Sebastian
“Morning, princess,” I say, placinga plate of breakfast on the counter in front of a just-rolled-out-of-bed Devin.
She smiles, and it warms a part of me that’s been cold lately after all the shit that’s been happening. “You look so damn beautiful when you smile.”
A small blush spreads over her neck and cheeks, and she looks away, almost as if she’s being shy, which I know she’s not.
Picking through her breakfast, Devin looks up at me with tired eyes. “How can I feel so tired when all I’ve been doing for the last two days is sleeping?”
I place a cup of coffee in front of her on the island. “Your body is healing. Are you in any pain this morning?”
She shakes her head and stabs a strawberry with her fork. “Not really, thank God, because I don’t like the way the pain medicine makes me feel. It makes my head fuzzy.”
“That’s great, Dev. Not about feeling fuzzy but not being in pain.”
She gives me a half smile until her phone rings.
The sound echoes through the kitchen, and Devin jumps so high she almost falls off the stool.
My heart cracks a little as she glances around the room with a heaving chest and wide eyes. “It’s just your phone, baby.” Seeing it’s Mark calling, I silence the phone and slide it over to her.
She eyes it warily before swiping.
“Hi, Mark.” She pauses to listen, then tells him, “Yeah, sure. We’re here.” Her eyes don’t leave mine as she speaks. She hangs up and relays his message. “Mark is coming over with information on Crystal.”
Fear is etched on her face.
This is only a small part of Devin that’s different since the incident with Crystal. I’ve been noticing other things, like escalated anxiety about noises in another room and more anxiety when she calls for me and I don’t answer right away.
Crystal has broken a piece of her that I plan on putting back together over time.
I blow out a long breath, almost afraid to hear what he has to say. I pray they caught her, and if they didn’t, I pray they catch her soon. That woman should not be running all over the city when she’s obviously psychotic.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later,Mark and his partner are standing in the front room of my penthouse, dressed fully in uniform and looking as official as they come.
“Sebastian.” Mark reaches out, shaking my hand.
“Mark,” I greet back before turning my attention to his partner, who also reaches in to shake my hand. “Nice to see you, again.”
Mark moves toward Devin, pulling her in for a hug. “Hey, sis. How are you?”
“Hi,” she says, pulling away and moving us into the living room. “I’m all right.”
Mark and his partner, Lance, take a seat on the sofa while Devin and I sit opposite on the love seat.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Mark questions, cocking a brow.
“She’s the strongest person I know,” I answer for her as I grab Devin’s hand, giving it a small squeeze.
A heavy silence grows around us as Mark clears his throat and rubs his hand over his jaw. “She is in good hands, and that’s how I want it to stay for now.”
“What?” Devin questions, looking at her brother with a confused expression.
“I don’t know how to say this, Dev.” His voice is uneasy, and it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “We still haven’t found Crystal.”
The moment the words leave Mark’s lips, a weight that’s been sitting inside my chest drops to the floor, taking my emotions with it. “Fuck.”
