When Storms Collide

~3~

"There are no wrong turnings.

Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk."

~~

You know that moment when you thought you made the right decision but start regretting it after five minutes?

This was one of those moments.

I sat in the backseat of the car. Sebastian was driving and Warren sat in the passenger seat beside him. We'd been driving for approximately an hour now and it was pretty clear that we were no longer in the city. There were no houses or streetlights on either side of the road, only trees. Sebastian suddenly slowed down the car before turning to what seemed like a small dirt road almost hidden among the trees. The whole place seemed to be completely isolated.

Okay, so it's official.

They've definitely brought me here to kill me.

As the trees cleared I could see the structure of a house come into view. The car finally came to a stop in front of the nice-looking two-story brick house.

I almost yelped in surprise when Sebastian opened the door for me.

I hesitantly got out. The house wasn't too big but it wasn't small either, it was definitely a lot nicer than what I was used to.

"This is my home. I hope you find it to your liking." Sebastian murmured. My ears might have been playing tricks on me but I could have sworn he sounded a little uncomfortable.

As we stepped inside I took in my surroundings. The house was warm and well-kept. The wooden floors were spotless and the furniture was simple but beautiful.

"Your house is lovely," I told Sebastian honestly.

His face broke into a smile at my words and I was temporarily taken aback. I realized that it was the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face. His grey eyes lit up when he smiled, making them seem lighter, the dimples on his cheeks deepened. His teeth I noticed were stark white but they weren't perfectly straight just a little crooked but somehow that made his smile a lot more attractive to me. For the first time, he didn't look terrifying. I felt my stomach dip as heat seeped into my blood.

"Are you alright? You seem a little flushed." His voice pulled me out of my daze and I stiffened.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I pretended to cough.

Sebastian looked a little concerned now. His eyebrows scrunched together.

"Are you feeling unwell?" He asked seriously.

"No, I'm perfectly fine!" I responded quickly.

He nodded, although he seemed unconvinced.

"I don't mean to sound rude or anything but you're a criminal, right?" I asked awkwardly.

He gave me a wary look. "Yes, you could say that."

"So aren't criminals supposed to live in huge mansions?" His eyes widened a fraction in surprise and I realized how conceited I sounded. "I mean your house is beautiful." I quickly cut in. "It just seems too . . . normal for a high-profile criminal," I added weakly.

Wow, Angelica.

Great job sounding like the dumbest person on this planet.

For a moment he just looked at me like he couldn't believe I'd actually spoken those words, his eyes were shining with that familiar gleam of amusement. "I have a feeling that the reason you believe this to be true is because you've seen this in movies."