Chapter Thirty
SEBASTIAN
My blood boils when Alexander Deveigne steps out of the car that pulled up in front of us. Easton curses and pulls out his gun, but there are already four pointed our way before he even has it aimed.
“I heard you were looking for me,” Deveigne says, and my jaw clenches so hard it nearly cracks.
“I made you a promise last time I saw you, and it’s about fucking time I honoured it, Deveigne,” I spit out. “But that was before I knew you had my fucking parents killed. Now you’re going to suffer before you die.”
Deveigne sighs. “I knew I should have just killed the little rat as soon as it was done. Although I’ll admit, I didn’t think you’d actually figure it out. Maybe you’re smarter than I gave you credit for,” he says, but it seems to be more mocking than anything despite his words.
Easton shifts his gun towards him. “Ah-ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You pull that trigger, and you’ll be dead before you hit the ground. Drop it.”
Even with the threat, Easton doesn’t drop his weapon.
What is he doing?
“If you don’t drop it,” Deveigne tells Easton. “Then I’ll kill him,” he gestures to me with a nod as the gun of the man closest to him shifts from Easton to me.
I don’t know how much weight his threat holds, but I catch Easton’s jaw clenching before he puts the gun on the asphalt in front of him. Deveigne smirks as Easton finally relents. When we get out of this shit, Easton and I are going to have a good fucking chat concerning his lack of fucking care about putting himself in harm’s way. Fuck, speaking of getting out of here, I need to get Grace the hell away from here. Despite what happened last night, I don’t want her anywhere near the fuck across from us. I still had so much to figure out. Even though I hadn’t had time to read any more of the journal still sitting on the passenger seat of my car, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her.
“Good boy,” Deveigne says, his expression full of satisfaction. “I would hate to tell Daddy Dearest you got yourself killed, although come to think of it, he’d probably be glad to be rid of you.” Easton stiffens as I try to piece together what Deveigne’s saying.
“What does Vincent have to do with anything?” Easton asks, but even as he waits for an answer, his face drains of colour.
“Everything,” Deveigne says, and my mind whirls. “I gave you a chance.” He shifts his gaze towards me. “If only to avoid working with that incompetent idiot. But you didn’t prove to be any different than your father. I guess that’s one thing he was right about.”
Vincent was in on it?Easton doesn’t say anything, his face still pale as ever, but I can hardly concentrate on him. I knew Vincent was a piece of shit. I tossed around the idea that he could have known about Deveigne’s involvement, but I don’t think I ever truly thought he could be partly responsible for my parents’ death.
The phone call Ian mentioned. It was Vincent. It had to have been.My stomach roils, and rage even greater than what I feel for Deveigne burns within me.
“Now, hand over the girl.”
What?My body freezes at his words as chills sweep through me, overpowering anything else. Turning my head, I glance at Grace. Her eyes are wide, staring at the men before us. Her chest rises and falls with her shallow breaths, and the look of fear on her face cracks my heart as panic snakes its way around my neck. Fuck, I can’t let anything happen to her.
“I won’t ask again.”
“You’re not taking anyone,” I say, my heart pounding.
“Go get her,” he says to one of his men, and I step forward.
“I won’t—”
A deafening crack cuts off my words as the air rips past my head before I hear the thump of a body behind me.Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Move again, and you die,” he says.
Easton is still standing less than a metre away from me, and I let out a sharp breath that he’s okay, but clearly, whichever of the two men behind me isn’t.
Deveigne nods to the man next to him again, and he starts walking towards us.No, towards Grace. Shit, what the fuck can I do?Our only weapon lies at Easton’s feet, except he almost seems frozen in place. Not that he’d likely be able to grab it before they could take him out.
Deveigne’s guy reaches Grace in only a few strides, and her panicked scream rips through me.
“No!No…”she cries as he starts dragging her away. “Sebastian…please,”she chokes on a sob. My heart feels like it’s being shredded to pieces when her eyes find mine. So many emotions flash across her face. Shock. Fear.Betrayal…
My eyes burn. It physically hurts trying to hold myself back, but if I move, I’ll be dead, and then what? Grace fights the whole way, but it doesn’t have much effect on the bastard taking her back to Deveigne.What the fuck does he want with her? He can take me!
“My sweet Emery, did you really think I wouldn’t find you?” he says, reaching out a hand to her cheek, and she flinches at the contact, completely shrinking into the man holding her in place. Tears rush down her face, her breath coming out in short sharp bursts.