Page 32 of Savoring Sienna
“Well, well, what have we here? Or should I say, who?” he snickered as he pulled out his phone, lighting a cigar while it rang.
“So, did you manage to secure Landman?” Stan answered without the usual courtesy.
“Did you doubt I would?” Mike deliberately injected cockiness into his tone. Stan’s resulting silence was predictable. The man hated being reminded that Mike was his equal partner, not another lapdog to be commanded.
“When can we start moving those Kruger coins?” The relief in Stan’s voice was palpable. Five million dollars in South African gold had been sitting dead for months as they awaited “supposed” clean papers.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Mike watched smoke curl from his cigar with his eyes fixed on the couple in the shadowed alley. “You’ll never guess who I just found... all the way here in Missoula.”
The silence stretched, heavy with tension. Then, a harsh intake of breath. “How sure are you?”
“Oh, it’s her, my friend. One hundred percent her. Sienna Weathers just stepped out into the sun.” He barked a laughaimed at twisting the knife in his partner’s back a little more. “It seems she has a new lover.”
Stan’s curses could have stripped paint. “Bring her to me, Mike.”
“No can do,” Mike blew perfect smoke rings as he watched the couple join a large group of people spilling out of the pizzeria and into a small, unmarked bus. “She’s with a big group of people... and they just left.”
“What the fuck? Are you fucking stupid? Follow the bitch. I want to know where she goes.”
Mike’s lip curled. Stan’s obsession with his ex-fiancée had already cost them too much time and resources. The constant manhunt the first year after Sienna had disappeared had seriously affected their actual business. He wasn’t as actively searching for her since, but he still had a small group of men looking for her all across the States. It was time for it to come to an end.
“Mike! I’m fucking talking to you.” Stan’s voice went razor-thin with rage.
“I’m not indulging you, Stan, my man.” Boredom dripped from every word. “Business comes first and it’s time you fucking do your full share of the work. If you want the bitch, you can come find her yourself.”
He disconnected amid Stan’s threats, pocketing his phone as he growled in a low voice, “You don’t get to shunt me around, Hunter. Those days are over. I’ve slowly inserted myself as the primary leader of The League and I made sure all our associates know it. Soon, once they have secured their partnership with an influx of cash, I won’t need you anymore.”
The memory of the day Stan had shown his true colors, rose unbidden. It was a sight that still haunted him, one that had shocked him to the core when they had finally managed to break down the door. Sienna was lying in a pool of blood, herstomach gaping open with the mutilated little body of.... Bile burned Mike’s throat as the vision he had banned from his mind surfaced. He recalled how she had desperately tried to close it, as if she could save the little fetus, but Stan had been brutal. Mike might operate outside the law, but he had lines he would never cross. Women and children were absolutely off-limits, even in business dealings. Stan had revealed himself as a man who had no integrity and no scruples. Worse, he was a monster.
“You’re not the kind of man The League needs anymore,” Mike muttered, crushing out his cigar. “We might be dealing in illegal activities, but we abhor violence and cruelty. And I’m going to make damn sure everyone knows exactly what kind of animal you really are.”
Chapter Thirteen
The Double L Ranch
Sienna
Sienna couldn’t get her legs to move as Crone opened the door. She stared at the ranch house as if it was going to swallow her whole the moment she stepped out of the truck. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of children’s laughter drifting from somewhere behind the house.
Crone offered his hand. His silence was full of understanding and support. She lifted her eyes to his face.
“I’m not ready for this, Crone. I... being social with Master Derek when we went shopping was one thing. The attention was on the students and their shenanigans... this is different. I’m afraid I don’t know how to interact with an intimate group of friends where everyone knows everything about each other anymore. I have too many dark secrets.”
“As have many of us, love. Jagger is the reason I’m alive today. He’s my best friend and Moira has become like a sister to me. It’s a closeness I tried to veer away from at first, but they were tenacious, and today, I’m grateful for that. I was on the edge of completely going off grid, but they kept yanking me back into their lives.” He brushed his hand over her hair. “Believe me,Sienna, no one here is going to judge you or ask questions about your past. We are here to relax and if you give it a chance, this might be the biggest step to free yourself from the memories chasing you.” He flashed her that bad boy smile. “It’s only Jagger, Moira, Derek, and Sadie, kitten. And of course, me, your big, bad wolf Dom, to protect you.” His eyes turned dark. “Is it because of Moira’s pregnancy? Does hers upset you as much as Milly’s did?”
“No, not at all. Milly… is different. Yes, at that moment it was the sense of loss that got to me, but it was triggered as much by the danger and cruelty that led her to us.”
“Then I’m glad.” He cupped her cheek tenderly. “If you need to leave, just tell me and we’ll go, but please, just give it a try. One step at a time, remember? You’ve been doing wonderfully. One foot in front of the other, that’s all I ask.”
Before she could respond, two high-pitched squeals split the air. “Uncle C! Uncle C!” Small feet pounded across the ground as two small tornados rounded the corner of the ranch house. “You’re here! You came!”
“Here they come,” Crone murmured. “George and Gloria, Jagger’s twins.”
“Watch me fly!” George shot ahead of his sister and with his arms spread wide, he launched himself through the air, clearly unconcerned that he was nowhere near close enough to be caught.
“Shit!” Crone dropped her hand and lunged forward, catching the airborne child seconds before disaster struck. He was still finding his balance when Gloria wrapped herself around him with the energy of a caffeinated squirrel, using him as her personal climbing tower.
“Uncle C said de bad word ’gain!” Gloria stage-whispered with her small hand cupped dramatically around her mouth. “Dat’s a q’ter in de jar!”
