Chapter 2
His Presence
Everyone in Sienna's circle was intrigued by Cole's presence.
His commanding demeanor and no-nonsense attitude surprised nearly everyone, especially those closest to her. It had been a long time since anyone had been brave enough to stand up to Sienna Carlisle, much less tell her what she could and couldn't do.
Cole Bennett apparently had no problem doing either.
Sienna and her entourage arrived late to rehearsal that morning, thanks almost entirely to him.
Before she'd even had her first cup of coffee, Cole had announced that his handpicked security team would be taking control of every checkpoint at the venue, including all entrances, backstage access, and anything involving Sienna personally.
The argument began when he made it clear he had no intention of relying on the security team Patrick had already hired.
Cole wanted his own people in control.
Period.
Which effectively meant the existing security team was out of a job.
Once Sienna's lawyer got involved, things became even more chaotic. Words like lawsuit, employment, and discrimination were being thrown around with such frequency that Sienna finally threatened to fire Cole herself if he didn't find some way to compromise.
From the outside looking in, the rising tension between the music superstar and the man now responsible for keeping her alive was impossible to miss.
They couldn't seem to agree on anything.
Neither seemed particularly interested in backing down, either.
"And exactly how many concerts have you performed in, Agent Bennett?"
Sienna crossed her arms.
"Oh, that's right. None. You don't get to dictate what I do onstage. Last time I checked, I'm paying you to protect me—not choreograph my opening number."
Cole didn't flinch.
"You're not pulling a random fan out of the audience and bringing them onstage. I won't allow it."
The backstage area fell suspiciously quiet.
Several of Sienna's dancers suddenly became very interested in pretending they weren't listening.
Sienna glared at Patrick.
He immediately stepped between them.
"We can make this work, Sen. What if we choose someone from the audience ahead of time? Someone Agent Bennett approves. Security can run a background check, you don't have to change the opening, and everyone's happy."
"You mean Agent Bennett is happy."
Her sarcasm wasn't lost on anyone.
Cole's jaw tightened.
Rather than continue arguing with her, he turned and walked away.
Sienna faced her dancers again and resumed rehearsal as though nothing had happened, deliberately ignoring Patrick, who remained nearby.
Across the stage, Cole gathered his team and adjusted their positions for the opening number. If Sienna insisted on bringing a fan onstage, then the person would be identified and vetted before getting anywhere near her.
That wasn't negotiable.
For the next several hours, things gradually settled.
Sienna adjusted to the increased security, and Cole's team operated like a well-oiled machine. They were disciplined, professional, and left little room for error.
Despite Sienna's attitude toward him, Cole had to admit they were making progress.
They only had hours before the show.
For the most part, he kept his distance from her.
Then a young courier entered backstage carrying a bouquet of flowers and a small package.
Cole noticed him immediately.
So did Pit.
Cole's lead agent intercepted the young man before he got anywhere near Sienna. Their eyes met across the room as several members of the security team quietly closed in around the bewildered courier.
The kid looked completely unaware that he'd suddenly become the most interesting person backstage.
Pit took possession of the flowers and package while Cole questioned him.
The young man worked for LA Messenger. After his employment and story were confirmed with his manager, Cole allowed him to leave.
The delivery itself was more concerning.
Whoever had sent the flowers and gift had placed the order online, making the sender difficult to trace. The package had been routed through the messenger service along with instructions for the courier to stop at a local flower shop.
Cole didn't need to open the box to know what this was.
Another attempt to frighten Sienna.
She was still rehearsing and, thankfully, seemed unaware that anything had been delivered.
"Talk to me," Cole said.
Pit carefully examined the small package using equipment designed to detect explosives.
"So far, it's clean." He looked at Cole. "You wanna do the honors?"
Cole pulled on a pair of black gloves.
The box was roughly the size of a child's shoebox, wrapped in expensive-looking gold paper with a matching bow.
Almost pretty.
Which somehow made it worse.
He carefully opened it.
Inside was a typed note.
Cole read it once.
Then again.
Roses are red Violets are blue Your window is open I'm climbing through Everyone is sleeping And so are you I'll have a knife in my hand Ready to stab you
Cole's expression hardened.
He was about to show the note to Pit when the door behind them flew open.
