‘Right. Thanks. I’ll be there shortly. See you soon.’
The text beeped through just as she finished peeing. She ran the tap until the water was warm enough to wash her hands and then splashed it over her face to rinse away the last remains of sleep. Sleep she’d just been deprived of for the foreseeable future.
As the cool night air stroked over her skin, Jenna shuddered and reached for her dressing gown to wrap it tight around herself, before she blinked at her reflection in the mirror.
With a long drawn-out groan, she grabbed the overpriced moisturiser her younger sister, Fliss, insisted she use now she was on the sharp rise to being thirty. She sneered at herself as she smoothed the heavy cream over her skin and refused to acknowledge any of the fine lines feathering out from her eyes, and the deeper ones bracketing her mouth.
Fliss was the reason she had them. Not that Jenna blamed her. Her sister had been a victim of circumstance. Kidnapped and held in a dank, dark cellar until she’d found the inner strength to haul herself out. She’d saved herself and filled Jenna with a deep sense of pride and admiration for her younger sister. But the taste of true fear had stayed with her to haunt her in her weak moments.
Memory of the dream shuddered through her with a mild sense of relief as the pieces of the dark puzzle fell into place. A reflection of her fear. Fear of what was to come. Not for herself, but for the safety and sanity of her own sister.
After Frank Bartwell had attended Kidderminster Magistrates Court and pleaded not guilty for the abduction of Fliss, he’d been committed to Stafford Crown Court and the case was finally due to start the following Tuesday.
No matter how hard Jenna pushed it to the back of her mind, the sinister evil of it still touched her and gnawed at her insides that Fliss would have to relive the ordeal of her kidnap. She’d have to face the man who had murdered his mother, wife and child. Allegedly in the eye of the law, but Jenna and Fliss both knew it was true. Horrific in itself, but the element that he’d almost killed Domino, Fliss’s faithful Dalmatian, and kidnapped Fliss, coming after her a second time once she’d escaped, had made it personal. They’d both been there for the final confrontation when Frank, the trusted intel analyst at Malinsgate Police Station, had broken into Jenna’s house with the sole intent of killing Fliss.
Fliss was in for a rough ride, but Jenna would be by her side every moment of every day in court.
Jenna let the buzz of the electric toothbrush lull her for the full two minutes it took for apparent ultimate cleanliness, then spat and rinsed.
She pulled open the door, and hesitated. Adrian no longer occupied her bed, he’d gone, leaving her bedside lamps on to cast a golden glow over the room. They’d not yet had the opportunity to become familiar with each other’s personal routine or work schedules, although he had known what he was getting into with a police officer. Routine and schedules were two words she rarely used and there’d never be a time when it became familiar.
She ran her gaze over the smoothed-out duvet and plumped-up pillows with a twinge of disappointment. She appreciated his consideration in making the bed, but he could have stayed long enough to say goodbye.
With a twinge of regret, she yanked on her clothes. It would have been nice to have had one last kiss.
Jenna stole downstairs in her stockinged feet, so she didn’t wake her sister and dog as she headed towards the white gleam of light Adrian had left on for her in the kitchen.
It took a split second longer for the inviting aroma of rich dark coffee to register and send her senses into a riot. She wondered if it was that or the sight of her half-naked Chief Crown Prosecutor standing barefoot in her kitchen that had a curl of warmth building in her stomach and the delight that he hadn’t left without saying goodbye. He’d been taking care of her as he seemed to time and again. Subtle, understated.
As he turned with a quirky smile on his lips and a travel mug full of steaming coffee in his hand, her heart gave a little stumble. This man was the first ever to look after her. She’d always been the strong one. Her strength often the downfall of her relationships as the men had either crumbled or leaned on her too hard.
Her smile came quick and natural. ‘Thanks.’ It felt good. ‘I thought you’d gone.’
‘Not yet.’
She stroked her fingers across his as she accepted the mug from him, little ripples of pleasure making her wish she could stay.
The tremble of thunder had her gripping the mug in her right hand and whipping around so she could face the threat head on.
Domino hurtled into the kitchen. His cat-like paws skidded as he punched the kitchen door wider with his head and leapt from the hallway carpet onto the smooth, pale grey tiles, his claws tip-tapping as he fought to stay upright in his haste to get to her.
The full weight of a thirty-two kilogram Dalmatian smacked into the front of her knees, jarring her all the way through her body until her teeth cracked.
‘Bloody hell, Domino. Get down.’ One-handed was never the way to tackle an exuberant Dalmatian.
Unrepentant, the spotted dog twirled around in tight circles, stomping on Jenna’s feet. His frantic tail whipped time after time against her legs.
‘For the love of Jesus, Domino. Stop.’
As she reared her head back up to stop the dog cracking his skull into hers, her detective constable and sister’s current boyfriend, Mason Ellis, sauntered into the kitchen, clearly comfortable, a weary smile on his sleep-puffed face.
The little jolt of surprise couldn’t be helped. She had no idea her sister was sleeping with Mason yet. Not Fliss’s fault. Jenna had made it clear to both Mason and Fliss that she wanted to know nothing about their relationship. Her initial thoughts being that she never wanted to have to take sides between her sister and her work partner.
She now realised, she did need to know. She needed to know who was walking around her house at night, who let Domino run wild when he should have been fast asleep on Fliss’s bed and who the hell swiped her thick as treacle, black coffee from her hand without a twitch of remorse.
‘That’s mine.’ She reached out to snatch it back.
‘Not any more.’ He took a deliberate swig and shot her a wicked grin. ‘You want it back?’
She returned his grin with a cool stare. ‘You’re a child.’ What was it they said about familiarity breeding contempt?
As he hunkered down and yanked the huge Dalmatian into a good strong one-armed cuddle, she knew she could always forgive him, for the care he’d shown for Domino when he’d been injured and the obvious love he had for Fliss. Not that love had been mentioned at this stage, but it was love. She knew. She could see it, even if they couldn’t yet.
It could have been awkward, but Mason had feelings for her sister long before Fliss was aware. He’d never have made a move if Jenna had disapproved. The heartache he’d suffered when Fliss had disappeared had served to convince Jenna that he deserved a shot at happiness for both their sakes. Fliss deserved to be adored, and Mason adored her.
Of course, if he ever hurt Fliss, Jenna would rip his heart out and leave it bleeding on the ground. She’d made that quite clear.
The same surprise she’d felt at his presence flashed through Mason’s eyes as they centred on Adrian who leaned, arms crossed over his chest with quiet casualness against the kitchen counter. ‘Hey. Umm.’ Mason took another slurp of the coffee and raised the cup in a salute. ‘Do you want some?’