The Girl, The Guard & The Ghost

At the Compound

Sienna was sitting on the sofa in Miklos and Dimitra’s living room with Mrs. K their housekeeper hovering nervously. The housekeeper’s hands were fluttering as Ajax examined her. He was apparently certified in paramedic training which Sienna was surprised to learn.

“Where is she?” Jonas’ voice burst out from behind her.

“In here,” Miklos called out.

She kept her eyes averted at the sound of concern in his voice. He had a girlfriend. Or he had one until the night before. Alvar’s words were echoing in her head. He had slept with her the night before. Yet as he kneeled in front of her with concern etched on his face, she knew his worry was real.

“I’m fine. Only a small headache and it’s already dissipating.” She batted Dimitra’s hand off her forehead. “I’m fine, Dimi.”

“I can’t believe the fucker just took you,” Jonas hissed as he sat beside her on the sofa and tried to pull her close to him. He gripped her chin and studied her eyes. “Did he hurt you?”

She scowled at him and slapped at his hand, “He was a perfect gentleman, and he did nothing wrong.” Her eyes dipped to the mark Alvar had told her existed at the base of his collarbone. Sure enough, the edge of the love bite was visible where his shirt buttoned.

“He bloody well kidnapped you!” Jonas growled in disbelief at her.

“He knew none of you would follow his request to meet alone. He wanted to meet to discuss the search for the caretaker.” She turned her gaze away.

Jonas sat back from her and shook his head in stunned disbelief, “you’re defending his actions? He drugged you. He kidnapped and drugged you!”

“We asked one of the most dangerous men in the world for their help. Did any of you think he’d play by your rules?” Sienna snarled back as her irritation with him bubbled forth.

She noticed Dimitra’s shock at the tone she had taken, knowing it was uncharacteristic of her to be snippy with anyone, but she couldn’t help herself.

Jonas lifted his eyebrows at her, and she didn’t back away from his gaze.

“Sienna, you don’t need his help.”

“Jonas, do you have a better idea?”

“Yes. Let it go. Finding this woman isn’t going to give you whatever you think you’re going to get out of it.”

She could see Dimi’s eyebrow arch at his comment in her peripheral vision and felt the same irritation at his condescension.

“How would you know? You don’t know me.”

His eyes widened at her sharply worded comment.

“I spent nearly eight years watching over you.”

“Like you said earlier, Jonas, you kept your job and your heart, separated all that time, making sure you never once crossed a line. It means you paid attention to my security, but you didn’t care to get to know me as a person or learn my heart.” She looked to Miklos who was looking curiously at her and shrugged “he took his job watching your wife very seriously Miklos. He would never have crossed a line. Didn’t even consider it. He might have been duped by us but at least he never once considered letting himself feel anything for me. You can rest assured your soldiers are loyal to you.”

“Sienna,” Jonas reached for her hand, and she pulled it away. “That is not what I said.”

“Whatever,” she flipped her hands hating she was losing her cool. “I really want to go lay down and think about my conversation with Alvar.”

“Damn it, Sienna.” Jonas growled.

“Jonas, why are you even here?” She growled back. “I told you when I left you in the coffee shop, I couldn’t do this with you. Even if today was the first time we had ever met, the lack of support and understanding about my need for closure tells me we aren’t right for each other. Being cold and guarded is great for a soldier but not for my partner.” She rose on shaky legs and gave a sad small smile to Dimi. “Whatever Alvar gave me is almost as good as Darya’s bedroom stash.” She held her hand to her, “help me to my room?”

“We are not done this conversation,” Jonas growled out.

“We most assuredly are,” Sienna retorted as Dimi helped her to a standing position.

When he moved to speak Dimitra held her hand up.

“Jonas, she’s done. She’s my sister and I will put you on a slow ship to Greece, the long way around if she asks me to. I advise you to give her space before I make you give her space.”

“Jonas, come on,” Miklos waved him away as Sienna was led down the hall to the room she was occupying.

Once the door to the room was closed, Dimi eyeballed her curiously. “What the hell was that?”

“He has a hickey.”

Dimi blinked, “what?”

“Alvar noted it in the coffee shop, and I caught the glimpse of it. Apparently, he’s had a girlfriend in Boston on and off for two years and he moved her into his apartment a year ago. According to Alvar, he ended the relationship last night.”

