Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Gunfire! Sienna huddled in the front passenger seat, sliding from one side to the other as Zeke zipped through the streets. Her mind grappled with this new threat. She’d never been exposed to this level of violence before. Guns and bullets were far different from anonymous threatening notes. Even the brick being lobbed through the window of the rental house hadn’t been intended to kill her.
What had changed? And how had this car found them? Did the driver know Taylor and Bailey were back at the hotel? Flynn was there to guard them, but she didn’t want her baby girl anywhere near the wrong end of a gun.
Closing her eyes, she prayed. Lord Jesus, keep Bailey and Taylor safe in Your care! Guide us to safety!
Zeke continued driving erratically, but she was thankful not to hear more gunfire. Had they lost him? How long would it take for the police to arrive?
She didn’t want to get the authorities involved, but this recent event may leave them no choice. Lifting her head, she turned to look through the back window.
“I lost him,” Zeke said, answering her unspoken question. “But we need to get a different vehicle. This is my fault. I should have swapped rides. My SUV was parked in the driveway of the rental property all night.”
“You really think the guy who threw the brick saw your car and then found us by tracking your vehicle?”
“Yeah, I do. How else?” He shot her a quick look, before turning back to the road. “If your ex has unlimited funds, he could be paying someone, either a private investigator or a retired cop with no scruples, to track you down.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past him,” she said in a low voice. “Josh is a terrible person. Yet shooting at us is a far cry from leaving notes.”
“Maybe he’s sick of playing around.” Zeke’s grim expression appeared carved in stone. “If so, he’s bound to make mistakes. For now, I’m heading to Brookland. There’s a car rental place there we can use to obtain a clean vehicle.”
“I can pay for that,” she quickly offered. “After all, this is my problem, not yours.” She was beginning to feel guilty for dragging Zeke into this. This was a lousy way to pay him back for being Luke’s best friend.
“Nope, we’re not paying for anything under your name,” he said. “Besides, believe it or not, we can use my boss’s account to pay for the rental car. It’s not the first time we’ve been in this situation.”
That didn’t make much sense to her, but she nodded. “Okay, but once this is over, I will reimburse you and your boss.”
He gave a noncommittal shrug. But when she pulled out her phone, he stopped her. “No, you can’t use that device.”
“I need to check on Taylor and Bailey.” She scowled. “I can’t just sit here and assume everything is fine.”
“Flynn has my number. He’d call if something happened.” When she simply glared at him, he added, “As soon as we get the new car, you can call him from my phone. But consider this, Sienna. If your ex is tracking your phone, a call to your nanny could lead him directly to them.”
That gave her pause. “Fine. I’ll borrow your phone once we’re in a new vehicle.”
“Thank you.” To her surprise, he reached over to gently squeeze her hand. She clung to it, wishing she didn’t have to let him go. “I know how to stay off the radar. I need you to trust me on this, okay?”
“Okay.” She might not like it giving up control, but she trusted Zeke. More than she trusted anyone else. Even back when they were younger, Zeke had been an honorable guy. He and Luke had joined the military together, but Zeke had returned home after his first tour of duty to help take care of his mother who was battling stomach cancer. That was just the kind of man he was, putting others first.
The exact opposite of what she’d experienced with her ex-husband. How could she have been so stupid to marry Josh Allenton? Having a great voice didn’t mean squat if the man was evil and manipulative.
She reminded herself there was no point in ruminating over her mistakes, of which there had been many. She was a different person now. One who’d welcomed God and Jesus into her life.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Zeke said, sensing her inner turmoil. “I have a plan.”
“I love a good plan.” She strove to keep her voice light.
He smiled, then took the Brookland exit. She was somewhat familiar with that suburb as she and Luke had grown up in Greenland, which was only a few miles away.
So had Zeke. Looking at him now, she was even more impressed with the man he’d become.
She missed her brother. Their parents had split up, each getting remarried and having new, blended families. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about them, her parents were nice people, but over time, they’d drifted away. She and Luke had remained close. And it was telling that Luke hadn’t much cared for Josh.
If only she’d listened to her older brother’s warnings. But she hadn’t. And despite how awful her current situation was, she would be forever grateful for Bailey.
Obtaining the rental car didn’t take long. Their replacement SUV was a different make and model from Zeke’s but still had plenty of room. Once they were settled inside, Zeke took a moment to pair his phone with the car’s navigation system. As they left the rental facility, he hit the button to call Flynn.
“Yo, Zeke, what’s happening?”
She breathed a sigh of relief when it was clear Flynn didn’t sound concerned. “Hi, Flynn, it’s Sienna. I just wanted to check in.”
