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“Yeah. He had surgery last week and spent a few days in the hospital. He got the all-clear to leave today, thank God. But the doctors want him to rest and avoid stress.” Guilt soured the taste of the buttery grilled cheese, turning it to dust in her mouth. She’d spoken with her family after being released from jail, and her mother assured her Dad was fine, but Sienna hadn’t missed the thread of worry buried in her voice.
Her parents must’ve been terrified when she was arrested.
She wasn’t surprised they called Eli. He’d helped her family before. With Harper’s case. Back then, Eli was the Texas Ranger for this area. When Sienna showed him the evidence she’d collected on her sister’s murder, he’d listened. Followed up. Investigated himself and then eventually arrested the man for murder.
Her sister’s killer died in prison, but Eli’s steadfastness in the wake of police inaction for years had restored Sienna’s faith in law enforcement. A friendship formed between them that later deepened to romance.
Until the incident with Dalton.
Sienna’s parents didn’t know the ins and outs of why the relationship with Eli ended, only that it did. Given the amount of trouble she was in, it made sense her family turned to the one trusted person in law enforcement they knew.
Sienna pushed away her half-eaten soup. Time to rip off this band aid. “Eli…”
“Don’t.” He gave a quick shake of his head. “I’m here. I’m helping. End of discussion.”
“So what? You cook grilled cheese sandwiches and we talk, just like old times. Do you really think we can simply forget about everything that happened between us?” She stared at him incredulously. “You walked out of my life five years ago and never looked back. I called, I sent letters. You never responded.”
“Because there was nothing to say. You made your choice.”
His irritatingly calm delivery spiked her temper. Eli had always tweaked her tail in a way no one else could, but normally, Sienna remained rational. The lack of sleep and the horrific events of the past day had weakened her ability to keep her voice level.
“My choice? My choice?” She pushed away from the table. “Your brother called from jail, begging me to take him to rehab. He’d been sober for almost a year, but the anniversary of your mother’s death was too much for him to handle, and he fell back into drugs. Dalton needed help—”
“He needed to face the consequences of his actions.” Eli’s voice rose to match her intensity. “He stole my car while high and sideswiped an elderly couple on their way home from a church mixer. It was a miracle no one was killed!” His gaze clashed with hers. “I’ve been cleaning up Dalton’s messes for years. Who sent him to rehab the first time?” He jutted a finger at his chest. “Me. I paid his way, gave him a place to live when he got out, helped him find work. I gave him chance after chance. But at some point, it’s enough. I’d reached my limit.”
Sienna’s anger melted, leaving her feeling hollow. She knew the heartbreak addiction had on family members. Her own sister had been a drug user. It’d wreaked havoc on everyone in their household, and there were times her parents had wanted to give up. But they hadn’t.
Unfortunately, Harper was murdered before she ever got sober. Losing her older sister affected Sienna in ways she still struggled with today. It had definitely impacted her desire to help Dalton. “You were angry and weren’t seeing things clearly—”
“So you went behind my back and bailed him out of jail.” There was no forgiveness in Eli’s tone or expression. No understanding or a hint of the softness she’d seen a few minutes ago. It’d been replaced with bitterness and anger. “I needed your support and understanding, instead you betrayed my trust. So yes, you made your choice, Sienna, and there was nothing left for us to say.”
Tears pricked her eyes. There was so much she needed to say. About her sister. About how Harper’s death had destroyed her, and she was simply trying to prevent Eli from ever facing that same pain. But words wouldn’t eek past the lump in her throat. What was the point? He wouldn’t listen anyway. Eli’s mind was made up. She’d been naïve to think a simple discussion would heal the matter.
It was better he’d never answered her phone calls or letters.
Sienna held back her tears by sheer force of will, taking her empty bowl to the sink and dumping it inside. The spoon clattered against the porcelain. In the window's reflection, Eli’s head dropped to his hands. His shoulders rose and fell as he took a deep breath. The silence stretched out.
“What happened between us is in the past,” Eli finally said. “I suggest we don’t talk about it again. Our focus needs to be on the murder charges against you.”
“I don’t understand.” She turned to face him. “Why are you here? Why help me?”
He dropped his hands and met her gaze. His eyes were the color of a winter sky, but there was nothing cold buried in their depths. It was all heat. Purpose. Strength. But when he spoke, his voice was flat. “Because I took an oath to uphold the law. You’re innocent, which means there’s a killer running around town. I intend to make sure whoever is responsible ends up behind bars.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love, or an apology, or even a promise to heal their wounded hearts. It was better. An oath to follow through on his commitment to the badge, something Sienna knew Eli would never betray. He wouldn’t stop until the killer was caught.
She’d be a fool to turn him away.
“Okay, but we do this together. As a team. I won’t be locked out of my own investigation.” She arched a brow. “I need your word, Eli.”
He hesitated, his gaze scanning her face, as potent as a touch. Then he gave a sharp nod. “You have it.”
That would have to do. Sienna sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Let’s get started. We only have a little while before my family arrives. They’re stopping by once my dad’s discharge paperwork is signed by the doctor at the hospital—”
The sound of shattering glass erupted behind her. Sienna ducked just as something whizzed over her head and slammed into the fridge. The scent of gasoline assaulted her nose, seconds before a blaze of fiery heat erupted. Sienna instinctively recoiled, sending her arms up to protect her head, but pain instantly shot through her forearm. Sparks flickered on her sweater sleeve.
She was on fire.
FOUR
