What?
She dashed inside for her phone and dialed his number. It went straight to voicemail.
“Sebastian!” she said. “What’s going on? Where are you going? I’m at home, come back.”
Why had he left? And in such a hurry?
Her gaze shot to the table, which was covered in the money Jaxon had sent just a few hours ago as more bait.
And then Helen saw Sebastian’s note.
Like father, like daughter.
Oh, no, Sebastian. You idiot!
She dialed his number again. “You’ve got it all wrong. Come back and we’ll talk, I’m—” She bit back her words, unable to say anymore over the phone. Nazir had warned her not to and Helen couldn’t risk the operation. “Just come back, okay? I need to talk to you.”
She dropped to a chair, her legs like jelly.
Stupid, bloody man!
Why hadn’t he stayed?
Why hadn’t he trusted her?
Seb checked in to a hotel on the outskirts of the city of Bath, not far from where tomorrow’s event would take place.
Pacing his room, he recalled that day at the manor house when Helen had looked him straight in the eye and promised—fucking promised—that she’d go to the police if Jaxon Bates ever got in touch.
And Seb had believed her.
She’d end up in jail for this, and as for him—he’d be ruined! His sponsorship deal exploded into a million pieces before his eyes. And Get Living—so many people had worked so hard and now it ran the risk of being tarnished by Helen’s crime.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand. Helen calling again. He’d stopped listening to her voicemails. They all said the same thing.
Come back and talk to me.
But between Helen and his mom, Seb was through withtalkingand fuckingheart-to-hearts. Talking took the lids off his neat little boxes and now the storm had come everything was flying out wild in the wind. Nothing felt safe. He was exposed. Bare. Alone.
Another text came through from Helen.
You’ll have to talk to me at the event tomorrow so you might as well come back and talk to me now.
He replied to that.
You’re no longer required at tomorrow’s event. Nadine will do the walk-round with me.
So that’s it??? I’m so easily replaceable???
Yes.
His heart ached.
But that’s what happened when you gave it to someone.
He’d been right all these years.
Stone walls were a good thing. From now on, Seb Clarke would care only for himself and his career.