“Everything is great,” Flynn assured her. “Taylor is in the bedroom putting Bailey down for a nap. Do you want me to have her call you?”
“No, that’s fine.” She glanced at Zeke, wondering how much he wanted to say.
“Flynn, we picked up a tail about ten minutes after leaving the hotel,” Zeke said, taking over the call. “There were two people in the car; the shots came from the passenger side. Thankfully, we were able to shake them off. The shooter wasn’t well trained; we weren’t hit. And we just picked up a clean ride.”
“Do you want me to move Taylor and Bailey to a new location?” Flynn asked, all hint of humor vanishing from his tone.
“Not yet,” Zeke said. “I think they must have tagged my vehicle once we were on the move. But I need you to stay sharp. If you see anything unusual, don’t hesitate to get them out of there.”
“Will do.”
“Thanks, Flynn.” Zeke ended the call, then glanced at her. “Feeling better?”
“Sort of.” She sighed. “I believe Flynn will keep Taylor and Bailey safe. But I’m still upset we were found. Especially since we’re not closer to nailing Josh for being the mastermind behind this.”
“I’m with you on that.” He gestured to the windshield. “We’ll stop and pick up new phones at that store up ahead.”
“Okay.” Zeke was right to take things one step at a time. For the first time since they’d been fired upon, she relaxed.
Much like their visit to the rental car agency, Zeke knew exactly what he wanted in a disposable phone. She’d never used one before, but he was more than familiar with the various models. In addition to the phones, he picked up a laptop computer.
“Okay, we’ll get these up and running soon,” Zeke said when they were once more settled in the rental car. “We have one more stop to make before we head back.”
“You’re in charge.” She glanced at their recent purchase, rather liking the idea of having an unknown phone number. Obviously, she couldn’t hide from Dirk or the production crew at the music hall venue forever, but it was nice to be out of reach for a short while.
Then she frowned as Zeke headed to Greenland. “Where are we going? Is this a walk down memory lane?”
“Not exactly.” He looked a bit flustered as he took the next corner. “I have to pick up something from my place. It shouldn’t take but a moment.”
“Okay.” She eyed the neighborhood with interest. “It looks different from what I remember.”
“Lots of remodeling happening in these older and well-established neighborhoods,” he said with a shrug. “I updated my mother’s house too.”
Her jaw dropped when he pulled into the driveway of his childhood home. “Wow, it looks completely different.”
“Yes.” He shut down the car engine. “Come inside. Like I said, this will only take a minute.”
She followed him up to the back door of the house, looking around with frank curiosity as they entered. He was right, the small home had been completely renovated. There was no longer a wall separating the living room from the kitchen, and the staircase leading to the second floor had been opened up as well.
“You did a fantastic job, Zeke,” she said with admiration. “I never would have recognized the place.”
“I’ll be right back.” He disappeared down the hall, returning in less than three minutes holding a small ring.
An engagement ring?
“What . . . who . . . ?” She couldn’t finish.
“It belonged to my mom. She and my dad loved each other for thirty years. As you know, my dad died first, then my mom passed a few years later.” He held the diamond ring up. “If we’re going to convince people we’re engaged, you need to wear a ring. Although this may need to be resized.”
She put her hands behind her back. “I can’t wear your mother’s ring. It’s not right.”
He gave her a quizzical look. “Why not? I can buy one if you’d rather, but I’m not sure how that’s any different.”
“No, of course, I don’t want you to buy one.” She obviously hadn’t thought this through. Of course, she’d need to wear an engagement ring. Better that she borrow one, even though it felt wrong to wear something that belonged to his mother. “Okay, I’ll borrow the ring for the week.” She held up her hand. “Let’s see if it fits.”
Once again, Zeke surprised her by taking her left hand in his and gently slipping the diamond ring on the fourth finger. It fit perfectly.
For a long moment, she could only stare at the modest diamond ring on her hand. Then she cleared her throat. “It fits. Thank you.”
“Anytime.” His voice was low and husky, as if it shocked him to see the ring on her hand too.
For a fake engagement, this arrangement was beginning to feel all too real.
His mother would have been thrilled, Zeke thought as he took a step back from Sienna. She’d told him to give the ring to the girl he loved. And he had.
Only Sienna didn’t know it.
That was his problem, not hers. Besides, he didn’t know her the way he used to. They were different people now.
Not to mention, she didn’t live in Wisconsin any longer. Los Angeles would be the last city on the planet he’d choose to live. This was nothing more than a temporary arrangement.
“Okay, we need to hit the road.” He forced himself to turn away, lest his expression betray his true feelings.
“Of course. I’m anxious to get back to Bailey.” Sienna quickly followed him outside.
