What the fuck is she doing here?
“Jenna, if that’s even your name,” I reply, leaning back in my chair.
She shrugs and takes a seat across from me. “It is.”
“Are you finally going to tell me what you know? Or are you going to keep fucking me around? Because I’m really not in the mood.” I can’t keep the bite from my tone.
“What I know is, someone paid me to set you up, to drive a wedge between you and your girl,” she says with a sardonic smile.
A gnawing feeling spreads through the pit of my stomach, anger heating my veins. “Who?” I reply calmly.
Jenna just smiles. “The two dead girls look a lot like Salena Cartwright, don’t they?”
My heart misses a beat at her name, her name from this woman’s mouth. “What do you know?”
“I don’t know anything,”
“How do you know Salena?” My jaw hurts from how hard I’m clenching it.
“I don’t.”
I growl in annoyance. “What about the girls? How do you know they look like her?”
Jenna shrugs and looks off to the side. “I just assumed.”
“That’s bullshit!” I snap, slamming my hand down on my desk.
Jenna grins like she’s won some bet, then slowly stands. I follow suit, leaning my hands on the desk. “You're not leaving until you tell me everything you know.”
Jenna tips her head back and laughs as if I’ve said the funniest thing. I frown, completely confused by her behavior.
“Are you going to arrest me, detective?”
Before I can respond, I see someone approach. My gaze swings to the side, and I see Salena standing a few feet away, glaring daggers at Jenna. I place my palm out and step between the two.
“What is she doing here?” Salena growls, a sound I haven’t heard from her before. It seems to rumble from deep in her chest.
“She has come to give a statement,” I say, my eyes pleading with Salena to understand.
“Trouble in paradise?” Jenna mocks from behind me.
Salena’s eyes flare and a red flush works its way over her skin. I can see her vibrating with anger.
“Did you need something?” I ask, and immediately curse myself. That sounds so rude and informal. I suck at this, but she always sets my pulse racing, and right now my emotions seem to be mingling with hers—if that’s even a thing—and I can’t concentrate.
“I can’t think straight when all I’m picturing is ripping her throat out.” Salena snarls.
Jenna’s laughter rings out. “Oh, honey, this was all a setup. But he is an extremely good kisser.”
Salena lunges forward, and I wrap my arm around her waist, spinning her so her back is to my front. I motion for Milo to come over and take Salena.
“You need to calm down, baby.”
Salena rips from my arms and spins to face me. Her eyes search mine with such a raw intensity that I swallow roughly. A knot of guilt tightens my stomach. I did this. Without another word, she turns and leaves, taking the light with her. It feels like something has pulled the very breath from my lungs as I stand there in the middle of the station. Everything grows cold and dark. The way I felt before I had Salena in my life. Before she reached the darkest parts of my heart and brought light and warmth with her. Slowly, I turn to face Jenna and see her smirking, her arms crossed, and her hip cocked to the side.
Anger burns up my throat and I snarl, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her toward the interrogation room.
Refusing to heed Kai's advice and leave her be, I make my way to the Crescent Moon after work. But she isn’t here. Declan's body goes rigid, and he pauses for a moment before answering when I ask about her whereabouts. Some vague answer, saying she’s on a run. So I head upstairs, but nothing. She’s avoiding me, and I don’t blame her. After last night and this morning, I’ll be lucky if she even lets me explain. I get in my car and head home. Jenna’s been charged with hindering an investigation, so she’s spending the night in a cell. She was seething mad about it, but she should have thought about it a bit harder before taking cash to ruin someone. I can feel my anger rising at having been manipulated.
