Sebastian
The snow fellagainst the floor-to-ceiling windows, and when Seb glanced over the mountainside that sprawled beneath his house, the green winter trees were blanketed in snow. He let his eyes linger on the view for just a minute, then turned back to the computer, tapping away at the keyboard in hopes of finishing his project before this new security guard arrived.
Equations floated in front of his eyes, algorithms he had been squinting at all morning, but as he concentrated, the numbers found life and danced through his mind. Lightning crashed, particles combined, and Seb rode the edge of revelation, the tedious scientific work giving way to something pure, thrilling, and new.
He was a man with a plan, filled with ideas that might set the world right and undo some of the horrible legacy he had inherited from his father. He just knew that he had to keep that plan a secret, at least until he was ready to act.
A soft ring hummed from the speakers, pulling Seb from his work. He hit a couple of buttons on his phone, and his best friend, Alexandria, appeared on the massive screen installed in the wall across from him.
“Are you always working?” she asked. She was still in bed, lying horizontally with her hair splayed across the pillows. They had been best friends since meeting at an exclusive school for science and math. Although they were total opposites in many ways, they’d bonded over how gross they thought it was that everyone’s parents had bribed their way through admissions.
“Why would I have my dad buy me a million-dollar lab if I wasn’t going to use it?” Seb asked. Around him, large open tables were scattered with computers, some carefully chosen laboratory equipment, and piles of research. “How was the party last night, by the way?”
“Boring,” she said with a yawn, then pulled herself up and fixed her laptop to give Seb a better view. “There weren’t any single girls for me to flirt with. Everyone was in a relationship.”
“I like being single,” Seb said. “Less distractions that way.”
Alexandria rolled her eyes. It was a discussion they’d had a million times before. They were both gifted scientists, graduate degrees in hand by the time they were twenty-one, but now, a few years later, Seb was buried in research while Alexandria ran around Manhattan, looking for love as a full-time job.
“You’re hiding from your heart,” she teased.
“You’re hiding from your brain,” he teased back. “You’re too smart to not do something with it.”
“I am doing something with it,” she said, tapping the side of her head. “I’m tracking down hot women to date.”
Seb laughed. “Next time you’re ready to take a break from that, why don’t you come up here for a weekend? That new bodyguard is about to move in. I feel like I’m going to want company.”
“I know you like your quiet and privacy,” she said. Seb wandered out of the laboratory where he spent his days, and Alexandria’s voice hopped across the speakers, following him through the house. When he entered the kitchen, the small screen there flipped on, broadcasting Alexandria’s face. “But honestly, Seb, I’m glad that you’re going to have some extra protection. If your dad thinks that there’s a threat against you, it’s worth taking that seriously.”
Seb rolled his eyes as he punched on the coffee machine. “There’s already a huge fence and security system around the property and an armed guard on duty twenty-four hours a day. What more protection do I need? Anyway, things like this happen. It’s not like it’s a secret that my father is a top executive at Horizon Zed. His wealth is public knowledge. But that doesn’t mean someone is going to actually try to kidnap me and extort him.” The coffee machine gurgled, and he pushed a hand through his hair. “They’d probably have more luck kidnapping his investment banker or his chauffeur anyway. Those are the people he actually cares about.”
The speakers beeped, and the lights flickered, letting Seb know that someone had passed through security up front.
“Whatever,” Alexandria replied. “Just stay safe, okay Seb?”
“You too. Gotta go. I’ll call you later.”
Seb walked from the kitchen to the front of the house. From the seating area, he watched as a big red truck lumbered down the driveway, then backed up near the house. The door opened, and when the man jumped out, Seb’s heart leapt into his throat.
“You can’t possibly be…”
He had expected someone sophisticated, a guard from the corporate world where his father resided. Maybe a man in a dark suit or a woman with army tags hanging around her neck. But the man who was skulking toward the front of the house looked like he would be more comfortable in a motorcycle club than an office, more likely to break your arm than to save your life.
He must have stood a couple inches over six feet tall. His legs were thick, like tree trunks, and as he stomped his heavy boots across the driveway, he casually spit a wad of saliva into the snow. Seb couldn’t imagine that the black leather jacket he wore was insulated enough for the biting cold, but maybe thick muscles were warmer than he realized. As the man reached the door, Seb kept catching glimpses of more through the window, like the peek of a tattoo on his neck and the rough silver stubble on his chin.
Sharp pounding on the door made Seb jump in place. He started to freak himself out that maybe this man wasn’t the bodyguard. Maybe he was the kidnapper, sent to grab Seb and steal him away. Maybe the security up front was bleeding to death while Seb stood there, his hand lingering on the door handle, ready to let his own killer inside.
Another sharp bang made him jump in place. Gritting his teeth, he tugged the door open.
“Mr. Kaiser?” Seb asked.
The man furrowed his bushy brows as he stomped inside. “Declan.”
Seb’s eyes lingered. Next to the tattoo on his neck there was a thick scar, and when he stared at it, he had to gulp to keep his composure. “Come in,” he said. “I’m Sebastian.” He almost stuck out his hand, but it seemed wrong, like Declan might yank his arm off. “Can I offer you anything? Water? I just put on some fresh coffee.”
Declan studied Seb carefully, his flashing blue eyes tracing over Seb’s body like a heatwave. Seb’s heart pounded in response, the intensity of the stare capturing him and a strange tingle prickling his skin.
“I’m good,” Declan said. “My contact here in New York had me on the phone yesterday, gave me all the info. There’s a room in this place where I can stay?”
