I put my arm over Sienna’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Jack and I will protect you.”
She closes her eyes and moans. “As soon as you send the police the audio file, I’m as good as dead, aren’t I?”
“I promise, I won’t send it until you’re safe.”
“You don’t get it. There is no safe for me. The Buonanno’s have people everywhere. I saw it on his hard drive. They own cops, PI’s, Transit Authority, airport security… You have no idea. Can’t we just hold onto the file? Pretend it never existed?”
“Sooner or later, they’ll get a warrant for your cloud space.” At the mention of police, I search out the window for the dark sedan following us but it’s nowhere in sight.
She unbuckles her seatbelt, gets on her knees, and faces out the back. “We lost them?
I nod and she turns back to me. “How about I erase everything?”
“You’d do that?”
“Yes. No. Shit.” When she pounds her palm to her forehead, I tug it away with a kiss.
In the front seat, Dahlyla comes to life, pulls her phone out of her purse, and starts clicking away at the keys.
“Who’re you texting, now?” Jack eyes her with a frown.
“Home office. I’m telling them we have proof positive Peter is still alive and to let the judge in the case know.”
“What’s your percentage for keeping Peter’s insurance from being paid out?” Jack passes an eighteen-wheeler doing about eighty, then slips into the fast lane, hiding us between two trucks.
Dahlyla shrugs. “I’ll probably end up with a small bonus and a pat on the back.”
I still have a bad feeling about her but keep my mouth shut, for now. “Where would you like us to drop you off, Dahlyla?”
“Fifth and thirty-first. My office.”
With a finger to my lips, I instruct Sienna not to say anything and for once, she obeys until after we drop off Dahlyla.
Jack glances in his rearview as he circles the block to head south. “You should pack a bag then we’ll go.”
“But my gig? My work? I can’t leave.” Sienna clutches my arm but Jack is right.
He points at all the people passing by us as he stops at the light. “Believe me, all of Grayson Security couldn’t keep you safe in the city.”
“So, what? I hide out forever?” Eyes sparking, my spitfire reappears. Her, I can deal with. Tears, not so much.
Taking a deep breath, I tuck my finger under her chin, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, here. All we need to do is get out of town while we figure this out.”
She nods, struggles to get out of my hold, and stares out the window. After a few miles, she asks, “What about Sam? Will he be safe?”
Jack fields this question, tapping his fingertips on the steering wheel. “Does your husband know about him?”
Sienna moves her gaze from outside the car to the driver. “Please don’t call him my husband. We arenotmarried. Anyhow, I don’t think Peter knows about Sam. We connected after he died. Dammit, I mean after his plane crashed.”
“I’ll have someone at Grayson Security keep an eye on him, just in case.” Jack eyes her in the rearview and she sinks back into her seat. “Thank you but I’ll never be able to pay you guys. This blows. Again, Peter ruins my life.”
Not long after, Jack double parks the car outside her apartment and pulls out his gun. I have mine as well because we both notice her door is open, the lock smashed. Inside, her furniture is sliced, dresser drawers upended, and broken glass strewn all over the floor. Her freezer door hangs open with frozen dinners melting. It’s one of the most thorough searches I’ve ever witnessed. If she was hiding something, they surely found it.
“Oh my God.” Sienna’s mouth drops open as she races to her bed and grabs a teddy bear with the stuffing torn out of it. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she holds it to her chest, closes her eyes, and rocks back and forth.
“Clear.” Jack comes out of the bathroom and holsters his weapon.
Safety on, mine goes into my waistband.
