Pauline_Njeri

Sienna Raye was born to be dangerous. A former intelligence asset trained to seduce, deceive, and destroy, she escaped the world that made her a weapon—until it came calling again.

When whispers of a covert project called Ember surface, Sienna finds herself hunted by enemies and haunted by the ghosts of her past. Torn between Nico, the charming rogue who knows her sins, and Colson, the hardened agent tasked with bringing her in, Sienna unearths a dark conspiracy tied to her bloodline.

But love in this world comes at a price, and betrayal wears the face of those closest to her. As secrets ignite and the truth burns, Sienna must decide: will she be consumed by the fire—or become the one who controls it?

Whispers of fire

The morning light filtered through the blinds, casting gold ribbons across Sienna's bare shoulders. She sat on the edge of the bed, the sheet falling around her hips, staring at the envelope again.

Nico stood behind her, shirtless, a towel slung low on his hips. His body carried scars—faded reminders of violence, training, survival. But one caught her attention.

A symbol inked high on his side: a black flame, wrapped in wings.

She reached out and touched it. "What is this?"

He looked down. "It's what we used to call the program."

"Before Colson and I left the service, we were part of a covert task group. Operatives trained to infiltrate deep networks. Burn the threats. No backup. No limits. We were ghosts."

She ran her finger across the design. "And you were both part of this?"

He hesitated. "Not just us. You were, too."

Her eyes snapped up to his. "No. I never—"

"Yes, you did." His voice was soft, but unyielding. "Maybe not officially. Maybe not in a file. But you had information. You knew how to vanish. How to stay off grid. That didn't come from waitressing or baking muffins."

Sienna pulled the sheet tighter, heart thudding.

Memories stirred—lessons, names, techniques she thought she'd forgotten. Not taught, but remembered. From before the fire. Before Colson.

She stood, trembling, walked to the closet. From the very back, she pulled a small fireproof box. Nico watched silently.

Inside were a fake passport, foreign currency, and a flash drive wrapped in a ribbon.

She turned. "He gave me this before the explosion. Said if anything happened, to keep it hidden. To never ask questions."

Nico stepped forward slowly. "We need to open it."

As she slid it into her laptop, her pulse pounded in her ears.

It loaded instantly—no password.

Nico inhaled sharply. "This is classified. Deep-level data. Where did he even get this?"

Sienna scrolled. Her hand froze over a document titled:

SUBJECT #7 — SIENNA RAYE — STATUS: ACTIVATED.

Inside was her photo. Her childhood records. Military training logs she didn't remember. Psych evals. Location coordinates.

"In case of breach, eliminate asset. No recovery. Too dangerous."

She backed away from the screen like it was on fire. "They wanted me dead."

Nico's jaw was clenched. "They still do."

A single message. No name. No number.

With crosshairs drawn over the door.

Chapter 8: The Man She Buried