Cruel Seduction - Kelli Callahan Page 0,8

but I never stopped drawing Sebastian; I just hid the sketches where Kendrick wouldn’t think to look. He marches over to the desk and picks up the stack of paper, his anger brewing to the surface.

But I was smart. I ‘learned’ my lesson

I drew him instead.

“You drew me?” he asks, a bit stunned.

“I draw what I am passionate about,” I state, not telling him that every stroke of the pencil against paper was harsh with tears trickling down my face.

He lays the paper on the desk and saunters over to me, kissing my forehead. “I believe we will be okay, my sweet. We are true love.”

No.

We are the breeding grounds for hatred.

And I truly hate him.

Chapter Three

SEBASTIAN

Wreckage of crumbling, broken concrete has me tripping with every step. The thick curling black smoke burns the back of my throat. My eyes sting from being dried out from the flames licking the walls and floors. I lift my arm to block the smoke from my mouth and search the rumble for my friends.

“Jaxon!” I call out, waving the harsh cloud of soot away from my face to try to see two inches in front of me. “Grayson? Heaven!” Silence. Panic claws my throat when none of the guys answer. “Owen? Someone fucking answer me!” I roar, inhaling the fog created by flames instead of oxygen.

The vault stands epically untouched and shining. Unbelievable. The explosion must have come from the walls. They left that little note out of the blueprints. I couldn’t believe I didn’t find an anomaly like that.

A painful groan comes from my left.

Or maybe it was my right.

I can’t tell where the sound is coming from since parts of the building are still falling into pieces. Fire crackles, blazing along the big chunks of rock that used to make this warehouse.

Another groan sounds. This time it’s closer, and I wipe my eyes against my shirt sleeve. I need a break from the smoke and heat for a second.

“Who is it? Guys? Come on, talk to me. I can’t see shit!” A creak comes from above me, and I tilt my chin up to the ceiling to see it caving, splintering as the strength of the drywall gives way. “Fuck,” I curse under my breath, diving as far as I can in front of me, my arm rubbing callously against a jagged piece of debris. My body buzzes with pain as I land on the ground just as the ceiling collapses, sending a ton of smoke and dust in the air.

“Sebastian?” a broken voice comes from besides me, filled with pain and confusion.

“Owen? Owen!” I scramble to my hands and knees and climb over the chunks of cement. I can barely see Owen through the smoke, but he’s moving his head and trying to get to his feet. He has a significant amount of blood dripping from his head, pooling down his neck and staining his shirt.

When I get to him, I wrap an arm around his waist and help him up. “Are you okay? Anything broken?”

“No, my head just fucking hurts. I think you might have been right. I shouldn’t have touched the vault.”

I snort from his attempt of lightening the mood. “No shit? What gave it away?”

“Have you found the others?”

“No, they won’t answer me.”

“Shit,” Owen says the word that has been constantly filtering through my mind since I saw the explosion on camera.

“Sebastian?” the light, airy tone of Heaven carries its way through the smoke. Even in pain the guy sounds happy.

“I’m here. Owen is too,” I inform him. “Talk to us. Where are you? Can’t see anything because of the smoke.”

“I’m against a wall,” he coughs. “My leg hurts really fucking bad, guys. I can’t move it.”

Owen and I find Heaven leaning against the wall. His left leg is pinned between the floor and a chunk of stone. “Go look for the others,” Owen says. “I’m fine. I’ll get Heaven out of here. We need to get out before our cover is blown and this place collapses.”

I nod, forgetting he probably can’t see me because the air is so thick and convoluted. “Okay. You’re sure?”

“Go,” Owen urges as he pushes the chunk of wall off Heaven’s leg.

“Fuck! Warn a guy, Owen! Jesus Christ!” Heaven clutches his injured leg, and as the smoke clears, I see how bloody and burned the limb is.

Damn it, this is bad.

“You’re going to be okay. We are going to get out of here. Everyone is going to be fine.”

“I hope so,” Owen