Alena’s pulse gave a hard knock. The Jeep. She leaned forward, eyes locked on his. “What about the Jeep at the cabin? Why didn’t Arneson mention he owned that, too?”
Cal set his Coke down and rubbed his jaw. “He told Raines it’s one he keeps at his construction business. Said he forgot to mention it.”
Her brow pulled tight. “Forgot?”
“Yeah.” Cal’s tone carried the same doubt she felt. “We’re not sure we believe him.”
The Coke fizz lingered in Alena’s throat, but her mind was already racing. Pieces that didn’t fit. Lies slipping in where truth should have been.
Alena took another sip of her Coke and set the can down with a thump. “What about Melissa?”
“Raines has her in interview right now,” Cal said.
Alena groaned, dragging her hands over her face. “Like she’s really going to confess to hiring two thugs to kidnap her. We’ll be lucky if we get anything useful out of her.”
Cal’s gaze lingered on her, steady, unreadable for a long beat. Then he stood, came around the table, and pulled her gently to her feet.
She blinked at him. “What are you doing?”
“Thought you could use a distraction,” he said, his mouth curving as he positioned her hand against his shoulder and rested his lightly at her waist. “Remember our first dance? God, we were terrible. You kept stepping on my boots, and I nearly dropped you when I tried that spin.”
Alena huffed out a laugh, her frustration easing despite herself. “Are you sure this isn’t just an excuse to get me in your arms?”
His smile deepened, slow and warm, and he didn’t deny it. Instead, he bent his head and kissed her.
The moment his mouth touched hers, everything inside her unraveled. What started as a tease, a kiss meant to be light, turned molten fast. His hand slid lower at her back, pulling her closer until they were pressed tight, body to body, breath to breath.
Mercy, she wanted him.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, clutching him, dragging him closer still. His mouth moved over hers with a hunger thatlit her blood, made her knees weak and her pulse race. The kiss turned hotter, deeper, stealing every bit of her self-control.
For one desperate moment she let herself have it, let herself drown in the taste and feel of him, in the strength of his body against hers. And then she forced herself to break away, gasping for breath as she pressed her forehead against his chest.
Alena opened her mouth to say she was sorry, but he beat her to it, his voice low and rough against her ear. “Don’t apologize for that. It was real, honest heat.”
She closed her eyes. He was right. She couldn’t dispute that. Real and honest were breaking down the walls she’d built. She wanted to just give in, let herself have him again, but she couldn’t. Not with the threat still out there, circling them like a wolf.
Her phone rang, the sharp sound slicing through the air. Relief rushed through her at the interruption. She needed it. She needed something to focus on other than the ache Cal had stirred up inside her.
That relief shattered when she looked at the screen. Cedar Ridge Sanctuary.
Her stomach dropped. Fear slammed through her, and she answered on speaker, blurting out, “Is something wrong? Is David all right?”
“This is Nurse Collins,” the woman said, her voice calm but edged with concern. Alena knew her. Trusted her.
“What happened?” Alena demanded.
“David got a call that really upset him.”
Alena’s heart kicked hard against her ribs, and she heard Cal curse under his breath. “Who called him?” she asked.
“It came from an unknown number. The person told him you and Cal have been lying to him. That you’re no longer together and that the reason you broke up was because of what happened to him.”
Alena’s breath caught, sharp and furious.
The nurse added softly, “He’s pretty upset.”
“We’re on our way,” Alena said at once. She ended the call, her pulse still hammering.