“Why the f**k didn’t you call him out?”

“Because Alvar said if you want to know if you can trust a person, hold onto one of their secrets and see if they tell you the truth. He hypothesised, since Jonas told me this morning, he wants to start fresh today as if we had recently met, it means he doesn’t have to disclose he was in a relationship until yesterday when he went to Boston and ended things. He had one last s****l encounter with her before saying goodbye.”

Dimi sat on the edge of the bed with her. “No.”

“Yes.” She pushed shaky fingers over her forehead, “I told him this morning about how I felt and asked him if he ever loved me, and he said no. He said he was never permitted to love me and so he did not. In his mind I was you.” She whispered, “then he said we need to start over like two people who don’t know each other at all and date.”

“If he was in a long-term relationship and he ended it to be with you, it’s saying something,” Dimi tried to comfort her, squeezing her knee.

“Does it matter? Not five minutes after his dating offer, he began talking down to me. He told me going after the caretaker was a fruitless endeavor, called me naïve and said he was going to talk to Miklos because he doesn’t want me talking to Alvar, as if Miklos gets a say.” She grimaced, “I feel like an i***t. I let myself love him because it was convenient for me.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to date.”

“Date? You’re still going to date him?”

“No.” She shrugged, “maybe?” She motioned to her phone. “Remember how I told you all earlier in the week I was going to see other people. I created an online dating profile on a dating application for professionals in the area. I haven’t activated it yet but if I ever want to get out of my shell and stop being so petrified of people, I need to start by getting out.”

“What about Jonas?”

“What about him?”

“Sienna,” Dimi sighed, “you love him. You have been in love with him since the first year of school. You can’t simply shut it off.”

“I’ve had two months to slowly gain distance and perspective. He hasn’t treated me with respect and knowing he had a girlfriend all this time instead of being truthful with me is supporting my belief he isn’t the one.” She wiped a tear off her cheek, surprised to see it. “Dimitra, when I told him I cared about him two months ago, if he had said to me, he didn’t feel the same way and he was in a relationship with someone else, I would have walked away. Instead, he kissed me, told me he needed to think and made me feel there was a chance, even if it was microscopic, he was interested. He had a girlfriend.”

“Who he allegedly broke up with.”

“Only last night after they had s*x,” she folded her arms. “He can’t be interested in me if he’s banging other women.”

“It makes no sense,” Dimi whispered.

“What doesn’t?”

“Do you remember the night we all went to the club when I got back from Mexico? All the guys were up in Miklos’ office, and he was making fun of them. Ares confessed he’d already bought Magda’s ring and Kostas said his mother was planning their wedding.”

“Already?”

“Yes. Miklos was laughing his ass off at how the guys were going to have to beg to make things work. You were doing drops on the pole and Miklos pushed Jonas and he said,” she bit her lip, “he told the guys he had all your kids named in his head.”

She sat back and felt her heart thud to a stop and then restart at a furious pace. “What?”

“Sienna, is it possible Alvar lied?”

“To what end?” She scowled. “If he lied to you, it would make sense. Miklos is a powerful man, and he could be trying to get to him through you. I have no affiliation with your business with the girls or with Miklos. The last three years, we’ve only seen each other ten or fifteen times because I’ve been working on my masters and then my doctorate. Our business matters don’t cross. He told Magda he could offer backing for your projects but I’m not part of the project. I’m like the cheese in the old Farmer in the Dell song. I stand alone.”

“Sienna,” Dimi whispered.

“I get it and it’s why I moved here to be closer to you. I miss you and I want to be part of your lives again, but our business paths will never cross.” She folded her arms around her middle protectively, “which means Alvar Caputo has no need to lie to me. It serves no purpose. Besides I saw the hickey myself when Jonas turned to face me on the sofa.” She pointed to her own chest, “it’s right here on him. If you don’t believe me, go discretely look at it.”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“Because I want him to tell me, Dimi. I want him to tell me the truth. He never considered a future with me, not even over the last two months despite him letting me think he was thinking of us. The only reason he’s here now is because I had coffee with a professor this week. Darya called it when she said if I went, Jonas would show up. He probably is also getting a new assignment here in LA from Miklos now he doesn’t have to guard me anymore. I can’t let him keep hurting me Dimi.”

