Even if talking can’t solve this problem, maybe at least it can explain things.

  I get up again and pace over to a table with an integrated chess board where I find a few cigarette butts that I also gather and throw away.

  What’s the worst that could happen?

  I pace back and forth between the trees.

  She could confirm what I was worried about all along.

  That she, too, just used me.

  Betrayed me.

  Like everyone else.

  I find an old newspaper, bend down and pick it up. When I get back up, I knock my head on something hard. I stumble a little and promptly hit my head again. The last thing I see is the grass coming closer as everything goes dark.

  32

  PAUL

  Well, I got you now, Agent Snoozy, supposed master of secrecy and clandestine operations! Seems like your top-secret ATF training didn’t prepare you for this. You were no match for my decades of experience.

  Now look at you, all sprawled out like a snoozing sloth. Yes, feel free to catch up on all that sleep you missed during all those undercover missions.

  Oh, I do have to say, I love your fancy suit. Were you trying to blend in with the penguins at the zoo?

  Agent Snoozy, I do believe you may think you were being stealthy, but I’ve seen raccoons make less noise rummaging through our garbage. Maybe you should trade that spy badge for a nice rocking chair.

  There is nothing in your pockets, no weapons, no gadgets, you’re not even happy to see me?

  Well, you are a lot heavier than I thought though. Probably from all those steak-outs. I guess I will have to get the trolley and some more hands.

  Let’s get you inside before you wake up again. And then let’s find out what your secret mission is all about.

  33

  RYKER

  When I regain consciousness, my head is ringing as if someone knocked me over the skull with something very hard and heavy. Twice.

  I try to touch the pounding spot but my hands get stopped by the restraints around my wrists. The memory of an airport interrogation room shoots through my throbbing brain, giving me an even bigger headache.

  You’ve got to be kidding me.

  Did I actually get kidnapped?

  The blindfold covering my eyes makes it even harder to make sense of my predicament.

  ‘You should be careful, people who go so far as to maintain an entire journal dedicated to examining you and your entire life might eventually go even further than this.’

  It would appear that she actually did. And she even warned me beforehand.

  “Sienna?” I ask into the seemingly empty room. My voice echoes in what I assume to be some sort of abandoned basement. The air feels wet in here and from what I can tell, there’s not much light coming in.

  “Robyn?” I try when there is no response.

  It’s not entirely unheard of that rich people are abducted to get money out of them. Maybe I accidentally stumbled into my very own kidnapping?

  In the darkness, my senses sharpen. I hear the faint drip of water accompanied by an uncomfortable coldness.

  I hold in and listen for a sound, any sound. The rope that ties my hands is tight, but probably my best chance at an escape, so I loosen it by flexing against it as stealthily as possible. To my surprise, I get the rope off a minute later. It will probably leave a nice friction burn, but not more than that. I remove the blindfold and look around. No one is with me, just the gloominess of an old basement. An old couch sits against the wall, a few crates are stacked in one corner, a few casks in the other and in-between there is a table with what appears to be some kind of chemistry equipment.

  Did I get myself abducted by drug dealers?

  I loosen the ties around my feet when I hear a door opening up the stairs to my left. Someone is coming. Quickly, I put the blindfold over my eyes again, slip back into the restraints behind my back, and pretend to be out cold.

  I peek under the blindfold but can’t see much in the dark. After a lot of scurrying, I feel someone gently poke against my chest with something solid. Might be a gun, it shoots through my head. Better not take any chances here.

  I pretend to regain consciousness and grunt at the pain that I am feigning to still feel. “Listen,” I say and grumble some more, “this is all quite fun. I admire the attention to detail: the blindfold, the rope around my wrists, you even got the unmistakable aroma of damp basement for that extra bit of authenticity, and if it wasn’t for the blindfold, I’d probably admire the rustic décor too… but I’m afraid this has gone far enough.”

