Page 77 of Sebastian

“No. You heard Agent Wilson. They have a policy to follow, and that policy is in place to make sure you stay safe. We aren’t going against that.”

“Will you excuse us for just a moment.” Emma said to the display where Agent Wilson’s concerned face was staring back. “Sebastian, a word outside, please.”

In the hallway, Sebastian tried to stop her, gently wrapping his fingers around her wrist as she walked into the elevator.

“Sprinkles…”

“No. Don’t say a word until we are upstairs.” She tapped her foot against the floor, breathing out a sigh of relief when they finally made it to his apartment.

“I can do it,” Emma blurted out before Sebastian was even fully off the elevator.

“It’s not about whether you can do it or not. Selfishly, I don’t know if I’m strong enough to see you how you were the first time you caught sight of Marco in town.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I mean, fuck, Sprinkles, that day, the sound of your sobs and the state I found you in…it’s not something I’ll ever forget.”

“I get it, Seb, I really do. But it will be different this time. I know he’s here, I understand the position I’ll be in, and I want to help.” Emma was so frustrated that she could have ripped her hair out. She threw herself down on his sofa, crossing her arms over her body as she waited to hear his next objection. Sebastian knelt down between her legs and cupped her chin with his hand.

“You being in a position where he can hurt you is out of the question. Besides, you are helping. You’re talking to Agent Wilson now, and you’ll speak with the forensic artist later. There is literally nothing more for you to do except stay safe until he can be caught.” He dusted a kiss across her lips, and for a moment, the electricity that moved through her brain short-circuited her thoughts. Leaning back from him, she shook her head gently before placing her hand on his chest.

“That’s not true, Sebastian, and you know it. And don’t distract me from this conversation with sex. I know what you’re doing and it won’t work.”

“Oh, really?” He ran his fingers up her thigh and into her shorts. The light pressure from his touch made her head fall back as she moaned, her body opening up for more. “Sounds like I could be very successful at distracting you right now,” he laughed.

Her head snapped up, and she playfully shoved his chest. He took a step back, and that gave her enough room to jump up from the sofa and put some distance between them.

“I’m serious,” she said. “You can’t just distract me with the best sex of my life. We need to talk about this.”

“The best sex, huh?” he smiled, reaching for her waist and playfully digging his fingers into her sides. “Now who’s riling who up?”

“Knock it off,” she laughed as the tickling continued. “Sebastian! I’m going to pee myself! And the guys are right downstairs!”

“Alright, Sprinkles. I concede. We can talk. But I fully expect us to revisit the best sex part when we are done.”

She rolled her eyes. “Deal. Now, I go first. You didn’t even let anyone talk about the plan before you just completely dismissed it. I think we should entertain the idea that I’m used to lure Marco in.” Sebastian opened his mouth, but Emma quickly raised her finger to silence him. “I wouldn’t be in danger. You already know Nash, Gage, Stone, and Hawk would all be there watching out for me, and who knows how many federal agents.”

“If you’re near Marco, you’re in danger.”

“Not with four former SEALs surrounding me.”

“Five. I don’t know why you think I wouldn’t be there, but there is no way I’d let you walk into a situation like that without having you glued to my hip,” he sighed. “Gage was wrong to even bring it up in front of you. The guys are too busy trying to close the operation they’re running with Agent Wilson. They aren’t thinking clearly.”

“But I could help them bust the case they are working on wide open. Who knows what Marco would do, who he would turn against, once in custody.”

“No. You are a civilian, Emma. I let you run off to the hotel instead of staying with me. I’ve given you that independence, that choice. But I can’t give you this. You haven’t been trained in any sort of hostage survival or at the very least, self defense.”

“You could teach me a few things in the next couple of days before they want to move forward with the plan.”

“It’s not enough time to keep you safe. There’s a certain amount of repetition that it takes to become muscle memory, and we don’t have that sort of time.”

Emma could feel her frustration growing. It churned like a hot vat of lava in the pit of her stomach. Sebastian’s eyes never left her as she began to pace around his apartment.

“So what? You don’t trust me to keep myself safe, and you don’t trust the team either?”

“It’s not about trust, Emma! There are too many fucking variables. I’m not willing to risk one thread of the plan being pulled out to have everything around your safety unravel.”

“I want in on the plan, Sebastian. I am the best hope they have of catching Marco and making a break in their case. Marco wants me. He’s blinded by his need to get to me after all these years. Let’s use that to our advantage.”

“It’s not worth it, beautiful.”

“Tell that to those women who he’s already killed in Clarence County. To their families. Or the families of the women that he’s helped traffic. The innocent babies he’s taken. Tell that to Luna.”

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