Chapter 10
Survivor
Sienna sat cross-legged on a white blanket overlooking the ocean.
Her body settled instinctively into the position she'd repeated nearly every morning for the past year.
She focused on her breathing.
In.
Out.
Slow.
Steady.
Her eyes rested on a familiar point in the distance where the water seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon.
Once her breathing evened out, she closed her eyes.
The waves rolled beneath her balcony.
Birds called somewhere in the distance.
And for a few precious minutes, there was nothing else.
No cameras.
No screaming fans.
No reporters.
No threats.
Just peace.
Sienna had taken up meditation shortly after moving to the Maldives nearly a year earlier.
The islands had always been one of her favorite places to visit, mostly because they offered something her life in America rarely did.
Privacy.
The locals kept largely to themselves. They knew who she was, of course, but fame seemed to carry very little currency here.
People waved.
They smiled.
Sometimes they spoke when she ventured into town.
Then they continued with their lives.
No crowds gathered outside her home.
No paparazzi waited around corners.
No strangers followed her hoping for a photograph.
For the first time since childhood, Sienna could simply exist.
Her secluded villa sat directly over the water, far enough from the busier part of the island that most days the only sounds she heard were the ocean and the wind.
She felt safe here.
Not protected.
Safe.
There was a difference.
Today, however, meditation wasn't coming easily.
Cole Bennett would be somewhere on the island within the next twenty-four hours.
Sienna opened her eyes.
So much for inner peace.
She had known inviting James and Nicole to hold their wedding here meant Cole would probably come too.
James had never hidden how close the two men remained.
Still, knowing Cole might come and actually facing him were two entirely different things.
Sienna inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
She and James had developed an unexpected friendship after his recovery.
At first, she'd contacted him because she felt responsible.
She had made sure every medical bill was paid and arranged financial support substantial enough that James would never have to work again unless he wanted to.
It was the least she could do.
At least, that was how she'd viewed it then.
James had almost died protecting her.
Over time, however, their conversations became less about the shooting.
He checked on her.
She checked on him.
Eventually, occasional phone calls turned into messages.
Then letters.
Somewhere along the way, guilt became friendship.
The entire year had forced Sienna to examine her life in ways she never had before.
Someone she'd trusted since childhood had been responsible for terrorizing her.
That realization changed everything.
After countless interviews with law enforcement and weeks of feeling as though every part of her private life had been dragged into public view, she'd finally reached her limit.
She left.
Her lawyers sold the Los Angeles condo.
She came to the Maldives intending to stay a few months.
Six months later, she made the decision permanent.
Patrick moved with her at first.
Sienna suspected he thought she was going through a phase.
Eventually, he became so homesick that she practically had to threaten him into returning to Los Angeles.
"If you don't go home to your family, I swear I'll never release another album."
Patrick had stared at her.
"That's emotional blackmail."
"Correct."
"You wouldn't."
"Try me."
Considering Sienna was still his biggest client, he'd surrendered.
Life became quieter after he left.
Her days settled into a routine.
Journaling.
Meditation.
Running.
Yoga.
FaceTime calls with friends back in the States.
Regular sessions with the therapist she'd worked with for years.
And absolutely no touring.
No recording schedule.
No interviews.
No pressure to be anything other than herself.
For the first time in her adult life, Sienna felt whole.
Or close to it.
She didn't want to lose that.
The events in Atlanta had been a wake-up call.
Before the threats began, she'd lived in constant chaos and rarely questioned it.
People surrounded her at all hours of the day, yet she'd somehow remained lonely.
Cole had been the first person to make her realize that.
For the brief time he'd been in her life, she'd felt something she'd almost forgotten was possible.
Protected.
Seen.
Loved, maybe.
Even if neither of them had ever said the word.
Then he'd left.
That pain had become another wake-up call.
Sienna never wanted to lose herself that completely in another person again.
So she'd learned to take care of herself.
And somehow, slowly, it had worked.
She folded her blanket and carried it inside.
The kitchen windows opened at the touch of a button, allowing warm ocean air to sweep through the room.
Sienna pulled fruit from the refrigerator and began preparing a smoothie.
Her iPad rang.
Patrick's face filled the screen.
She smiled and accepted the call.
"Good morning."
Patrick immediately frowned.
"Don't tell me you're still drinking those disgusting smoothies."
"They are not disgusting."
"Sienna, you put Tabasco sauce in fruit."
