Dangerous Rescue - Linzi Baxter Page 0,43

do we do?”

He let out a sigh. “How about you tell us everything, and I figure out a way you don’t go to jail,” he said to Mr. Robles.

“I can’t.”

Hudson’s lip ticked up. “Let me guess. They’ll kill you for telling me? Well, aren’t they going to kill you in jail? So either way, you might die. Want to die in jail or on the run?”

“Jail.”

The detective who reminded Siena of her dad arrived, and for the next hour, she explained what had happened. They took pictures of her bruised neck. By the time they were done, all she wanted to do was go home.

Her stomach growled when they stepped out of the school.

“How about that date you promised me?” Hudson said. “I’m starving. Don’t get me wrong—the food on Xavier's private plane was good. But I could go for a burger and shake.”

“But Mia?”

“She’s already taken care of. I ran home and said hi to her. Gumby and Sidney are going to watch her for the night. We have lots of things to talk about.”

His statement hung in the air. They did have a lot to talk about. She just didn’t know what way this would go.

14

Hudson

They grabbed food from the local diner, and Siena talked him into eating at her house so she could pick up more clothes for her and Siena. The last time Hudson was at Siena’s house, he’d found out he had a daughter. This time was different. He felt comfortable going there because Xavier's crew was back. The three wives of Abida Hassan were at Angel’s house, and the team was watching. Hudson’s team was still overseas, dealing with the fallout from Rock and Buddy.

Hudson parked next to Siena’s red BMW and turned off his truck. He climbed out of the vehicle and was at her side a second later. She pushed the door open, shoving him out of her way.

Chuckles came from across the street. Hudson didn’t need to look up to know Deacon and Garison were laughing. He gave the finger to two of the men who’d helped save his life. The more time he spent with Xavier’s team, the more he trusted them. But he still wondered where Xavier’s orders had come from. The man seemed to know everything before it happened.

“Did you just flip off my neighbor?”

Siena’s question brought Hudson out of his thoughts. He looked down at her, but her head was turned toward the neighbors' house, not the black SUV with tinted windows.

“Nope, I flipped off the bodyguards across the road,” he said before helping her out of the car.

“Oh.” She frowned. “Why is there a bodyguard at my house? I’m not even here. That seems like a waste of money.”

He didn’t want to lie to her, and he didn’t know how long Grim would keep the women at her house. Hudson motioned toward Grim’s house. It looked quiet, but he knew they were inside, probably sleeping. The women hadn’t slept much while they were waiting. Hudson still hated that he hadn’t figured out Rock’s plan earlier.

“Let’s get inside, and I can tell you what’s going on. The security across the street isn’t here watching your house. It’s watching Grim.”

Siena nodded and put her key in the door. When they stepped inside, it reminded him of her apartment she used to have. The sweet scent of vanilla hit him.

He stopped. “Your home is really nice.”

Siena looked around the living room and frowned before picking up a pink blanket on the white couch. “I never put much work into the apartment I lived in because I was never around, but with this place, I worked to make it feel like home.”

“Do you miss it?”

She folded the blanket and put back down. “The traveling and the paychecks, I miss. The models or the clients I had to work for is something I don’t miss. The early morning workouts or eating plain chicken for weeks is not something I would want to do again.” Siena tilted her head to the side. “I did meet some great people in my career, but the industry is cutthroat, and I hated that.”

“Seems every job has its downside.” A picture on the wall caught his attention. It was of the two of them, on maybe their second date. A couple across from their table had taken the picture for them. “You have pictures of me up at your house.” It came out more like an accusation than a question.

“Of course,” she said, like it made