Sienna let out a mocking laugh. “They’ll never believe that.”
“Why not?”
She crossed her arms. “Because that’s not something I’d do.”
I cocked a brow. “Are you telling me that going away on your own, wanting to get away for a while, isn’t something you’d do?”
It was hard not to notice how her expression changed as she gave it some thought. The confidence she had when she walked out here was suddenly gone, her eyes downcast as she turned to the side. “Maybe you’re right,” she murmured, her words followed by a puff of warm air into the cold night. “They might believe that I’d do something like that right now.”
I narrowed my eyes, my gut telling me that something was really wrong. Something she wasn’t telling me.
She walked back inside without saying another word, and I turned my attention back to Watson.
“Her brothers have this friend called Andrew. I don’t know what the fucker’s surname is, but I need you to find out everything you can about him.”
“Why? How is he tied to all of this?”
“I dunno yet. But I need to know everything about this guy. From his blood type right down to the exact time he takes a shit each day.”
Watson eyed me with a cocked brow. “You seem weird. What’s wrong with you?”
“What? Nothing.”
He leaned closer and sniffed me like a fucking dog. “Is that jealousy I smell?”
“What the fuck? Get away from me.”
He snickered. “This Andrew guy move in on your territory?”
“Just do as I asked.”
“Fine. But listen,” Watson gave me a knowing look, “now that they know about her, you need to start thinking about what you’re going to do. Long term.”
“I know.”
“It’s never going to be safe for her, Noah. She can’t ever—”
“Jesus Christ, Watson. I know, okay? I fucking know.”
“Okay, man.” He lifted his arms, backing off. “I’ll get on this Andrew guy asap. I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
I merely nodded and watched as he got into the truck and drove off. I was nervous. Agitated. Fucking angry. We knew the Esposito cartel wasn’t in Atherton by chance. But while it remained unconfirmed that they knew about Sienna and what she meant to me, there was still hope that they would follow my trail and my trail alone. Then our plan was simple. Hide Sienna for a few days, and keep an eye on them while we led them out of town with carefully placed breadcrumbs. But it was no longer that simple. I just prayed to God that the twins wouldn’t do something fucking stupid. If the Esposito fuckers caught wind of anything related to Sienna now that they knew about her, they’d fuck up that entire town to get to her.
After being outside in the cold, the warmth of the fire was comforting when I walked back into the cabin. Sienna stood by the kitchen sink with her arms crossed. “Are they in danger?”
“Who?” I locked the door.
“My brothers. Are they in danger? Are these people going to go after them?”
“They won’t do anything now. The last thing they’ll do is draw unwanted attention to themselves when they’re not sure where their target is.”
“And how long before they find out where you are?”
I placed my hands on the back of the chair, pulling my shoulders up, feeling more regret than I had in years. “I’m no longer the target, Sienna.” I looked at her. “You are.”