Page 14 of Heartless (Scathing Hearts #1)

Jake

While Sile took her to her rooms, I headed toward my office at the front of the house. I walked past the switched off screen of the monitor on my desk linked to the cameras placed in her quarters and went straight for the bar.

Before she’d left earlier, Cam had accosted me and Sile in the kitchen.

Her voice had pitched to an angry hiss. “Jake, you said she agreed to come here for her own safety.” She’d pointed her index finger at the archway. “The woman in there is in love with you and thinks she’s on a romantic weekend.”

“Cam, it’s just puppy love.”

Sile, standing beside me, had notched his chin down. “Cam. It’ll be a shock, but she’ll understand.”

“Either way, she’s going to be hurt.” She’d shaken her head. “God. Sometimes you two are such fucking idiots.”

She’d stormed out, leaving Sile and I to deal with Morrison’s prized daughter.

Fisting the hand behind which she’d screamed, I filled the glass with bourbon and sucked a hefty mouthful.

Those silent tears.

Her nails had drawn blood into her palms. Her legs had just collapsed. Twice. Then she’d fucking apologized.

I stretched my neck from side to side. Fucking rivers of tears.

The door of the office opened and closed, and I pivoted to face Sile. He pulled Sienna’s cell out of his pocket and placed it on the bookshelf.

The few times I’d seen that expression, his fists had been flying, and faces had been broken.

Rage laced his tone. “What the fuck, Jake? I had your back, and you pulled that fucking shit? We could have played this gentle-like. You could have eased her into being here, but all you saw was him.”

He took one stride forward. Sile had a mean right hook. I set the glass on my desk and clenched my fists.

“You put a fucker in hospital for a month because he cornered Bianc in a bathroom for five fucking minutes. What you did to that girl is worse. You know Morrison is using her, but you still went at her until you ripped her to shreds. You terrorized her. We fucking terrorized her, and no woman fucking deserves that.”

“You’re out?”

Pissed the fuck off, he leaned in. “I see one more of those fucking tears, and I’ll break your legs into so many pieces, the idea of walking will hurt. Puppy love, huh? You kicked a fucking puppy. Feel good?”

He strode to the door. “Fuck you, asshole.”

The door slammed behind him.

I poured another drink.

****

Sienna had been in her quarters for the last four hours. I remembered that during her incessant babble in the car, she’d mentioned she’d skipped breakfast. Better rip that band-aid all the fucking way off.

After plating a loaded sandwich, water, and a thick piece of cake on the kitchen table, I headed toward the self-contained apartment. It had its own living room and an adjacent home office, complete with multiple shelves, and a desk with a brand-new laptop.

I unlocked the door and knocked. No answer. I knocked harder.

After pushing the door open, I entered the empty room. “Sienna?”

The bay window leading to the terrace was ajar. Fuck. I raced to the small terrace. After checking the grounds, I went back in. The only exit was through the back of the house, and I would have received an alert on my cell if one of the exits had been used.

Blood rushed to the back of my neck. I barged into the bedroom, kicking one of her discarded heels in the process. The bathroom was empty too. The room was deadly quiet. Where had she gone?

Charging in the small office, I stopped. She was seated on her calves by the shelving unit with her back to me, surrounded by books piled on the floor.

I rolled my head side-to-side to shake the tension off the back of my neck. “Sienna?”

Still no answer. When I touched the back of her shoulder, she sprung on her feet, and her scream ripped through the room.

An earbud fell and rolled next to a small MP3 player laying on a book.

Her face paled. Her long, shaking fingers darted over her open mouth, and her eyes were enlarged with fear.

“I’m s-sorry...”

I reached for her, and she scurried back, tripping on her books. Her arms flailed. Her body lurched backward. I caught her arm to steady her. She screamed again before I released her and shifted back.

Her body was wracked with tremors. Her little fists were pressed against her chest, and tears inundated her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry...”

“Stop apologizing.”

She clamped her lips shut, stifling the sound coming out of her throat, and nodded her bent head. I shoved my hands in my pockets while music filtered from her earbuds on the wooden floor. That thing must have been blaring in her ears.

The fast pumps of her heart were visible from a foot away. “Sienna, I’m not going to hurt you. When I called your name, you didn’t answer.”

On a trembling breath, she lowered her hands, but her shoulders still reached her ears, and she kept her gaze to the floor.

“Come, we need to talk.”

She followed me to the quarters’ living room where she stood beside me with her head tilted down.

My hands fisted in my pockets. “Cam comes in the morning and does most of the cooking. If you’re hungry, the fridge is always loaded. You can have whatever you want, whenever you want, but Cam’s not your maid, and she’ll expect you to clean after yourself.”

She cleared her throat and nodded.

“The door to your quarters will stay unlocked, and you’re not confined in this room, but don’t go anywhere past the kitchen.

Everywhere else in the house is available to you.

When she eyed the double door, I leaned in.

“Don’t even think about it. I have people watching the house, and their job is to keep you in. ”

Her head snapped up. When my jaw clenched, her chin dipped, and more of those silent tears drifted down her flushed face.