  After a few seconds, and some rustling noises, I finally get a response. “Do you know why you are here?” A robotic voice asks.

  I hesitate. This is weird. Whoever is speaking seems to be using some kind of voice alternator.

  “Let me guess: you’re a big fan and wanted an autograph?”

  There’s more rustling, more scurrying, but no answer. It seems like there is an entire group of people here with me.

  I start again. “Listen, we don’t have to do it this way⁠—”

  “Shut up,” another artificial voice cuts me off. “You know exactly what you did, and now you will have to pay for it.”

  More rustling ensues. I move my head from side to side attempting to grasp what is happening. It almost seems like the people are fighting between themselves. There are hushed voices, something knocking on wood.

  When I tilt my head slightly forward, the blindfold slides off my face, giving me a clear view of my abductors. There’s five of them and I recognize them immediately. I am staring at Paige, Robyn, Guy, and Earnest. To my surprise, the last person is not Sienna, but someone else. All of them are wearing masks, if you can call it that. Guy opted for one of Paige’s nylon pantyhose that distort his face and makes him look like he had one plastic surgery too many, Earnest is wearing a surprisingly authentic-looking Spiderman mask, Paige looks like she just came from a mask ball in Venice, while Robyn’s eyes peek out of a ski mask. She is dressed in all black, making her look like a professional burglar.

  On closer inspection, I determine person number five to be Paul Bearer who works the reception desk at Haven. His usually shaven face is covered by what I assume to be a beard from a Santa Claus costume, and above it, he’s wearing sunglasses with a fake nose attached to them.

  For a second I don’t know what to say or do, and apparently neither do they. We are just staring at each other until Robyn seizes the initiative. She takes Paul’s cane, lets it hover over my crotch, and lifts a small device to her lips.

  “Like I said, you know exactly what you did and now you will have to pay for it.” The cane slowly moves down and stops just short of my private parts. “Unless…”

  Alright, that’s enough.

  I slide my hands out of the restraints, grab the cane, and push it away. “I know it’s you, Robyn. No need for that thing.” I get up, take the voice alternator, and throw it away.

  “Hey,” a muffled complaint echoes from Spiderearnest.

  Without much hassle, I loosen the rope around my legs and step to the side. “Seriously guys? What the hell is this? What are you doing? I thought we were friends.”

  No one moves an inch until I decide to get out of here. This is utterly ridiculous.

  “I will now leave. You should be happy that I am not calling the cops on you.” I shake my head, turn around and head for the stairs.

  I’m aware I haven’t known them for very long, but their betrayal stings nonetheless. This seems to be a common theme, and I probably shouldn’t be surprised that they are in cahoots with Sienna. They are friends, after all. Family.

  The emptiness that I have been feeling all day hollows out my insides even more. Bit by bit, it gnaws away at what little feelings I had left. Not that there were that many to begin with. At least not until I met her.

  I shake my head once more in disbelieve, reach for the door handle, and⁠—

  34

  SIENNA

  Icock the gun and look into Ryker’s surprised eyes. His chin drops to the ground. I close his mouth with the cold piece of metal in my hand, then motion for him to go back down.

  “We’re not done here,” I say.

  It takes a moment for him to comply. When he does, I step into the basement myself and pull the door shut behind us.

  At the bottom of the stairs, one of the most bizarre sights I’ve ever had the displeasure of seeing reveals itself.

  “What the fu—” Before I can finish my question, all five of my friends start jabbering at the same time, making it impossible to understand a single word.

  “Silence!” I shout and am surprised when that actually works. Everyone, even Robyn, pipes down, so I continue. “You,” I say to Ryker, “in the chair.”

  Reluctantly, he does as he’s told.

  “Spiderman,” I order Earnest over to our abductee. “Tie him up, but this time make sure he can’t escape.”

  “Paul did the first tie,” he defends himself quietly.

  “Don’t care. Just get it done.” I turn towards the rest of the avenging seniors. “What the fuck were you thinking? I thought I told you: no kidnapping.”

