For a long moment, neither of us moves.
Sienna's hand is still wrapped around my wrist, small and warm, her pulse fluttering just beneath her skin. She doesn't seem to notice she hasn't let go. I don't point it out.
Frankly, I don't intend to.
Damien shifts awkwardly near the door, clearly unsure whether to breathe or relocate continents.
"Uh… should I give you two—?"
"Yes," I snap.
"No," Sienna says at the same time.
We both look at her. She flushes, frustration flickering in her eyes. "Damien stays. I—I want to hear everything."
I want to argue. My entire body wants to wrap around her like a shield and force the world to back off for five uninterrupted minutes. But she stands straighter, spine trembling, not breaking.
She's scared but she's showing up anyway.
It hits me harder than I expect.
I slide my hand out of hers slowly. Deliberately. Not a rejection just enough to let her feel she has control again.
Then I turn back to Damien. "Tell us the rest."
Damien nods quickly, grateful to focus on business and not whatever emotional earthquake he just walked into. "Kai Louis purchased the camera three months ago. He used an alias, but the encryption stamp is unmistakable. He's been plotting this for a while."
Sienna's breath hitches, so quietly she probably doesn't notice. I do.
"Three months?" she whispers. "Why? Why would he… why would he be watching me for that long?"
Her voice frays at the edges soft, confused, hurt in a way she tries instantly to hide.
"Wasn't it only recently your parents introduced him to you for your arranged marriage?" I asked and she nodded
Before she can step back into herself and pretend she's fine, I speak.
"Because someone hired him."
She freezes. "What?"
Damien steps forward. "Yeah. Kai Louis doesn't do anything for free. He's a mad man with a loyalty problem and a superiority complex. Someone paid for surveillance."
"On me?" Sienna asks.
"On you," Damien confirms.
Something in me darkens. Something old. Something sharp. Something lethal.
"Who," I say, each word clipped.
"We don't know yet. But Kai isn't working alone. Someone gave him access. Someone knew her routines. Her schedule. Even her office blind spots."
Sienna's eyes widen.
Her hand starts trembling again.
This time, I don't give her space to hide it.
I take her hand gently at first, then firmer when she doesn't pull away. Our fingers lace without thinking. Like we've done this a thousand times.
She looks up at me, startled, then steadies.
"Who knew your routines at work?" I ask, voice low, quiet, dangerous.
She swallows. "Only Mitchell. But she would..."
"Don't say 'wouldn't'." My thumb brushes the back of her hand. "People surprise you. And not in good ways."
Her eyes soften. "Not everyone is like the ones who raised me."
The air tightens.
Damien glances at me, then the floor, wisely choosing not to ask what that meant.
Before I can respond, there's a loud buzzing noise.
My office security panel flashes red.
Motion detected: North gate. Unauthorized entry.
Damien curses. "Not possible we reinforced all access points."
Sienna jerks back, fear flaring in her eyes.
I reach her before the fear can swallow her whole.
My hand cups her jaw before I even process the movement a soft, grounding touch that steadies her breaths. Her skin warms under my palm.
"You're with me," I say quietly. "Breathe."
She does shaky, but she does.
Damien checks the monitor, eyes narrowing. "Sir… it's one person. Hooded. Slow movements. Not attacking. Just… standing."
"Standing?" I echo.
"Yeah. Like they're waiting."
Sienna's fingers curl into my shirt. "Waiting for what?"
A cold realization slices through me.
"They want you frightened," I say. "Not dead. Not yet."
Her pulse stutters.
"Who does that sound like?" Damien asks carefully.
Only one name comes to mind.
Kai Louis.
My jaw clenches so hard it aches.
I move, grabbing the gun from my top drawer, checking the chamber with a practiced flick.
I turn to Sienna. "You stay here."
"No," she breathes, gripping my arm. "I'm not letting you go alone."
"You have to."
"You're not invincible, Cyrus."
"And you," I say, stepping closer until my forehead nearly touches hers, "are the one he wants."
Her breath catches.
My free hand slides down to her waist steady, protective, infuriatingly natural and I feel her whole body soften in that single, vulnerable second.
"I'm not leaving you," she whispers.
A muscle in my jaw jumps. "You think I'm leaving you?"
We stare at each other too close, too connected, too dangerous until Damien loudly clears his throat like he's about to combust from second-hand tension.
"I'll… escort Sienna to the inner safe room," Damien says. "Triple lock, reinforced steel. No one gets in."
"No," I say automatically.
"Cyrus," Sienna murmurs. "Let him do his job."
I look down at her into those frightened but stubborn eyes and something inside me gives way.
Not surrender.
Trust.
"Fine," I say, voice tight. "But I'm checking every corner of this building before I come back to you."
She nods.
I step closer again, lowering my forehead to hers for half a second just a breath just enough for her to feel the truth in my voice.
"I'm coming back."
Her lips part. "I know."
I lift her hand, press my lips to her knuckles once brief, fierce then turn away before I do something irreversible.
She watches me go.
And for the first time, I'm not just fighting an enemy.
I'm fighting the rising realization that I might already be in too deep.
And I don't want out.