Never Gonna Happen - Cynthia Eden Page 0,11

limo ride were a bit blurry. Mostly because she’d been nervous, scared, and…turned on.

A deep, dark secret that Alyssa possessed? Sebastian—with this thick hair, his killer grin, and his gorgeous eyes—always turned her on.

“I need to investigate now, but I can’t leave until I’m certain you’re safe. So, please…”

Please? Since when did he use that magic word?

“Stay here. Let the guards protect you. You can have the run of the house. Just don’t go outside. I have to know you’re safe. If I don’t, then I won’t be able to concentrate on the work that has to be done.”

Her gaze flickered around. The guards seemed to hold their breath. Sebastian’s square jaw was locked tight. They were all waiting.

I’d gotten a tip that something might happen to you.

As far as she knew, Sebastian had never lied to her. His honesty had often been painful for her, especially on a particular birthday that she did not like to remember, but… “I’ll stay here.”

She saw the stark, savage relief on his face.

“Only until you get back,” Alyssa added quickly. “You go talk to the cops. See if we can get this mess sorted out. Then, when you’re done, I expect to go home.”

“Of course.” A nod. “When it’s sorted out, you can go home. Deal.”

Wait. That had been too fast. “Sebastian—”

He was running for the door. “Guard her with your fucking lives.”

The door slammed shut.

The guards stared at her.

She stared back at them. A terrible thought struck her. “Oh, God. Does he do this a lot?”

One of the guards tilted his head. “Do what?”

Her hands fluttered toward him. “Bring home random women. Get you two to guard them while he runs away.”

“Nope,” the guard replied cheerfully. “You’re the first.”

Was that good? Or bad?

Chapter Three

“Finally came back to the scene of the crime, did you?” Detective Winston Lewis asked as he put his hands on his hips. The movement pulled back his shirt and managed to show both the badge that was clipped to the pocket of his jeans and the gun holster beneath his arm. “And here I thought we’d need to track you down.”

“I had to take care of an important matter.” The place was a freaking zoo. Reporters were everywhere, and all of the folks who had been in the theater before seemed to have already spilled outside. Most of them were filming with their phones.

“Would that important matter by any chance involve Alyssa Kyle?”

Sebastian heaved out a long sigh. “You know it did.” He spared a glance for Isaac Swain. The jerk was running his mouth as fast as he could to the uniformed cop beside him. “Guessing Isaac mentioned me?”

“Didn’t have to. You’re quite the recognizable figure, you know. Probably because you like to put your crazy ass in front of every camera you can find.”

Sebastian’s arms crossed over his chest. “The cameras are rolling now, and, unfortunately, both of our asses are on them.”

Winston shrugged. “That’s the way of it. Especially when someone like you is involved in a shooting.”

“Okay, Winston, cut me some slack.” Sebastian’s voice lowered as he edged closer to the detective—and a guy who just happened to be one of his closest friends. “It was Alyssa. Someone shot at her. What did you think I was gonna do? Just stand around with her in the street and let the dick try again? I got her out of here as fast as I could. I had to protect her.”

Winston rocked back on his heels. “I saw the video footage.”

“Street cams? You’ve already recovered—”

“Got this footage from the helpful folks at the theater. They have lots of security cameras around the building. So I was able to see the whole scene go down.” A street lamp glowed overhead, revealing the grimness in Winston’s dark eyes and on his face. “Alyssa was lucky.”

“Did you see the shooter? Was he in the footage, too?”

“No, but I know where he was when the shots were fired.” He turned and pointed to the opposite street corner. “No cameras reached over there, but based on the angle of the bullets and their entry into first the sign, then the building, my team figures he must have been there.” His arm fell back to his side. “I saw the bullets miss her, then I saw you grab Alyssa and toss her into your limo. Just like that, you two were gone.” Winston’s gaze swung back to Sebastian. “Where is Alyssa right now?”

“My place.”

Winston whistled.

“What? Why the hell are you doing that?”