TWENTY-SIX

Zarek

The next day, we all gathered to discuss our next steps.

"I think these shipments are just distractions now. We need to figure out who's handling the exports from China. It can't just be Garret Tyson," Amelia said, looking concerned at her laptop.

"I agree. But since we can't trace the Chinese connections or their motives, we need to keep intercepting shipments to North America. I heard that Squad Two is being honorably dissolved. Brewer and Pedro are the only ones left so…" I glanced briefly at Dylan.

Dylan's close friend, Riley Hayden from Squad Two, along with her teammates Kaylan Bennett and Kyle Deniese, had died in a botched operation in Florida a month ago. This tragedy had reduced their team from five to just two, who weren't combat-ready.

"We should consider getting help from Sebastian's security firm. They have an intelligence unit that could be useful. I know the CIA worked with them last quarter," Dylan suggested.

"He's a jerk. He wouldn't help us even if it were for saving kids with cancer," Logan muttered.

I frowned at Logan and supported Dylan, "That's a great idea, Dyl."

Logan looked even more annoyed. I didn't fully understand his longstanding grudge against Sebastian Blackthorn.

Kabir had been unusually quiet.

"Kabir? What do you think?" I prompted.

He finally looked up from his laptop. "I'm okay with it. I actually like the guy," he said, staring pointedly at Logan.

"Should Leora and I even bother giving our opinions?" Amelia joked.

Leora cleared her throat. "I've worked with Blackthorn before."

All eyes snapped to her direction.

What? How come she didn't mention it yesterday?

She continued, "God! I don't personally know Sebastian. But I was called to assess an inmate interrogation once. I knew the name, Blackthorn, sounded familiar. The security firm was investigating a case and needed a psychologist to support their interrogation. I worked with someone named Delara Booth. Do you guys know her?"

Lord, she worked with Sebastian's second in command.

The team nodded in unison, their expressions filled with surprise.

Amelia let out a snort, "Leora, Delara Booth is ex-MI6 and basically Sebastian's right hand."

Leora's jaw dropped, and her face flushed a deep red. "Oh shit!" she exclaimed, her breathing quickening.

"Baby, what's going on?" I asked, noticing her distress.

"I…" she sighed deeply, "I might have called her a bitch right to her face."

Laughter erupted around the table. I joined in, unable to hold back.

"Leo's got balls," Logan commented between laughs.

Leora flicked him on the forehead and then covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

My laughter was cut short by a faint noise from outside. I turned sharply towards the main door of our warehouse. "There's movement outside. Kabir?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper.

Kabir's fingers flew over his keyboard, his brow furrowed in concentration. "There's nothing unusual on the monitors. Wait—" He paused, his eyes darting between the security camera and his screen. "What the hell?"

"Everyone, weapons ready," I commanded quietly as I saw Kabir's alarmed look.

"Our security system just went down," Kabir announced, his voice steady but tense.

I saw Logan pass a Luger to Leora. The rest of us already had our SIG Sauers drawn, aiming at both the front and back doors.

The click of the front door lock echoed through the tense silence. I positioned myself protectively in front of Leora, bracing for what might come through that door .

Leora

I was pointing my gun at the front door as it swung open slowly. My hands weren't shaking, and I was so damn proud of myself.

"Well, that was easy," a low gravelly voice came through the door, followed by a man in a navy three-piece suit. He had chocolate brown skin and his shoulders were wide enough to fit maybe two of me. His face had a hardened look on it that showed he'd probably been through shit. But underneath it all, he was an astonishingly handsome man. He looked like he was Zarek's age, similar build and height.

His relaxed demeanor threw me off, and I gasped as the squad lowered their weapons—I followed suit.

"Fucking hell, Blackthorn," Kabir growled, his eyes narrowing. "What did you do to my security system?"

Blackthorn? Oh God. This was Sebastian Blackthorn, owner of Blackthorn Security, and the man who's second in command was called a bitch by a puny little psychologist dumbass.

Floor, please swallow me whole.

"Sebastian," Zarek nodded and walked over to him, "What kind of speak-of-the-devil entrance is this?"

"Aw, were you talking about me?" Sebastian's smile was twisted with amusement.

The men shook hands, and I caught Logan muttering under his breath, "Zarek, your humor's been dishonorably discharged."

I couldn't help but snort, drawing Sebastian's gaze. He moved towards me, his presence looming like a predator eyeing its prey. Logan instantly stepped in front of me, blocking Sebastian's path.