"Which makes it delicious."
"It makes it a crime."
Sienna pointed the knife she was using to cut fruit toward the screen.
"You have five seconds to tell me why you're calling before I hang up."
Patrick laughed.
"I do have a reason."
"Four."
"People wants you."
"Three."
"For a cover."
Sienna stopped chopping.
"No."
Patrick's smile disappeared.
"They want an exclusive. The anniversary of the bombing is coming up."
"No."
"Sen—"
"I said no."
"You're going to have to talk about what happened eventually."
"I already did."
"To the police."
"And my therapist. And you. And James. That's enough."
Patrick sighed.
"People aren't asking you to relive every detail."
"They're asking me to sell trauma."
That silenced him.
Sienna dropped the fruit into the blender.
"No exclusive."
"Fine."
"Thank you."
"But for the record—"
Sienna turned on the blender.
Patrick's mouth continued moving on the screen.
She couldn't hear a word.
She smiled sweetly.
When the blender stopped, Patrick was glaring at her.
"Finished?"
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
She poured the smoothie into a glass and added a small splash of Tabasco.
Patrick visibly recoiled.
"Still horrifying."
"Still delicious."
He shook his head.
"Are James and Nicole still coming?"
Sienna took a sip.
"They should be landing soon."
"I'm glad you'll have company."
"I have company."
"You have people who occasionally wave at you from boats."
"They're wonderful listeners."
Patrick rolled his eyes.
"I just wish you'd eventually get tired of playing Survivor and come home."
Sienna laughed.
"I am home."
Patrick's expression softened.
He knew better than to argue with that.
They said goodbye, and Sienna ended the call.
She carried her smoothie into the bedroom and searched for her phone.
The last message from James said they were due to arrive that evening.
Sienna considered arranging a small welcome dinner.
She called Mama Two.
Everyone on the island seemed to know Mama Two.
She was Haitian, fiercely efficient, and somehow capable of making just about anything happen with very little notice.
Mama Two's youngest daughter, Johanna, answered.
"Sienna!"
"Hi, Jo. Is your mother around?"
"Busy."
"Of course she is."
Sienna smiled.
"I wanted to see if she could arrange dinner tonight. Nothing fancy."
Johanna laughed.
"You know Mama. Nothing is ever not fancy."
"Fair point."
Sienna gave her the details.
Johanna promised to pass along the message.
They ended the call.
Almost immediately, Sienna's phone rang again.
James.
She answered.
"I was literally just thinking about you. When did you land?"
Nicole's voice came through the speaker.
"Sen!"
Sienna laughed.
"Hi, Nic."
"We made it! This place is unbelievable."
"I told you."
"And thank you for the first-class tickets. Seriously. You did not have to do that."
"I wanted to."
"The little plane ride afterward was slightly less glamorous," James added.
Sienna laughed.
"Welcome to island life."
"We love it."
"I was thinking about dinner in town. It's only about a ten-minute walk from your villa."
Silence.
Sienna frowned.
"Hello?"
James cleared his throat.
"Can we take a rain check?"
Nicole immediately interrupted.
"What he means is Cole is drunk and James thinks he needs to babysit him."
Sienna went completely still.
There it was.
His name.
After a year, it still had the power to do that.
She forced herself to breathe.
James spoke again.
"He's not in a great place, Sienna."
A muffled sound came through the phone.
Sienna could tell someone had covered the receiver.
Probably because James was being told to stop talking.
She almost ended the call.
Then James returned.
"Actually, forget what I said. We'll meet you for dinner."
Nicole jumped in.
"Please come. I've been dying to meet you."
Sienna hesitated.
The smart thing would be to decline.
She'd spent a year protecting the peace she'd built.
Cole had no place in that life anymore.
But this wasn't about Cole.
It was James and Nicole's wedding.
"Okay."
Nicole squealed.
Sienna smiled despite herself.
"I'll meet you in town."
She ended the call.
Then stared at the dark screen.
Would Cole be there?
More importantly—
Did she want him to be?
* * *
He wasn't.
Sienna was surprised by the relief she felt when she arrived at the small restaurant and found only James and Nicole waiting.
The three sat around a round table in the town square, drinking wine and catching up.
It was Sienna's first time meeting Nicole in person.
She liked her immediately.
Nicole was warm, funny, successful, and completely unafraid to tease James in public.
Sienna learned more about their relationship over dinner and listened as Nicole described recent investments and business projects.
