Zeke (Oath of Honor #7)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Sienna Reynolds stopped abruptly when she caught a glimpse of the envelope propped against the front door of her rental home. Just like all the other notes she’d received, her name was written in italic lettering followed by an exclamation point. Exactly the way her name appeared on the playbill of her show, Sienna!

Turning, she scanned the quiet White Gull Bay neighborhood. At eight o’clock at night, several homes had lights glowing from windows, but she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She wondered if any of the neighbors had Ring doorbells that may have picked up an image of the man who’d left the envelope.

Not that she needed a camera. She already knew her ex-husband, Josh Allenton, had left this note, just like all the others. If not him personally, then someone he’d paid to do the deed.

Swallowing against a wave of dread, she bent to pick up the envelope, then punched in the numbers on the keypad entry to go inside. She forced a smile when she saw her nanny, Taylor Templeton, sitting in the living room reading a book. “Hi, how was Bailey?”

“A sweetheart as usual.” Taylor’s brow furrowed when she saw the envelope. “Another one? Really? I didn’t hear a thing.”

“Yes, but it’s okay.” She moved to the kitchen to set the envelope on the counter. The note inside would likely be some variation of the previous messages.

I know where you are.

You can never escape.

I’m watching you.

The notes wouldn’t bother her so much if it wasn’t for her two-year-old daughter, Bailey. She knew Josh had recently decided he wanted joint custody of their daughter, something she would fight against until her dying day.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

“Sienna, you can’t keep ignoring them.” Her nanny gestured toward the note. “You need to call the police.”

“That would be playing right into Josh’s hand.” They’d had this argument before, and nothing had changed. The moment she called the authorities, Josh would use the information against her. He’d insist on taking custody of Bailey to keep the little girl safe from whatever crazed stalker had targeted Sienna.

No way was she going there. Yet the fact that Josh had found her here in White Gull Bay, Wisconsin, so quickly was concerning.

She needed to do something. She’d returned to her hometown to kick off her solo Christian singing tour, Sienna! And while Josh could easily discover she was in the Milwaukee area, he should not have been able to find her rental home.

Pressing her hands on the counter, she stared down at the envelope. Then she quickly ripped it open. The words were written just like the last ones.

I’m coming for you.

Suppressing a shiver, she shoved the note away. Earlier today at rehearsal, she’d considered calling her brother’s best friend, Zeke Hawthorne. If Luke were still alive, he’d have moved heaven and earth to protect her and Bailey.

But Luke had died during a military training mission eighteen months ago. Bailey had been six months old at the time, and Sienna had already started divorce proceedings against Josh after the third time he’d struck her in the face in a fit of anger. The only good thing about being physically abused by her now ex-husband was that she’d been granted sole custody of Bailey.

For now. Unfortunately, Josh was now fighting against that ruling in court. Thanks to his parents’ wealth, he had been able to secure one of the best family law attorneys in the state of California. He’d buried her in legal proceedings until she’d wanted to scream.

She knew Zeke was a cop, as he’d mentioned working on some sort of tactical team when they’d briefly chatted at Luke’s funeral. It was almost as if she could hear her brother in the back of her mind telling her to call Zeke. To get support from someone within law enforcement to fight back at Josh.

“Sienna?” Taylor’s voice brought her out of her reverie. “You shouldn’t wait until something bad happens. You need to call the police sooner than later.”

Taylor had a right to be concerned. Her job as Sienna’s live-in nanny meant she was at risk of being hurt by Josh too.

“You’re right.” She blew out a breath and pulled out her phone. She and Zeke had exchanged contact information at Luke’s funeral, so she quickly found his name and made the call before she could talk herself out of it.

“Sienna? What’s up?” Hearing Zeke’s voice in her ear nearly brought tears of relief to her eyes.

“Hi, Zeke, I, um, hate to bother you, but would you have time to stop by? I’m renting a place in White Gull Bay.” When he didn’t immediately respond, she quickly added, “If you’re too busy, I understand. I know this is rather unexpected. If tonight’s not good, we can meet up tomorrow or some other day.”

“I’m not busy, Sienna. Just surprised to hear from you. I can be there in fifteen minutes, if that works?”

“Perfect, thanks. See you soon.” She lowered her phone, hoping she hadn’t caught Zeke at a bad time. It had been eighteen months since she’d seen him, and he was likely dating someone or could even be engaged by now. Not married, as she felt certain he would have invited her to the wedding.

Wouldn’t he?

“I thought you were calling the police?” Taylor asked with a frown.

“Zeke’s an old family friend and a cop.” A wailing cry came from the nanny cam speaker, so she brushed past Taylor to check on her daughter. Bailey was usually a good sleeper even despite the frequent trips from one city to the next.

“Mama.” Bailey rubbed her eyes, then lifted her arms. Sienna didn’t hesitate to pick her daughter up, cuddling her close. Closing her eyes, she prayed God would keep her daughter safe.

Especially from Josh.

She lowered herself into the rocking chair, holding her daughter while willing her to go back to sleep. After ten minutes, Taylor poked her head into the room. “Sienna?” Her voice was a whisper. “I think your cop friend is here.”

“Thanks.” Moving gingerly, she rose and set Bailey in the portable crib. Thankfully, the little girl didn’t wake up. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

“I’ll let you talk to him alone,” Taylor said. “And I’ll listen for Bailey too.”

“I appreciate that.” Sienna headed to the front door of the rental, opening it just as Zeke was about to ring the bell. “Hi, Zeke. Please come in.”

“Sienna.” His broad smile eased her worry. He looked freshly showered, the faint hint of aftershave clinging to his skin. He gave her a one-armed brotherly hug and kissed her cheek. “How are you?”

