by Lana Hartley
My first and only obsession.
It’s Sienna Rose from my childhood home who lived at the Rose estate.
The same estate my father worked on as a groundskeeper.
Her gaze finally sweeps over me. She swings her head back towards me and our eyes lock.
The most startling blue eyes stare back at me.
I’d seen those eyes before. Years ago.
The memories of our time together in the past flash across my mind like a movie reel.
Adventures through the forest, days spent swimming in the pool, nights spent under the stars, and all the damn trouble we managed to get into.
I chuckle to myself internally.
Those were fun times.
She was a pretty girl when we were just kids.
Looking at her now, she’s…words can’t even begin to fully describe her.
Sexy, gorgeous, like a fucking angel.
Any man would be lucky to claim her, but that thought sets me on edge, and I don’t know why.
I feel a possessiveness come over me even now.
I’ve always felt as though she were mine.
Nothing’s changed.
I know she’s more than just looks. She’s always been more than a superficial beauty.
The girl has depth, brains, and heart.
She’s the whole fucking package.
I didn’t realize until this very moment how much I missed her.
And now she’s a full-grown woman standing in front of me…tear-stained, panicked, and a hostage of Edison Shaw, which makes her my hostage at the moment.
Fuck.
Sienna stares back at me, but I see no recognition in her eyes. She doesn’t realize who I am.
Why would she?
I’m not the teenage boy she knew back then. I’m a grown man now, and I’m sure Sienna would have never thought the boy she used to know would be working for the crime lord who wants to destroy her father.
Hell, I never thought I would be working for a crime lord, either.
Shit happens, though.
A flash of hope flashes across her face.
“Please, help me!” she pleads to me. “These men have kidnapped me, and I need to get back to my father. Please! I’m begging you!”
She thinks I’ll help her right now?
In her desperation, she doesn’t understand that these men work for me.
I am essentially her enemy.
I don’t blame her for being naïve. This is a world she’s not used to. Being within the dark underbelly of society is my job, not hers.
“Sorry, honey, but I’m not going to be your savior tonight,” I tell her.
She bursts into a new wave of crying and desperation. Her thrashing and kicking ramps back up to a whole other level.
Fuck, she’s breaking my heart.
Why did Edison have to want this girl? What has she ever done to him?
And then I think about her father.
The man who taught me how to fish.
The man who Sienna loved and who was always nice to me.
Hudson Rose.
That’s who Edison’s really after.
Not Sienna.
My Sienna.
I’ve got to get her out of this. Safely, without creating a bigger cluster fuck.
In this moment, I vow to do anything and everything to accomplish just that.
I’ll protect her at all costs. It’s not even a question. Even if Edison comes after me personally, I don’t fucking care.
Let him come. I’m ready.
All I see is Sienna.
All I know is Sienna.
And she’s in grave fucking danger.
I told her I’m not her savior tonight, and that’s the damn truth.
Not tonight.
I’ll be her savior in the end though, and that’s all that matters.
Hopefully, sooner rather than later.
Who knows what Edison has in store for her?
All I know is, I don’t want to find out.
Right now, we need to get going. The men are looking at me, waiting for instructions.
“Load her up into my limousine,” I instruct them. “We’re taking her to my place until Shaw gives us further instructions.”
They drag her, still kicking and screaming.
It’ll take a fucking miracle to get her out of this shit.
Sienna
My throat is raw.
My arms are sore.
My breath catches; I’m crying again.
I thought I saw hope in the handsome man’s eyes.
But there was none.
Men in ski masks drag me from the SUV to a limo.
I scream. I kick at them.
They throw my in with a thud.
The door slams shut.
For a moment I’m alone.
I’m afraid. I need to get out.
I don’t know what’s going to happen to me next.
In the dark quiet of the limo, I look for an escape.
The warehouse is empty; there’s nowhere to hide, nowhere to run.
I don’t know how I’m going to get through this. What’s next?
The handsome guy joins me in the back seat of the limo. I scramble to the furthest corner of the seat, trying to get away from him.
I close my eyes; I wait.
I can guess what’s coming. I know what can happen.
Not like this, I pray.
I can feel him near me; he’s in the seat across from me. I feel him lean forward; his hands are cool when he lifts my wrists.
I brace myself, expecting to be pulled to the floor. I don’t know why I’m here in this limo, but it can’t be for anything good.
