by C. J. Thomas
My heartrate ticked up another notch as the mere mention of her name sent flutters across my midsection. “Yeah, Dad, this has everything to do with her.”
He leaned back, crossed his legs, and nodded. “I thought there might be more to the story than just eating burgers.”
I flashed him a sideways smirk. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only when I say her name.” Dad winked.
“She’s marrying the wrong man.”
“Your opinion, or hers?”
“Both.”
“Tell me, son, what’s really going on between you two?”
I was breathless as my heart raced out of control. Dad deserved to hear the truth, even if I was afraid of how he would react. Senator Day was a political ally and I didn’t want to bring more attention to our families than what we already endured. But I had to tell him. “Dad, you have to believe me that I didn’t do this to hurt our family or destroy a politician’s career. It just happened.”
He tipped his chin back and stared at me for a long pause with narrowed eyes. “What just happened?”
I licked my lips, glanced at the pool, and leaned forward as the words started tumbling from my mouth. Dad listened with an open ear and I could only hope that he’d opened his mind and his heart, as well. I started with Sienna running into my garage, the fear I saw in her eyes, and how I learned that it was Gary who had struck her face. “At first, I didn’t know who she was, but I recognized her from somewhere. I knew I had seen her before.”
Dad laced his fingers together and lowered his head. “Go on. What happened after you cleaned her wounds?”
I told Dad about hiring a private investigator and learning not only that it was Sienna Day whose wounds I dressed, but also that she was set to marry a Marine. “A Marine I knew well, Dad.”
“You two served together?”
“We did.” I pointed to my leg. “The day I was shot was the day I should have died.”
Dad’s frown lines deepened as a pained watery gaze filled his eyes.
“And I would have if it weren’t for Corporal Gary Sycuro.”
Dad rubbed his mouth inside his hand and stared out over the gardens, thinking. “And you want to stop this wedding, is that what I’m hearing?”
Leaning forward, I said, “Someone is already putting a spin on the story. It’s the only reason Senator Day called you earlier. They wanted you—and the world—to think she was leaving him.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Why would someone want to do that?”
“They wouldn’t unless they had an ulterior motive.”
Dad flicked his gaze to me and stared.
“Gary knows about my service record. He’s going to use it to his advantage if he can.”
“What is there to hide?”
“Lots, Dad. More than you know.”
He sighed heavily.
“Charlotte told me something she overheard at Cooper’s gala that nearly knocked me over.”
Dad raised his brows.
“Apparently, Gary is only marrying Sienna to get close to Senator Day.”
“He has political aspirations of his own,” he said knowingly.
I tilted my head to the side. “Appears so. I don’t know what to do. I’ve done everything I could. But if I let her get away I know that I’ll regret it forever, thinking that I could have done more.”
Dad sat quietly for a long pause as he thought. Then he asked, “Is Senator Day aware that his daughter has been abused?”
“There’s too much on the line for him to clearly see what is happening.” I pushed a hand through my hair. “All I know is that if we can’t get Sienna out, we need to warn Coop before the media takes sides and brings the drama to him.”
Suddenly, my cell started ringing. Instead of calming me, Nolan’s name on my screen brought a new level of anxiety. “What can you tell me?”
“Sienna is here. Everybody went through the motions of what to expect tomorrow when she walks down the aisle. But something’s not right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Senator Day’s demeanor has changed, and Gary isn’t even making an effort to pretend he’s madly in love.”
“Gary threatened her. I know it.” My hand fisted.
“He what? Do you know this for sure?
“You need to find out what he said.”
“Fuck, Trevor. This is skirting the line of stalking. I’m starting to feel a little weird about trusting your theories without any facts to support them. The dinner was really nice and people are having a good time. I can’t just start asking around about things like that without risking my own reputation.”
“I understand if you don’t want to, but I have a feeling that he’s using something against her that might also involve Coop.”
36
Sienna
I didn’t know what to do with my hands, where to stand, or if I should pretend to care about the people waiting to talk to me.
Sophia linked her arm in the crook of mine and together we stood in the back as we watched Monica work her magic.
Snatching a drink along the way, Monica schmoozed her way into Gary’s inner circle and flirted her way to the top. She said something and Gary tossed his head back and laughed.
Then she did it.
Just dropped his phone into his suit jacket pocket without him ever realizing it was gone.
My eyes rounded with disbelief. I spun around and blinked, feeling like this might actually work. Sophia smoothed her hand over my back and leaned close to my ear. “He’ll respond. I just know it.”
My legs were weak and my insides wouldn’t stop shaking. “If he finds out that I did this—”
“He won’t.” Sophia pulled me upright. “You have nothing to lose.”
I have everything to lose.
She turned her neck and let her gaze travel across the room to Nolan. He was busy with friendly conversation but always kept one eye on Sophia. “I have to go steal my man away,” she murmured as she stepped away. “Don’t want to lose him, too.”
