Monsters were all the same if you looked at it. Sienna Reid's stalking case painfully reminded me of a sin of the past. A memory I would rather forget. However, forgetting was harder once you realized many faced it every day. I swerved to the side of the street, pulling up to Sienna's house with Rhys just as mad as I was. We took a look around before stepping out of the car and approaching the front door of Miss Sienna's home. The scenery of her neighborhood was settling. It wasn't the best when it came to security but it was far better than the slums of Portland.
"Chris, why do you think she left the hospital so quick? Does she not feel safe there?". Rhys asked. I could tell he was blaming himself. I did too. This had happened so close to where we were based and we had no idea the woman that came to us for help would be needing it barely two minutes after our encounter.
"She's afraid," I said. "She probably thinks he's monitoring her every move."
It could be true for all we knew and knowing that made me rage course through me like it was life itself. I stopped halfway the porch leading to her front door and did another sweep, taking note of cars parked in driveways, people walking up and down the streets, dogs barking in yards, and even the houses for anything suspicious. Once I was satisfied with the sweep, I continued the walk to Sienna's door. By the time I reached there, Rhys was already knocking on it loudly. We waited a minute, the overpowering silence was crippling enough to make me want to kick the damn door open and make sure she was okay. I was a second away from going full chaos when I heard her soft voice emanate from inside.
"Coming." She said. I could hear water running and some mild curses as she raced left and right to fix the place.
It kinda brought a smile to my face knowing she was alright. Well, on the surface level.
"That is a good sign," Rhys commented. I want sure what he was referring to. The fact that she was still trying to fix up her place for strangers or that she was alright. Suddenly, I heard a clang. It sounded like ceramic thrashed to the floor and it was followed by a disgruntled "fuck".
"Are you alright?" I demanded, tapping on the door ever so slightly. What I got back was a barrage of muted bad words. It made Rhys chuckle.
We waited for another minute but she was yet to open the door. It made me wonder if she was that much a trash junkie or maybe it was something more. There could be a chance her assailant was already inside and coercing her to give a false speech to buy himself time. Anything was damn possible and I had to be ready. I reached my hand to my belt holster. I knocked this time, harder, rattling the door.
"I said I was coming, geez." She yelled from somewhere inside. A moment later, I heard her footsteps approach the door and her questions followed. "Who are you and why are you here?"
It was a sad thing snarky replies weren't allowed when I was on the job because this lady needed a reset on that scrambled brain.
"Sienna, It's us. Rhys Wells and Christian Gallagher from Safe haven." Rhys answered like she was a goddamn high school student who needed to be reminded of the same topic three times as hard.
"Oh," she muttered, standing there as we would rather wait in the hot sun for her to decide whether she would let us in or not. "Sorry, I didn't know."
"Just open the goddamn door woman. You hired us and we are here. So stop making this so goddamn hard." I shot back, exasperated.
My snap made her unlock the door. She opened it about an inch from the door frame and her sparkling brown eyes peeked out, wrenching my heart and my soul. Never had I felt guilt wash through me. It almost made me remorseful for ever lashing out at her. Well, that was until she spoke again.
"I would like to see your ID." She demanded.
Smug fellow, I grumbled as I reached into my pocket and withdrew my ID, handing it over to her. Rhys did the same and the door was slammed to our faces.
"She is unbelievable," I whined to Rhys.
"Don't tell me. You are the one who dragged me into this."
Of course. It was just like Rhys to shove me under the bus when I needed support. And Sienna, for someone who was being stalked and attacked by some random psycho, she seemed awfully dramatic, and knowing this made me even bothered than before. Was this her coping mechanism? The door opened again before I could connect my theory to something valid.
"Come in." Sienna offered, returning the ID. Once I took mine, I noticed it had a reddish-brown stain on it.
I took a quick look at her hands and noticed a fresh cut on her thumb. It did not take long for me to piece why she had cursed earlier. Broken ceramics and clumsy fingers were not a great combo. We took well on her invitation to come in, closing and locking the door behind us once we were inside. Sienna, clad in an oversized sweater and yoga pants went in the direction of where I assumed was the kitchen and got the opportunity to take everything in with glances. Her place was simple, tiny, and glaringly empty. There was no personal feel to it and she was probably becoming accustomed to that kind of lifestyle. It was saddening just thinking about it.
"Sienna," Rhys called out, noticing a crimson stain on a rug. I figured that was why the accident happened.
"I'm coming." She called from the direction of the kitchen and rushed out a few minutes later with what seemed like cookies and milk. I noticed something when she approached us. She walked like she had a limp and she favored the right side of her body making her posture look even far worse. Something was wrong. I couldn't believe I did not notice it earlier. The questions, the pretense she threw our way. It was to cover her secret. I felt that insatiable rage rush over me like a drug.
"Are you alright?" I asked her.
She whimpered dropping the cookies on the table further strengthening my suspicion so I made my move. I walked up to her and grabbed her by the ankle, pulling up the arms of her sweatshirt and exposing the red swollen ankles and band-aided cuts.
"What the fuck!" Rhys muttered, coming over to investigate. Rhys pulled up the other arm of her sweater but seemed to touch a very sensitive spot because Sienna squirmed and fell back.
If it wasn't for my lightning-fast reflex, Sienna's condition could have gotten a lot worse. I caught her before she could fall to the floor. It was not enough though. Whatever hit Sienna took, it was worse than I had thought.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" She wailed out in pain. Rhys scooped her up and carried her to the only couch in the living room while I went looking for something cold in her freezer to help with the swelling. I found a piece of cold hard beef so I grabbed that and made my way to Sienna's living room. I ripped up the arm of her sweater and put the cold beef over the throbbing swelling. The sucked in air as the pain began to numb and we began our questioning.
"Are these the injuries you got from the attack?" I asked, acknowledging that it was a stupid thing to ask. The cuts and swelling were fresh. But as a bodyguard and investigator in this case, I still had to follow protocol.
"Yeah..." She nodded.
"And you were discharged despite being in this condition?" Rhys snarled, probably blaming the hospital but while his mind was clouded. Mine was clear as day. No hospital would discharge her in this condition. She must have gone against her doctor's prescription and left. It was within her right after all.
"Don't be stupid, Rhys. She clearly left without being discharged." I made known.
Sienna's silence was the damning confirmation. Knowing the truth did not seem to settle Rhys. In fact, I could bet it only made him angrier.
"Why in the world would you do that!" He nearly exploded.
"Because nowhere seems to be safe anymore. My home, my workplace. Even the streets," She cried. "If I cannot even be safe where I should be safe. What is stopping him from coming to that hospital at night and... I can't do this anymore. I can't."
Something about her words reminded me of that night, a pain that would be by my side till the end of time. It set me on edge and there and then, I promised, I would be Sienna Reid's protector. This time, it would be different.