss, Mr. Arturo. Like the return of my property."

I lean onto the table and take a sip of my almost empty coffee. It's mostly cold dregs now, but it lends to the mask, so I don't care. "I wasn't aware I possessed anything of yours, Sherriff."

Raising one eyebrow as if questioning my sanity, he scans my face. Yeah, you don’t want to see how fucked up I am, I promise you that. I've learned to shove everything so deep no one sees it. I should thank Tanya for that little skill.

"Don’t play stupid with me. You have my daughter, and I want her back."

I roll my eyes up and purse my lips like I'm thinking. "Your daughter? I don’t recall. The only person I have in my possession ismywife."

Slowly I tilt my hand over the table, letting the ring on my left hand catch the light. I would have preferred to have Ely pick out a ring for me, but I needed this to make a point.

"Your wife?"He balks. "Fucking a girl doesn't mean she's yours to keep. The arrangement I had was with your grandfather, not you.”

All I can do is shrug, still keeping the hate I feel for this asshole out of my eyes. "Isn’t that how inheritance works? Anything that was his, now belongs to me? I mean, if I, in fact, had one of your possessions. Which, I don't."

He releases a frustrated sigh and taps his knuckle against the table. "Well, I suppose we can circle back to this in a moment when I tell you the rest of why I'm here to meet you. The carrot, so to speak."

"As opposed to what, the stick? Are we speaking with that tired metaphor?"