I stood frozen stiff and watched her clack her heels across the floor to her incredible man. He greeted her with a soft kiss to the cheek and it instantly reminded me of Trevor. I missed him. I knew that I needed to explain my actions. And when I flicked my gaze back to Monica, I thought that if the coin landed in my favor, I might just have my chance sooner than I thought.
“Dinner was lovely,” Nolan greeted me with a soft kiss to my cheek.
“Thank you.”
He snaked his arm around Sophia’s waist and pulled her closer to him. Her face bloomed pink with a large smile filling her gorgeous face. Nolan glanced to Gary.
“You don’t have to bullshit me,” I said.
Nolan turned his gaze back to me with slanted brows.
“Word must have gotten around about how your brother and I keep managing to find ways to see each other.”
His smile disappeared as he lowered his beer to his side. “I’ve heard a little bit.”
“Care to share what you do know?” I asked as Sophia gave me a hard glance.
“Let’s sit.” Nolan held his arm out to a nearby empty table. We sat and Sophia held his hand on her thigh as Nolan considered where to begin. “Sienna, are you sure you want to do this here?”
I flicked my gaze to Gary and scowled. “Trevor told me he loves me.”
Nolan held my gaze. “Trevor means what he says.”
“You didn’t know that?”
“This is happening awfully fast. It’s a little hard to keep up.” He released Sophia’s hand and brought his elbows to the table.
“When did you figure it out?”
“I didn’t. He told me just before coming here tonight.” Nolan leaned forward and stole my fingers. “Look, I know what Gary did to you—” His gaze fell to my lip.
“We all do, Sienna,” Sophia said.
“It’s not your fault. Trevor only wants to help.”
It seemed as if everyone
knew the truth of what happened but my father, and I was afraid of what Gary would do once word got around to him and he felt backed into a corner. It was only a matter of time before that happened, and then everyone would see the monster he was. “Then why does it feel like he’s only making things worse?”
“He’s worried about you.”
“Did he also tell you that he and Gary served together?”
Nolan’s lips parted as the crown of his head pulled to the ceiling. “No. I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Seems like Trevor has plenty of secrets of his own.” I crossed my arms and frowned. “Any reason why he would want to keep facts of his own life from you?”
Nolan shook his head. “He’s had to deal with more than I can imagine. But I can assure you that he means what he says. I know he’s crazy about you.”
“Why are you telling me this here—now?”
“Excuse me for speaking bluntly, but you look miserable. I never see you two together,” Nolan subtly pointed to Gary from under his arm, “and tonight, he’s more into his groomsmen than you. That’s not how it’s supposed to be.”
The scratch was back in my throat. Flicking my gaze to Mom, she was with Dad and I could tell by the look on both their faces that she was telling him what we discussed only moments ago. Dad wasn’t one to bring issues up at public functions like this, but I crossed my fingers and hoped that this time would be different. I needed everyone to rescue me from myself if this was going to work, and one broken link could sink our entire plan.
“Maybe you’re right,” I said, turning back to Nolan. “I said some things to him earlier that I didn’t mean, and I would like you to tell him I’m sorry.”
“You need to tell him yourself,” Nolan said, getting Sophia to nod.
Monica rushed to the table and sat down. “Look. Look. She responded.”
Gary had his head in his phone, a guilty grin deepening his dimples as we watched him disappear into the shadows.
“What was that all about?” Nolan asked.
Monica snapped her head to him. “Gary blackmailed Sienna, and now we’re proving that he’s the one who needs fixing.”
“Was that her?” Sophia asked.
Monica nodded enthusiastically. “The ex marks the spot.”
Nolan gave me an arched look. “Blackmail?”
“Yeah,” Monica continued. “Gary said if she doesn’t go through with this wedding tomorrow, that he’ll expose your brother for being a phony war hero.”
Nolan flipped his head to me with drawn brows. “Is that true?”
My eyes watered but I was speechless.
Nolan kicked his chair back and stood.
“Where are you going?” Sophia reached for his hand.
Nolan stared directly into my eyes with fire flashing and said, “To warn my brothers that they’re not safe.”
37
Trevor
I couldn’t sit around. I was anxious to hear back from Nolan. With it getting late, Dad disappeared into the back and I assumed he was calling it a night. That left me no choice but to head back to my garage and wait this thing out.
Sliding the bay door open, I flicked on the overhead lights and slowly walked toward the couch against the wall with a bottle of liquor in my hands.
Falling into the corner, I held up the bottle and stared into the amber liquid. I wanted nothing more than to take a sip. Forget the anguish and fear of losing Sienna, even if it was only for a minute. Make myself numb with hopes of falling asleep.
I swirled the temptation around in front of me.
Keeping the cap sealed, I needed to hold onto hope that Sienna could still be saved—that she could be the one to save me. The more I replayed the conversation with Dad, the heavier the despair felt.
Rolling my neck, I cracked my knuckles and turned to stare at the photo of the Marines who’d lost their lives because of me. It was impossible to not be racked with guilt, but mostly I just wondered when and where Gary got it so wrong. His story was the hidden mystery, and I found it odd since all these years I had seen him as the real hero.
Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my knees and blew out a heavy sigh.
