Page 52 of Sebastian

“Yeah,” Hawk rubbed the back of his neck. “It sure does feel that way, doesn’t it?”

“How’s Emma holding up?” Stone asked.

“She’s barely coming out of her room. We saw her all of fifteen minutes the past few days when she came out to talk with Mae about the bakery. But that’s it.”

“She could still be hiding something,” Gunner said.

“I honestly don’t think that she is. Nothing that would impact us finding Marco, anyway,” Nash said while Sebastian nodded in agreement.

“It must be nice to trust so blindly.”

“Reap, what the fuck is your problem with her?” Seb growled, thankful that he wasn’t in the same room as his buddy right now, or he would absolutely make things physical.

“She lied to you, Cap. To us! I’m not sorry that once someone has broken my trust, I look at them a little differently.”

“You haven’t been around her like I have. Whatever there is that she may keep close to her heart, it’s not for us to know. If there was something that she knew about Marco that would help us catch him, she’d say it. Emma wants him caught just as much as the rest of us.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, Cap, but I’ll continue to question her motives until we catch this scumbag.” Gunner stood up from the table and stormed out of the camera’s view. They heard a door slam shut in the background.

“Sorry, Cap. It’s not an excuse for his shitty attitude, but he’s got a lot on his mind. We know Emma isn’t the enemy here,” Hawk said.

“Right. Call us back the minute you have any updates.”

Hawk and Stone both nodded before the camera feed cut off.

“Someone needs to talk to Gunner. His attitude has never been great, but it’s getting worse, and it’s affecting the entire team.” Nash looked at Sebastian. “I think it needs to be you. You’re our team leader.”

“Not anymore.”

“Fine, you’re our boss. Is that better?” Nash rolled his eyes.

Seb laughed. “No, definitely not.”

“Think about it, okay? Something is going on with him outside of work, and he’s too stubborn to ask for help. He needs to know we’ve still got his back.”

“Yeah. I will.” He leaned back in the chair, stretching his arms high above his head. “I’m ready to get out of here for a while. You coming?”

“I’ll be up in a sec. There’s a new batch of files that got sent in from Agent Wilson that I want to check out first.”

“Let me know if there’s anything good in them.”

“I will,” Nash nodded. “Now, go see if you can spend some time with your girl.”

“I don’t think she’d like being called that.”

“She’s in a pretty stressful situation, Cap. I’m sure she’ll come around soon enough. Never did meet a single woman who wouldn’t fall at your feet immediately.”

“Emma isn’t like that, and you know it.”

“Yeah, I do. That’s why I know you finally found someone you shouldn’t let go of. Now go, before they stop clomping around the kitchen like two elephants and you lose your chance to see her in her element.”

Sebastian left the basement and was stunned. Music was playing in the large open living room, and as he looked into the kitchen, Emma was laughing at something Gage had said to her.

He had hardly seen her the past few days, but the dark circles under her eyes were lighter, and the sadness that had settled over her was gone. She was in her element, baking something that smelled amazing.

“What’s going on in here?” Sebastian asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Just using up some of the ingredients you ordered,” Emma smiled as she walked towards him. “I’m sorry I’ve been hiding. It was all too overwhelming for a bit.”

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