Jina, page 21
part #1 of Oath of Honor Series
Tomorrow, he’d talk to Rhy, his boss, at MPD about the situation. When that was set, he’d get Sienna an engagement ring.
Just thinking the words made him flush. Sienna couldn’t know about how much he’d wanted to ask her out back when he and Luke were in high school. His best friend had made it clear his baby sister was off-limits. Zeke had honored Luke’s wishes, especially since Sienna was way out of his league. Even back then, she’d won several state championships for singing.
Now she was here in Milwaukee, about to kick off her first solo tour.
They weren’t high school kids any longer. After everything Sienna had been through, the last thing she needed was for him to mention his former crush on her. He rose to his feet. “I’m going to start by scouting the area outside. I’ll need the code to get back in.”
“Of course.” She rattled off the four digits, then followed him to the front door. “I’ll introduce you to Taylor when you’re finished. She’s my live-in nanny.”
He turned to gaze at her. “Are you sure you can trust her?”
“Yes, Taylor’s been wonderful. She takes good care of Bailey.” Sienna answered without hesitation, but he wasn’t about to take anything at face value. Not when it came to protecting Sienna and her daughter.
For now, he’d keep his suspicions to himself. “I’ll be back in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Stay inside with the door locked until you hear from me. I won’t knock but will call you when I’m finished.”
“Okay.” She closed the door behind him. He waited until he heard it lock, before moving off the front porch. There was a definite chill in the cool autumn air, and leaves crunched beneath his feet as he moved around the house.
The area was decent, nice homes that weren’t sitting on top of each other in a neighborhood with a notably low crime rate. Yet those facts hadn’t prevented someone from approaching the house to leave a threatening note on the doorstep.
I’m coming for you.
The veiled threat set his teeth on edge. Resting his hand on the butt of his service weapon, he made his way around the house. The landscaping was nice, but he found himself wishing there were less trees and overgrown bushes. Normally, he’d be impressed by how the owners had created a backyard that provided privacy from the neighbors.
The excess foliage provided far too many places where a perp could remain hidden from view. This early in fall, there were still plenty of leaves on the trees, providing additional cover. Those leaves that had fallen to the ground made it difficult to find footprints as well.
Not the most ideal situation, but not the worst either. He could understand Sienna’s desire to avoid hotel rooms. Especially since she was here for a full week. He assumed her first show was Friday but would need to get a copy of her schedule to know the dates, times and locations of each show.
He was surprised he hadn’t heard about Sienna’s scheduled performances before now. Granted, he’d been knee-deep in several big operations, including one where his fellow teammate Jina had been abducted by a stalker.
Still, he felt way out of the loop.
After clearing the property, he walked to the street to make sure there weren’t any cars parked nearby. Finding nothing, he turned to head back, stopping to pull his duffel from the back seat. And his laptop computer. He and the rest of his teammates had gotten into the habit of carrying a change of clothes and toiletries as they often ended up in situations that required an overnight stay. Tonight was proof of that. As he made his way to the front door, he called Sienna to let her know he was coming in.
He found her hovering near the door. Earlier, he’d ruthlessly squashed his instant attraction to her. Now it wasn’t nearly as easy to keep his distance.
“Everything is fine.” He managed a reassuring smile. “No sign of anyone lingering nearby.”
“Thanks for checking.” She stepped back, shivering despite her thick burgundy sweater. “I, uh, made up the sofa for you. Sheets, blanket, and pillow.”
He nodded, touched by her thoughtfulness. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“There are three bedrooms.” She tucked a strand of her dark-brown hair behind her ear. “I’m in the master with Bailey in the room next to me. Taylor is using the other guest room.”
“Sounds good. What about the lower level?” He’d noticed several deep window wells, indicating there was additional living space in the basement. “Mind if I take a look?”
“Oh, sure. The basement is finished off, and there are a few additional bedrooms down there along with a third bathroom if you’d like to sleep in a real bed.”
“No, I’ll stick to the sofa.” He had every intention of being close at hand if someone did try to get in. “I just want to be sure everything down there is locked up tight.”
“Of course.” Her smile didn’t reach her blue eyes. “The stairs are in the kitchen.”
She led the way, opening the basement door and flicking on the light. Edging past her, he descended the steep staircase. The ceiling over the stairs was so low he had to duck his head.
There was a large game room, complete with a pool table and dart board. Then he found two additional bedrooms, each with a deep window well leading outside. He understood the need to have the windows with access to the outside in case of a fire, but he didn’t like them. He double-checked that those windows were locked, wishing there was a way to secure them better.
The rooms were far enough from the stairs that he couldn’t be sure he’d hear the breaking glass if someone tried to get in. He scowled, considering how being here in a rental house wasn’t much safer than a hotel room. But this wasn’t the time to broach that subject.
Tomorrow would be soon enough.
He mounted the stairs to the main level. Sienna was sitting at the kitchen table cradling a cup of tea in her hands.
“Would you like something?” She eyed him over the rim. “I tend to drink licorice root tea with honey to soothe my throat between performances.”
“I’m fine.” He nodded to the cup. “Does it work?”
“Seems to.” She took another sip, then lowered the cup. “I’m trying to think of the logistics of our arrangement. I know you work during the day, and I’m sure Bailey, Taylor, and I will be fine while you’re at work. But if you could give me your schedule, I’d appreciate it. Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll probably have to call my manager to let him know that I—we’re engaged.” She blushed. “That way he can get the word out.”
“You don’t want your manager to know about the notes?”
“No.” She stared down at her tea for a long moment. “Dirk is a great guy, but he’s always pushing me to do interviews and other marketing events. For now, I’d like to keep him in the dark. Thankfully, he has only one TV interview with the Milwaukee Morning show early Thursday.”
“Speaking of schedules, I need yours too.” The morning show gig was interesting. “And don’t worry about my job. I have plenty of vacation time coming. My boss won’t mind if I take a week off.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out any more than I already am.” Her gaze was troubled. “I feel bad taking advantage of our friendship. I just . . . wasn’t sure what else to do.”
“Hey, there’s no one I’d rather spend time with on my vacation,” he assured her. He didn’t mention his teammates would be shocked to hear about their engagement. Especially since he couldn’t tell them it wasn’t real. He reached over to take her hand. “Trust me, Sienna. I’ll keep you and Bailey safe.”
“I know you will.” She looked as if she might say something more, but then she pushed her tea aside and stood. “Good night, Zeke. I’ll get you a copy of my schedule first thing in the morning.”
“Good night.” He stood and waited for her to disappear down the short hallway leading to the three bedrooms. Then he doused the lights and made his way to the sofa. The sectional was soft and long enough to accommodate his six-foot-two-inch frame.
Not that he expected to get much sleep. It took a few minutes to adjust to the sounds of his strange surroundings. The fridge hummed, the ice maker dumped ice cubes into the tray at regular intervals, and a clock ticked with each passing minute.
He must have dozed because a strange sound had him jerking awake. Bolting off the sofa, he grabbed his weapon from the nightstand and moved to the window overlooking the front of the house.
Then he heard the thudding sound again. His heart squeezed in his chest as he softly made his way across the room to the back of the house.
Straining to see through the darkness, he thought he saw a shadow behind the overgrown lilac trees. Then he heard the crash of breaking glass. Swiveling away from the living room window, he ran to the kitchen in time to see the glass scattered on the floor and the brick sitting on the kitchen table.
With a note wrapped around it.
Laura Scott, Jina