There had to be more Gary was hiding. Now that I knew he had plans to make a career in politics, it made perfect sense why he would want to keep those truths hidden. Except with what he’d done to Sienna, I would never allow him to rise to the top.
The low rumble of my Mustang slowing to a stop alerted me to Evan arriving.
The red taillights glowed as I watched him slowly back into the garage. Killing the engine, he stepped out from behind the wheel and peered over the hood. “I love this car. Sell it to me.”
“In your wildest dreams.” I smirked.
Charlotte opened the passenger door and stepped out. “Mustangs would be perfect on the ranch.” She rolled her eyes in sarcastic flare and shook her head.
“He’ll still have to go to town,” Noah said as he opened up the back door. “It could be his toy.”
Skirting around the hood, Evan tossed me the keys. “That’s right. And you saw how many hot babes kept looking to see who was behind the wheel.” He popped his collar.
“Hot babes?” Charlotte said with mild disgust as she followed Evan to where I’d parked my bike in the alleyway. “Are you stuck in the nineties?”
Noah held my gaze as he made his way over to me. “I thought we’d find you here eventually.”
I nodded. “Dad said you went looking for me.”
He took the bottle of whiskey from my hand and checked the label. “It was just an excuse to get out of the house.” He handed me the bottle back but I shook my head and told him to keep it. “Mom was upset you didn’t come back for dinner.”
“I know. I was just there. Smoothed things over already with her. She’ll get over it.” I flicked my gaze up to Noah. “Dad sat me down to talk.”
Noah lifted a brow. “And what did you tell him?”
“Everything.”
Noah lifted his hand to his face and rubbed his mouth between his fingers as he turned his head in thought. I hung my head and closed my eyes.
“Hey, are you all right?” he asked in a tone just above a whisper. “You don’t look so good.”
I lifted my head and met his eye. “Just low.”
Noah sat down next to me and said, “Dad will come around. He’ll understand that you’re trying to do the right thing.”
My brows furrowed. “It’s not Dad.” Then I turned to look at Noah. “It’s Sienna.”
A knowing glimmer caught his eye.
I told Noah everything about my visit with Sienna—how she turned me away and how Gary seemed particularly aggressive toward me. “She was going to call it off—”
“—so what happened?”
I paused and licked my lips. “I think he threatened her.”
Noah’s chest rose and fell. “Seems plausible, especially considering his past.”
“That fucking bastard is hiding something,” I murmured.
Noah glanced to the bottle. “I just can’t see how this is still happening.”
“She’s trapped.”
“Then we need to get her out,” he snapped.
Nolan rushed in out of nowhere.
My eyes widened as I held my breath.
We locked eyes and I knew that Nolan had come through for me. Standing, I said, “What did you find?”
Charlotte pinched her brows and made her way across the floor. Evan followed close behind and said to Nolan, “Jesus. You really should start running more. You look like you just stepped out of the shower.”
“Find what?” Charlotte’s eyes darted to me.
“You were right.” Nolan nodded as he darted his eyes between Charlotte and me. “He threatened her.”
I shoved my hand through my hair and turned my back. My mind spun out of control as adrenaline kept my heart drumming fast inside my chest. Spinning back to face Nolan, I asked, “You know this for sure?”
“—but what?” I snapped, feeling impatient, like I was losing control.
Nolan looked to Noah before turning back to me. “Gary has blackmailed her.”
Charlotte moved to my side and let her hand come to rest on my shoulder. A painful watery gaze filled her eyes and her forehead wrinkled in worry.
“It’s what you thought. He’s making sure Sienna doesn’t run by threat of releasing a story that could bring Coop down.”
“What does this have to do with Coop?” Charlotte asked.
Noah kept his gaze locked on mine. “She’s protecting you, Trevor.”
My stomach clenched and I barely breathed as I stood and stared, knowing the exact story he was using against her. Anger reddened my face as feelings of rage coursed through my veins. He would get what was coming to him. It was only a matter of time.
“You know what story he’s threatening to tell, don’t you?” Nolan stepped forward, stuffing his hands inside his pockets.
My brows drew together but my lips remained sealed.
Noah angled his head toward me. “It’s about him saving your life, isn’t it? It’ll poke a hole in the image Coop has created for you.”
I felt my heart drum fast and hard against my ribs. A bubble formed around my head, closing off my ears to everyone. Charlotte’s small hand squeezed harder on my shoulder as Evan stood on the sidelines, listening with an inquisitive brow.
Nolan’s eyes narrowed as he looked me directly in the eye. “It’s okay, Trevor. You can trust us. When I heard what he said to Sienna, I wanted to kill him myself.”
I turned to peer down into Charlotte’s supportive eyes. Then I bounced my gaze to each and every one of their faces, feeling like I had no choice but to tell them the truth of what really happened to me. “Gary’s right. I’m not the hero Coop has been selling to the public.”
“Not a hero? Ah…Trev, you were shot for Christ’s sake,” Charlotte said. “Damn him for spreading lies. It’s a political move to create the narrative he wants to sell to the public. Don’t let him get to you.”