Once they were heading back downtown, he asked, “I’ll need to look at the setup of the music venue prior to your first performance.”
“Sure, we can do that anytime. There aren’t any other shows scheduled this week.” She frowned. “But I can’t change the location or anything like that. I must honor the contract I signed.”
“I understand, but there are probably security measures we can put in place.” He was tempted to call additional members of the tactical team to help scope the place out. “I need to know what we’re dealing with.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” She hesitated, then added, “But I’d really like to check on Bailey first.”
“We can.” He could understand her need to see the little girl. “Although if she’s napping, we may want to head straight there. She won’t miss you if she’s asleep.”
“You’re right.” She blew out a breath. “I’m being foolish. There’s no reason to rush back to the hotel. We may as well stop at the music hall now while we’re out and about.”
“If you’re sure,” he said, eyeing her thoughtfully.
“Yes. It makes sense to do that now.” She shook her head. “You must think I’m an emotional wreck.”
“Nope. I think you’re a concerned mother,” he said. “And I can appreciate your desire to see Bailey for yourself.”
“Thank you, Zeke.” She took his hand, and he could feel the diamond ring on her finger. “I really owe you big time for helping me through this.”
“I’m more than willing to do my part,” he said. “But at some point you’ll need to run this past your lawyer. Maybe there are other ways to prove your ex isn’t fit to share custody of your daughter.”
“I already have my attorney working on it,” she said. “That’s how I know Josh has an alibi that proves he wasn’t anywhere near me when the first few notes were delivered.”
“Maybe the police then?” he asked.
“Tried that too.” She looked incredibly frustrated. “According to the detective I spoke with, the LA Police Department is up to their eyeballs in real crime. He also told me the notes aren’t threatening enough to rise to the level of a stalker.”
He could accept the part about the LA cops being up to their necks in real crime, but the notes absolutely fell into stalker-like activity. The vague threats were creepy.
Surprising that the LAPD hadn’t taken them seriously. He supposed that despite her new career as a Christian solo artist, Sienna wasn’t famous enough to force the issue.
None of that mattered now anyway, as the LAPD couldn’t do anything about events that had happened here in Milwaukee.
“I don’t like the fact that we don’t have the recent notes on record,” he said. They still had the brick in an evidence bag, though, and it was still on the floor between Sienna’s feet. “I’d like to ask my boss, Rhy, to keep track of these events and to process the evidence without making a formal report.”
She considered that for a long moment. “I guess we can do that, but I really don’t want the information to leak out to the media.”
“I hear you. We’ll keep everything under wraps for as long as possible.” He couldn’t guarantee complete anonymity, especially if they ended up in another situation where a gunman opened fire on them.
He decided to make a quick detour to the precinct. Better to hand off the brick now than wait for another incident. He wasn’t hopeful they’d lift any prints, but stranger things had happened.
“This isn’t the way to the Sinatra Music Center,” Sienna protested.
“We’ll get there soon.” He pointed to the brick. “After we drop that off.” As he spoke, they passed the billboard announcing her show: Sienna! Along with a picture of her singing. The dates and times of her shows were listed, along with the venue.
Information publicly available to anyone who wanted to do her harm.
Yeah, they definitely needed to check out the Sinatra Music Center.
He found a parking space at the front of the precinct. After grabbing the evidence bag with the brick, he slid out from behind the wheel. He escorted Sienna inside, glancing around in confusion when he noticed the place was mostly empty.
The lab was open, so he dropped the brick and note off, then poked his head into Rhy’s office. His boss was gone, as was Joe Kingsley, their second-in-command.
Only their tech guru, Gabe Melrose, was in his usual cubicle.
“What’s going on?” Zeke asked.
“They’re searching for an escaped behavior health patient,” Gabe explained. “Guess the guy hears voices and has already killed one person having somehow gotten a hold of a knife. He escaped from one of the local hospitals. Not Trinity Medical Center, but a different one.” Gabe smiled at Sienna. “Hi. I’m Gabe.”
“Sienna Reynolds. Nice to meet you.” Sienna returned his smile. “It’s great to meet the people Zeke works with.”
“Oh, yes. Uh, sorry, I should have introduced you.” Zeke belatedly realized he wasn’t acting like a newly engaged man. “Gabe, this is my fiancée, Sienna. Sienna, this is Gabe, the tech expert for our team. We couldn’t do our jobs without him.”
“You’re engaged! Wow, congrats!” Gabe accepted the news at face value. “I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”
“Don’t blame him, I asked Zeke to keep things quiet until now,” Sienna said. “Zeke and I grew up together in Greenland. In fact, he was my older brother’s closest friend.” She glanced around the mostly empty precinct. “I was so looking forward to meeting the others too.”
