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The worst scenario would be if someone she knew took money to give away her position.

But every scenario had to be treated as viable. And every person in her life was now a suspect until he could rule them out.

That would be the only way to keep her alive.

CHAPTER 7

Jenna’s worn out body absorbed every bump, every turn twisted inside her stomach. She swallowed, trying to ease the dryness inside her mouth. Nausea roiled in her belly, keeping her from reaching for the water bottle sitting within inches in the console area.

A sudden yawn caught her off guard. Jenna rubbed her gritty eyes. It was like someone had thrown sand in them.

She needed to sleep. But every time her lids started to droop, another bump jolted her awake. Her entire system felt jittery, like it did when she consumed too much sugar or caffeine.

Jenna shifted her position. In the dim light, she could barely see her companion. When the car passed under a streetlamp, for a brief moment, his expression flashed into view. Brody’s face had settled into a grim mask. Bone-deep weariness settled into every line.

She didn’t want to believe that Brody’s theory could be a fact. That someone close to her might have been involved, evenly innocently. Someone who knew her daily routines.

Jenna didn’t like to think of herself as predictable, but she followed the same path every morning. She woke up every morning at six and put her tea kettle on for a morning cup of her favorite chai latte. Once she had that, she settled in to do her devotions and then ate a light breakfast consisting of some kind of fruit with a healthy serving of protein for breakfast, usually berries and Greek yogurt.

Once her breakfast was done, she filled a water bottle and made a travel mug of coffee and left the house for work. The office was closed from noon until one for lunch hour. Most days, she returned home at that time and made herself a simple lunch. She never went to restaurants, not unless there was some kind of working lunch that Matt invited her to. However, as a receptionist, it was rare that she was involved in those. In the afternoons, she worked until the office closed at five and then drove home unless there were errands to run. But once she was home, she stayed there.

She’d never considered her life boring before. But the fact that somebody had pinpointed so exactly both when she wouldn’t be home so they could search her home uninterrupted and when she’d be vulnerable to attack made her reevaluate her choices.

And how well she truly knew the people surrounding her daily.

Mentally, Jenna examined the people she knew and sorted them into categories. Work, church, and family and friends. Who knew her well enough to know the idiosyncrasies of her daily life?

The most obvious choice was, of course, her brother. She could visualize how that might have happened. Zane tended to brag about Jenna. It struck her suddenly just how proud he was of her. He’d known she wasn’t his blood sister. All those years, he’d known, and it hadn’t mattered to him. He was proud of her.

The resentment that had built up around her heart melted. Zane wasn’t to blame for any part of her past. He’d been a child, just like her, and he’d accepted what he’d been told. It didn’t matter to him.

Maya wouldn’t have said anything. She loved her sister-in-law, but Maya could barely remember where anyone worked. When people asked Maya what her brother, Scott, did for a living, she’d wave a hand. “Oh, Scott. He’s very smart. He’s a manager at some place.”

Jenna had heard her say exactly that. She’d never remember Jenna’s schedule. Jenna would be surprised if she knew the name of the business she worked at or even her job title.

But she loved her sister-in-law, who loved her Lord and her family fiercely.

No, Maya wasn’t the weak link. She crossed her off her list and moved on to her friends.

Carly wouldn’t say anything to anyone who didn’t know her. Not even bragging. She’d never met anyone who gossiped less or held secrets tighter than Carly. Out of all of her friends, Carly was the one who understood what being stalked felt like. She had a boyfriend in high school who had reacted badly when she’d broken up with him before leaving for college. For three solid months, he’d stalked her and left cryptic notes until the police finally found where he’d been hiding.

No. If there was a leak, Carly was in the clear.

But what about the other people in her life? People at her work? Except for Matt, she wasn’t really close to anyone there. Felicia, Andy, and Todd were all accountants at the accounting firm, although she wasn’t close to any of them. They all knew her schedule, and they had seen her drive off to lunch. They didn’t usually invite her along when they went out, but the few times they did, she’d usually declined and said she had planned on going home for lunch. She wasn’t being rude. When she’d explained to Felicia that she sometimes needed a break from all the noise because her hearing aids amplified every sound, not only voices, the older woman had seemed sympathetic rather than offended.

All the accountants worked the same hours, generally. And she got along with them. Although she really didn’t know their personal lives very well. Except for Matt. She’d known him forever.

She frowned. What about Andy? He’d never truly accepted her, although she had imagined that he tolerated her better, now that he didn’t have a choice, and Matt clearly favored her.

Would he go as far as trying to harm her, knowing his brother had been so close to her dad?

She mentally put an asterisk next to his name. She’d have to keep Andy in mind. It would break Matt’s heart if Andy had been involved. Matt and Andy were the only siblings in their family.

She sighed. As much as she wanted the killer arrested and the danger erased, she prayed it wasn’t Andy.

What about the people she knew from church? She scrunched up her face, thinking. She hadn’t been at the church that long. The one she’d gone to most of her life had recently closed due to low attendance. She’d found a new one and still hadn’t formed any deep connections there.

Would anyone there know her well enough to be aware of her schedule? She couldn’t cross them off her mental list because she didn’t know them well enough to say with any confidence that they couldn’t be the leak.