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Unease tripped down Sienna’s spine. The last time they talked, Dallas claimed to barely know Ruby. Now he was concerned with her whereabouts. “I thought you and Ruby weren’t close.”
“We didn’t hit it off romantically, but talk around town is that she didn’t run off after all. Someone might’ve kidnapped her.” He shuddered. “Ruby’s a sweet girl. I hate to think of her at the mercy of some predator.”
Sienna wasn’t sure what to make of Dallas’s mood shift. Maybe he’d been flippant when talking to them at the marina but thought better of it now. His concern appeared genuine, but she couldn’t ignore the way Ruby’s friends talked about him. Nor could she dismiss the story Dalton told them about Dallas trapping Ruby in the supply closet at Fresh Start.
Then again, if Dalton was laundering money through the charity, he might’ve lied about Dallas in order to muddy the waters. Sienna’s head hurt thinking about the complexity of the case. Layers and manipulations, smoke and mirrors. It was hard to know who to trust.
“The police are doing everything they can to find her.” Eli rocked back on his heels. “Did you and Ruby meet at Fresh Start?”
“No. I volunteered there for a while, but quit when the season got busy. Why?”
“Curious. I heard a rumor there was an incident between you and Ruby in a supply closet. Some kind of altercation.”
Dallas’s brows arched in surprise. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Ruby and I barely crossed paths at Fresh Start. She handled the administrative stuff for Gideon Wade, the director, and I was teaching a course on entrepreneurship.” He frowned. “Who told you there was a fight between me and Ruby?”
“It’s just something we heard. Nothing to worry about if it’s not true.” Eli was quick to mollify him. “What did you think of Gideon Wade?”
Dallas shrugged. “He’s all right. Better than most.” His gaze narrowed. “Why are you asking all these questions about Fresh Start? Does Ruby’s disappearance have something to do with the charity?”
“Right now, we’re pursuing all leads.” Eli laid a hand on the small of Sienna’s back. “We’d better head out before the rain picks up again. Nice to see you, Dallas.”
“You too. Drive carefully.”
Sienna let Eli lead her to the main doors of the church. She glanced over her shoulder before stepping out into the cold. Dallas had shed his jacket and was sitting in one of the pews. Their interaction had left her with an unsettled feeling. “Did you get the sense he was pumping us for information?”
Eli settled his cowboy hat on his head and turned up the collar on his jacket. “Yep. But why? Simply curiosity? Or something else?”
“I don’t know.”
Sienna hurried across the parking lot to the truck. She slid into the passenger seat and tossed her wet hair out of her eyes. Through the droplets on the windshield, she spotted Dallas coming out of the church. He stood on the sidewalk, hood up to ward off the rain, and watched them.
The sight of him standing there, staring, chilled Sienna right to the bone.
TWENTY-TWO
Hours later, Eli stepped onto the front porch as his brother’s dented sedan traversed the long driveway to the main house. A stiff wind whistled down his collar. Goosebumps rose on the back of his neck. The rain had lessened to a steady drizzle, but more thunderstorms were coming. Lightning flashed in the distance. Eli did his best to tamp down on the nerves tightening his muscles, but it wasn’t easy. Before this morning’s meeting at the police department, he’d been looking forward to this dinner.
Now… he wasn’t sure. There were things that needed to be said, but the cloud of suspicion hanging over Dalton would color their interaction. Could his brother be part of a criminal network of drug dealers and illegal money laundering? It was a far cry from doing drugs and stealing Eli’s truck, but it’d been five years since they saw each other last. A lot had changed.
Dalton parked and hopped out of the sedan, racing to the porch steps on long strides without an umbrella. Droplets sprinkled his jacket and clung to the thick strands of his hair. He carried a set of flowers and a pie box in his hands. “This rain just won’t stop.”
“Tomorrow it’ll get better.” Eli took the dessert from his brother. The box sported Nelson’s Diner in bold letters, and based on the address stamped below the restaurant name, was two counties away. “Wow. Did you drive to Knoxville for this?”
“Best cherry pie in Texas.” Dalton grinned, his boyish dimple flashing. “You won’t be disappointed.”
Cherry pie was one of Eli’s favorite desserts. The touching gestures sent a wave of familiar warmth through him. Without thinking, he lightly punched Dalton on the shoulder, falling into old habits from their childhood days. “Thanks, bro. You didn’t have to go to all that trouble.”
“Oh, it’s not for you.” His grin widened. “Sienna’s mom loves cherry pie. Since she’s cooking the meal, I figured it was the right thing to do.”
Eli’s mouth dropped open. “I was kidnapped yesterday. Surely that earns me a cherry pie.”
Dalton shrugged. “Not so much. It’s kinda in your job description.”
“Trust me, being kidnapped is not in my job description.”
They both laughed. Dalton had called several times, last night and this morning. The conversations were brief and slightly awkward, but like the pie, Eli was touched his brother had reached out to check on him. He desperately wanted to believe that Dalton’s actions were genuine, but there was a tiny part of his brain that warned him his younger brother could be manipulating all of them. He certainly had the brains for it.
The front door swung open and Sienna appeared, separated from them by the screen door. She was beautiful, hair pulled back in a messy topknot, dressed in a fuzzy sweater and blue jeans. Her feet were bare. Red polish coated her toenails.
