Page 34 of Sebastian

“They know?” She looked into Sebastian’s eyes.

“Some. I needed to fill them in on the basics when they got here this morning. I thought, if you were up for it, we could sit and go over everything.”

Twelve

“Emma.” Hank’s booming voice had her turning around with her hand over her heart. Filling Seb’s team in on everything that had happened with her step-father had been tough, but they’d fallen into a nice routine over the last several days as each guy took a turn watching over her in the bakery and on whatever errand or delivery she had to run. “What the hell, Hank? You scared the…never mind. What can I get for you?”

“I need a large black coffee to go, and maybe a few of your to-share containers, too.”

“What’s going on? I hate to say it, but you look like hell.” The guy had always had a rugged handsomeness about himself, but the dark circles under his eyes and unshaven, scruffy beard were making him look rough.

“Yeah, Daisy told me the same thing. I’ve been up all night out in Lark Lake. I probably shouldn’t say anything before the news release…” Hank looked around at the empty shop, nodding at Gunner sitting in the corner booth. Emma had only opened twenty minutes before, and Hank was the first customer of the day. “We found another one of the missing women. She’s dead.”

“Oh God. How? Was it like the others?” Emma kept her voice low. The news had been reporting nearly around the clock about the women who had been found in Clarence County, their arms and legs covered in hundreds of surface-level cuts, with one deep stab wound to their abdomens. She fought to keep her mind in the bakery, and not in the damp, dark basement where she found herself a few years before.

“Looks that way. I’ve got calls in to different agencies, including the feds, to see if they’ve ever seen something like this.”

“So it’s a serial thing? Did she have cuts on her arms and legs, too?” Emma swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat. She heard Gunner’s chair scrape across the linoleum flooring.

“I can’t go into details, Em, but it wasn’t a scene I ever want to see again. The way they were sliced up,” Hank shivered. “Make sure you lock up everything as soon as you close. Don’t go out by yourself right now, and call me if anything seems suspicious. Anything, Em, okay?”

“Listen here,” she dropped the cloth she was cleaning the counter with and stood with her hands on her hips. “That might work on your wife, but last time I checked, I wasn’t married to you, too.” She couldn’t have held the sass back even if she wanted to. It was the only way she knew how to cope. The only way she could get through the fear choking her.

“I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you. I don’t want to scare you either, but with the break-in at your apartment and seeing the victims…Em, they’ve all been taller women, similar build to you with brown hair and hazel eyes. If this is some serial thing, you fit the description of who this sicko is going after.”

He’d just confirmed her fear. She’d known, of course, from watching the news that all the women who’d been taken and found were similar in looks to her.

“Sebastian installed new security on the bakery and my apartment after the break-in. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m safe.”

“What’s going on?” Gunner asked as he walked up to the counter. She swallowed thickly, unable to dislodge the fear that was constricting her throat.

“Just reminding Emma to be careful, that’s all.” Hank turned from Gunner to Emma. “Just those coffees, Em. I have to head back out to Lark Lake, but needed to see Daisy before she started on farm chores this morning.”

“Yeah, sure thing, Hank.” Emma turned back to the coffee machines and started on the bulk order. Sliced up. The woman they’d found was murdered. And sliced up. Just like the others. The others that had looked just like her. Shivers ran down her spine. There was no way. No way that he could be there in Clarence County. It had to be a coincidence. A copycat.

Her stomach rolled as she remembered the sounds his blade made as it carved into the flesh of the man he held captive. The same sound it would have made in her flesh if she hadn’t gotten away.

Her step-father was still in Michigan. Gage was certain of it. So if it wasn’t him there, why wasn’t she able to shake the feeling of constantly being watched? Something was making her feel that way. Uneasy. Unsettled. Nervous. And if it was Marco…she didn’t want to finish that thought.

Hank was right. She needed to lock up the shop as soon as she closed. Emma would just be extra cautious until whoever mutilated those women was caught. The new security Sebastian had insisted on installing now seemed like a huge blessing.

She rolled her shoulders back, grabbing the coffee Hank ordered, before turning around to hand it off to him. He reached into his pocket for his wallet, but she stopped him.

“It’s on the house, Hank. Make sure you see if that woman had a jealous ex. It sounds like some sort of revenge.” She could only hope they discovered that, instead of any part of her past catching up with her.

“It’s certainly something I’m looking into. Thanks for the coffee, Em. Make sure you’re careful, okay?”

“Yes, dad.” She rolled her eyes, but offered him a genuine smile of thanks. Even if they could be overbearing, it was nice to have friends who cared so deeply about her.

“Oh, before I forget, this package was outside your front door. Probably those new piping tips you were telling Daisy about.”

Hank slid the plain cardboard box across the counter and Emma picked it up, quickly noticing that there was nothing other than her name and the bakery’s address on it.

“Thanks, Hank.” She continued to inspect the box as Hank walked out the door.

“Don’t even think about opening that.” Gunner snatched the box from her hands.

“Excuse me? It’s probably just a delivery from one of my suppliers.”

---