“Great.” She forced a smile, feeling guilty for reaching out because she needed his help. When he arched a brow, she added, “Okay, I could be better. Please have a seat. Would you like a soft drink?”

“No thanks.” His gaze was serious now, and he didn’t sit on the sofa until she’d dropped into the closest chair. “I get the sense something is wrong.”

There was no point in pretending there wasn’t. “I hope I didn’t interrupt your evening plans.”

“You didn’t. I was just finishing up at the gym.” Zeke leaned forward, pinning her with a direct gaze. “What’s going on, Sienna?”

She hesitated, then stood and quickly grabbed the envelope and note from the counter. Bringing it back to the living room, she handed it to him. “I’m in town for a week and am planning to kick off my first solo tour this weekend.” She grimaced. “I came home from rehearsal tonight to find this propped against the front door.”

His scowl deepened as he read the note. Then he looked up at her. “Who sent it?”

“I believe my ex-husband is responsible.” She twisted her fingers together. “That’s not the first note I’ve received, and I suspect it won’t be the last. My biggest concern is how Josh found me so soon. Bailey and I just arrived yesterday.”

Zeke scowled, setting the note and envelope aside. “Maybe you should start at the beginning.”

“You probably remember I filed for divorce from Josh,” she said. “I told you about that at Luke’s funeral. What I didn’t mention was the reason I left was because he began to physically abuse me. I had to wait until he struck me hard enough to leave a bruise, then I took pictures and went to the police. Thanks to the evidence of abuse, I was granted sole custody of Bailey.”

“He hit you?” Zeke’s expression turned to stone. “You should have told me that right away.”

She sighed. “It’s not an easy thing to discuss. Besides, that’s not the issue anymore. Josh has a new lawyer and is fighting for joint custody. These threats are his way of paying me back for breaking up our singing duo. After I went solo, I switched to Christian music, which ironically has skyrocketed my career.” She’d learned so much about God and faith in the past year. And she was humbled by the gifts God had graced her with.

“That’s wonderful news,” Zeke said, and she could tell he was truly pleased for her. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, but God is the one who granted me this gift. And I’m still very afraid of what Josh will do.” She bit her lip, then forced herself to continue. “My ex is a manipulative narcissist. I never should have married him, but that’s what I get for being young, foolish, and na?ve. The point is, he’s not one to take my success over his failure lightly.”

“I see.” Zeke nodded slowly. “We need to call the police to get this note on record.”

“No.” She rose and began to pace, trying to find a way to make him understand. “Josh wants me to call the police. He wants the entire world to know I’m in danger from some strange stalker. I guarantee that he’ll have an alibi for the time frame in question and will act all innocent and concerned, as if he still cares about me.”

“But, Sienna . . .”

“No, this is exactly how he operates. This is all part of his master plan.” She whirled to face Zeke. “He’ll use the perceived danger as an excuse to take Bailey.” She used air quotes. “‘To keep her safe.’”

Zeke stared at her for a long moment. “Okay, I can understand why you won’t want this information to get out in the press, but I have connections within the Milwaukee Police Department. We can investigate this under the radar.”

She frowned. “Maybe. But that will only last while I’m here in town, right? My next show is in Chicago. And I’m headed to Louisville after that.”

“I see your point.” His gaze turned thoughtful. “But that just means we need to find and nail this guy while you’re here.” Zeke glanced around the rental. “I’ll start by sleeping on the sofa.”

“What about your girlfriend?” she asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

“No girlfriend or fiancée or any one special.” He gestured to the envelope and note. “We might want to see if we can lift prints off this.”

“Don’t bother.” She was secretly thrilled to know Zeke wasn’t involved with anyone. Not that she was interested in a personal relationship. One bad marriage was more than enough to last her a lifetime. Still, it was nice to know she wasn’t intruding too badly on Zeke’s personal life. “I had a private investigator do that on the first note about a month ago. There was nothing to find.”

“We’ll try again anyway,” he persisted.

“Only as long as there isn’t an official police report that can be used against me.” She would not give in on that point. “Seriously, Zeke, I don’t want anyone other than you and my nanny, Taylor, to know about this.” From this point on, she would not even keep her manager, Dirk Green, in the loop.

“Okay, but my sticking close is bound to raise some suspicions,” Zeke pointed out.

That was true. And it was also one of the reasons she was so glad he wasn’t involved in a personal relationship. “I know this is asking a lot, but would you consider pretending to be my fiancé? That way, you can be here and backstage without raising suspicion.”

Zeke stared at her for a long moment before offering a crooked smile. “I’d be honored.”

“Thank you.” Tears pricked her eyes, and she turned to quickly brush them away. Oh, she knew Zeke was only doing this because he was Luke’s best friend. But she was grateful for his support anyway.

She silently prayed they could get to the bottom of this soon. Before she had to face Josh and his high-priced lawyer in court. The mere idea of being forced to hand her precious little girl over to Josh made her sick.

She vowed to do everything in her power to prevent that.

Zeke hated knowing his best friend’s sister feared for her life and that of her little girl. It made him furious to think about Sienna being physically abused by her ex, and he was determined to make sure the guy didn’t get anywhere near her. Or their daughter.

He planned to stick to her like glue. Thankfully, he had his duffel in his SUV, a replacement for the truck that had gotten shot up a few weeks ago. He’d walk the property tonight to see what he was dealing with.

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 fewer 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 he 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. He and the rest of his teammates had gotten in 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 long, 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. It was Monday night, so that was three and a half days from now. “And don’t worry about my job. I have plenty of vacation time coming. I’m sure 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.