A Billionaire's Mistake

40|Do You?

Chapter Forty: Do You?

Lincoln

There's no way in hell I'm going to fall asleep tonight.

I'm staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, Sienna tucked into my body with her back against my chest, unsure of how much time has passed since we've been lying here in silence together.

How am I supposed to sleep after the events that transpired today? Sienna was attacked, and it was all because I didn't tell her about the possibility of her psychotic ex-boyfriend stalking her. This whole thing is like a scene from one of those criminal shows. I'm living and breathing an utter nightmare and I have no clue how to fix it.

Any confidence I've tried to bring out of her, any sort of braveness completely vanished after taking one look at her abuser. Travis is playing mind games with not only her, but me, too. Pretending to be a reporter right next to me today was just to toy with me. He's a cat circling two mice, and he's going to draw out the pouncing portion of the story as long as possible.

"You need to get some rest," Sienna says softly. I thought she was already asleep, but I guess we're both up from this hell-forsaken nightmare.

"Why on earth are you concerned about me right now?" My fingers threaten to rub her side, but now I'm afraid to touch any part of her at all. I don't want to do a damn thing to set her off and get out of this bed. Hell, I'm surprised she even wanted to lay next to me like this in the first place.

"Because it's better than worrying about myself. You need sleep."

"We both need sleep. We'll figure all of this out in the morning."

A long, dreadful silence flows between us before she says, "Figure out what, exactly? I'm screwed either way."

"And what do you think your options are?" I whisper into her ear.

"Well..." She sighs. "I either choose to stay and risk you getting hurt, or I leave and risk myself getting hurt. It's a lose-lose situation, Linc."

"I already told you that I'm not a factor in this. You shouldn't be concerned about me. When I tell you that I'm going to find this fucker and burn him to the ground, I mean it."

Her back is still toward me, but I don't dare turn her to look at me. I'm not sure if I could bear to see the expression on her face, so instead, I hold my breath, waiting for her response, but all I hear is heavy breathing. Is she asleep?

"You can't still be considering leaving, Sienna. Promise me."

More silence.

I finally peek over to see her face, my frustration diminishing when her eyes are closed, her mouth slightly ajar. The light from the nightstand casts a faint glow onto her skin, showcasing her bruised and swollen lip. I don't even want to know what happened in that hotel room, and if I even begin to imagine, my stomach fills up with acid. I feel nothing but pure rage toward Travis, and as soon as I can lay hands on him, I'm going to make sure the first punch is aimed right where the sun doesn't shine.

With Sienna finally asleep, slight relief bubbles in my chest, and before I know it, I enter into a state of darkness beside her.

***

I awake in the middle of the night with a gasp, my eyes flying open and my heart beating rapidly. Immediately, my hand reaches out beside me for Sienna but all I feel are crumpled sheets. Fucking hell.

Did Travis get in here?

There's no way in hell I wouldn't have heard that, right?

Stumbling quickly out of bed, I clutch onto the walls in the dark, stubbing my toe on the edge of the dresser before I'm able to finally turn on a light. The hotel room is empty, with none of Sienna's clothing in sight. The alarm clock reads that it's three in the morning.