"Logan Carlton," Sebastian spat the name as though it tasted sour.

"Sebastian. You'll answer to my boss, or you can leave," Logan's voice was menacingly low, a tone I hadn't heard him use before.

"Gunner," Zarek intervened, his eyes darting between the two.

Sebastian gracefully turned on his heel and walked over to the kitchen cabinets like he owned the place. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey like he knew exactly where to find it and poured himself a drink in a glass that he had snagged from another cupboard. A cupboard he knew had our whiskey glasses, of course.

"I fly from New York like I've been summoned by the greatest squad, and this is the welcome I get?" He shook his head and chugged the whole drink.

"It's ten in the morning, Seb. Maybe take it easy," Dylan commented with a wry tone.

Seb? They're on nickname terms?

Ignoring Dylan's advice, Sebastian flashed a grin, then turned to Amelia, winking at her. "Hey, sweetheart! Miss me?"

Amelia's face contorted with displeasure. Kabir, still busy at his laptop probably trying to wrestle back control of our security systems, shot Sebastian a dark look.

Zarek returned to the table, unfazed by the earlier commotion, and resumed eating his breakfast with a casual crunch of bacon.

What the fuck is happening?

"I heard you had run-ins with the Chinese mafia, Gao Ling. His shipments were intercepted and he is very angry, boys," Sebastian said, glancing around the room, his eyes finally settling on me with a half-smirk. "And girls."

"So we've got a name now—Gao Ling," Dylan remarked with a nod. "Who is this guy, Seb?"

Sebastian leaned back, considering. "He runs Gao Textiles, keeps his tech developments quite secretive. I hear he's in with President Xi Xiaxu, meets him for drinks weekly. His U.S. contact? Garret Tyson—that's your guy. Gao, though? He's got money that a Saudi Prince would envy, all off the books."

Zarek continued to focus on his bacon, his interest piqued. "And why come to us with this info?"

Sebastian shrugged nonchalantly. "Thought you might need a hand in tracking him down. I've got the tech, you've got the muscle. How about a collaboration?"

"Tell us the real reason, asshole," Logan snapped, his eyes narrowing at Sebastian.

Sebastian, unruffled by Logan's hostility, flashed a grin. "Delara Booth has been on their trail for some time now. It's not just Crazon they're shipping; there are other products going to Japan, India, the UK, and South Korea—all nuclear powers. That can't just be a coincidence."

Zarek's face remained blank. He clearly respected Sebastian, but a slight twitch to his eye told me he didn't trust him fully.

"As the North American division of Alpha Program, we only have the jurisdiction to take down Garret and his son, Jerome. They've been…" Zarek paused, searching for the right word.

"Troublesome? Relentless? Stupid?" I chimed in, attempting to lighten the mood. A ghost of a smile flickered across Zarek's lips.

"Leora Mateez," Sebastian said, turning his attention to me with a lopsided smile.

"So you've heard of me."

"Indeed, the famous damsel in distress," he replied with a teasing tone.

Okay, yeah. I despise this man.

"Am I, though? Maybe your intel is outdated, Mr. Blackthorn, but I recently saved myself from Casteel's attack."

His smile widened and he threw his one free hand up, "Yep, it's official. I like this one."

Sebastian closed the distance between us, took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles.

Zarek got up and growled, "Hands off, Blackthorn. She's mine."

Sebastian immediately dropped my hand and raised his brows in a question.

I nodded with confirmation, "Tell us, Mr. Blackthorn. Why haven't you stopped Garret if you knew all this was going down?"

"Asking the right questions is a skill, Ms. Mateez. One you possess," Sebastian sounded amused, "I didn't stop Garret because he may be the one pulling the strings, but the strings are rather hard to track down. We don't know his motive and his son, Jerome, has been handling the shipments. We can take Jerome down tomorrow, but we both know Garret will have a backup ready. Legally, I can't touch him."

"And illegally?" I asked.

He lowered his head to meet my eyes, his face inches away, "Illegally, I can gut him, and strangle him with his own intestines until he is blue and dead."

"That's rather extreme for someone who is just importing technology products. Or maybe that's not all he does?" I pressed further.

He then turned to the whole squad, "Human trafficking, illegal drug trade in major North American cities, and slavery. Yep, slavery."

The whole squad shifted a bit. Zarek was frowning and Logan's eyes went dark.

Sebastian's nostrils flared and I saw anger, raw anger emanating from him. Perhaps, he was a noble man, after all.