  “It’s not what it looks like,” Guy, who apparently just stepped out of a cheap heist movie, begins.

  Santa Paul nods decidedly, his fake nose almost falling off his face. “I could have sworn he was ATF, or another one of those building inspectors that are up to no good.” Then he looks over to Ryker, who is still getting tied up again. “Sorry about that handsome little head of yours. It wasn’t personal.”

  “Looks like what we observed wasn’t a hallucination though,” Paige interrupts and hands me a small stack of stapled papers. “This was in his briefcase. It’s the contract saying he is the new owner of Haven.”

  Instead of looking at the documents, I walk over to Ryker and check his head. There’s a minor cut where his hair swirls in a little circle.

  “Guy, could you please get the first aid kit from the reception?” I ask and watch as he runs off (as fast as someone his age can run) the legs of the pantyhose gently swaying through the air.

  For a moment there is silence, only the leaky faucet in the corner emitting a faint drip.

  This is a mess. How the hell did we end up like this?

  “We should make him sign the building over to us,” Robyn concludes as she looks over the papers with Paige.

  “Why not add half my fortune along with it?” Ryker’s smug voice echoes from behind us.

  “And add three-fourths of his fortune,” Robyn hisses. “And then shoot him with that thing,” she points at the gun, “for betraying us.”

  “Ha!” Ryker exclaims loudly as Guy returns and hands me the kit. “I didn’t betray anyone. I am not Sienna de la fucking Vega, after all.”

  I put the gun in the waistband of my jeans, take the disinfectant, and liberally spray it onto his wound. “What the fuck are you on about?”

  “Cut the crap, Sienna. I know.”

  I dab the wound with a gauze, and once I see his condescending eyes, decide to add some more disinfectant. “Seriously, what are you talking about?” I ask as I get the bandage ready.

  “I am talking about what you did…”

  I am stumped..

  What the hell is he saying? What did I do?

  “I know, Sienna! I know!”

  “Oh, yeah? You know what?” I raise my voice. “That I was the one who stole your pants at the airport? You’re a real life Sherlock Holmes. You know that I only came and worked for you to save Robyn from eviction? Genius! You know that I watched you meet Dicky to buy our home? You know that I am friends with a bunch of crazy people who would kidnap our new slumlord? You know that I was dumb enough to actually fall in love with someone like you?” I take a step back, breathing heavily, tears in my eyes. Then I pull the gun from my waistband.

  Ryker watches with his mouth open as I let the barrel wander from in-between his eyes, down to his dick. He doesn’t flinch when I pull the trigger.

  Drops of water rain down on his crotch, making him look like he peed himself. A second later, a worried sigh escapes his lips as the tears start running down my cheeks.

  “I don’t care if you kick me out, you bastard, but you can’t evict those idiots.” I shoot some water in the direction of everyone else. “They don’t deserve to suffer. I mean, they might deserve to suffer a little, but they don’t deserve homelessness.”

  Ryker looks down on himself, then starts to giggle. A second later, the giggle morphs into a full-blown laugh that echoes through the basement. Guy is the first to join in. The rest of the bunch, for whatever reason, start laughing as well. Everyone but me.

  A moment later, they’re all silent again. Ryker has escaped his ties and eagerly embraces my face, holding me in place.

  “I am sorry,” he says with the biggest smile. “I am so sorry, Sienna. Can you forgive me?”

  “No.” I try to shake my head but can’t.

  His hands are much too strong, so all I can do is stare. His scent lingers in the air, and if I wasn’t entirely spellbound by his damned eyes, I’d probably try to knee him where it hurts the most. Instead, I let him smush my face, forcing my lips to purse.

  He presses his mouth against mine, causing my body to lose its anger-induced tension for just a moment.

  “Yes, you can,” he says with unreasonable confidence. “You have to forgive me. You don’t have a choice. I’m putting my foot down.”

