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Xavier’s eyes darted from Sienna to his father. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again before any words could come out.
“Is it possible that we’ve been played?” Mr. Carrington asked again with a firm voice that demanded an answer.
Xavier bit his lip, then gave a barely perceptible nod. Chaos erupted as the heirs jumped on their feet, talking one over another. Jaxon threw insults at his brother, while Aiden started guessing what could’ve been happening at the Remington compound. Xavier buried his head between his hands and Sienna couldn’t help the pang of pity stabbing at her. She shouldn’t have put him on the spot in front of everyone.
Jensen was the only one who remained seated while quietly ignoring his brothers’ temper tantrums. Sienna also stayed quiet, but her mind kept turning, thinking about everything that could’ve been happening.
“Enough!” Mr. Carrington yelled at last, getting everyone’s attention, then narrowed his eyes at Xavier. “Figure out what’s going on.”
“Yes, Father,” Xavier said dejectedly.
Mr. Carrington’s attention shifted to Jaxon. “You will stop insulting your brother and find a way to help him instead.”
“But—” Jaxon protested, then shut his mouth as he earned himself a stern look from his father.
Mr. Carrington turned to Aiden, who seemed to sit straighter under his gaze. “Get out there as covertly as you can and see if we missed anything.”
“I have a question,” Sienna started after Aiden accepted his task with a nod of his head. Mr. Carrington gave her a patient look that left her feeling more anxious than encouraged. “Did we ever find out how the Remingtons managed to get the bomb in the house?”
Even Jensen looked up at that, but when no one said anything, Sienna continued, “What if we have a mole in the house? Someone that told the Remingtons that we were going to hack their system, travel around the country, and who knows what else.”
“That’s impossible,” Mr. Carrington said, sounding offended. “I trust our people. They’re all Carringtons through and through.”
“There are a lot of new faces in our midst,” Jensen said with a frown. “It’s entirely possible that during the whole overtaking, we haven’t screened as thoroughly as we should’ve.”
“That’s absurd!” Mr. Carrington yelled and slapped the palm of his hand over the table. When his face turned red with anger, Aurora reached over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze.
“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll look into that,” Jensen promised.
“No,” Mr. Carrington dismissed him with a shake of his head. “You have to be on the road soon. Your brothers will take care of it.”
The mood turned somber. No one liked the thought of having a traitor among them and even more, not knowing who it was. Sienna suppressed a shudder at the thought of it being someone close to her.
“I don’t want a word that is said here to leave the room,” Mr. Carrington ordered. He wasn’t satisfied until he met everyone’s eyes and got a nod from them. It was an important matter, one that could determine the line between life and death.
“One more question,” Sienna said, daring to speak up even though the room didn’t seem in the mood for it. With a barely audible sigh, Mr. Carrington gestured for her to continue. “Any news on the Lockwoods?”
She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to hear the answer, but she knew that knowledge was power, and it was better to have all the information. She held her breath as she waited for a reply, hoping that it wouldn’t break her heart. One of her worst nightmares was to be rejected from her biological family before getting the chance to get to know them, or giving them a chance to let them in. In their circles, family was everything. It mattered even more than power.
“They haven’t returned yet,” Mr. Carrington replied, then added, “We’re expecting to see them in around ten days.”
“Ten days,” Sienna breathed with relief and nodded.
Two more tours and she’d have some time to spend with her family. The sooner she was on the road, the sooner she’d be able to come back before leaving her home for one last time.
Sienna turned to Jensen and spoke up with a firm voice, “Time to go.”
CHAPTER 15
WhenSiennagottothe car, Adrianna was already there, bossing Brian around with the luggage. As soon as she saw her, her best friend came running and threw her arms around her. Part by part, Sienna’s body melted into the hug, her muscles slowly relaxing. She needed it more than she would ever be willing to admit.
“I missed you,” Adrianna told her.
“I missed you too,” Sienna admitted, believing in her heart that Adrianna wasn’t the traitor. She was sure that her friend wouldn’t betray her in a way that almost got her killed.
“I wish you didn’t need to go so soon. You just came back,” her friend whined and stamped her feet against the ground like a little kid.
Sienna laughed but it came out sounding more sad than joyful. “I know, but soon it will all be over.”
