I feel her exhale a breath she’s probably been holding since I burst through the door. For a moment, we just stand there in the penthouse's wreckage. Two souls suddenly bound by a secret that would destroy most people.
“Seb’s five minutes out.” Tiernan’s voice breaks the silence. I had almost forgotten he was still standing by the bar, his face illuminated by the blue light of his tablet. He looks completely unfazed as he taps and slides his fingers over the screen, already deconstructing Luke’s digital life.
“He’s bringing a crew. They’ll scrub the suite and ensure the security footage shows Luke entering alone and never leaving. By tomorrow, this will just be a drunken accident with no witnesses.”
“And Sienna?” I ask, my eyes still on Arden.
“She’s halfway to the parking garage by now,” Tiernan replies, a grim smile tugging at his lips. “Terrified, no doubt. She knows that if she breathes a word, that folder will be on its way to the Feds. She’ll stay quiet to save her own skin. People like her always do.”
I nod, then turned my attention back to Arden. She’s looking past me now, at the spot where Luke’s blood is dripping and soaking into the white fur rug. The reality of the crime must be setting in.
“Don’t look,” I command softly, hooking my hand under her chin to pull her gaze back to me. “I don’t want you to see any more of this.”
Without waiting for her to answer, I scoop her into my arms. Her body relaxes as she tucks her head into the crook of my neck. I can feel the racing beat of her heart against my chest, a frantic rhythm I wish I could soothe on my own.
I walk just a few feet and sit her on the edge of a dining chair. “Tiernan, the kit,” I call out. Tiernan reaches deep into his bag and tosses over a sterile pack of antiseptic wipes.
Taking her hands in mine, I carefully wipe away any stray smudge of Luke’s DNA from her skin. I clean her knuckles and palms, then move to her neck to wipe away the phantom touch of his mouth.
“Locke,” she whispers, her voice breaking as the tears finally fall. “The room... the evidence...”
“It’s taken care of, Arden. All of it.” I look up, meeting her eyes with a steadiness I don’t entirely feel. “Seb’s crew will ensure that the only DNA in this room belongs to Luke and Sienna. Your fingerprints, your hair, your presence. It’ll all be gone. You were never here. This was just a drunken accident.”
I finish cleaning her and take off my suit jacket, draping it over her shoulders. She’s swimming in it, but I'm hoping it can offer an ounce of comfort while we're still stuck in this room.
Then, Seb is knocking at the door. I knew he was my best friend and right-hand man for a reason. “Damn, that was quick,” I say as he enters the small walkway leading into the penthouse.
He responds with an exaggerated “Damn!” before adding, “this place is nice. Remind me to snag one of these sometime. Just maybe not this one. Don’t want to share the space with the ghost of this asshole.”
I let out a rough, mirthless laugh, shaking my head. “This way.”
“Well, at least you were efficient.” Seb nods as he takes stock of the damage. He’s not wrong. Sure, there’s glass everywhere, but that goes along with the ‘accident’ narrative we’re crafting. The only real mess is the pool of blood that has dripped from this poor bastard’s head. “Easy cleanup. I’ll get my guys here right away.” He shrugs and walks off, taking his phone out of his pocket as he moves into the kitchen.
I turn back to Arden. She’s staring at the floor, huddled under my suit jacket as if she’s trying to disappear into the fabric.
“Arden,” I whisper. She doesn’t look up. Just stares at the floor, like if she doesn’t make eye contact, none of this is real. Trying to will it away.
I crouch in front of her. “You okay?”
She nods slowly. A reflex. A lie.
I don’t push. I just glide a finger down her cheek, trying my best to give her some sense of comfort. “It’s over.”
When she finally speaks, her voice comes out small. “He’s really dead?”
“He is,” I say. “He’ll never touch you, or anyone else, ever again.”
That gets her attention. She finally makes eye contact. Her eyes are bloodshot and searching mine.
“Locke…” she says. “Thank you… for coming for me.”
My eyes meet hers, and I unclench my jaw enough to say, “You never have to thank me for that. You call, I come. That’s how this works.”
I rise to my feet, my voice turning to steel again as Seb’s crew slips into the room behind me, moving with the silence of shadows. “Tiernan, clear the service elevator. I’m getting her out of here.”
“Path is clear,” Tiernan announces, tapping his tablet to loop the hallway cameras one last time. “Go. I’ll stay until the crew is finished.”
I don’t want Arden to see any more of this. The way they’ll position Luke’s limbs, the way they’ll tilt the lamp to make the fall look natural. I scoop her up, keeping her face pressed into my shoulder so she doesn’t have to look at the body as we walk past.
