In part, because of the fear for her brother·s life, of what she knew
Damian was capable of doing.
Also, because she was afraid, didn·t trust herself or Mac enough to break the
bonds keeping her tied to a life she abhorred.
Now things were different. She·d proven to herself that she had what it took to leave Damian, damn
the fear. She·d also proven that she could do it on her own, and not rely on a man to help her.
Because of that, she knew she was a strong woman. Strong enough to accept the assistance of
another, and trust her instincts.
Her instincts told her then, as they did now, that Mac was a man she could rely on. His actions over
the course of the last week had proven her instincts were correct.
´Why don·t you come back to bed? We have a few hours
before we need to get up.µ
Sienna turned her head when Mac entered the room and
smiled, reaching a hand out toward him.
´Hmmm. Can·t really sleep.µ
He lightly grasped her hand in his, pulling her close. He cupped her face within his big, warm palms,
his expression intent as his eyes roamed her face.
Ít·s all going to be okay, baby.
You know that, right?µ he asked, and pulled her close, covering her
mouth with his.
Sienna sighed into his kiss.
His lips began a leisurely exploration over hers. Taking his time, he nibbled the corner of her lips,
licking the seam of her lips, asking for entry; gladly she allowed him access.
For long moments, he kissed her, his tongue lazily laving hers before he reluctantly withdrew from her
mouth.
He kissed each of her eyelids, her nose, and gave her one final, sweet kiss, to the lips.
Ít·s going to be fine, baby. This will all be over, and you won·t have to worry about Damian Marks³
or anything associated with him³ever again.µ
She sighed heavily and pulled away from him. Í know. I·ll just be glad when it·s over. God, I·ll be glad
when all of this is over.µ
Sienna laid her head on his chest, allowing the steady, strong beat of his heart to reassure her that
she could finally escape. She would finally have a real life, without looking over her
shoulder, waiting for
the other shoe to drop.
Mac watched Sienna as she methodically dressed. His brow creased in worry over how quiet she·d
been.
She·d been too wound up to go back to sleep earlier that morning, so they·d spent the time talking
about anything and everything, except what she would face later in the evening.
He hadn·t slept much himself.
He·d wanted to make love to her, needed to fill her with himself, reassuring them both that what they
had was real. Reassuring her that he would take care of her now, and forever.
After their lovemaking, when he·d told her that he loved her, the final barrier had been removed. He
had wanted to mark her as his.
He laughed ruefully. He·d once called himself an animal. When making love to her, she seemed to
bring that out in him. Yeah, well, after last night, there was no question about it. The woman brought out
the beast in him. His only thought had been that she was his, finally, completely. And no one was going to
hurt or threaten what was his.
´Help me with this?µ she asked, holding out the diamond choker.
Mac nodded his head and stood from the bed. He strode over to where she stood in front of her mirror and then stopped behind her. Taking the necklace from her hands, he placed the cool gems against
her warm skin. She released a small shudder.
´God, I don·t like wearing this thing. Especially after what Jake said.µ
Sienna released a small
shudder, reminding him of Jake·s belief that the necklace had been associated
with several murders that had gone unsolved.
He·d given Sienna an
abbreviated version of what Jake had told him about
Medeiros. He was certain
that Medeiros was not only involved in various underground crime activities, but was also responsible for
the death of at least three women, each strangled by the diamond-studded choker Sienna was now placing
around her neck.
He·d told Mac the information when Sienna had been at work.
The two men had detailed the way the
operation would unfold on Saturday, when Sienna went to the yacht. The plan was that Jake would be on
board, working as wait staff, along with several of his men.
Mac and Kyle would be
stationed in a
surveillance van, waiting.
Sienna would be bait, Jake told him.
Mac·s instant response had been to reject the plan. He didn·t want Sienna anywhere near the yacht, or
the murdering son of a bitch. No way in hell did he want her to be in the line of danger. It had taken both
Jake and Kyle to convince him it was the only way to free her from the man·s stalking of her.
It was the only way to free her from certain death.
´You·re not going to have to worry about that, Sienna.
Nothing·s going to happen to you.µ
After he secured the clasp, he placed a kiss alongside her neck. Her wide, beautiful lips stretched into
a small, lopsided grin, her eyes slowly drifting closed.
Ít·s all going to be okay, Sienna.µ
Í know. Just looking forward to this all really being over,µ she said, and he moved away from her.
´Well, how do I look?µ she asked, her voice filled with nervousness as she smoothed the feathers
attached to the skin-toned thong.
´You look beautiful. All eyes will be on you.µ The admission was torn from him, from behind his tightly
clenched teeth. She placed her hand in the crook of his arm as he tried to turn away. Her eyes were
pleading in the mirror·s
reflection.
