Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 98

"And she's a total knockout, too!"

Sienna's heart plummeted to the very bottom of her stomach.

This wasn't a random mugging; it was a premeditated ambush.

The man she had injected stumbled forward, his face ghastly pale from the anesthetic. "...Boss, this bitch is armed! Be careful!"

Before he even finished his sentence, his legs buckled. He collapsed to the ground with a thud. While his lower body still twitched, his upper torso was entirely paralyzed.

The group immediately went on high alert.

The leader spat into the dirt, an amused grin spreading across his face. "Interesting."

Sienna steadied her breathing, locking eyes with him. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

The leader sneered, looking entirely unhinged. "Someone paid thousands of dollars to buy your life."

Sienna's mind raced at lightning speed.

She had never made enemies in her entire life, let alone anyone who wanted her dead.

There was only one person capable of this level of pure, murderous hatred.

Celeste.

A scrawny man next to the leader rubbed his hands together, practically drooling as he stared at Sienna's face.

"Boss, since she's gonna die anyway, why not let the boys have a little fun first?"

Another immediately chimed in. "Yeah, the client just wants a corpse. How she dies is totally up to us, right?"

The rest of the crew nodded in agreement, their vile laughter echoing through the trees, making Sienna sick to her stomach.

The leader stroked his chin, nodding thoughtfully. "Fair point."

Sienna's chest tightened. "Wait!"

She glared at the leader. "I'll pay you ten times that amount if you just let me walk away."

The men froze, greedy light flashing in their eyes.

"Hundreds of thousands? Are you kidding me?"

"We could each walk away with a massive cut..."

"Boss, that's a hell of a deal!"

The leader stayed silent.

Just as Sienna let out a breath of relief, someone else spoke up. "Boss, don't buy her crap! We've got blood on our hands. If we let her go, she's going straight to the cops, and we're all dead!"

At those words, the men's expressions hardened instantly.

Sienna pleaded urgently. "I won't tell anyone. I swear it."

The leader chuckled darkly. "Little lady, I survived this long in the game by never trusting a single soul."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an Aphrodisiac Pill. "Swallow this, and I'll make it quick."

Sienna stared at the pill, a cold chill running down her spine.

She didn't know exactly what it was, but she could easily guess: it was either a death sentence or a fate worse than death.

She opened her mouth to refuse, but the leader lunged at her.

His massive hand clamped around her jaw, forcing her mouth open as he shoved the pill down her throat, violently covering her mouth.

Using the smokescreen, Sienna ran desperately down the mountain.

She didn't know how long she ran, but eventually, the shouts faded into the distance.

But her steps grew heavier and looser, every stride feeling as though she were walking on air.

The searing heat surged up again, a hundred times stronger than before, burning through her veins like liquid fire.

She leaned heavily against a tree trunk, her entire body wracked with a torturous ache.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps crunched behind her.

Sienna fought to lift her head, but her vision was entirely shot.

The footsteps drew closer.

Suddenly, a pair of strong hands wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace.

She instinctively turned her head, drowning in a pair of endlessly dark eyes.

The man was dressed in black tactical gear, broad-shouldered and imposing, standing before her like an immovable mountain.

Moonlight cascaded from behind him, illuminating a face so devastatingly handsome it felt like an illusion.

His sharp eyes bore into hers, his lips pressed into a tight line as he stared down at her.

Sienna stared back, every last shred of her sanity vaporizing into thin air.

She raised her hand, trailing her fingers over his brow bone, down the bridge of his nose, and finally coming to rest against his lips.

Her voice was dripping with a syrupy, intoxicated sweetness. "...You are so beautiful."

She leaned in closer, her nose brushing his jaw. "I want you so badly."