Page 82 of Scorching Sienna

“Are there no direct line of sight photos?” All these shots are from behind or only partially revealing one side of his face. The height and build also match.

“No. These are the best ones we could pull.” Jordan nods at Kai, who offers me another document.

“He was a guest in room 138.” My head snaps up, and I grab the paper.

“That’s the same number as Sienna's old house. It's not coincidental. This is the guy we are looking for.” This guy knew we would find him. Wanted us to. That’s why he picked that room. Fucking cocky, arrogant bastard.

“Bob, go search the room. And ask the staff if they saw anything, suspicious or not. A detailed description of his face would be useful.” Bob leaves, eager to get out of this room. He missed the whole table incident because I had signaled him to go and get the limo ready for our departure when we were on our way to the dance floor. Even then, I knew we had no intention of staying. Fuck. If only I had waited a moment, Bob might have had him. I was as much to blame for this as anyone.

“Fuck,” I grit out, making Jordan and Kai jump. I’m sure they were worried I would attack them at any moment. I refocus on the file, reminding myself I couldn’t get violent here. Not in Sienna's space.

Michael Reeders. My eyes skim over his details, knowing it will all be fake. He knew we would catch him and wouldn’t be stupid enough to supply any of his real information. He checked in two days agoand checked out this morning. No luggage bar one small knapsack. He must have hidden in the hotel after checking out, waiting for the right time. But how did he know when the perfect time was? Either he watched us, waiting for us to leave the table, or he had an accomplice. Someone who told him there was an opportunity.

“Do a deep dive,” Jordan instructs Kai, who returns to his spot at the table. Their new offices for the foreseeable future. I had even arranged apartments for them two floors down so they didn’t have to go far.

“Analyze all the footage from when he checked in until he left the building. I want to know what car he arrived in, any room service he ordered, who he called, if he met anyone, and where he was hiding after checking out. Everything. If we are lucky, we may get a better picture of his face. He paid cash but would have had to sign in. I want that document. I doubt this is his real name, but check it anyway.”

I’m interrupted by Travis, escorted in by Bob, who leaves again.

“You better tell me you have something for me.” I don’t bother with formalities, and Travis doesn’t seem perturbed by the lack thereof. He seemed like a man who liked to get down to business immediately.

“Three names. All shell companies. The remaining guys on the list who purchased those cameras have been eliminated as suspects. Theirs are accounted for in locations I could access. These three are not. But I’m sure the geniuses on your payroll can figure it out. You poached all the best IT hackers.” His eyes jump to Kai and then Jordan before returning to me.

Jordan steps forward and takes the file from him.

“You recall our deal? When the time comes, they,” he points to Kai and Jordan, “will assist me with the little problem I have?”

Kai and Jordan don’t even acknowledge Travis’ words. This situation was not unusual, and they have been bargaining chips in morethan one lucrative deal before.

“As long as it doesn’t involve harming kids and women, you have my word.” He nods and then leaves, our business concluded for now. This was why they stayed with me. My name offered them the most protection without them joining a group or gang like the mafia.

“Start digging. We still have the cameras, and the signals are active, so we can link it back to one of those files. Let me know if you find anything.” I fling the little camera I picked up moments ago back on the table and then leave, eager to see if Sienna has woken up.

There was so much to discuss, and I didn’t know where to begin. Deep down, I know Sienna knew I wasn’t a run-of-the-mill guy. Deep down, she knew I was the dark. She chose to overlook it because she wanted to be with me. But admitting you will accept a morally corrupt man takes being truthful with yourself to a whole other level. Many people couldn’t look at themselves honestly and admit those absolute truths. It changes their warped perception of themselves, which most people cannot handle.

I fucking hope Sienna can. But even if she couldn’t, it wouldn’t make a difference. She was stuck with me. I would be close to her, one way or another. Either skulking in the shadows or basking in her light.

As I approach her bedroom, the muffled ‘don’t’ has my heart pounding as I rush through the door. No one can get in here, but for a brief second, I thought someone was hurting her, but the relief I feel seeing her alone and thrashing around in bed is short-lived.

While no one was physically hurting her, her nightmares are a place I cannot get to, and that makes me feel helpless. Out here, I can protect her. In there, she is on her own.

I kick my shoes off and then pull the covers off her, their strangling grip on her limbs doing nothing to help the situation. She is mumbling more objections, and I can only imagine what it would be against. Upclose, I can see tears escaping her closed lids and running down her face, wetting the hair framing it.

I climb into the bed and then gently pull her body so that her back is against my chest. Her hands grip my arm slung across her chest, and she sobs into my bicep while I stroke her hair.

“Shhh, rainbow. I’m here. Shhhh.” Seconds tick by, and slowly, the nightmare she is in releases its death grip on her, and she stops fighting me.

I can feel when she wakes up, the slight tensing of her body before it relaxes alluding to as much.

“He was there. He is everywhere.” Fuck. Her words kill me. They are filled with fear and said from the place where innocence has been corrupted.

“I will find him, and I will make him pay. He will know your pain. I will make sure of it.”

She doesn’t say anything for a long time as I stroke her hair, both of us lost in our own worlds. For me, I was in a room with the man who had hurt my girl, doing things to him that reflected the rage within. Disgusting things. Things Sienna would be repulsed by.

“You have killed people,” she states in a flat, monotone voice, leaving me unable to identify if she is unsettled by this.

“Yes.” I will not lie to her. Now that she is asking, there is nothing I won’t tell her.

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