Page 48 of Inferno (SKALS 4)

“The truth can be a scary thing sometimes, Josh.”

“I’m not doing this. I’m not having this conversation, and I’m not letting you drag me down with you. Do you hear me, Sebastian?”

“I need you. I can’t do this without you. You’re my partner. You’re all I have.”

“No, Baas. You’re not listening. Whatever you are doing, whatever it is you are thinking about doing, just fucking stop!”

The words hit him like a physical blow. They sucked the air from his lungs along with all traces of fight. A deep, wounded hurt replaced the shock and left him stunned.

“Get out,” he ordered quietly.

“Yeah, fine. My pleasure. Just do us both a favor and stay the hell away from me. I’m done trying to save you from yourself.”

He offered an emotionless smile in return. “You’ve already made your position quite clear. There is nothing left of me to save. Have a pleasant life, Agent Reevers. Shut the door on your way out.”

Sebastian ground his teeth as he watched Marx stroll the length of the conference room, his deep booming voice nothing more than an annoying drone that he desperately tried to block. Josh sat in stoic silence beside him, the tight clench of his jaw saying all that needed said. His partner was still angry. Scowling, Sebastian slumped lower into his chair and checked the clock. It had already been an hour and Marx showed no signs of shutting his yap anytime soon. To his left, Vincent tried to conceal a yawn behind his hand. The gesture drew the director’s undivided attention along with a blistering glare.

“Am I boring you, Agent Pellagreeni?” he asked, balling his massive fists and pressing them against the table. “Is my briefing putting you to sleep?”

“No, sir. It’s just been a long day. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t or you will be spending several long nights in a reconditioning cell. I need everyone’s head in the game, including yours, no matter how worthless it might be.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed in disapproval. Marx rose to the challenge.

“Is there something you would like to say, Agent Baas?”

“Other than the fact that I don’t appreciate you belittling my men for no reason?” he asked. “Not particularly.”

The commander straightened with a snort. “I see,” he stated. “We are back to you taking things on a personal level again. This isn’t about you, Sebastian. It’s about the lack of professionalism and respect on your team. A fact that has been brought to light in more ways than one as of late. Perhaps the problem isn’t with them after all. Maybe it lies with you.”

His shoulders jerked with a humorless laugh. Dropping his chin to his chest, Sebastian gave a rueful shake of his head. “If you say so.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Marx countered, “and I highly doubt you want it to come down to that. If you think the last two weeks you spent in lockdown was hell, keep trying me.”

He opened his mouth, but a sharp elbow prodded his side before he managed to voice his opinions on the matter. Furious, he swiveled in his chair and pinned Josh with a heated glare.

“Shut up, Baas. Just shut the fuck up before you land us all in a world of hurt.”

“Your partner is a wise man, Sebastian. You would do well to listen.”

Ignoring Marx’s taunt, he gave Josh a cold smile in response. “I think I liked it better when you weren’t speaking to me.”

“Suit yourself, prick. Go back to holding private meetings with Vince. I’m done with you.”

Blinding rage threatened. Springing from his seat with enough speed and force to capsize it, he grabbed the back of Josh’s head and slammed him cheek first into the table. His partner gave a pained grunt when his fingers bit deeper into the corded muscles of his neck. The room around them exploded into action as several team members scrambled to break them apart.

“Who do you think you are, Josh?” Sebastian asked in a deceptively soft whisper. “Nobody speaks to me that way. Not even you,” he warned. “Before you decide to cross me again, take a good look at the empty chairs in this room. It doesn’t end well for those who try.”

“That is ENOUGH!” Marx bellowed.

Releasing the other man with a snarl, Sebastian backed away and smoothed the front of his uniform as his eyes locked with the director’s.

“This is company time, not a personal free-for-all. Baas…get your ass in the hall. You and I are going to have a private chat.”

He shot Josh one last look of disgust before backing toward the conference room doors. As if the day hadn’t been bad enough, everyone around him seemed intent to add insult to injury. Ignoring the pain in his hands, he flung the door open then slammed it shut in his wake. Marx followed shortly behind, his face dark with displeasure and the lingering effects of anger. His deep, black eyes narrowed with scrutiny before he tilted his head, indicating toward the corridor housing the holding cells.

Sebastian’s stomach sank, but he fell into stride beside their commander. They were halfway down the hallway before Marx spoke again.

“It’s come to my attention that you put in a vacation request the other day.”

He bit his tongue to keep from losing his fragile hold on his temper. Choosing to play it safe, Sebastian offered a mute nod and wondered where this interrogation was going to lead. His chest tightened as the director paused outside of Irene’s cell. He had no desire to revisit that hellhole again.

“Hand over your weapon.”

His head whipped to the side in time to see the man indicate toward the guards stationed outside the room with an impatient flick of his wrist. His stomach cramped and an ice-cold trickle of dread crawled through his veins. This wasn’t good. He briefly considered resisting, but with three of them and Marx all but breathing down the side of his neck, those efforts wouldn’t end well. Pulling his pistol free, he reluctantly handed it over.

“Knife too, Sebastian. We know how much you like to play with those things,” Marx quipped, a snide smile curving his lips.

He clenched his teeth, but given no other choice, he obliged. Stepping to the side, the director pulled the door open and gestured him inside. Irene promptly scuttled across the floor to greet them. Crouching near Marx’s feet, she pressed a worshiping kiss to the side of his leg. The gesture earned her a hard pat to the cheek.

“Very good,” he praised. “Now say hello to Agent Baas.”

He took an involuntary step back when she prowled closer, inching across the cement floor on her hands and knees. His stomach clenched, his breakfast rising when she reared up and reached for his belt buckle with filthy hands.

“That won’t be necessary,” he assured her, his stare swinging to Marx in disbelief.

“That’s right. I forgot. Sebastian has a pet of his own to keep him sated. A rare commodity for my men these days. I believe you know her well, don’t you Irene?” he asked, leaning down to grab the front of her throat. The nails of his blunt fingertips paled beneath the press. “Maybe someday, the two of you can visit. Would you like that? Do you miss socializing and seeing your friends?”

Her eyes were blank and devoid of life as she nodded mutely above the broad clench of his hand. Marx’s smile lacked humor or appreciation. Releasing her neck, he ran a palm over the coppertop’s tangled hair.

“Back to business. I’m curious as to why you put in this vacation request.”

Sebastian released the breath he’d been holding. He wished he didn’t have to endure the agony of inhaling again. How Marx managed to suffer through it, let alone enjoy himself in those conditions, was beyond his capability to understand.

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