They laughed.
They ate.
And no one mentioned Cole.
Sienna appreciated that more than either of them probably realized.
The truth was simple.
Cole belonged to another part of her life.
A painful part.
She wanted him to stay there.
After Mama Two brought out dessert, Sienna finally stood.
"I should let you two rest."
James hugged her tightly.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For all of this."
He gestured toward the island.
"For coming."
"Wouldn't miss it."
"For the wedding."
"James."
He pulled back.
"I'm serious."
Sienna smiled.
"I'm happy you're happy."
Nicole hugged her next.
"Thank you for everything."
"Stop thanking me."
"Never."
Sienna laughed.
The three embraced one final time before she headed home.
* * *
It was well past dark.
Torches illuminated the narrow path leading toward her villa.
Sienna walked slowly, enjoying the warm night air.
Then she saw someone standing near her stairs.
A dark silhouette.
Her heart knew before her mind did.
Cole.
Sienna stopped.
For a brief moment, every instinct told her to turn around.
Instead, she kept walking.
As she got closer, his features came into view.
He looked different.
More facial hair than she remembered.
His hair was longer and slightly unkempt.
Jeans.
An untucked shirt.
He looked less like the polished security professional who'd once followed her around the world and more like a man who'd spent a year trying to disappear.
"Hi."
His voice was exactly the same.
Deep.
Familiar.
Dangerous to her peace of mind.
Sienna stopped in front of him.
"Hi."
They stared at each other.
"I just left James and Nicole. We had dinner."
"I know."
His voice was quiet.
Sienna walked past him and climbed the stairs.
To her own surprise, she sat at the top.
Cole remained below for a moment before joining her, settling a few steps down.
Neither spoke.
Finally, Sienna looked toward the ocean.
"You found me."
"It wasn't hard."
That almost made her smile.
"Why are you here?"
Cole thought about his answer.
"I don't want tomorrow to be awkward."
Sienna looked at him.
"The wedding."
He nodded.
"I thought if we saw each other tonight, maybe it would make things easier."
"It won't be awkward."
Cole studied her.
"At least it shouldn't be."
Sienna returned her attention to the water.
She could feel him watching her.
There had been a time when his stare would've made her nervous.
Tonight, she felt calm.
Or she wanted him to believe she did.
Cole shifted.
"It was good to see you."
She looked at him.
"I'm glad you stopped by."
Cole's expression changed slightly.
He'd expected more.
She could see that.
Sienna stood.
The conversation was over.
At least she needed it to be.
Cole stood too.
"You weren't hard to find."
Sienna paused.
"Do you feel safe out here alone?"
She turned toward him.
"Who says I'm alone?"
The question hit exactly where she'd expected it to.
Cole's jaw tightened.
"I just assumed."
Sienna almost regretted it.
Almost.
"I like it here."
She gestured toward the island.
"The locals look out for me. There aren't many ways on or off, and people notice strangers immediately."
Cole nodded.
He'd clearly noticed the same thing.
"You found me because I'm not hiding."
That wasn't entirely true.
She'd spent nearly a year hiding.
Just not from strangers.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
Sienna walked toward her door.
She entered the code and unlocked it.
Cole remained at the bottom of the stairs.
Sienna didn't look back.
She stepped inside and closed the door.
Then she stood perfectly still.
For several seconds, she didn't move.
Finally, she crossed to the window and pulled back the curtain.
Cole was still there.
Then he turned.
Sienna watched him walk away.
The moment he disappeared down the torch-lit path, the calm she'd worked so hard to maintain cracked.
Tears filled her eyes.
She wiped them away angrily.
"No."
Not again.
She'd spent a year building this life.
A year convincing herself she'd moved on.
A year learning how to exist without him.
And all it had taken was one quiet "hi" to bring everything rushing back.
By the time Sienna reached her bedroom, she was crying.
She caught her reflection in the mirror.
Red eyes.
Tear-streaked cheeks.
She hated seeing herself this way.
Hated that Cole still had this kind of power over her.
Sienna sank onto the bathroom floor.
Memories of their last night together surfaced.
His hands.
His mouth.
The way she'd fallen asleep believing something beautiful had finally begun.
Then waking up to discover everything had ended.
She covered her face.
Crying felt cleansing.
At least that was what she told herself.
So, Sienna let the tears come.
And hoped that somewhere inside them was enough water to wash away the love she still felt for Cole Bennett.