“If you need anything, ask Cam. That includes women things, food, books, or anything else, just ask her. In the office there’s a laptop if you want to write. I’m going to keep yours. No access to the internet. What’s the password on your cell?”

She shook her head. “There’s no password.”

“Biometrics?”

Her jaw quivered. “No.”

Fuck’s sake. What world was she living in?

She touched her chest. “What if...What if Nigel doesn’t give you back what he stole?”

I edged closer, and her shoulders went up again. “He will, and you’ll be free to live the life your daddy has laid out for you.”

After she’d tucked one of her curls behind her ear, the quiet of her voice made it raspier. “All right.”

“There’s food in the kitchen. Don’t even think about starving yourself. Your ass can miss a few meals, but I’ll force-feed you myself if you try that shit.”

More of those fucking tears.

“Am I clear?”

When she nodded, I exited the room. Once in my office, I turned on the monitor, displaying the six camera angles.

She stood at the window for a long time before padding slowly to the library. After fitting the earbuds back in her ears, she knelt between her books and started arranging them in piles.

Not once did she come out of the quarters.

****

Sienna

The next day, after a couple of hours of sleep and a long shower, I got dressed, and.

.. I just sat on the sofa. I missed Mom.

Amongst all the wonderful things Caitlin Winslow had taught me, the most important one was to look for the silver lining in every situation, which I truly believed had been key in beating cancer three times.

So, seated in the beautiful halo of morning light cradling the room, I hung onto that silver lining.

I was confined, but the house was beautiful.

Having no social or professional life meant I could write to my heart’s content.

I was healthy, and I believed no one would physically hurt me.

And Jake wouldn’t touch me because he was.

.. disgusted by... My breath hitched, and I touched my chest. Come on, Sienna.

Take a deep breath. I focused on the clear blue sky until my hammering heartbeat was under control.

I stayed there until pangs of hunger painfully squeezed my stomach. I had to eat, and I needed to keep strong. Just as I stood up, there was a soft tap on the door.

Keeping still while my heart knocked in my throat, I waited for the door to open, but when nothing happened, I said, “Come in.”

Camila entered, and her soft brown eyes hooked onto mine. “Good morning, Sienna.”

My voice was hoarse. “H-hi.”

Heavy seconds passed before she walked farther into the room. Her tone was cautious. “I didn’t know. Jake told me yesterday, but I didn’t know, Sienna.”

She must have read my confusion because she added, “I didn’t know you were in love with him. Jake told me you agreed to come here to get away from your dad.”

Heat surged to my face. “He’s not my dad.”

After a sigh, she said, “I’m sorry, Sienna. I really am. I don’t condone what Jake did, and I guess that’s why he didn’t tell me beforehand.” Another heavier sigh followed. “He said you’ve lost your mother recently. When did she pass away?”

As every time I thought about my mom, my heart squeezed. “Eighty-eight days ago.”

“You’ve just lost her,” she whispered.

Her voice softened further. “I can’t imagine .

.. I’m so sorry, Sienna.” She touched my arm.

“I just wanted you to know that if there’s anything you want to eat, please ask, and I’ll be happy to cook it for you.

Jake said you’re a writer, if you need books or anything else for that, I’m here to help. ”

She sounded like a normal enough human being, so I asked, “Why are you helping them?”

The attractive woman took a visible breath. “I wasn’t lying. I didn’t know he tricked you into being here.” After a pause, she added, “Sienna, I’ve known Jake and Silas for a long time. And what Jake did is... unlike him. But they’re good men.”

That was a joke, right? It had to be. “Good men?”

Her nod was curt. “Your father has hurt a lot of good people. Jake is one of them.”

The image of Rowena’s sad expression sprang to my mind. “Right.”

Again, she spoke softly. “Fifteen years ago, I met a man, fell in love with him until the first time he hit me. He was wealthy, entitled and thought I was his... thing. No one would help, so I moved here and walked into one of the sports bars Silas and Jake own. I told them my story, and a month later, my ex disappeared from my life and never came back. Then, Jake gave me a job. These are the men I know.”

It was more than loyalty. She loved them both.

She tilted her head to the side. “I can’t even imagine how strange this must be for you, but you’re safe here, and if you need someone to talk to, I’m here. Are you hungry? I know I shouldn’t brag, but my food is really good.”

When I nodded, she said, “Do you need a hug?”

I did. “I’m okay, thank you. Tuesday’s the anniversary of my mom’s and my arrival in the U.S. Could you please arrange a flower delivery to her grave?”

Mom used to call it our Us Day and she would make Beans on Toast, but I didn’t tell Camila that.

She smiled. “Let’s get something to eat. Then we’ll take care of your mom.”

At the end of the delicious meal of a Caprese salad and homemade olive bread, I helped Camila clean the kitchen while she talked. Her parents lived in Minneapolis. When she’d broken things off with her abusive ex, they’d sided with him, so she’d cut them off from her life.

When it was time for her to leave, she showed me how to reheat the Shepherd’s Pie she’d made for dinner.

Slanting her head to the side, she asked quietly, “Do you want me to stay until Jake comes home?”

I shook my head. After she’d left, I returned to the apartment and curled up on the sofa in the small library with a book.