It was his cousin.

Julian!” Sean shot up and sprinted toward him.

Julian, man, I missed you.”

Julian frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Sean, still filthy from the fight, moved to hug him.

Julian took two steps back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

bJulian/b, you have no idea what I’ve been through tonight. I was this close to being six feet under, Sean whined dramatically.

He just wanted a hug, but his cousin bwasn’t /bbeven /boffering ba /blittlefort. He used to be the one who’d help him clean up after he wet the bed as ba /bkid.

Ahem. What happened?” Julian asked.

As Sean was about to exin, he noticed Sienna standing next to his cousin. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he pointed at bher/b. “It’s… it’s you.”

Sienna Hart. The woman his cousin was obsessed with

“Do you know me?” Sienna asked, turning to look at him.

Sean grinned. “You must be Sienna. bI’ve /bseen your picture in my cousin’s room. He told me you’re the girl he’s into.”

A blush crept up Julian’s neck. “Ahem. This is my cousin, Sean Lecter.”

“Nice to meet you. Sienna greeted.

“Sienna Winifred walked out.

Sienna strode over to her, looking her over from head to toe for any serious injuries.

“Winifred, I’m so d you’re okay. Sienna said, finally letting out a breath of relief

“Sienna, I didn’t know he was one of yours. I thought he was here to capture me, but he ended up getting hurt to save me. He’s in surgery now.” Winifred bsaid/b.

Sienna stroked her bhair/b. “He’ll be fine, don’t worry. His name is Fay Santos. He works for me

“You knew I left the country all along, didn’t you?” Winifred asked, a little sheepish,

Winifred felt a pang of bguilt/b. She’d run off without telling her

“Yes.” Sienna didn’t press the issue. People had to do what they had to do, and it wasn’t her ce to interfere as long as they bwere /bbsafe/b.

The operating room door opened, and the surgeon came out.

“Family? The patient is stable, but the wound is very deep. He should avoid any strenuous activity for the next year, or he risks permanent disability

Lana nodded. “Okay, bthank /byou, doctor. We bunderstand/b.”

“Sienna, you and him… “Winifred observed the new dynamic between her sister and Julian, bIt /bbwas /bdifferent from before.

Were they together?

That Julian Ford sure worked fast. It hadn’t been that blong/bb, /band he was already by her sister’s side.

But if he wanted to be a permanent fixture, he’d have to get through her first.

“So you’re Sienna’s sister, Sean bsaid/b, walking up to Winifred. Thank you for tonight. If byou /bhadn’t bsaved /bbme/b. I’d probably be pushing up. bdaisies /bright now.”

But the warmth in Winifred’s expression bvanished /bwhen she turned to himb, /b“one million bdors/b,” she said coldly. “Here’s my ount number. Wire it.”

The bsmile /bon Sean’s bface /bfroze. He took the card she held out,ughing awkwardly.

“Right. Okay” bSean /breplied.

He’d never met a woman who could flip a switch so fast. Women were impossible to figure out

“Sienna, he saved me.” Winifred said, her tone softening again as she spoke to her sister. “I owe him one.

Winifred nced at the tinum–blond man lying in the hospital bed. His bskin /bbwas /bfair, his features delicate and soft, but he bdidn’t /bseem capable of bsmiling/b. He looked like an automaton, his face a perfect, emotionless mask.

She’d been around people who lived bin /bthe shadows; she could tell at a nce bthat /bbFay /bSantos was hiding something.

Sienna exined. “I rescued him from a human experimentationb ten years ago and trained him to be my aide. He suffers from a kind of bemotional /bnumbness. He’s been bwith /bme ever since. A while back, he made a mistake, so I sent him to Eastria. I never expected bhim /bto run into you there.

AD