Nate
It’s really her.
This gorgeous goddess in front of me is really Sienna.
I feel it deep inside. Her presence is stirring emotions that I had never expected to feel again.
Looking at her brings back fond memories of a time I thought was long gone but are right here, within my reach.
I can’t take my eyes off her. I long to pull her into my arms.
That pretty little girl has blossomed into such a sexy woman.
My first love, the first and only girl I had obsessed over. And she’s right here in front of me.
I hold open the door to the guest room closest to my bedroom.
If I’m being honest, I’d much rather have her in my room. But she’s scared enough as it is right now, and it doesn’t seem like she recognizes me.
I want nothing more than to tell her, but now’s not the time for that.
First, I have to talk to Titus and James about what the fuck just happened and get a handle on what to do next.
She’s not going to Edison—that’s for goddamn sure.
My eyes follow her as she walks into the room. She’s hesitant but obedient.
I can only imagine how frightened she is, and I hate that I had to be the one to incite that fear in her.
Sienna’s hips sway, and I can’t help watching her shapely ass as she makes her way inside.
It’s the kind of ass you can’t help wanting to bend over your knee and paddle.
Down boy.
There’ll be plenty of time for that after this is all over.
She purposely avoids the bed, opting for a chair instead. Can’t blame her there. She doesn’t know my intentions.
Instead of sitting, she just stands there. When she finally looks at me, there’s a hint of defiance in her eyes.
That’s my girl. I smirk.
She always was full of attitude, and I’m happy to see that part of her hasn’t changed one fucking bit.
“This is your room for now,” I tell her. “You can use anything in it, even take a bath if you want to relax.”
I open the closet where there’s a robe and a few outfits. “Feel free to change, too. I’ll be back in a bit.”
She doesn’t say anything, just gives me a curt nod.
She’s so fucking sexy, even when she’s sulking.
I leave the room, drinking in the sight of her one last time before I shut the door behind me. I head toward the game room, where Titus and James are waiting.
“How is she?” Titus asks.
“She’s fucking scared, and I don’t blame her one bit,” I pour myself a drink.
“She did just see her dad murdered in front of her after all,” James says, perching himself on the edge of a black leather armchair.
“Yeah, what the fuck happened there? It was supposed to be a simple kidnapping mission. Nobody was supposed to die!”
My anger threatens to boil over.
I hate it when shit goes awry.
“Apparently,” Titus offers up, “from what I gathered, the plan was to kill Hudson Rose all along. Shaw didn’t want him in the race for Senate. He was too much of a threat.”
“A threat, huh? I never would’ve fucking agreed to this if I had known what he was up to,” I snarl. “That fucking bastard. He knows it, too, that’s why I wasn’t privy to the full scope of the plan.”
Titus and James nod in agreement. That fucking cocksucker has finally gone too far.
I know it, and they know it.
Not only did he take out Hudson Rose, but he intentionally didn’t let me in on the plan.
I fucking hate secrets. And when they involve a mission that I’m on—fuck that.
I keep my hands as clean as possible. If there was ever a time to leave, it’s now.
This is the perfect fucking opportunity to leave Edison’s mob and go out on my own.
And he gift-wrapped it for me.
I’ve got the money. I’ve got hiding places that Edison Shaw knows nothing about.
I’ve got men who are loyal to me. I’ve been planning this for the last several years, putting each piece of the puzzle together one by one. Now, the time has finally come.
I’m ready.
“We need to come up with a plan. Where do we go from here on out?”
My voice is resolute, brooking no argument.
Not that they would argue with me. These guys are loyal to me through and through.
“She’s not going to Edison Shaw, fuck that. Right now, the cards are in our hands. We have her, and he knows that, but he’s pretty fucking sure of himself that we’ll deliver her to him.”
The original plan was to use Sienna as bait for extortion, and I’m putting a fucking wrench in that plan starting right now.
As his right-hand man, Edison trusts me. I know how everything works in his business.
That will be his fucking downfall.
“It won’t be long before he comes looking for her,” James muses. “When you don’t show up, he’s gonna realize that you double-crossed him. You’re going to have to hide somewhere, and soon.”
“Right...”
A plan forms in my mind as we speak.
“First things first, before we can do anything, we need to get out of the city. No, the state. LA isn’t safe for Sienna right now. We have a day, maybe two at best, before Edison realizes something is off.”
“That should give us plenty of time to make plans,” James says.
“I can handle Edison.”
It’s a fact.
“But, yeah, let’s be ready to roll out tomorrow,” I add. “Not later, or we’ll have a higher risk of being caught, and that’s the last fucking thing we need.”
I put my glass down and stare out one of the windows.
If it were just me, I’d stay and battle this shit out.
I’m confident I could do it, too. Being in the mob as long as I have, I’ve learned things here and there.
Sure, there’d be obstacles, but in the end, I know I’d come out on top.
But then again, I can’t do that with Sienna in tow. Even with James and Titus at my side.
I can’t put her at risk. She means too much to me.
I don’t really know what to do with her, though. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Now that she’s here, though, damned if I’m going to hand her over to anyone else.
She’s mine, now and forever. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.
Letting her out of my sight is also out of the question. I don’t trust anyone to keep her safe but me.
She’s my childhood friend, the love of my life. The only woman I’d ever put my life on the line for, and I’m going to prove that to her.
I can keep Edison at bay but not forever. Sooner or later, it’ll be time to pay the piper.
Then shit will really hit the fan. Edison holds grudges and makes people pay for crossing him.
I’ll take her to New York, put her up in my penthouse. Security’s fucking airtight there, and we’ll have time to come up with more concrete plans.
Plus, I have a few establishments on the down low, and we won’t have to worry about being caught.
The plan is forming, the first stages at least.
The next thing to do is go and talk to Sienna.
I want to see the look on her face when I tell her who I am.
Will she be surprised, or will she be angry?
Time to find out.