“Vera said you were sleeping when Tina left the house the night she was killed,” Jase said.
Holly glanced away. “That’s right.” One of her hands moved down over the soft roundness of her baby in a protective gesture that was hard to miss. It didn’t take a private detective to know she was lying.
“You can tell us the truth,” Kate said, picking up on the gesture, as well. “You were my sister’s friend. I think she would want you to tell me what really happened.”
Holly swallowed. Her lips trembled. “I can’t. If...if I tell you, he’ll kill me. He’ll kill my baby.”
Kate came off the sofa and crouched beside Holly’s chair. She took hold of the young woman’s hand. “We won’t let that happen. We’ll protect you. We won’t let anyone come near you.”
“You’ll go to the police, and he’ll find out it was me who told you. He’ll kill me and my baby.”
Jase rose from the sofa and stood in front of the girl. “No police, Holly. I give you my word.” She looked him up and down, weighing his toughness and strength. In times like these, his size often worked in his favor.
“Tell us what happened that night,” Kate pressed. “Please. Do it for Tina.”
Tears welled in Holly’s dark eyes and slipped down her cheeks. “It was Eli,” she whispered. “Eli Zepeda.” A sob caught in her throat.
“Just take your time,” Jase said, sitting back down to give her some space.
Holly swallowed, her slender throat moving up and down. “Tina worked for Eli, but she wanted to quit. Eli knew she had come to the center for help. She was doing really great. She wanted to get her life back so badly.”
Holly wiped tears from her cheeks. “That night, Eli broke into the house. Maybe he had been watching the place, I don’t know, but he knew which room was ours. He told Tina she was his biggest moneymaker, and he wasn’t letting her go. He had a gun. Neither of us doubted he would use it.” Her voice shook. “I was so scared.”
“What happened?” Kate gently prodded.
“Tina refused to leave. Eli was furious. He gave her a choice. She could go with him—or he would take me instead. He could see I was pregnant, but he didn’t care. Tina went with him to save me.”
Holly started crying. “She died for me. Tina gave her life to save me and my baby.” Her crying turned to great heaving sobs, and Kate drew her up from the chair into her arms. She wept on Kate’s shoulder, cried as if her heart were breaking.
“It’s all right, Holly,” Kate soothed, her voice also choked with tears. “It wasn’t your fault. Eli Zepeda is the man who killed my sister, and I promise you he’s going to pay.”
“She was my friend,” Holly said tearfully. “No one has ever done anything like that for me before.”
Watching the women, Jase clamped down on the rage burning through him. Elijah Zepeda was a murderer. They couldn’t go to the police without evidence, and there was no way Jase was putting Holly and her baby in danger.
It didn’t matter.
One way or another, Elijah Zepeda was going down.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“If we call the police, they’ll want to talk to Holly,” Kate said. “We gave her our word we’d protect her.”
Maddox sliced her a glance. “No police,” he said darkly.
A faint shiver moved down her spine. She should have known Jase wouldn’t break his word.
The Yukon pulled away from the rehab center. The wind had picked up, rustling the leaves on the branches of the big live oaks in front of the house. It was early yet for a hurricane, but the weather bureau had mentioned the possibility.
Kate focused her attention on the road. “So what’s our next move?”
“Next, I have a little talk with Eli Zepeda. But I don’t go alone.”
Kate stiffened. “That’s right. You won’t be alone because I’m going with you.”
Jase shook his head. “Not this time, baby. You’ve seen this guy. He’s bad news. If something goes wrong, you could get hurt—or worse.”
She wanted to argue. She was going—whether he liked it or not. But she’d wait, pick the right time to have that discussion. “So who’s going with you?” she asked instead.