Í·m not concerned with
anyone·s eyes on me, but yours, Mac. I just want this over with.µ
Her eyes
pleaded for his understanding.
He felt the surge of anger recede and pulled her roughly into his arms.
No words were exchanged; they simply held on to each other tightly. Mac finally eased her away,
lifting her chin between two of his fingers.
´Yeah, baby, I know. I wish I could be there with you.µ
´You·ll be outside. And if this thing works, you·re just a call away, right?µ Sienna picked up the small
earring, fingering it, before she carefully removed the backing and inserted it.
They·d practiced using the device until she and Mac were both confident it worked out of visual range
from one another.
She was on edge. They both were. The tension had escalated over the course of the last hour, the
closer they came to go time.
´Just a call away.µ Mac forced his lips to stretch into what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
She stood back and examined herself one final time before turning back to face Mac, her expression
determined. Ĺet·s get this over with.µ
37
S ienna killed the engine to her Honda, withdrew the keys, and tucked them into her small, beaded
purse.
She released a long breath and tried to calm her racing heart.
She opened the door of her car, and
after adjusting the trench coat she wore over her skimpy outfit, closed the door and glanced toward the
brightly lit anchored yacht.
Her stomach churned with
nervousness. S
he swallowed down the bile rising in her mouth. She had an
overwhelming need to find the nearest bush and hurl. ´Baby, are you okay?µ
Mac·s reassuring voice filled her ear, low and intimate. She barely stopped herself from looking
around. She surreptitiously glanced over her shoulder as she clicked the button on her car·s remote to lock
the door. She could just barely make out the surveillance van in the dark, parked several
hundred feet
behind her, where she knew Mac and Kyle were watching.
Í·m³I·m fine,µ she whispered.
´You·re doing great, Sienna. I just had contact with
Runninghorse. Everything is in place. He·s set up
and so are his men. All you have to do is go in and pretend like everything is normal. Can you do that?µ
Sienna wanted to laugh out loud. Óh yeah, sure. No
problem. Just walk in, strip for a few gangsters,
try and forget the whole thing about the leader of the pack and his link to a slew of women found
strangled. Try and get him to confess something to me, so the FBI can get information to nab his ass³µ
Sienna broke off, giving a choked laugh. ´Yeah, sure, piece of cake,µ she finished, laughing humorlessly.
´We·re here, nothing·s going to happen to you.µ
Sienna nodded her head and took a deep breath before she began to walk toward the long dock. The
clipping sound of her heels against the pavement was the only sound she heard³that and her racing heart.
The closer she came to the dock and the brightly lit yacht, the harder her heart thudded
against her
chest.
´Baby, you·ve gotta calm down.
Take deep breaths.µ Sienna jumped and dropped her small purse in
her nervousness.
´You can·t go scared now. This is it. I thought you said you could handle this. If you can·t, if you need
to pull out, turn around now!
Come back to³µ
Ńo! I can handle this, Mac. My nerves are just a little taut, that·s all. I can handle it.µ
With determination, and fear, Sienna stared at the large, looming yacht anchored to the pier. The
massive, gleaming white yacht was as beautiful as it was intimidating.
Three-tiered, each of its levels was brightly lit, and even from the distance she currently was from the
yacht, she could hear the music and laughter pouring out to greet her.
´Good. You aren·t going to be alone.µ Mac spoke into her ear at the same moment Sienna reached
the small steps to the dock that would lead her to the yacht.
Out of nowhere, a man appeared to her left. Startled, Sienna glanced up at him.
Ĺet me help you,µ he said, and grasped her elbow, guiding her onto the dock.
With a murmured ´thank you,µ
Sienna accepted his hand as he assisted her.
Ŕight this way, Ms.
Featherstone.µ
Surprised, Sienna glanced up at the man, wondering how he knew her name. ´How did you know³µ
She stopped when recognition dawned.
It was Jake Runninghorse.
Although the large Native American man·s presence was reassuring, Sienna would have preferred it
was Mac·s warmth she was
leaning into.
As she stared into his dark, unfathomable eyes, a chill ran down her arms³not because of the brevity
of her clothes, but because of the look in his eyes. Although his face was a mask, no emotion shown, his
dark eyes seemed to soften.
Looking into his deep eyes, Sienna knew that if Mac didn·t have her heart completely wrapped, this
man would be one she would have to be careful around.
He wore the same hard
masculinity that Mac did. The type where a woman knew she·d be safe
around him. That he·d protect her to the end. Yet, that safety would only go so far.
