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Eli could sympathize with that sentiment. He’d felt the same about Dalton. “Do you know of any place Jesse would hide out? It’s important we find him.” He gauged how much to tell his brother. “We believe he’s in trouble with the same guys who kidnapped me and Sienna.”
Dalton considered the question for a long minute. “Jesse doesn’t have any family in this area, and he’s a loner. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of where he’d go, but if I hear from him, you’ll be my first call.”
“Thanks.”
Eli watched his brother bounce down the steps and get into his sedan. The taillights winked as he hit the brakes at the end of the driveway before turning toward town.
He planted his hands on the railing. A mixture of emotions swirled inside him like a typhoon as old fears flared to the surface. He’d been trained to always prepare for the worst. This time, he didn’t want to.
The screen door creaked open and then slammed shut. Sienna appeared next to him. She wrapped an arm around his waist. “Are you okay?”
“I will be as soon as this case is over.” He turned and pulled her into his arms. The world felt better with her close by. “We talked. I apologized for not being there when he needed me. It was good. I don’t know where things go from here, but I’ve decided to believe in his innocence. Maybe that’s foolish. I don’t know. Dalton’s made plenty of mistakes in the past, but so have I. He’s my brother. I want to believe in the best of him.”
“That doesn’t sound the least bit foolish to me.” Sienna pulled back to look him in the face. There was no recrimination or judgment in her expression. Instead, there was pride. “You’ve changed, Eli.”
“I promised I’d prove it to you.”
“You’re off to a great start.”
Eli tilted his head and captured her mouth with his. Her lips were soft and feminine, yet she matched his passion with the same intensity. She pulled him closer in silent invitation to deepen the kiss. He didn’t disappoint. His breath stalled as his heart tumbled over and over in his chest. Nothing existed outside of this. His entire world narrowed to this beautiful woman and the way she made him feel.
When the kiss ended, they were both breathless. Eli pulled her back into his arms, and Sienna rested her head on his chest. They stood there for a long time as the rain pattered against the porch roof. It was freeing to finally release the fear he’d carried around for as long as he could remember. To trust. To believe.
He was strong. He was capable. And God would see him through.
Sienna’s cell phone rang, breaking the moment. She pulled it from her jacket pocket and glanced at the screen. “I don’t know who this is.” Frowning, she hit the answer button. “Hello?”
“It’s Jesse. We need to talk.”
TWENTY-THREE
Sienna parked her car on the side of the road. Her windshield wipers worked overtime to combat the downpour. It’d been an hour since Jesse’s call. He refused to tell her anything on the phone, insisting they meet in person. She had the sense the man was terrified.
He also claimed to know where Ruby was.
“This is a terrible idea.” Eli dipped his head to study the two-story warehouse in front of them. The building had long ago been abandoned. Busted windows gaped like empty eye sockets. Hunks of plaster and brick had broken off, littering the area immediately in front of the building with debris. A rusted metal fence surrounded the property, but vagrants had cut holes looking for an escape from bad weather. “We don’t know how many people are in there or if Jesse is telling the truth about knowing where Ruby is. This could be a trap.”
“How far away are Cole and Ryker?”
“Twenty minutes.” He glanced behind him at the empty street. The rangers were chasing down a lead in the next county, and although they headed back to Sandalwood immediately following the call, the weather slowed their response time. “I think we should call Chief Ramirez.”
“No way. Jesse will run at the first sign of law enforcement. Besides, we have no idea who’s involved in this scheme. The last thing I want is our only lead to be killed by someone we think is a good guy, but is actually working with the Greer brothers.” She tapped her thumb against the steering wheel. “I wasn’t even supposed to bring you, Eli.”
He scowled. “You are not going in there alone.”
“Understood, but as it stands now, the minute Jesse sees you, he may bail.” She sighed. “He’s terrified. With good reason. This is our chance to convince Jesse to tell us who’s in charge of this entire operation and find out where Ruby’s being held. We have to take the risk.”
Her cell phone rang. Jesse.
Sienna answered the call.
“I can see you sitting in your car.” His tone was hostile and suspicious. “What’s taking so long? If this is some kind of trick—”
“It’s not a trick. I’m getting out of the car right now.” Sienna opened the SUV’s door. Rain pelted her in the face, but she didn’t lift the hood on her raincoat. Jesse was already tense enough. This was no time to make the situation worse by shielding her face. “See? Here I am.”
Eli opened the passenger side door and got out.
“Who's that with you?” Jesse’s voice rose in panic.
