Chapter 17
Sienna
I slept like shit. Even after a long, hot shower and Matt’s body pressed into mine all night, I felt restless. Though I hated every second, I decided Matt and Liam were right last night, when we talked about it, and made the tough decision to open the bakery late, for the first time ever, in order to go down to the police station with Matt before his shift starts and take out the restraining order on Jimmy. However, I did make sure to stop by the bakery and grab their daily order, along with leaving a note on the front door saying I will be opening around nine. After listening to the details, the Chief took it upon himself to handle the paperwork needed to put things in motion as quickly as possible.
Matt looks murderous as I recount the details from the night Jimmy showed up at my house with his flowers and crazy ideas of me ever taking his stupid ass back. Of course, having walked up on the last bit, he hadn’t heard everything that was said. Sadly, my storytelling doesn’t end there. I am asked several questions about my relationship with Jimmy. Including the reason for me calling it quits. By the time I have spilled the beans on everything Jimmy Anderson, Matt’s fists are balled at his sides and his jaw is ticking in time with the second hand on the clock.
“That should do it, Sienna,” Chief says, pushing to his feet. “Don’t worry about any of this. Leave everything to us.”
“Thanks, Chief,” I say, though his words carry no weight for me. The piece of paper that will be served to Jimmy will do little more than agitate him further.
I’m running out of windows for people to smash.
Standing with me, Matt follows me out of the office and up the hall. “I’ll walk you down to Sweets,” he says, his hand settling on my lower back. “Maybe dry hump you against that display case.”
“As appealing as that sounds” I say, coming to a stop just shy of the front doors. “I’m pretty sure the idea of an indecent exposure charge could be the ultimate mood killer.” Turning to face him, my fingers come up to straighten his collar. “Besides, don’t you have some serving and protecting to do, Hunk P.D.?”
“I’m fuckin’ trying,” he replies gruffly. “Someone should tell her to stop being so goddamn stubborn.”
“Keep your pants on, hot stuff,” I tease, patting him on the chest. “You can work your bump and grind on me all you want when you’re not on the clock.”
“Count on it, baby,” he murmurs, crashing his lips down on mine. His kiss is bruising and possessive, meant to taunt me and leave me wanting. It does. In spades. Damn him. “I’ll stop in later,” he says, releasing his hold on me.
Nodding my head, I push through the doors and start up the street before I do something stupid like agree to let him walk me up to the shop so we can have a quickie against the wall, next to the register.
The minute I unlock the door and step inside, I immediately regret it. The lights above the counter are on and my stereo is playing a song I have never heard before. The lyrics are haunting and have chills running down my spine the second they hit my ears. Stepping back, I turn for the door, ready to run like hell back down to the police station.
“Don’t even think about it.” The harsh female voice makes me jump. Turning toward the table in the corner, my blood runs cold when I see the woman who successfully helped ruin pizza for me sitting in a chair, watching me intently. Placing a gun on the table, she kicks out the chair opposite her, sending it back into the wall. “It’s time we have a chat.”
“Hope?” I ask, my tone coming out sharper than the wings on her bright blue eyeliner. “How the hell did you get in here?”
“Sit down,” she barks, gesturing to the chair with her free hand. “Now.”
I jolt at her harsh command, my eyes staying locked on the gun. Breathe, Sienna. I hear Matt’s voice in my ear clear as day. Inhale. Exhale. I can do this. “Sure. Of course.”
“Lose the bag,” she says, jerking her chin toward the counter.
Doing as she asked, I move toward the counter, counting to ten in my head as I go, in an attempt to calm my nerves. Now is not the time to freak the fuck out. I have to make sure I do whatever necessary to keep the upper hand in this situation. If I can keep my focus on making her believe that she has control over this scenario, I can hopefully find a way out of here without getting hurt. Or ending up dead. Not wanting to set her off any further, I make my movements slow and pronounced. Sitting across from her, I place my hands at the edge of the table.
Inhale.
Exhale.
“I don’t get it,” she says, shaking her head in disgust. “There’s nothing special about you. What’s the big fucking deal?”
“Excuse me?” I blurt, unable to bite back the response to her insult.
“You,” she says, gesturing at me with the gun in her hand. “I followed him here, you know? He sat outside this morning for an hour waiting on you to show up. For what?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply, trying to make sense of her rambling.
“He wants you.” Rolling her eyes, she waves the gun toward the display case. Jimmy lies motionless on the floor beside it, his eyes closed. “Instead of me. He’d rather have you. What could he possibly see in you that makes you better than me?”
My blood runs cold. “Hope.” Holding up my hands, I try to steady my voice. “What did you do?”
“What I should’ve done when he broke it off with me and went to your house to get you back,” she says smugly. “Eliminate the problem.”
“I don’t want him back,” I explain, hoping to diffuse the situation. “He’s been told that. More than once. He knows it’s over between us. I’ve moved on.”
“That’s not good enough,” she replies, shaking her head. “I know, now, as long as you’re breathing, you’ll always be competition. I won’t have you getting in the way of my happiness. I can’t risk losing him. Not now, not ever.”
“He’s not dead?” I ask, unable to see him very well from where I am sitting.
Her eyes widen, shock and hatred filling her features. “Of course he isn’t dead, you stupid bitch.” Pressing her free hand to her stomach, she stares lovingly at Jimmy. “I’d never hurt the father of my baby. She will have everything I didn’t. Including a daddy that loves her.”
It isn’t until she stands and removes her jacket, that a sense of full-blown panic begins to set in. My chest tightens painfully, dread settling heavy in my gut. Hope is wearing the dress I wore to Dirty Dog on my birthday, along with a pair of my black knee-high leather boots. My eyes lock on the barely there nail polish stain on the hemline of the dress, proving that it is actually my dress. Barely noticeable unless you know to look for it, like I do. “You’ve been in my house.”
“I’m going to be everything Jimmy needs me to be,” she says, gesturing down her body. “I’m going to be you.”
The door swings open, the bells chiming as a woman steps inside the shop. Stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes widen. Hope raises her arm, aiming the gun at her. “We’re fucking closed!” she yells, firing off a round into the wall.
Screaming, the woman bolts out the door. I wince when Hope’s hate-filled stare is directed at me again, the gun now pointed in my direction. “I think it’s time to wake up Jimmy. It’s important, for closure, that he sees you take your last breath.”
The minute Hope turns for Jimmy, I slide my feet out of my heels and make my move for the door. If I’m going to die, I’m going out trying to get the fuck out of here. Hope screams. The gun goes off again, making my heart skip a beat. I attempt to dive behind the chair, only to be yanked back by my hair. “Where do you think you’re going, bitch?” she grounds out, slamming me into the side of the counter. My head bounces off the edge, sending me sprawling to the tile. Before I can attempt to get up, her knee presses hard into my back, pinning me to the floor as she begins binding my wrists behind me. “We’re just getting started.”