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“Hello, Dalton.”
His brother gaped like a fish out of water, his gaze darting between Sienna and Eli before he gathered his senses. A brilliant smile broke out across his face. “Eli. Sienna. What are you doing here?”
Sienna seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Eli shifted forward, forcing Dalton to drop his hands from her arms. His baby brother and his ex had never been anything more than friends, but the sight of Dalton touching her sent a wave of protectiveness streaking through Eli. Or maybe it was caused by Gideon. The meeting in the director’s office had bordered on hostile, and Eli didn’t like the way the man looked at Sienna. Like a bug he intended to squash.
“Mr. Goodwin and Ms. Evans wanted to ask me a few questions.” Gideon waved a finger between the three of them. “How do you all know each other?”
“Dalton is an old friend.” Eli’s tone was neutral, belying the emotions roiling his insides like a clothes dryer on high. He had the unexpected urge to close the distance and embrace his brother in a bear hug. Gideon’s presence held him back. Some internal warning bell kept Eli from admitting he and Dalton were related.
He didn’t know what was going on at Fresh Start. Evidence suggested someone—or multiple people—were laundering money. Albert had been shot. Ruby was missing. The last thing Eli wanted to do was put his brother at risk by revealing the true nature of their relationship.
Then again… his brother could be involved. Dalton wore a shirt with the Fresh Start logo etched on the sleeve. The silver name tag pinned on the right side of his blazer bore his full name. Dalton Hutchinson.
The brothers didn’t have the same last name since their biological dads were different. It had never affected their interaction. In fact, Eli often forgot they didn’t share the same father since they were raised by the same man. Eli’s biological dad had died before he was ever born. His mother had remarried when he was two to Dalton’s father.
In this moment, Eli was grateful for the fact that he had a different last name than Dalton, but it was incredibly painful to see his brother’s smile fade from view. It was replaced with hurt.
Dalton glanced at his boss. “Yes. Eli and Sienna are old friends.” He tried to recover his smile. “Are you guys taking a tour?”
“Actually, Mr. Wade was walking us out, but he has a meeting to get to.” Sienna had recovered her wits. She flashed Dalton an encouraging grin while linking her arm through his. “There wasn’t time for a tour. I’d love for you to give us one, if you can.”
“I’d be happy to.”
Gideon looked ready to argue, but then decided against it. He offered a tight smile. “I’ll leave y’all to it then. Dalton, don’t forget about our staff meeting in half an hour.”
“Yes, sir.”
Gideon left without a backward glance. The man was strange. One moment he seemed friendly and gracious, the next annoyed and hostile. Eli had never met Ruby, but he had a difficult time imagining the young woman had gotten along well with the mercurial director.
He shoved those thoughts aside as he focused back on his little brother. Dalton looked healthy. It was a relief. Eli hadn’t realized until this moment how much he’d silently and secretly worried about Dalton for the last five years. Where he was. What he was doing. If he was sober. Face-to-face with proof of Dalton’s recovery nearly brought tears to his eyes. He blinked them back, pointing to the name tag on Dalton’s blazer. “You’re a counselor?”
He nodded. “I’ve been working for Fresh Start for the last year.” Dalton’s gaze swept over Eli. “You look good.”
“So do you.” Again the urge to hug his brother overwhelmed Eli, but he held back. “I didn’t know you were living in Sandalwood.”
“Neither did I,” Sienna chimed in.
A blush crept up Dalton’s neck and his gaze drifted to the floor. “It took me a long time to get sober and I’ve kept a low profile since.” He lifted his gaze, squinting at Sienna and Eli. “What are you guys doing here, anyway? Does this have anything to do with Ruby’s disappearance?”
Dalton had always been brilliant. Eli wasn’t surprised his brother had put two and two together.
“Yes.” Sienna pitched her voice low. “I’ve been hired by Ruby’s grandmother to investigate her disappearance. We interviewed Gideon, but he wasn’t very helpful. I wasn’t joking about the tour. I’d love to see everything and you can fill us in on what you know about Ruby.”
“Let’s wait until after the tour to discuss it.” He glanced over his shoulder as if making sure Gideon wasn’t standing behind them. “We can talk more freely in the parking lot.”
Dalton spent the next twenty minutes showing them the facilities. Like Gideon’s office, the rest of the building was decorated with a modern touch and state-of-the-art electronics. Eli took it all in with a careful eye. “There must be thousands of dollars in computer equipment in this place.”
“We’re the only facility of its kind in five counties, and we’ve been blessed with generous donors.” Dalton escorted them toward the lobby. “Unfortunately, addiction is something that affects a lot of families. The more support we can provide, the better for the community. Our mission is to give former addicts the skills they need to change their lives for the better. Jobs are only a small part of it. This is also a place where they can find a community of supportive people who know exactly what it’s like to struggle with addiction.” He stopped in front of a door and used a key card to open it. “This is my office.”
The space was small but comfortable. Dalton had shed the modern decor for more traditional furniture. A well-loved leather couch, an old-fashioned desk, and bookshelves weighted down with novels took up most of the space. His window overlooked the parking lot.
Eli recognized the baseball bat sitting in the center of the bookshelf. After Dalton got out of rehab the first time, they went to a game and met with some of the players who were gracious enough to sign the bat. The memory was a happy one and sent a piercing longing through Eli’s chest.
He touched the bat. “You kept it.”
“Of course.” Dalton sounded surprised, but his expression mirrored Eli’s own sadness. “I keep meaning to go to another game but haven’t found the time.”
“Me neither.” Baseball was one of the things that bonded them. Eli had played in high school, as had Dalton. For a while. Before drugs and bad choices took him down a different path. Since their estrangement, Eli hadn’t had the heart to even watch a game.
