Dangerous Rescue - Linzi Baxter Page 0,21

her.

Kaiden walked into the kitchen, his eyes on his phone. When he stopped at the counter, his eyes widened as he looked from her to Mia and finally Hudson. Siena expected Kaiden to ask why she was at his house or act upset, thinking she might be hitting on him. But Kaiden didn’t turn his steely glare on her. Nope, he was shooting dark looks at Hudson.

“I thought you were going to give Ms. Davenport time,” Kaiden said.

Mia clutched Hudson more tightly. She didn’t like confrontation. Siena hoped Hudson and Kaiden wouldn’t start arguing.

“It’s okay, Kaiden,” she said. “My ex put a bounty out on my head. Then Hudson found out he had a…”

Siena clamped her mouth shut. They hadn’t talked about Mia the night before. Is he ready to tell Kaiden he has a daughter, or is he going to keep us a secret?

Hudson placed Mia on the white countertop and unwound her little arms from his neck.

“I went to find Siena last night and warn her about the threat on her life.”

“Daddy’s going to make sure the bad guys don’t hurt Mommy.”

Kaiden’s eyes widened as he looked back at Mia. “Daddy?”

Hudson’s lips turned up. “Turns out I have a daughter.”

“And you didn’t know?”

Siena didn’t want Kaiden to be mad at his uncle for not taking her calls. Learning that Hudson had lost his sister and had to take care of his nephew took some of the sting away from the breakup, though not all of it, because he still could have told her his plan. They’d lost years that they could have been together because of a rash decision Hudson had made.

“I found out last night. Before you get mad at Siena, it’s not her fault I didn’t know,” Hudson said.

Kaiden nodded and sat on the stool next to the island.

Mia spun on her butt and scooted over to him. “I’m Mia. Who are you?”

“Kaiden, your cousin.”

“I need coffee,” Siena sighed.

“Next to the fridge.” Hudson pointed the spatula toward the Keurig. “Do you know how to use one?”

“Are you serious?” Siena walked across the kitchen, grabbed a dark-roast cup, and popped it into the machine. Next to the coffee maker were a few cups. “You know, most coffee drinkers have a Keurig, but I do still prefer the hand-pressed coffee maker over anything else.” Coffee had been her go-to meal when she was a model. Even after she quit, it was still one of her favorite things. She’d had to cut back to three cups a day.

“Can you throw one in for me when yours is done?” he asked, pulling out a bowl.

Her stomach growled, thinking about the breakfast he would bring her in bed. Hudson was one of the sweetest men she’d met. It was hard to date anyone else, not only because of Mia but because she compared the experience with other guys to the good times with Hudson.

“Chocolate chip pancakes?” Hudson asked Mia.

Her daughter squealed. “Yes!”

Kaiden chuckled next to her, and a smile spread across Hudson’s face.

Damn, the man is way too good-looking. She really needed to remember the bad times. “Has your friend found anything else?” she asked.

“Cy called this morning.” Hudson glanced away and flipped the pancake.

“And…?”

“I don’t want to have this conversation here.” Hudson nodded toward Mia. “When we go next door to talk to Sidney and Gumby, I tell you everything.”

“I want to know as well,” Kaiden said, crossing his arms.

Hudson grinned at his nephew. He placed two pancakes on a plate and slid them across the counter. “I’m going to need you to watch this one while we run next door.”

For the next half hour, they sat as a family and ate breakfast. Siena tried to tell herself it was temporary. Staying with Hudson kept her daughter safe.

“It’s nice to meet you, Siena.” The man named Gumby stuck out his hand. She was sure it wasn’t his real name. This was similar to how Hudson called Angel “Grim.” Learning one name was hard enough.

A large pit bull walked in next to a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes and long black hair. She wore a pair of faded jeans and a white shirt.

“Oh, is this Siena?” the woman asked excitedly.

Siena smiled. “Yes, and you must be Sidney.”

The five foot two woman nodded and pulled her into a hug. Hudson was right. Sidney seemed really nice. It was close to the time she would need to leave for work. Siena had to decide whether to leave her sweet girl with Hudson’s