By the time July arrived with the paperwork, Sienna had fallen in love with both of them. The fence would keep her safe, and the discussion with Nico would keep her safest. But if I wasn’t here and someone came by at night, they’d be the best warning and protection system until I could get there.
And that’s also why I had a sign warning visitors of big guard dogs patrolling the property. If Hazel did come to start shit, that might be a good deterrent for her.
“I’ve read through the case notes, so I won’t ask you to relive it, honey. When was the last time you heard from Hazel Dunbar, Sienna?” Nico asked her, making notes on his phone.
“Uh, that’d be about fourteen months ago.”
“And you’ve moved that many times?”
Pushing the hair that’d fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear, she looked over at where the guys were working. She’d already explained this to me four days ago, but I was listening intently as she went over it.
“About that. We, uh, registered my bank details and the car at different family members' addresses, but I stayed where I was with my parents and grandparents in Utah. I wasn’t… I was…”
When it was clear she was struggling, I lifted her chin with the tip of my finger, so she was looking at me. “Want me to explain it?”
She nodded her head rapidly, looking relieved.
“Sienna has PTSD and anxiety from what Hazel did to her in high school. After the stabbing, she felt it was safer to stay at home where her parents were.”
The only outward indication that Nico was pissed was a slight flaring of his nostrils, and I knew he was holding it in for her benefit. “Did you get therapy, Sienna? If not, I know someone who—”
“Oh, I’ve had therapy,” she interrupted with a chuckle. “Years of it. That’s how I’m where I am today.”
Then, knowing that she needed to explain her story by herself, she took a deep breath in and then blew it out again—my brave girl.
“I had therapy and was able to go to appointments and some places on my own in Utah, but it took a lot more for me to be able to cope with more things every day.
“After that, I just didn’t feel safe leaving where I was, until I decided to move back here and start living my life. When the letters started up before the orders of protection ended, we decided the best thing to do was change my details to different addresses, and that I’d be safer staying where I was at my grandparents’.”
Lowering his phone, Nico watched her for a moment, like he couldn’t believe how much she’d lived with. “How did you end up moving here?”
“My parents' tenants wanted to move into a retirement home, and I was tired of being scared all the time. It was time for me to move out and at least try and live on my own and moving back here—where my best friend and her family were—seemed like the best thing to do.”
“Why were the orders only two years?”
Frowning, Sienna looked down at her feet for a moment. “I guess her lawyers made her out to be actively seeking help or looking to reform herself. Each time we went there was a new idea they laid out for the court, and the judges just wanted to believe it. Heck, my family wanted to, too.
“But now,” she looked back up at him, “the last judge said that I could pursue an order that has an ‘until further notice’ type of duration to it if she does it again.”
“Why didn’t you notify the courts that she was breaching them when she contacted you before one ran out?”
Her response was one word, but the tone she said it in was more than enough for it to convey how deeply impacted she’d been.
“Fear.” Swallowing harshly, she took in a shuddering breath. “She’d already gotten away with stabbing me with a pencil, Mr. Mayson. Once she got out of prison, what would she do then? To my family?
“After the last judge said she had to seek help, though, I know she won’t do it, and that means she’ll be held in contempt of court. Hazel’s going to be pissed about that, so I thought moving here would lead her away from my family, too. Just in case.”
The last three words were said so quietly that I wondered if Nico would hear them, but I forgot he had superpowers.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Nico rocked back on his heels. “Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to do some investigating into Ms. Dunbar and find out what she’s been doing when she wasn’t harassing you. We need to know where she’s currently living and how close her current proximity is to here, too.”