Page 122 of Drawn Together

Sebastian’s building was located on the corner of a quiet street. There was a park across from it and a coffee shop on the corner.

I followed him up the stairs to apartment 4B. Sebastian unlocked the door, and I walked into a small loft that, upon first glance, consisted of a large bed on one wall, a small kitchen, a couch, and a large TV. Several boxes were also scattered around, as if he’d recently moved in.

“You live here?” I asked, moving through a space that belonged to him for the first time.

“I did,” he said simply as he went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and rummaged for something in a drawer. “Drink this,” he said, handing me a pill.

“What is it?” I asked, mistrustingly.

“A sedative,” he replied as his eyes looked to my bloodied knees. I hadn’t even realized that I’d hurt myself when I fell to the ground beside Tami. “I’ll clean you up. Wait here,” he said, standing and moving into what I supposed was the bathroom, only to return a few seconds later with a first aid kit and started cleaning my scrapes.

“You didn’t tell me you were from New Jersey,” I said, trying, unsuccessfully, to keep myself from trembling.

Sebastian didn’t answer. He simply went to a closet and took out a thick gray blanket, which he then draped over my shoulders.

“You know exactly what’s going on here,” I said after he’d finished cleaning my wounds. He sat down beside me and looked more serious than I’d ever seen him. “You know who’s trying to kill me, and you also know what my father’s gotten himself into.”

“You should rest, Marfil,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Why do I feel like what you know is going to destroy me?”

Sebastian looked at me unblinkingly. “Because it will.”

CHAPTER 33SEBASTIAN

It took forever for Marfil to fall asleep. I couldn’t get her to close her eyes until after Liam called to say that her friend was in stable condition. The operation had been successful, and they expected Tami to fully recover within a couple of weeks.

I should’ve listened to my instincts. I should’ve gotten her out of there as soon as I saw that car parked on the corner and that man staring at us. I should’ve dragged Marfil home kicking and screaming if I had to when I realized it would be impossible to guard all the entrances to the hotel. But I didn’t do any of that, because I didn’t want to have to fight her. I wanted her to have the most normal life possible. I wanted her to be able to go out and have fun if she wanted to, but for weeks, things had been anything but normal.

Now Marcus was the one in charge. I had been able to manage Alejandro, but Marcus was totally different, and to make matters worse, Marfil was Marcus’s new obsession. I knew things would end badly the night she first went out with him. Alejandro Cortés knew exactly what he was doing by introducing his oldest daughter to one of the most powerful men in the country. I’d bet good money Alejandro had been keeping that ace up his sleeve from the day he first laid eyes on his little girl. In the world her father moved in, beautiful women were common currency. And Marfil was his goose that laid the golden egg.

I gripped my glass so tightly that it cracked in my hands,cutting me. I cursed between gritted teeth and ran my hand under the water. Blood gushed out, making the cut seem worse than it was. I wrapped my hand in a kitchen towel, and I looked at her.

As soon as she learned the truth, she would hate me. Watching her sleep was a privilege I would never get again, so I treasured this moment for as long as I could.

What was I going to tell her? The whole truth or just part of it?

I closed my eyes, thinking about what would happen to me if I failed in my job.

I couldn’t fail.

I had to move forward as planned.

CHAPTER 34MARFIL

It was still dark out when I opened my eyes. I didn’t immediately remember where I was, but then I found Sebastian dozing on the couch beside the bed, and the terrible scenes of the night before returned to me.

The first thing I did was check my cell phone. Liam had written to say that Tami’s parents would arrive the next day and that he would stay with her until then. He wanted to know what the hell had happened. He told me the police wanted to interrogate all witnesses, and that Sebastian and I needed to present ourselves to make a statement. I responded, saying I’d talk to Sebastian about it.

Sebastian, attentive to my every movement, opened his eyes as soon as I sat up.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said, seeing that he was making his way over to me.

“I was awake,” he said, stretching out a hand to gently take hold of a loose strand of my hair and run his fingers through it. “I’m sorry about all of this, Elephant.” He sat down on the bed beside me.

I closed my eyes as I felt his lips brush my cheek. He kissed me tenderly and then sat back to look at me.

“Were you able to get some rest?”