Chapter 66

Sebastian's POV

Evelyn’s bodyguard is six foot six and goes by Tank. He is built as his nickname suggests, with muscles that seemingly look like they’ll burst from his shirt, and tattoos wrapped around many limbs.

He’s even got the bald head.

In my head, I just call him The Rock after Dwayne Johnson.

Tank, however, is extremely attentive and watchful.

“I kinda expected you to be walking around with your own bodyguard,” Evelyn tells me after classes. It’s been a week of having Tank around. And I do feel less anxiety knowing she’s always being looked after.

“Right now, you’re the one I want kept safe.”

“So, I can’t worry about you?” She taunts.

I give her the smallest of smiles. “Of course you can. But I’m also significantly taller than you and have held my own in multiple fights. So just this once, let me take care of you.”

I’m grateful for her heart; wanting to make sure I’m also okay. But that’s what makes everything we’re dealing with so hard.

Because the one thing I haven’t told her is that I’m going to hire a PI. I don’t trust the cops to do anything to help. So, instead, I got in touch with an old friend who used to race: Jack Abbott.

Jack retired racing and being NYPD a handful of years ago, but he’s someone I know can trust. He knows the ins and outs of laws, and because he isn’t on the state’s radar, he can get in more backdoors.

I meet up with him at his home office. He shakes his head after I give him a quick rundown of not just Evelyn and my situation, but also about why home isn’t a place we can’t be.

“God, Sebastian, you’re really in it, aren’t you?” Jack comments, running his hand through the very thin, greying hair. The man’s only in his late forties. But I know all that time on the force has aged him.

“You have no idea, Jack. But I can’t risk Evelyn’s safety.”

He raises a white eyebrow at me. “You have the bodyguard now.”

“But the bodyguard isn’t digging into the conspiracy against me.”

“You’re nineteen, Sebastian. You really think there are people out there who’d want you dead?”

I smack his mahogany desk. “Jack! They threatened us! They kidnapped Evelyn and tied her down to the inside of a car that was threatened to have a bomb.” I throw my phone across the surface of the desk and nod down at the device. “The texts they sent to me are all there.”

Jack pulls the phone closer to him, inspecting the horrid words on the screen. My blood is beginning to boil with further anxiety over Evelyn. I need the man to investigate. I don’t have the same resources, nor any clue where to start.

The man sighs, putting my phone down on the desk. “What do you know?”

“That’s all I know. But I’m not putting her life at risk again. Not when we’ve finally made it to a good place.”

“You really love her, don’t you?” He asks, looking back at my phone as the screensaver switches on. The two of us in Hawaii together, just a simple picture as we sat on the sand and soaked in everything.

“I don’t think I can ever feel anything other than love for her. And yeah, it’s silly, but it’s been a long journey to find ourselves here. I’m not a ‘fall in love’ kind of guy.”

Jack leans back in his desk chair and sighs again, folding his arms. “Yet, here you are. In love.”

“If it proves anything, it proves that I’m serious. It proves that I’ll do whatever it takes to give her everything she deserves.”

So, I write a check out for Jack Abbott to go investigating anyone and anything he can find. I try to give him his asking rate. He refuses.

“Sebastian. $500 is to sift through strangers’ information, maybe get some names and learn a few things. You’ll pay me $250 only so I can keep the lights on. You got it?”

I leave him with a check for $300, saying I’m not going to compromise everytime. “You have my number. Send anything you find or need to know.”

It’s a few days before I hear from Jack again. “You want the good shit or bad?” He asks over a phone call.

I tell him I want everything. This is important.

“Then I’ll start with the good. Your initial fears of this having to do with your former roommate? He’s heavily involved. In fact, seems like he’s calling all the shots.”

I groan. “Not surprised.” William really is a piece of shit.

“Now here’s what I’m not thrilled to tell you. Your little buddy is also paying off several people in your circle.”

“My circle?” I don’t really have a lot of people surrounding me.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, kid.” Another sigh from Jack. “Your team for your races? Most of them are in on this.”

“What?!” I bolt straight up, smacking my knee on the coffee table.

“Several payoffs. They were told what to do, and they did it. Two of them kidnapped your girl. And everything you’ve said or done has been sent right back to William.”

“William I had a feeling about. But my guys? My team?”

“There’s another thing.”

My skin is burning, trying to do everything I can not to explode into a thousand pieces. Or go beat William to a pulp.

“I don’t know what could be worse than my team betraying me.”

Jack’s silent for a beat. He’s so quiet, I actually have to check if we have been disconnected.

“Jack. What is it?”

“The reason I was able to find out about this is from pulling phone records, talking to the companies that house your information. Going through Evelyn’s texts? She’s been being harassed. Maybe even stalked. And it’s clearly more than just William. There’s another person in on this.”

Harassed? Stalked? I don’t understand any of this at all. What is he going on about?

“I’d say this has been going on at least a month now. The texts are coming from burner phones. Every few days, it’s another number. But they all continue to threaten her. They’re all about her life being ruined.”

“They want to ruin her life? Well now I want to ruin theirs!” I snap.

“Whose life are we ruining?”

My whole body turns around toward my front door of my apartment. It makes me slightly dizzy, but the anger that I’ve been holding in just keeps growing.

“Jack, I have to go.”

“I’m sorry, Sebastian, truly.”

I breathe out a laugh from my nose. “Keep digging.”

“What’s up your ass?” Evelyn asks with a small laugh at the end. She walks up to me and kisses me, but I don’t react. “Uhh, what’s wrong?”

“Let me see your phone.”

Her green eyes grow in size, and she immediately takes a step back from me. “What?”

“Give me your phone, Evelyn.”

She’s clutching it in her hand, the look of confusion painted across her cheeks. “Not unless you talk to me.”

“I know, okay?! I know about your messages! You didn’t tell me you’ve been harassed for weeks!” I’m extra heated, seeing red and wanting horrible, painful revenge on all of this people. “My ex-roommate is paying off my team to kidnap you! You’re hiding harassment from me! And everyone is trying to take me down like some sort of pathetic competition I’m not aware of.”

“I didn’t want to add to your worries!” Evelyn pleads. “I don’t even know how you found out! I didn’t even tell Ava!”

“I should have been the first person you told this to, Evelyn! Now I’m sitting here wondering why you believed threats against your life are to be brushed aside.”

“They’re not. Sebastian, please listen to me. I know your status in this world with your money and racing title. But I didn’t want to come in just to bring you down. I figured the texts would stop.”

“And they haven’t.”

She shakes her curls. “No.”

Growling, I grab my coat and make my way to the door.

“Where are you going?” She calls out to me. It’s a fear response. I hear it so clearly.

“To get some revenge!”

I try to leave alone, but Evelyn keeps up with me. It’s a shame. I didn’t want to have her come along for this.