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Ruby had called her grandmother. Maybe someone was afraid of what she might tell them.
Inside the house was dark. The sound of a television playing the morning news spilled onto the porch. Sienna placed a hand on the center of his back between his shoulder blades as Eli pushed the door open with his foot. It was risky to call out, but he didn’t have a justifiable reason to enter the home without permission. A partially open door wasn’t enough. “Mrs. Morales? Are you here?”
A muffled scream came from the recesses of the house.
This time, when Eli reached for his weapon, he pulled it free of the holster.
THIRTEEN
A bolt of anger shot through Sienna and it took every ounce of strength not to barge inside and tackle the thug harming Amelia. The elderly woman was seventy-nine. A grandmother. What kind of monster would attack her in her own home?
Someone determined to silence her.
Eli must’ve come to the same conclusion based on the hard line of his shoulders and the tension in his muscles. This wasn’t a version of him Sienna saw often, since they’d rarely worked cases together, but she recognized his focus. His determination. Law enforcement had channeled his already protective nature into a honed response. Whoever was hurting Amelia was about to have a reckoning.
“Stay behind me.” Eli’s voice was barely above a whisper, but his tone was commanding and sharp.
Sienna nodded. His fingers itched for her own weapon, but the conditions of her bond forbid her from carrying any kind of gun. Instead, she hooked her index finger through the loop on the back of Eli’s jeans. She wasn’t used to following orders. Being a PI meant working on her own, doing things her own way. But this situation was outside the norm. Eli’s sole focus needed to be on helping Amelia. The best thing Sienna could do was stay out of his way and let him do his job.
They entered the foyer. Weak sunlight streamed through gauzy curtains covering the living room windows. A floral couch, popular in the 80s, sat opposite a fireplace. The television was turned to the local news station and a cup of half-drunk coffee rested on the end table.
Sienna's pulse skyrocketed as another muffled scream filtered through the house from somewhere down the hall. Eli swept left and then right, per his training, before heading toward the sound. She kept pace with his footsteps, silently urging him to hurry. The hallway was narrow and dark. The sounds of scuffling came from the bedroom at the end. Eli’s steps quickened.
They passed Ruby’s bedroom. The door was open, and it looked like a tornado had blown through the space. Her mattress was overturned and tossed to the side. Clothes spilled from the drawers and books had been toppled from shelves. Even the pillows had been torn open, stuffing lying in heaps like discarded cotton balls. Sienna barely had a moment to register the destruction before continuing down the hall after Eli.
He halted outside the primary bedroom door, holding up a hand to show Sienna should stay put. She released her hold on his belt loop. The sounds of scuffling, as if a fight was taking place, filtered out of the room. Her heart pounded.
Please protect Amelia and Eli, Lord. Guide our decisions with Your wisdom so we can do Your bidding.
Sienna’s breath caught as Eli entered the bedroom, gun at the ready. “Police! Freeze!”
From her position in the hallway, Sienna saw a man wearing jeans and a black long-sleeved T-shirt barrel across the bedroom. He collided with Eli like a linebacker and the two men slammed into the opposite wall before toppling to the ground taking the nightstand with them.
Eli’s gun flew from his hand. The weapon landed on the carpet, just inside the doorway.
Sienna didn’t hesitate. She scooped up the Glock as the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the bedroom. The men rolled across the carpet, throwing punches, each one attempting to gain the upper hand. Eli was strong and quick, but he was still recovering from being shot months ago. Plus the attacker outweighed him by nearly fifty pounds.
Sienna pointed the weapon, but the men were a blur of activity. “Freeze!”
No one heeded her command.
The dresser shuddered as the men collided with it. A framed photograph of Ruby toppled from the surface. It pelted the attacker on the head on its way to the ground. If he felt it, there was no sign. He kneed Eli in the groin and then whipped out a knife, holding it to the Texas Ranger’s throat.
“Stop!” This time Sienna’s command carried across the room. She shifted so the masked man was facing down the barrel of the gun. “Drop the knife.”
The masked man bared his teeth. Fear threatened to overtake her. One slice and he’d cut right through Eli’s carotid artery. Her ex would bleed out in seconds. Nothing could stop it.
Sienna swallowed. Now was not the time to think about how many ways this could go wrong. Instead, she met the attacker’s hardened gaze with one of her own. “I will shoot you if I have to.”
It wasn’t an empty threat. Sienna didn’t relish the thought of taking anyone’s life, but if it meant saving Eli, then she would do what was necessary without hesitation. She made sure steel coated her next words. “Drop the knife. Now!”
For a moment, Sienna feared he would ignore her, but then the attacker eased the blade away from Eli’s throat. He tossed it on the carpet.
Eli didn’t waste a second. He flipped the man onto the ground, pulling his wrists behind his back, and securing them with handcuffs.
Sienna let go of the breath she was holding and lowered the gun. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