Cold metal touches the inside of my wrists.
Snap.
The tape is cut. I open my eyes; his eyes are inches from my own. I look down.
The handsome man is snapping a Swiss army knife close and putting it back in his pocket. He sets my free hands back into my lap.
I think about opening the door. I want to run, but he’s so close and dangerous. I watch him; he’s watching me.
My breath slows to match his steady pace.
The door away from me opens, and two more men join us in the back of the limo; they nod to the guy across from me and sit further forward, facing away from me.
I hear the locks click.
I close my eyes again. Nothing makes sense.
We’re moving.
Ice clinks and liquid pours into crystal.
“Here.” His voice is softer now than it was in the warehouse. “Whiskey. You could probably use it.”
I open my eyes to see the stranger holding out a glass. My hands shake when I reach for it. Our fingers brush when I take the glass, and I feel a shock of electricity.
I gulp down the drink, warmth spreads through my body.
Why is he being so nice to me?
Where are they taking me?
Why the fuck are they taking me in a limo?
I don’t understand.
And then it dawns on me...
I’m being kidnapped.
Someone had wanted to make a statement.
They had guns.
My father.
He tried to stop them.
They shot him.
My father, the kindest man in the world, is dead.
He was killed.
Now I am in a limo with a man I don’t want to take my eyes off. He freed my hands and gave me a drink, but he told me he isn’t my savior.
So, who is he?
One of the other guys says something I can’t really hear, and the dangerous handsome stranger turns halfway around to answer him.
But he still keeps an eye on me.
I press my head against the tinted window. I can almost see out into the night, at the lacework of city lights.
The night goes on like my father wasn’t just murdered, like there isn’t a gaping hole in the world.
I grasp my necklace, the faceted
diamonds imprinting on my hand as I hold it tight. Only hours ago, I told him I would always be his baby girl. Hot tears run down my cheeks.
I try to be quiet. I don’t want these men to notice me crying. I don’t want to give them my grief.
I want to be strong, but I’m not. Right now, I’m alone and my heart is broken.
The glass falls from my hand, and I can’t even move to pick it up.
Soft fabric touches my limp hands. A linen handkerchief. I turn my head, but the man is purposely looking away from me.
A new wave of tears hits me. I don’t fucking understand.
Why is he being kind? I can’t figure it out, and I don’t have the heart to guess.
Someone has shattered my world, but here in this limo there’s a chilling sense of normalcy.
I can feel his eyes on me. My dress is in disarray, my shoes and makeup are ruined, but I can feel the heat of his gaze raking over my body.
He watches me like a hunter, with me as his prey. Men always look at me, but there’s something more here. There’s a heat, an electricity I’ve never felt before.
He wants to devour me, but something is holding him back.
Why would a kidnapper hold back?
What more can they possibly want to take from me?
There is one thing, though.
The car slows. Outside the window, I can see an open gate and the glittering lights of a modern mansion at the end of a long driveway.
It must be lovely, but I barely notice it.
A part of me was hoping this was the end of a terrible macabre joke. That at the end of this ride, I would be home. My father would greet me and tell me this was all a terrible dream or a prank gone wrong.
No.
This is not my home. This man is a dangerous criminal. He is handsome and seemingly kind, but he’s not on my side.
The heavy gate shuts with a clang, ending my fevered fantasy with a final shudder. The limo inches up the driveway. I shut my eyes again.
Please, let me wake up.
The car stops.
The men get out of the limo.
I’m alone again. I want to stay here in the dark.
If I can’t go home...then, I don’t want to go anywhere else.
I think nothing bad can happen to me here, not alone, not in the dark, not in a limo.
The guy leans in and extends his hand—a mockery of chivalry. Without thinking, I let him help me out of the car.
When our hands touch, I feel that same jolt of electricity.
I stand in the gravel, in my ruined Jimmy Choos, standing on my own for the first time since this horrible nightmare began.
The guy stands next to me. I feel small and vulnerable next to him.
It’s either an echo of safety or the warning of danger.
I don’t know.
The house is mostly glass, with sharp modern lines—strong and dangerous just like him.
He isn’t a savior.
But he can’t be a monster either.
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.
Sienna
I shut my eyes, and all I can see is my father dying. He slumps to the ground, riddled by bullets.