LOGINSIERRAThe voice boomed over a megaphone from someone terrifying. It was Logan.I glanced back and saw the black SUV had breached the perimeter of the woods with its tires churning the mud. Logan stood half out of the passenger door, his face pale and contorted with a rage that looked like a mask of death. Beside him, Hans stood like a sentinel, his one arm steadying a long-range rifle against the roof of the car."Airra, don't move another step!" Logan's voice echoed across the field. "He is lying to you! He is the one who set the fire! He's taking you to a life you never wanted!"I felt Alessandro’s hand tighten on mine. "He's trying to get inside your head, Sierra! Don't listen!"I was caught in the crossfire. One man called me Sierra, the other Airra. Both promised me a life I couldn't remember. But as I looked at the helicopter, I saw a man sliding the side door open. He was dressed in tactical gear and when he saw me, he didn't point a weapon. He tapped his headset and sh
SIERRAThe headlights swept across the trees like a searchlight, illuminating the spot where I had stood just seconds ago. Before I could react, a hand clamped over my mouth and a powerful arm hooked around my waist, yanking me backward into the dense, thorny shadows of a tall laurel bush.I thrashed as my heart leapt into my throat, until a familiar, urgent voice hissed into my ear."Sierra, stop! It's me. Don't make a sound."I froze. The voice was like a key turning in a rusted lock deep inside my brain. I turned my head as he slowly released his grip. The moonlight filtered through the leaves, hitting the sharp jawline and the desperate, tired eyes of the man from the party."You're... Alessandro?" I breathed, the name feeling right on my tongue."I'm here," he whispered, his hands hovering near my shoulders as if he wanted to hold me but was afraid I’d break. "I thought I’d lost you in the fire. Then I saw you at that gala, looking like a ghost... I've been circling this pl
SIERRAThe moon was a sliver of bone in the sky as I lay perfectly still under the silk sheets until the house settled into that heavy silence that only comes at 3:00 AM.Logan was in his own wing. He liked to say he didn't want to "disturb my recovery," but I knew it was because he treated me like a museum exhibit, something to be locked away when he was done looking at it.I slipped out of bed and tucked the wallet into my inner pocket. As I reached the bathroom, I stared at the ceiling. There was a small, square ventilation panel. It's an old-fashioned maintenance hatch. I dragged a heavy vanity stool over, as my breath hitched every time the legs scraped the floor. I stacked a sturdy wastebasket on top of it, creating a tower.When I reached up and pushed the panel aside, a wave of nausea hit me.The smell of dust, the cold metal, the image of someone tied inside the room.I froze as my fingers gripped the edge of the drywall. It wasn't just a memory, it was a physical sens
SIERAI looked down as the bump had jarred a hidden spring-loaded compartment in the side of the desk. A small, shallow drawer had popped open just a few inches. My breath hitched.I glanced at the man who was narrowing his eyes, suspicious of the sound, but from his angle, the desk blocked his view of the secret drawer. I had seconds.I reached down with my fingers trembling so hard I could barely grip the contents. Inside wasn't money or jewelry. It was a small, charred leather wallet and a stack of folded documents. I pulled them out and tucked them behind the book I was holding."Madame?" the man called out, his tone feeling like a warning as he began to walk toward the desk."I'm just... the sun is too bright now," I stammered, frantically pulling the curtain closed instead of opening it, plunging my corner of the room into dimness.In the sudden shadows, I flipped open the charred wallet. My breath left me in a silent gasp. Inside was a driver’s license from New York St
SIERRA The silence in the hallway was heavy, broken only by my footsteps and the armed man behind me.He's tall and made even more imposing by the empty sleeve pinned neatly to his shoulder. He's following me as if I were a package that needed to be delivered from the dining hall to the bedroom without any dents.I walked with slowness as my heart hammered against my ribs. I kept my gaze fixed ahead, but my mind was mapping the corridors. Every turn was an opportunity, but the man was disciplined. He didn't hover, but I could feel his presence like a cold draft on the back of my neck.I needed to get away from the bedroom. The bedroom was a dead end.As we reached the base of the grand staircase, I stopped abruptly. The man didn't stumble, he stopped instantly. His one hand resting near his belt and his blue eyes tracking my every move with the mechanical precision of a hawk.I turned to face him. "I don't want to go back yet." He stared at me with his blank expression. "I wa
SierraThe silk sheets against my skin feel like a lie. Every morning for the past week, I have woken up in this room, dripping in gold and velvet, feeling like a trespasser in my own life.I reached back, my fingers grazing the thick gauze taped across my shoulder blades. I got off the bed and peed. When I got out of the bathroom, I noticed a note at the lampshade.‘I'll be in a business meeting. See you at lunch.’I crumpled the note and threw it harshly at the corner.He's out of the house. That means, I can wander around without being conscious of him. But I'm worried that his armed men will follow me around like a dog.He thinks the walls of this mansion are high enough to keep the truth out. He is wrong. I've gained enough strength to find out the truth. I should not let him lock me here like a prisoner.I looked at the door of the bedroom. Somewhere behind it, guards were stationed. If I was going to find Alessandro or if I was going to find myself, I couldn't just walk out







