Nate
“Nate, man, we have a problem,” Titus says.
His voice sounds unusually on edge.
I can only think of Sienna.
“This better not be about her, Titus. Tell me it’s not about her,” I say, my blood beginning to boil.
“It is,” he says regretfully.
“You had one fucking job, Titus. You were supposed to keep her safe. Tell me that’s still what’s happening. Tell me that she’s safe,” I say.
“Nate, I’m sorry. She’s cunning. She waited for me to get held up by security and then she took her escape. Don’t worry, man. I’m gonna find her. I already have our guys in New York working on it.”
“Fuck that!” I yell into the phone. “You lost her, Titus. You did the one thing I expected you not to do. All you had to do was keep an eye on her for one fucking flight. And you lost her.”
I slam the phone down.
All I see is red. I’m angry at her and at myself for letting this happen.
Titus is my main guy. I didn’t think in a million years she could outsmart him or run from him. But apparently, the most surprising thing has happened.
Fuck.
I have to get out of LA. I have to get to her.
Anxiety forms in the pit of my stomach as I think about Edison getting his hands on her. Doesn’t she know that he’s ruthless? Doesn’t she know that I’m trying to protect her?
I’m fuming. But there’s no time for that now.
I tell the limousine driver to step on it and to get to the airport. Fast.
I call my guys to make sure the private plane is fueled up and ready to go.
Time seems to slow as I realize that I might lose her. All because I was too fucking stupid to do the job myself.
Obviously, Sienna has to be escorted everywhere like a little damn child. She can’t be trusted for a second.
I thought she understood the merits of not escaping. I thought she had some fucking clue how dangerous it is for her to be out there alone, without my protection.
“Go!” I tell the limousine driver.
I can’t get to New York fast enough.
He does his best to get to the airport, but we’re stuck in LA traffic.
Damn this town.
It’s the same old thing all the time.
Nothing ever fucking changes.
After what seems like an eternity, we finally get to the airport. I get into the jet, yelling at the pilot to hurry.
The entire way to New York, I’m organizing things, having my men search for her. No stone will be left unturned.
I’ll search the entire goddamn city if I have to.
But I will find her.
“James, you’re never gonna believe what happened. She fucking escaped. I never should’ve left her in Titus’s incapable hands. I thought he was better than that,” I practically scream into the phone.
“Calm down, Nate. We already have people on the ground looking for her. She won’t get far. Besides, she doesn’t know the city,” he says.
“Yeah right,” I say, not believing a word of this.
I hang up the phone and sit in contained tension until we touch down in New York.
At last, my waiting is over. I can finally comb the streets by myself.
I will find her. I always do.
My Porsche is waiting for me on the ground.
I need a fast car. I need to be alone. I need to center myself and think about where Sienna could be hiding out.
I can’t escape the thoughts of her in trouble. I try not to think of what Shaw will do to her if he finds her before I can. The haunting images plague me, nonetheless.
I drive through New York City, looking everywhere. Dusk is settling. Pretty soon, it’ll become dark.
Sienna has no place to go.
She has no friends here, and no money.
How did she even escape from the airport?
My guys have already been there. And there’s no sign of her.
It’s up to me to find her, and I definitely will.
I think about Sienna.
I think about what it is she wants most in this world.
Her father.
Her mother.
Her freedom.
Then it hits me.
I know where she is.
I turn the car in the direction of Central Park.
Nothing will make me forget that day when we walked to the park, and she was so fucking happy.
Reminds me of when we were kids, roaming around in the forest on her dad’s property.
She’s still the same girl.
She wants nature and wildness and freedom.
That’s got to be where she is.
And I can’t think of a more dangerous place for her to be than the park at night.
I step on the pedal and drive as fast as I fucking can to get to her.
I pull the car right up onto the sidewalk and get out. I walk to the park. I go to all the parts we had visited.
I feel angry at her, but more than that, I feel worried.
It’s like every time we hung out as kids, when she would deliberately run away from me and make me catch her.
Each time, my heart would catch a little in my chest. Each time, I was a little bit worried that she’d get lost or hurt.
Today is no different.
She has run from me, and I’m chasing her again.
She doesn’t seem to understand that I’ll chase her no matter what.
I’ll never back down.
I’ll never leave her be.
She’s mine.
And then...I see her.