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I braked and used the zoom mode on my phone camera to get a closer look at the summer house. There was a car parked at the front and a light on downstairs, letting me know that someone was indeed occupying the place right now. Outside, the property had a tall fence with spikes and a locked gate that appeared to have a surveillance system. If I even took a few steps up to that gate, Michaela would probably see me.
“Shit,” I muttered, frowning down at my phone again. From the satellite image of the property on my Maps app, I could see that the only unfenced area of the property was the part that sat right on the bay. That meant the only feasible way over to it from the outside was via boat or swimming.
Fuck it. I was a hockey player. I lived on the ice. A bit of cold water wasn’t going to stop me from getting my girl back.
I headed around to the water’s edge, as close as I could get to the property line without setting off any kind of sensors that the fence might have as part of a security measure. Then I slipped off my shoes, socks, and jacket and dumped them on the sand before taking a deep breath and wading into the bay.
As I slid farther into the frigid water, an icy shock raced through every fiber of my being. It felt like a thousand needles were pricking my skin, making my breath hitch in my chest.
I took another deep breath and let myself sink all the way in. As I began to swim toward the Langdon property, every muscle in my body tensed up involuntarily in response to the numbing chill, making each stroke feel like a battle. My heart pounded in my chest and my throat ached with each painful breath, but I pushed it aside and thought of Sienna the whole time. She was worth every bit of pain.
I finally dragged myself onto the Langdon’s shore, panting as I frantically rubbed my arms just to get a fraction of warmth into my system. Then I slowly crept toward the house, staying low and being careful not to make a sound on the gravel-strewn ground. Thankfully, there weren’t any automatic lights that switched on when they detected movement outside. That would’ve made this mission about twenty times harder.
As I drew closer to the wraparound porch, I dipped even lower and positioned myself behind a shrub before inching slowly forward to the lit-up portion of the house. Michaela’s blonde head came into view through the window. She was sitting on a black tufted leather couch, one knee bouncing up and down with nervous energy as she looked down at the book cradled in her hands.
Sienna was nowhere to be seen. Michaela must’ve dumped her somewhere else in the house. I’d have to search every room to find her. But first, I needed to figure out a way to get inside.
I slipped away from the window and crept around to try one of the side doors. Locked. The next one was, too. No doubt they all were.
Back in my teen hooligan phase, I would’ve been able to pick any one of these locks with a tiny scrap of metal. Unfortunately, I had nothing on me right now but my sopping-wet clothing. I had to get creative here, or I wasn’t getting into this place.
I crept back around to the garden outside the living room. Then I slid a little closer to scope out the whole space through the closest window. A set of white-framed French doors leading to the porch sat on one side of the room. If Michaela decided to leave the house in a rush for some reason, that was likely the exit she’d choose. I just needed to create a reason for that very scenario.
I looked over my shoulder at the silver car sitting in the driveway, lips twisting with consideration. Then I picked up a small stone from the edge of the garden, narrowed my eyes with concentration, and tossed it toward the driver’s side door.
The stone sailed through the air in a slow arc and hit the door just below the handle. The small clunking sound it made on impact was followed by a shrill wail piercing the cold night air as the car alarm went off.
In the living room, Michaela’s head whipped around. I quickly ducked down as low as possible, heart pounding with anticipation. Just as I expected, the thud of footsteps on floorboards echoed in my ears only seconds later, along with the sound of the French doors opening.
“For fuck’s sake,” Michaela grumbled as she ran off the porch. “Stupid fucking thing!”
Her footsteps crunched on the gravel driveway as she headed toward the car. I waited a few more seconds before creeping onto the porch and slipping through the now-unlocked door.
I stayed low and looked back over my shoulder. Through the nearest window, I could see Michaela stomping back toward the house. I clenched my jaw and headed for the staircase, figuring the safest option was for me to check every room on the top two stories before trying the ground floor. That way, I would make as little noise as possible.
At the second floor landing, I paused and cocked my head to make sure Michaela hadn’t noticed anything. There was a slight squeaking sound from downstairs, and I realized it was caused by her sitting back down on the leather sofa. Thank fucking god.
I turned into the second-floor hallway and slowly checked every room, being careful to open each door as slowly and quietly as possible. There was no sign of Sienna.
With my heart in my throat, I made my way back to the staircase and ascended to the third floor. I tried the first door on the left, finding the room empty. Then I slowly opened the door on the right.
Sienna was lying on the bed, hands and ankles tied with black ropes. Her beautiful face was tearstained, and her eyes were pink and puffy. A sock had been stuffed in her mouth and fastened in place with another length of black rope.
When she saw me, her eyes bulged. I put a finger to my lips to signal that we needed to remain in absolute silence, and then I carefully undid the rope at the back of her head.
“You came,” she whispered, eyes shining with tears. “You really came.”
“Of course I did,” I murmured, leaning down to kiss her forehead. After that, I tugged the knots free from her ankles and wrists.
“How did you find me?” she asked, wincing as she stretched her limbs and sat up straight.
“I knew Michaela would want to hide out somewhere familiar and safe, but also somewhere that wasn’t immediately obvious to everyone, like her dorm or her parents’ house back in DC. This seemed like the right place.”
Sienna gave me a watery smile. “I knew you’d come,” she said. “I knew you’d try to save me again.”
I slowly stroked her hair with one hand while the other caressed her face. “I won’t fuck it up this time,” I replied. “This time I’ll get you out of here, and I won’t let Michaela hurt you ever again. I promise.”
“I know,” Sienna whispered. “Paxton, I—”
