He had spent countless nights convincing himself that LOVE was just a distraction, a weakness he could not afford to have at any point in his life.
But now, all those walls he built around his heart for years crumbled like dust to the ground.
Because he loved her….
YES! He loved her….
He really loved her….
Like a lot…
No!
More than a lot…
More than he could describe…
More than he thought was possible…
More than he thought he was capable of…
The intensity of his feelings was so terrifying….
It was UNREAL….
He never planned on loving her this much….
Or even liking her this much…
But now, his feelings for her are absolutely fucking INSANE…
Insane enough to send a bullet flying through the man who had dared to touch her.
A riff-raff.
A pathetic excuse for a man!
A mere nobody.
A scum… the lowest of the low!
A man like that had the audacity to lay a finger on what was undeniably HIS?
Had the audacity to touch her with his greasy fingers?
How dare he? How dare anyone think they could touch her? Claim her?
She was his-his sunshine, his new reason to wake up every morning.
Sebastian was not just angry; he was livid.
His veins were popping with adrenaline, his possessiveness surging with an intensity he had never experienced before.
And now, as he stood at the threshold of hell, he realized that nothing else mattered.
He would do anything to keep her safe.
He was ready to burn the world to the ground if it meant saving her.
The surveillance footage Jamie showed him had been a nightmare. She was innocent, oblivious to the hell that was unfolding around her. She hadn’t even known what was happening because she had been working in a secluded spot, away from others.
But he had accused her… condemned her… wronged her…
Sebastian had never felt so ashamed of himself in his entire life.
He was guilt-ridden and so full of regret.
And the moment he had learned of her kidnapping, a primal instinct deeper than anything he had ever felt surged through him.
He remembered the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, the way her long, brown hair cascaded down her shoulders like silk, her laughter ringing in his ears like a sweet melody.
How could someone so radiant be in such a wretched situation?
His men had finally traced her whereabouts to this dingy hideout, a den of lowlifes who thought they could play God with someone as precious as Kourtney.
He had stormed into this dingy den without a second thought, determined to save her from the clutches of evil. He felt like a man possessed, his mind racing with the torment of what might have happened to her.
Would she still be alive?
Would she still be whole?
Each question had stabbed at him like a knife, twisting in his gut. Every scenario was darker than the last, a labyrinth of despair painting images in his mind that made him want to scream.
And when he ran closer to the chamber she was held in, he heard her screams-raw and filled with anguish-Sebastian felt the world shift beneath him. His heart raced even faster, pumping blood through his veins like fire.
He kicked the door open, the splintering wood exploding into the room, and in that instant, everything else in this Godforsaken world faded away….
He had imagined dozens of scenarios-her bruised body, the shadow of despair clouding her bright spirit-but none of those nightmares could compare to the cold reality he was now facing.
“Kourtney!” he roared, his voice echoing through the dimly lit room.
The sight that met his eyes was a nightmare brought to life.
The scene before him was worse than he had feared.
Kourtney was curled up on the bed, hands and feet tied up, her fragile body trembling. A man was on top of her, a grotesque smile plastered across his face, blood dripping from his chin.
Sebastian’s vision had turned red, a veil of rage blinding him to everything else.
He felt like he was suffocating. His breath caught in his throat, a brutal mixture of madness and desperation tightening around him as he held his gun.
As he stood there, he felt the cold steel of the pistol against his palm, a stark reminder of the lengths he was willing to go for her.
With a single, fluid motion, he had pulled the trigger….
The shot rang out.
Loud and unforgiving!
This was personal.
Time seemed to slow as the bullet found its mark, the man’s expression shifting from arrogance to shock. Blood splattered across the walls, painting a horrifying picture, and he crumpled to the side, lifeless.
Sebastian pushed forward, his focus solely on Kourtney.
He saw her little frail and almost naked figure, shivering in the aftermath of shock, and his heart clenched.
Quickly, he draped his coat over her, shielding her from the chilling reality of what had just happened.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered, his voice a low rumble, as if assuring both her and himself that she was safe now.
Kourtney sobbed into his chest, her tears soaking through his shirt while Sebastian loosened the ropes she was tied in.
Like a reflex and involuntary action, she clung to him in a tight embrace afterward, the warmth of his body juxtaposed against the chill of her misery.
Sebastian hugged her close… so close.