6. Sienna
SIX
SIENNA
The loneliness got the better of me today.
I found myself at the local pub that was a short walk from my cottage, drinking sparkling water and chatting with local acquaintances who seemed intrigued by the fact that I’d come to—and stayed—in this village.
Somehow, it seemed everyone in town was eager to leave, and it was hard for them to understand why I was still here.
Since I couldn’t exactly tell them I was hiding from an Irish mobster, I let them speculate.
Some thought I was a famous writer. Not sure where that one came from, considering I could only write code.
Others speculated I was a sad, possibly heartbroken, girl hiding from the world.
A few guessed I was here incognito on some secret mission.
The last two weren’t too far from the truth.
Of course I neither confirmed nor denied any of it.
“I give you six more months, and then you’ll leave us,” said Joseph, the old gatekeeper of the castle not too far from here.
The large fort that hid a lot of the castle grounds was strictly forbidden to trespassers, so I stayed clear of it.
Although I spent a good amount of time walking through the forest that surrounded it.
“You said that five years ago and the girl’s still here,” his wife, who stood behind the bar, retorted wryly. “Clearly she’s here to stay.”
Their daughter Ana, who was closest to my age, just shook her head and rolled her eyes. She would have left the village a long time ago but her parents weren’t in the best of health, and that kept her here.
“Don’t mind my folks,” she said. “They’re just nosy. The whole village is. And the fact that they know nothing about you, even after you’ve been here for five years… Well, they feel like a big-ass failure for not learning jack crap about you.”
I just smiled and took a sip of my sparkling water.
I thought going out tonight would dampen the loneliness in my chest, but being among the locals—so warm and so familiar with one another—somehow made it worse.
As if sensing my distress, Ana slid a fresh bowl of olives across the bar toward me. “Eat. Dinner is almost done and then you’ll eat something solid.”
I looked at them. “I didn’t know Ireland was big on olives.”
She shrugged. “Would you prefer potato bites?”
“Maybe.”
“Those go straight to your hips,” she grumbled, pointing to her own curves. “Trust me, I know.”
“Maybe that’s what I want,” I muttered as I picked up an olive and popped it into my mouth.
“No, you don’t,” she shot back, watching me enviously. “I’d kill for your figure.”
Funny, because I was going to say exactly that about hers. I was too skinny, and it was purely the result of being here alone, my own lousy cooking, and a lack of appetite. It turned out that I hated to eat alone.
Joseph snorted from the other end of the bar. “She’s a stick. Clearly Sienna barely eats.”
“I eat,” I protested.
“Coffee isn’t food.”
“It is if you’re in a hurry.”
“You’ve been in a hurry for five years?”
A few people nearby laughed, but I ignored them. Instead, I lifted my glass. “Apparently I’m in a hurry to get nowhere.”
“Exactly,” Joe agreed. “But tonight, you’ll eat. My wife and I will make sure of it.”
Shit. Why did that make me feel even worse?
It reminded me of my mom and the way she’d always made sure I ate. Even after I left for college, she’d call before dinner just to remind me to eat something. Sometimes she’d surprise me with a DoorDash delivery. Other times she’d have someone drive up with a home-cooked meal she’d made herself.
She always found a way to make sure I was fed, no matter how far away I was.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, shoving the longing for my family somewhere deep and dark, then smiled.
“Thanks, Joe,” I murmured.
It didn’t take long for a plate piled high with roasted potatoes, roast beef, and green beans to appear in front of me. I didn’t have the heart to tell Joe that I hated green beans. Besides, I’d ordered the homemade special, so it was my own fault for not asking what came with it.
“You like it?” Joe asked, watching me expectantly. “Nobody cooks better than my wife.”
“Mmm. Looks delicious.” I smiled, picked up my fork, and took a bite.
The food was, in fact, delicious. The green beans were another matter. Still, I was going to shove every last one of them down my throat even if it killed me.
The door opened, letting in a gust of cool evening air. Two men came in arguing about football, still carrying the energy of whatever match they’d just been watching. They greeted everyone as they crossed the room, stopping every few steps to exchange a joke or a complaint.
I watched them with a small smile.
“You like watching us, don’t you?” Ana remarked. She was very observant which could sometimes be unnerving.
“You’re entertaining,” I retorted wryly.
“We’re a bunch of nosy villagers.”
“I guess.”
She laughed. “No need to be diplomatic. You’ve been here long enough to be one of us. You’re allowed to badmouth us.”
I wouldn’t dare. Besides, I didn’t know anyone well enough to badmouth. I took another bite of my potatoes while Ana rested her elbows on the bar.
“You know what I’ve always wondered?” she continued when I remained quiet.
I finished chewing my food and swallowed before I answered. “What?”
“You came here five years ago. You didn’t know anyone. You barely spoke to us for the first few months and us, being wary of strangers, barely spoke to you too.” She paused, studying me. “Why did you stay?”
I picked up my glass and rolled it between my fingers, looking away from her.
“It feels like home,” I lied.
Ana raised an eyebrow. “That’s a terrible answer and a lie.”
“It’s the only one I have.”
She was quiet for a moment before she asked, “Were you happy before you came here?”
I looked at her. “I suppose I was.”
“Suppose?” I shrugged. “That’s very vague.”
I looked toward the room instead of continuing the conversation. It was exactly for this reason that I mostly kept to myself. But every so often, that got to be too hard and I’d seek out people in this pub.
“What’s your father doing?” I asked, seeing him argue with one of the men.
“They’re discussing football and the referee’s decision.”
“Hmmm, sounds serious.”
“Oh, it is,” she agreed, smiling faintly.
She’d let me change the subject, and it wasn’t the first time. Ana was wrong to accuse the locals of being nosy. They’d been letting me keep my secrets for the past five years.
She picked up an olive and popped it into her mouth just as Joseph came back and started serving new guests at the bar.
“You know,” Ana said, “you could tell me something. Anything about you.” Ah, I spoke too soon. “After all, it’s been five years.”
I smiled.
“Anything?” She nodded, and I looked at her for a long moment before I said, “My favorite color is green.”
She stared at me.
“Five years.”
“What?”
“Five years, and that’s what you give me?”
“I’m a complicated woman.”
She burst out laughing. “So it seems.”
Joseph turned from a new guest and reached for the bottle of unopened whiskey as he asked, “What’s funny?”
“Ana’s finally getting information out of me,” I deadpanned.
“Yes, apparently Sienna likes green,” Ana announced.
Joseph looked disappointed. “That’s it?”
I shrugged, smiling, and once he poured two glasses, Joseph came over to me. He put one glass in front of me.
“To the color green,” he said. “And to your secret admirers.”
“Huh?”
“He bought you a drink.”
I frowned as he raised his glass and waited for me to pick up mine.
“Who?” I asked, my eyes darting around the room.
“It wouldn’t be a secret admirer if we knew his name, now would it?” Joseph said, shaking his head. “He left a note for you.”
He pushed an envelope across the bar toward me.
A chill of dread slithered down my spine as I opened it. Inside was a single photograph of a pair of handcuffs, with a message printed in bold letters beneath it.
Got you, little blondie. Told you to be careful what you wish for. Ready or not, you’re mine now, and you’ll pay for your betrayal. Now… RUN.