“Maybe you can stop by again,” Gabe said. Then he joked, “The way the team is getting engaged and married at the speed of light is a little worrisome for those of us who are still single.”
“Yeah, getting engaged and married seems to be contagious,” Zeke said with a smile. “We need to go. If you see Rhy or Joe, let them know I’ll be in touch later, likely from a strange phone number.”
“Why a different phone?” Gabe looked concerned. “Don’t tell me the two of you are in danger too?”
“We’re fine, really,” Sienna said. “Just taking some extra precautions.”
Gabe didn’t look as if he was buying that, so Zeke gave him a warning look to butt out. “See you later, Gabe.”
“It was nice meeting you,” Sienna added.
Zeke led the way back to the main entrance. As they headed outside, Sienna glanced over at him.
“I don’t know if any of your teammates would be interested, but I can probably get a bunch of complimentary tickets to the Sunday show. Friday and Saturday nights are already sold out, but Sunday has seats available.”
“They would love to attend if they’re able,” he said. “A few of them have kids, so they might need to arrange for a babysitter. And most of them are believers too.”
“Great.” She looked pleased. “I’m so glad to hear that. And providing free tickets is the least I can do.”
“Well, don’t call your manager or anyone about that yet,” he cautioned. “Not until we have the phone situation sorted out.”
“Oh.” Some of the pleasure faded from her eyes. “I almost forgot. I’ll wait until we’re about to leave the Sinatra Music Center to send a quick text. Dirk will be happy to make the arrangements.”
He wanted to argue, but using her phone at the venue was probably okay. Especially since she’d be spending plenty of time there this upcoming weekend.
Maybe he needed to meet with this Dirk guy face-to-face. Were there others involved too? Like a PR team?
He decided to add meeting those closest to her to the lists of tasks that needed to be completed prior to the first show. For now, he wanted to see what they were up against with the layout of the venue.
“You have to pay for parking on the street.” Her look was apologetic. “But this shouldn’t take too long.”
“It’s fine. I think there’s an app for that now.” In truth, he didn’t pay for parking very often because he was usually in a patrol car. As he circled the building looking for parking, he realized it was bigger than he’d anticipated. “How many seats does this theater hold?”
“Not that many, maybe twelve hundred or so?” She sat forward. “There’s a spot.”
“I see it.” Twelve hundred people. His blood ran cold just thinking about that many people watching him do anything, much less sing. “Better you than me,” he muttered half under his breath.
“Thankfully, I don’t get stage fright anymore,” Sienna said. “The Christian crowd is so much nicer than most. I feel blessed to share my talent with them.”
“That’s amazing.” She had come a long way from doing plays at high school. He pushed out of the rental SUV and then used his phone app to pay the parking fee.
“This way.” Sienna took him around to the back of the building. “There’s a key code to get inside. I insisted on being able to hold my rehearsals here.”
A horrible thought hit. “Do you have a whole band? People playing instruments? Backup singers?”
“No, I play a little piano or guitar as needed.” She unlocked the door and stepped inside.
He was ashamed to admit he hadn’t seen her perform since high school. And even then, he’d only gone because Luke asked him to. The back door led to a series of dressing rooms. Remembering her large suitcase, he had to smile. Compared to others, he was sure Sienna had packed light.
From there, they moved along the back of the stage amid lights and curtains. “Who manages these?”
“The stage crew.” When he groaned, she added, “They work for the theater, not me. I highly doubt we have to worry about them. They’ve seen far more famous performers.”
“Yeah, sure.” The more he saw, the less he liked the setup. At this rate, he’d need the entire tactical team to have the theater surrounded, and it would still be impossible to protect Sienna.
Yet he doubted the goal was to kill her. A murder would draw an intense investigation, one that almost always led to the people closest to her. Or those with an axe to grind. He didn’t think that Josh wanted to be in the crosshairs of an investigation, but he did want joint custody of their daughter.
He walked out on stage, scanning the rows of empty seats. Then he spotted the upper level. Easy to imagine Jina up there with her sniper rifle to keep an eye on things.
“Can we head up there?” He gestured to the location where he assumed lighting guys and other experts would be stationed during the show. “What’s it called?”
“Here they refer to it as the front catwalk. But I’m not sure how to get up there. Hang on.” Sienna crossed the stage, then ducked behind the curtain.
The stage was empty now, but he could easily imagine her standing there, singing her heart out.
“Zeke? Over here,” Sienna called.
He turned and headed toward her as a crack of gunfire rang out. He dove forward, tucking and rolling across the stage. The shooter had to be up in the front catwalk.
And the gunshot had missed him by less than an inch.