Both men turned.
Sienna stood in the doorway, sweaty and slightly out of breath from rehearsal.
She looked at the flowers.
Then the box.
Then Cole's face.
She knew.
"Let me see it."
Cole gave Pit a small nod.
Pit gathered the package and flowers and left the room, but Cole kept the note.
He wasn't going to lie to her.
And he wasn't going to hide the seriousness of the threat from her.
Sienna stepped beside him and carefully read the message without touching the paper.
"Fucking psycho," she whispered.
She began pacing.
Cole placed the note back on the table and watched her.
The confident woman who'd spent most of the morning challenging his every decision suddenly looked very different.
"Are you okay?"
Sienna stopped.
She turned toward him slowly, almost as though she'd forgotten he was there.
"You know you're the first person who's asked me that?"
The answer caught him off guard.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The sadness on her face was impossible to miss. Cole felt the same instinct he'd experienced the night before—the urge to reach for her.
He didn't.
"Should I cancel the tour?"
Her eyes found his.
This time there was no sarcasm in them.
No attitude.
She was genuinely asking.
Cole considered the question before answering.
"Don't give this piece of shit the satisfaction."
Sienna blinked.
Of all the responses she'd expected from the rigid, maddeningly professional Agent Bennett, that wasn't one of them.
A small smile threatened the corner of her mouth.
"I couldn't agree more."
She straightened.
"I've worked too hard for this. I'm glad we're finally on the same page."
For the first time since he'd arrived, they were.
Sienna turned toward the door feeling strangely relieved.
Cole hadn't hidden the delivery from her. He hadn't treated her like she was fragile. And, perhaps most importantly, he hadn't told her to cancel the tour.
She didn't particularly want to admit it, but his opinion was beginning to matter.
"Ms. Carlisle."
She stopped and looked over her shoulder.
Cole hesitated.
"Please. Call me Cole."
That surprised her.
Apparently, it surprised him too.
He'd never invited a client to call him by his first name.
But then again, nothing about this assignment was beginning to feel particularly normal.
Sienna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Okay...Cole."
A playful hint entered her expression.
"But only if you call me Sienna."
* * *
Later that afternoon, Sienna sat in her dressing room scrolling through her phone while her glam squad worked around her.
It was the second threatening riddle she'd received in a week.
She'd dealt with hate mail for most of her career. Fame came with people who loved you and people who inexplicably hated you despite never having met you.
But this was different.
The riddles.
The gifts.
The threats.
Everything about them felt calculated.
Personal.
And if she allowed herself to think about it for too long, she was afraid she'd start crying.
The more frightening thought was that once she started, she might not be able to stop.
So she distracted herself.
With Cole Bennett.
Sienna opened a search engine on her phone and typed his name.
Special Agent Cole Bennett.
Dozens of results appeared.
She scrolled through photographs of him at different stages of his career—from his years as a Navy SEAL to his time with the Secret Service protecting a former president of the United States.
Sienna's eyebrows rose.
"Well, damn."
His résumé was impressive.
Military service. Secret Service. Awards and commendations spanning more than a decade.
She continued scrolling until one word caught her attention.
Divorced.
Sienna stopped.
"Interesting."
"What?"
Her longtime hairdresser, Carmine, switched off the hair dryer.
"You say something?"
Sienna quickly locked her phone.
"Uh...no. Nothing. Just talking to myself."
Carmine stared at her for a second before switching the dryer back on.
Sienna waited until his attention returned to her hair before looking at the dark screen in her hand.
She had absolutely no business wondering about Cole Bennett's marital status.
None.
And yet...
For the remainder of the afternoon, she stayed mostly inside her dressing room.
Every so often, someone would approach the door, and Sienna would hear the low murmur of Cole's voice outside before the person was either admitted or turned away.
At one point, she looked toward the bottom of the door.
His shadow was there.
Standing guard.
Watching.
Protecting her.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, Sienna had resented the idea of a stranger controlling who could come near her.
Now she found herself strangely comforted by his presence.
Cole Bennett was still infuriating.
Still controlling.
Still far too confident for his own good.
But for the first time since the threats had begun, Sienna didn't feel completely alone.
And somehow, with Cole standing on the other side of that door, she felt safe.