  “You better start explaining what’s happening or I’m putting my foot somewhere you’re not going to enjoy it.” The words come out mumbled. After another smooch, Ryker finally loosens his grip.

  “I am not entirely sure yet. All I know is that you didn’t do it. I thought you did. I thought you had betrayed me, but now I suspect someone is trying to set you up.” He lets out a relieved sigh. “Yesterday, when I returned to the office, you were out… doing whatever.”

  “Secret mission,” Guy whispers from behind us. “With her family…”

  “And so, I went to check your calendar for where you might be. And when I woke up your computer, it was showing Ryker’s Rumors. Not just showing, you were logged in as the admin. There was a whole new article about me, written but not published yet.”

  “You thought I was the one behind the blog?” I ask, with sudden pangs of anger shooting through my belly.

  “I didn’t know what to think! My immediate reaction was: no way, she would never. But then, the longer I thought about it, things started to… point your way… more than they already did. I mean, what are the chances we meet at the airport and you just randomly decide to sleep with me?”

  “I decided to punish you and there was nothing random about it.”

  “Exactly, punish me. And then you kept going on and on about how I am the bad guy who ‘deserves exactly what’s coming to him’. Your words, not mine.”

  “Well, I can be a little impulsive and tend to exaggerate from time to time.”

  “Yes, and then there was that time you threatened to make me disappear when we were at dinner with Roman.”

  “Seems like a bit of a stretch, but alright, I get your point. I understand how you could maybe, possibly think that I might have had a motive.”

  “And the means,” Earnest comments quietly from behind us.

  Ryker chuckles and nods. “Oh, and maybe the most damning of all evidence is the fact that the article I found on your computer had a picture attached that you took.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s a picture of me at the TV station in my underwear. I still remember finding your eyes in the crowd that day.”

  “Where is that picture?” Paige whispers. “For journalistic reasons,” she adds.

  “No way,” I say when things click in my head.

  “So you can see why I would suspect you,” Ryker explains.

  “I know who did it. I think I know who’s behind the blog.”

  “What? How?”

  “I wasn’t the only one there that day.”

  “Yes, there were lots of people there, but I doubt the cable guy or Jess would do such a thing, despite her somewhat suggestive messages.”

  “Wait, she sent you suggestive messages, and you didn’t tell me? Do you want me to be mad at you?”

  “This was when you still hated me, besides I deleted the messages and blocked her number because I was already smitten with someone else.”

  “Can’t say I’m surprised,” Robyn says, throws her black scarf over her shoulder, and sighs. “But I’m not interested.”

  “Barbara. She was there, too. Told me not to tell you because you’d be mad at her for working overtime on the weekend. Plus, she had access to my computer.”

  It has to be her, doesn’t it? But why would she do this? She seemed to truly care about him.

  Ryker’s gears are working overtime too, trying to make sense of the new information. “But she’s been with me from the very beginning. She’s my best employee and lots of people have access to an empty office. Why would she do all of this?”

  “Yeah, well, I know this doesn’t really make sense, unless… maybe her taste in men is as questionable as mine.”

  Ryker smiles, gives me a hug and places a kiss on my cheek. “You’re still angry at me, aren’t you?”

  “You thought I was an insane stalker. Of course I am still angry at you.”

  He swipes the hair out of my face, presses another kiss on my temple and walks over to the dusty old couch on the opposite side of the basement. Then he throws me one of the pillows that is lying on top. “Come on. Let’s settle this like adults then. Because I’m mad at you too!”

  His pillow hits me on my butt and makes dust fly everywhere.

  “Oh, yeah? What the hell did I do?”

  Ryker points at the fresh wound on his head. “You knocked me out and then tied me up in your basement.”

  I defend myself with a swing to his arm. He doesn’t move an inch, more dust swirling all around us.

  “That was an accident. Paul thought you were a secret agent or something, trying to bust him for his secret booze operation down here.” I motion towards the table with his equipment.