Page 87 of Tangled Trust

I move to the living room after I down a glass of ice-cold water.

Where is Amanda? It’s nearly 1 p.m.! If she isn’t here in fifteen minutes, I’m leaving.

I hear the door open. Finally! It must be her.

* * *

My pulse quickens as I walk toward the gate. Ella gave me the security code so I punch in the numbers and then make my way to the front door. My senses are heightened. The thought of having her in my arms again has me all discombobulated. No other woman has ever held such power over my body. It’s both exhilarating and frustrating at the same time.

It’s quiet inside the house except for the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. I have to wonder how Ella manages to afford such a grand home. I suppose she’s living here as an arrangement of sorts. Perhaps she is house-sitting for a client.

I don’t see anyone so I walk through the entrance hall toward what looks to be the living room. That’s where I find my Ella, sitting on a couch, looking every bit the goddess I know her to be.

“Hello, Ella, my love.”

* * *

I’m instantly nauseated by the sound of the familiar voice. I was expecting Amanda. Not this! Not him! How is this even possible?

“Sebastian?” I whisper.

It’s more of a question than a statement—my deepest fear verbalized.

I turn slowly to find the man I ran from standing behind me in the doorway. He has a bouquet of tulips in one hand. His other hand he holds over his heart in a cheesy gesture of affection.

“Yes, my love. I’m here.”

I feel sick. I’m afraid I may faint from the shock but I hold onto the modicum of sanity I know is inside me somewhere.

“Sebastian? What are you doing here?”

He looks at me as if I’ve gone mad.

“What do you mean?”

“How…how did you find me?” I stutter, determined not to show fear, but failing dismally, I’m sure.

“Ella, are you alright?”

Sebastian looks confused. Perplexed.

“No,” I stammer and leap to my feet.

“What are you playing at, Ella? You asked me to come. You contacted me, remember?”

What? I don’t know what’s going on, but I know I have to get away from this man. Then, like a bolt of lighting, the puzzle pieces come together to form a very disturbing picture, indeed. Amanda! But, how? How did she know about Sebastian?

This is a disaster in the making. I immediately start working on an escape plan in my head while Sebastian tosses down the tulips on the table nearest to me.

“What the fuck is going on, Ella?” he insists, and I recognize the familiar look of a cobra about to strike. “Did you ask me here to humiliate me?”

“No. Of course not, Sebastian. I…”

My enemy is blocking my most likely escape route. He remains firmly between me and the front door. Hell, even if he weren’t, I’d still struggle to get past him before he caught up with me. Sebastian is strong and nimble. I have no chance against him.

My only option is to try and talk my way out of this predicament. Perhaps, calm him down and then find a way to escape the fate that undoubtedly awaits me now.

Oh, Carter! Where are you now? I need you! How could I have fallen so foolishly for Amanda’s trickery? That bitch!

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