He·d keep her safe from anyone he deemed harmful to her. How safe would a woman·s heart be around him? Sienna knew that like Mac, Jake would be hell on wheels with a woman he
claimed as his
own.
Another shiver of pure feminine awareness raced over her. She glanced up at him and caught the
corner of his wide mouth pull up in a small grin, as though he knew what she was thinking.
Then his
expression settled back to its normal look of placidity.
´Here you are. They·re waiting for you here, Ms. Featherstone.µ
With his words, Sienna felt like the
proverbial sacrificial lamb.
They stood before closed double glass doors, and inside, Sienna could see the party had
definitely
started. Women, in various stages of undress, were either dancing solo or with a partner.
From what
Sienna could see, one or two were sitting on the laps of men, who were scattered throughout the room.
It was showtime, Sienna thought with a disgusted sigh.
With a silent nod, she reached for the doorknob. Before she could twist it open,
Runninghorse placed
his hand over hers. She brought her gaze to his.
´You won·t be here long, and I have my men here as well.
Nothing, and no one, will harm you, Ms.
Featherstone. I promise you that.µ
With a shaky indrawn breath, she nodded her head.
´You get in, do what you·re supposed to do, get next to Medeiros, follow the plan, and we·ll take care
of the rest. Remember, we know that he wants you³particularly you³so he·ll find you as soon as you
enter. Do what he says, play the game, and we·ll take care of the rest.µ
With that, he removed his hand from hers, opened the door for her, and ushered her inside.
Moments
later, he·d melted into the crowd.
Sienna glanced around the large, opulent room. She·d never been inside a tugboat, much less a yacht
as glamorous as this one.
To say she was out of her league was the understatement of the year.
Ĺord, what have I gotten myself into?µ she murmured to herself, under her breath.
38
Ís she here?µ
Damian watched Carlos,
nervously, as the other man·s dark eyes scanned the crowd.
´Yes, she·s here. One of my men brought her onto the main floor, just now.µ
A satisfied smile spread across Carlos·s face and he clapped a hand over Damian·s shoulder.
´Good, now go and bring her to me. I want her to give me a private dance. I·ve been waiting a long
time to see her. Way too long.
And when you bring her to me, make sure no one bothers us.
We·re
overdue for a nice, long
reunion.µ
´Yeah, sure. I·ll go and get her.µ
Damian was careful not to allow his anger to show. The fact that Carlos was so caught up in Sienna³
had been since he·d first met her³pissed him off completely.
He touched the side of his face, where the
scar remained.
She was the reason for the scar.
When she·d left DC, with no trace, and he·d told Carlos, he had no
idea the man would react the way he had. Damian considered himself lucky he·d escaped with only one
lifelong scar, a reminder of the man he was dealing with, and what could happen if he ever angered the
Dominican again.
As he went in search of Sienna, he hoped the dumb bitch went along with what Carlos wanted from
her. Better to be alive and whoring than dead and noble.
39
S ienna slowly made her way through the small crowd on the main deck, the variety of perfumes from
>
the women assaulting her
nostrils. She smiled and avoided outstretched hands, reaching for her. She knew
it was only a matter of time before she·d have to start entertaining.
She·d gone to several private parties that Damian had
sponsored when she stripped for the lounge,
but none had been like this one.
There were uniformed wait staff circulating the room, carrying trays of
food and drinks on platters, as they weaved throughout the room.
The women were dressed in sexy clothes³yet none were dressed like she was. She had expected
they would be dressed in skimpy outfits designed for stripping.
Also, she didn·t recognize anyone.
True, it had been nearly two years since she·d danced, but she thought she·d see a familiar face or
two. Not only did these women not look familiar³although they were here for the same reason she was³
none of them had the hard-eyed look of a seasoned pro. She walked along, giving a hesitant smile to a
woman whose eyes she caught.
The woman was sitting in a man·s lap, her hand rubbing over his crotch, his hand embedded inside
her blouse, fingering her breasts as she swirled her tongue around the outside shell of his ear. The woman
gave Sienna a wink and
continued to lick and nibble on the man·s ear, laughing and squealing around his
probing hands.
Sienna heard the man rumble a suggestion for somewhere else he·d like the woman to lick him.
Sienna shook her head³
different, more sophisticated operation, but it was no better than what took
place in the upper rooms at the Sweet Kitty.
She swiftly turned away, and into the arms of another
partygoer.
Í·m sorry, ex-excuse me³I was, uh, trying³µ she stuttered, panicked when the man
wrapped his
arms around her.
´Hey, what·s the rush, beautiful lady? Come on out here with me and we can get to know each other,µ he said, guiding her out of the room and onto the deck.
Get Your Sexy On Page 20
