"She's unconscious," I commented, proceeding to open up the windows and check for breathing. She was breathing but it was slow. It made me wonder what in the heaven made her react this way. I turned to Christian who seemed nonchalant about what just went down. "Do you think this has something to do with her accident? Perhaps she ruptured something?"
"Rhys, she's in shock," Chris said, examining her like she was a lab rat. "She doesn't want to be here. She knows the police cannot help her and I don't think she is ready to relive the trauma she faced that one time. You should not have brought her here Rhys. We should take her to the safe house and begin our investigation."
"What do you mean Chris?" I retorted sharply. " I am trying to help her. The police need to know someone out there thinks he can just touch her and get away with it. She needs to know she is not crazy and that we are at her side!"
"She is a case, Rhys. Try not to get too attached."
I opened my mouth to give him a snarky reply but nothing came out. As much as I wanted to disagree, Christian was right. I was getting invested in Sienna. It was natural. That was the kind of person I was. Chris was trying to look out for me. He was trying to make sure this is all went down professionally but each time I saw her, my dick twitched. I wanted that vulnerable side of her gone. No one should have to suffer like this.
"I am not attached Chris, I am only concerned. At least, I am not the one using a human being as a ticket to my redemption."
Christian's gaze turned dark. Before I could react, one hand latched on to my shirt, swiftly pulling me to his space and the second successfully dealt me a blow. I braced for impact and Lord did it hurt but it was worth it to get the message across.
"That is not what this is about." Chris spat, looking me dead in the eye before adding, "Don't ever bring that up again."
"See," I whispered. "If it is about redemption, you would not have hit me and that proves beyond reasonable doubt that you accepted this job for your selfish motives, dragged me along, and made me invested. This is all on you Christian."
We remained quiet for what felt like an eternity and my attention returned to Sienna. Her breathing had stabled but she was still out cold.
"I'm sorry," Chris finally broke the silence. "I should not have said that to you."
"Thank you," I replied but it only earned me a frightening glare. My shoulder sank when I realized why Chris was so quick to apologize. He wanted me to apologize too. "I'm sorry too."Happy?"
"Not really." Chris muttered, right before he leaned to Sienna's ear and whispered, "It isn't awkward anymore, you can wake up."
Christian's words seemed to have worked like magic because Sienna's eyes flickered open like she had just awakened from a deep sleep. Jesus! It had all been pretense. For how long though? I wondered.
"So, you were awake the whole time?" I could not help but ask.
"Not quite but once I heard you two bickering like an old couple, I knew it was something I wasn't ready to get myself into." Sienna blurted out, red as a beet.
That was a very valid reason, I hated to admit. If she had heard it all, I wondered what she thought of me. It made me question if she would still want to go through with the police report.
"Okay, Considering you've heard almost the entirety of our bickering, I am wondering if you still want to go through with this? The report I mean. If it bothers you, you have to know that I understand. I just feel it is professional to do this. You don't have to worry about what they say or what they think. Irrespective of the bogus that fills their head, Sienna, I can assure you that we are here for you."
I heard her mutter something under her breath. It sounded something like an insult. She called me a manipulative bastard and as wrong as it sounded, it seemed to only turn me on than annoy me. Chris, embarrassed of my fluttered state, was the first to open the door and lead Sienna out. Once Sienna was out of ear's reach, Chris turned to again set my head straight.
"You are creeping her out lover boy."
"I can't help it." I retorted, slamming the door shut.
***
Sienna seemed lost as she walked through the station's doors. She seemed shaken to the fire and her legs were rooted to the ground. I felt a strong urge to help her but Chris was quicker than me. I felt a childish pang of jealousy when his arms wrapped around Siena's back and he escorted her inside. The kind of jealousy a child would have when his best friend did not want to share his new toy. It was weird and Sienna was clearly not a toy. She was a troubled woman. The problem with me was I liked broken people. Nothing made me happier than wanting to mend them. Demented and shallow as it may sound, it was a truth I could not deny. I deeply pondered on Christian's words as we walked up to the desk sergeant who had his arms crossed, and was trying too hard to put on his professional and approachable face even if all I could see was a man who did not want to be here. Christian was right. Each time, I got attached, people tended to get hurt. Whether they be good or bad. I had to stay as far away as I could from Sienna but quitting was not an option for me. I would just have to fight this addiction in an old-fashioned manner.
"How can I help you?" The man queried, tapping her own aggressively to the table.
Sienna remained quiet but from her body language, I could tell she was petrified. It made me feel like a really shitty person for 'manipulating' her albeit unintentionally to come here and do this. Chris gently tapped her and urged her to speak. It took a minute but Sienna finally got talking.
"I...was stalked... Someone stalking me nearly ran over a few hours ago and I am here to make a report."
"Well," The man began. The amused look on his face implied he was probably going to say something stupid but one look at us and his demeanor switched. "Well... have a seat."
We obeyed and the man hit some buttons on a landline placed at the left side of his messy table. He had his eyes on Sienna as he spoke to whoever was supposedly going to help us. When he dropped the line, he had a smile, a professional one as he spoke directly to Sienna.
"An officer will be arriving soon to take your statement." He revealed.
Sienna nodded, continuing to clench to the bench we sat on and examining the hallway. She was either doing it to destress or dampen the irrational fear of her stalker walking through those doors. All I did was make a mental note rather than comfort her and it was fucking with my head. I was sure Chris noticed everything but he was not the warm and fuzzy type. It was a chaos of emotions. Chris had that stony hard expression that exposed his desire to get the hell out of here. Like Sienna, he was not a big fan of the police force. Sienna avoided looking at either of us and remained watchful of whoever passed in and out of the front door and there I was, trying to remain sane and professional. Both of which were becoming clearly herculean. I must have been too deep in my thought because I barely noticed when Sienna put her hand on mine. The ignition was instant and I peered into her eyes looking for an answer. I noticed they were a pearly mess but they only fucked with my resolve more.
"Sienna, Are you alright?" I had to ask.
"Thank you for making me do this." She said. Her reply only fortified the enchantment and broke the last of my walls. Sienna Reid was mine to fix.