“What do you want me to do? I can have Miklos put him on assignment anywhere in the world. Do you want him out of LA?”

She chuckled, “I love how you’re now the mafia queen and randomly will get rid of people for me.”

Dimi smirked, “damn right. I know you said you stand alone but you’re not alone, Sienna. I love you as much as I do Magda and Darya. We might not have been around as much over the last few years, but you need to know, how much we love you hasn’t changed. I would do anything for you.”

“I know.” She smiled at her friend, “it’s why I’m here. You’re my family Dimi. You, Darya, and Magda are my family and I need to be where you are. As for Jonas, don’t send him anywhere. He can do what the rest of the guys who have assignment changes do. My condo will be ready in a few weeks, and I’ll have my own space so you and Miklos can go back to doing nasty things all over the house.”

“Nah, we can’t. Mrs. K threatened to quit if she caught us one more time.” Dimi grinned unrepentantly. “Only in rooms with doors which close.”

Sienna giggled as she flung herself back into the pillows on the bed. “Do you know, I want what you three have. You, Darya, and Mags. I want the guy who loves me deeply and unreservedly. There is nothing Miklos, Kostas or Ares wouldn’t do for you. I deserve to be loved like this. I don’t deserve to be spoken down to and I sure as heck don’t deserve to be strung along. What Jonas has done is wrong and I don’t know if I can forgive him. I wish he’d simply been honest with me.”

“I guess.”

“I didn’t expect him to have been celibate all this time, Dimi. I presumed he had been dating and whatever. I expected my affection was always going to be unrequited. What I didn’t expect was for him to blatantly ask me to give him time to think about us and being a couple, when he had a woman living in his apartment in Boston.”

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty shitty.” Dimi sighed. “You’re sure he did though?”

“I believe Alvar.”

“What was he like?”

“Drop dead gorgeous,” Sienna grinned broadly. “He’s also bigger than Kostas.”

“Scary as sin then?”

“No.” she laughed. “Despite who he is, I felt really comfortable with him. As if I knew him all my life. I don’t know why. I know I’ve never seen him before but,” she bit her lower lip, “I felt safe with him. Weird right?”

“Very weird.” She looked at her curiously, “did you find him sexy?”

“I can’t imagine anyone would not find him sexy. He really is a good-looking man.” She smirked, “though he does not like being questioned and he got a bit snippy with me when I asked him if he was in love with Magda.”

“You did not!” Dimi squealed. “Sienna, it’s unlike you to talk to anyone, let alone ask stuff like this.”

“I told you. I felt safe with him. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me and when I was there with him, I knew nobody was coming for me. For the record, he said he was not in love with Magda.”

“Don’t tell her that,” Dimi grunted. “She’s still kind of pissed we went the route of asking him for help.”

“I don’t get it. At the end of the day, he thought he was helping someone and keeping her safe from a guy he thought was a scheming liar and a cousin who wanted her dead. He never ever meant her any harm.” Sienna spoke quietly but firmly. “I think she has her panties in a bunch because of how Ares is reacting more than anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ares has no need to be overprotective. Trudy is dead and Alvar isn’t interested, and Jasper is in Greece. There is no threat to Mags, yet Ares is up her ass. Magda is blaming Alvar for Ares’ behavior but at the end of the day, this is all Ares being a caveman.”

“I guess you’re right.” Dimi nodded.

Sienna sighed, “I have to visit my mom before dinner. Do you mind if I lay down for a bit before I go? My headache is gone but I’m feeling overwhelmed from all the s**t with Jonas earlier.”

Dimi patted her knee and got up. “For sure. Do you want me to wake you in a bit?”

“Nah, I’ll set an alarm. I know you and Miklos have things to do. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.”

As Dimi left the room, Sienna got off the bed and locked the door, making sure Jonas didn’t take a liberty she didn’t want him to have. She was angry with him and knowing how timid she was typically, she didn’t want to cave in. She needed to strengthen her resolve. If she was going to find a man who loved her the way her girlfriends were all being loved, then being a shy lost woman with no backbone was not going to be the way to get there.