Page 68 of Sebastian

The men sat silent, all looking back and forth at each other. The worry started to gnaw through the calm she had with Sebastian’s scent all around her.

“Please, tell me what’s going on.”

Seb shook his head, pain filling his eyes as he looked at her. “The night after we flew out here, there was another attack.”

“No,” she gasped, pulling her legs into her chest and wrapping her arms tightly around them. “I don’t understand. I’m the person Marco wants. And he knows I’ve seen him. So why is he still hurting other women? Did she look like me? Where was she from?”

The men sat silent.

“Tell me. Please.”

“Bell Ridge, Sprinkles. And yes, she’s someone who has the same physical features as you.”

“Who was it?”

“A nursery school teacher,” Gage said. “But Em, she didn’t die. John Boone apparently interrupted her abduction. She ended up with a cut across her neck, but with his quick attention to the wound, they think she’s going to make a full recovery.”

Emma’s heart thundered in her chest.

“Tell me who it was?”

The room was silent for far too many heartbeats. Nash finally broke the silence.

“Abby Cooper.”

“No!” she jumped up from the couch. “I need to talk to Sam. God, she’s going to be okay? You’re sure? That’s his baby sister. Fuck, this is all my fault.”

“Em.” A warm hand landed on her arm a second before Sebastian pulled her into his chest. “None of this is your fault. And of course you can call the Coopers and see how she is doing for yourself.”

“Is she under protection now? He’ll never let her live. He’ll try to tie up any loose ends. And Sam will never forgive me if something else happens to her. Not that he should.”

“I’m sure the sheriff’s department has that all covered.” Nash gave her a reassuring nod.

“Was the attack outside of your building?” She raised her face, so that she was looking into Sebastian’s eyes.

“No. It was a few blocks away. Why?”

“When I walked in here, you said Nat would send over the security tapes.”

“I’m so sorry, Em. Last night, there was a fire at the bakery.” His eyes held an ocean of empathy.

A fire? How?

“What! Is Mae okay? Was Melissa there with her when it happened? Were they hurt?”

“Mae is fine. So is Melissa. They were closing up for the night in the back when they heard glass shatter and saw a fire in the sitting area.”

“What happened?”

“Hank mentioned that the fire chief was pretty confident a Molotov cocktail went through the front window. Mae said they ran down the alleyway and around front, but by the time she got there and called to report the fire, the flames had already engulfed the entire front of the store,” Nash said. “I’m sorry, Emma. The bakery and your apartment were severely damaged.”

She sat back against the sofa, the words flying around her but not completely penetrating her mind. Everything she’d worked so hard for, gone. She squared her shoulders and smiled at Nash.

“It’s okay. I’m so glad Mae and Melissa weren’t hurt,” she sighed. “I guess this is why I’ve always been so on top of my insurance. I’m sure it will take time, but I’ll rebuild it. Maybe make it even better than it was before.”

“Hank suggested we stay here for the time being. He seems to think it’s likely that Marco was the one to set the fire, and it’s best if you stay away until they can catch him.”

“Seb, I really think we need to go back. I need to see Sam. Mae and Melissa, too. I need to apologize to Abby, offer my support to her. And I’ll need to contact my insurance company first thing tomorrow. I don’t have all the information I’ll need right now, but I’m sure I can talk to the guys at the firehouse. Jackson will be able to get me what I need.”

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