Chapter 304 - Claimed By My Stepbrother (Cadell Security Series)

Hallick’s POV

It took another hour, but I finally gave in and messaged Seona’s cell asking if everything was alright over at the bakery. Her reply was instantaneous, the woman confirming she was fine and was just about to go back down to the kitchen to cut her second lot of fudge for the store.

We texted back and forth for a few minutes, until I inevitably ran out of reasons to keep the conversation going. I wanted to ask about Benny, make sure that the f.ucker was keeping it professional but it really wasn’t my business. Seona is a free woman and she can choose to flirt with whomever she wants.

SNAP, f.uck, I look down at the second pencil I’ve broken, huffing loudly as I drop the two pieces to the table, dropping my head and raking my fingers through my hair in agitation. I need to get my head into my job, with a growl, I snatch up the lower part of my pencil and force my attention to the blueprint, determined to get the task done so I can head down to the company gym and burn off some pent up energy.

‘Jesus, another one?’ comes Gage’s voice from the doorway, and I jerk my head up to him in confusion, frowning as he nods at my hand.

‘Pencil’ he states, strolling into the room with a paper bag in his hand that he places on the desk across from me.

‘Not my fault that you buy s.hit stationary’ I mutter, tugging the bag toward me and opening it to find a meat filled baguette inside. I raise a questioning look to the soldier who grins, ‘It’s two o’clock man, you missed lunch. Kenz came by the office, she handed the store over to Seona about half an hour ago, Maxton wanted to come and see Callan, so she decided to bring us all some food from Sugar and Nice.’

I grunt my thanks, suddenly realising just how hungry I am, I must have seriously zoned out for the last few hours, I check my watch on my wrist, wincing slightly when I see that it's past two o'clock, my stomach suddenly giving a loud growl as if it's rebuking me for making it wait so long for food.

Gage nods, resting his hands on the back of one of the boardroom chairs, eyeing me. ‘Kenz says that Seona is fine, Benny has been on her six every second since you left’ he tells me.

I nod, not replying as I take a huge bite of the over filled three meat baguette in my hands.

Beside me my phone buzzes on the table, putting the sandwich down on top of the paper bag, I reach over, picking it up, my lips twitching upward as Seona’s name flashes across my screen.

Sliding up the screen, the smile is wiped from my face as I read her frantic message.

S: Davis is here! Benny is arguing with him, he won’t leave, please come!

‘Mother F.ucker’ I growl, jumping to my feet, my late lunch all but forgotten as I grab my jacket from the back of the chair, rushing for the door.

‘What? Hallick! Wait! What’s happened?’ Gage calls after me, the younger soldier chasing after me as I run for the stairs.

‘That asshole is at the bakery’ I bite back, already taking the stairs two at a time and pushing past Elliott who steps out of the kitchenette with a coffee in his hand.

‘Hey!’ the receptionist rebukes me and I have a bad feeling I’ve made him spill some, but I don’t have time to apologise, I need to get to Seona.

Slamming through the back door, I fish out my keys from my pocket and unlock my truck as I approach, climbing in and slamming the door shut, throwing it into reverse and backing out of my space, before peeling out of the parking lot, around the building and out onto the main road.

My mind is racing as I make the journey across town to the Bakery, how the f.uck did he even get in the door, Benny should have had him in sight before he made the premises, stopped that f.ucker at the door.

I break every speed limit as I cover the distance between me and my woman in half the time it should take. I won’t be surprised if I get a ticket from one of the intersections as I’m pretty sure the light had already turned red before I crossed over the line, but right now I can’t bring myself to care.

Pulling onto the high street, I see someone reversing out of a space just outside of Daisy’s shop, and I rev the trucks engine, pulling up behind them and sliding into the space just as they start to move forward earning myself a finger through the back window of the driver.

Ignoring him, I wrench the keys from the ignition and throw open the door, sliding from the vehicle and slamming the door behind me harder than necessary.

I jog toward the bakery, shoving at the front door which now has the blind drawn, and a closed sign hanging in the window. The door doesn’t budge, locked from the inside. I lift a fist, banging hard on the frame around the window, not stopping until someone peeks from the edge of the blind before it falls back into place and the lock clicks.

Swinging open, I’m confronted with the imposing figure of Benny, the bulky Soldier taking up the door space entirely, one boot behind the door to prevent someone from shoving past him and entering the premises.

‘Hallick’ he grunts, lifting his chin at me, checking behind me quickly before opening the door wider and letting me into the small shop space, locking the door behind me.

Stepping into the artificial light of the shop, I find Seona sitting in a chair by the kitchen door, her face white as she lifts her gaze slowly to me.

With a strangled cry, she launches out of the wooden seat, flinging herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck as I catch her easily, drawing her into my body.

I hold onto the blonde tightly, feeling the slight trembling of her body as she clings tightly to me, breathing in the scent of her shampoo as my heart rate starts to slow.

‘I was so scared’ she whispers against my chest, burying her face into the fabric of my t’shirt. ‘He came here and I . . . I froze. . . I didn’t mean to, but it happened!’

‘It’s OK Love’ I murmur running a hand down her hair, ‘you are OK, you are safe, that is all that matters.’

I’m not sure if I’m saying that for her benefit or mine at the moment, as my heart is hammering out of my chest from the terror that still courses through me. I can honestly say that I have never felt fear like that before, not when I was facing gun fire, nor when I was captured and bundled into a truck with a sack over my head, not even when I was being tortured for information by sadistic d.icks. This fear was all consuming, burning me from within, a white hot feeling of helplessness that I wouldn’t get to her in time.

My other hand trails over her body, feeling for any kind of injury, my chest finally starting to release when my questing fingers I find nothing of concern, the young woman in my arms seems mostly just shaken up by the experience.

After a few minutes, I reluctantly step back, my hands moving to her arms, holding her away from me so I can study her but still touching her because damn it, I need to feel her under against my skin, to really know that she’s still OK and here with me.

Seona looks up at me, lifting her hand awkwardly to push a strand of her hair behind her ear as she gives me a small smile.

My eyes follow the movement of her hand automatically, my eyes narrowing slightly as I focus on the small band aid wrapped around her index finger.

A snarl leaves me as I grab her hand, pulling it toward me to inspect the digit more closely, my fear becoming replaced with anger as my shoulders bunch and I flick my gaze to her pale face, and then toward Benny who is hovering near the door, arms folded, on high alert.

‘What happened?’ I demand loudly to Benny before swinging my gaze back to Seona, a red mist falling over my eyes as I hand myself over to a pure rage that rocks through me. ‘Who did this? Was it him? Did he hurt you?’

My protective flares to life as I stare at Seona’s injured finger, that f.ucker! He hurt her again! He hurt my woman and I’m going to kill him! I’m going to take him somewhere that no one will be able to hear us, tie him to a chair, and then rhythmically break every bone in his body. I’ll snap them one by one, making sure to keep him awake for the whole ordeal, so he can feel every single second, before I put his worthless ass out of its misery.

‘No! Mark! No, it’s OK’ Seona murmurs worriedly, reaching up with her free hand and cupping my cheek as I breathe heavily.

‘I’m going to make him hurt so badly he’ll wish he never ever set foot in this place’ I growl, my grip tightening on her arms slightly, as I hold on to her like she’s the anchor in my storm of a life right now.

‘Listen to me Mark . . . Honey? . . ‘ my eyes widen at her words, my gaze snapping back to hers in shock as she looks up at me worriedly, her tongue flicking out to lick her lips nervously, her thumb tracing over my cheek as she watches me.