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  Once he left—and she knew he would eventually—she’d check on Ella every day. Make sure the older woman had everything she needed.

  She owed Rams that much and more.

  After the service Sloane made a point of speaking with Ella and Gresham when he wasn’t around. That took some serious maneuvering as he rarely left his mother’s side. Sloane watched Ella with her family throughout the service and graveside dedication. The bonds in that family were so strong that once again Sloane envied Gresham and his siblings.

  She’d had no such closeness with the couple who had adopted her as an infant. They’d focused on providing her with an excellent education and a good home in a nice neighborhood, but they’d felt that emotional ties meant unnecessary bonds between them and the child they’d felt obligated to take on in the first place.

  That had left a lasting impression on the anxious child Sloane had been.

  What would it be like to be at the center of such a loving family?

  She studied Ella and her daughter. Aderyn, the youngest of the Royle children, was tall and blonde, while her mother was short and blonde. An agronomist or something like that? Rams had been so proud of his only daughter Sloane had envied the younger woman she’d only met once or twice. Aderyn worked out of the University of Evansville studying the farms and soils of the region. Sloane wasn’t entirely certain what that entailed, but she knew that Aderyn had spent a good portion of her time alone or on site. Rams had worried about her safety.

  No one had worried about Sloane in a long time.

  Aderyn was dwarfed by her tall, strong, dark brothers. The four men were so much alike physically that had Sloane not known Gresham and Garrett—Lofton’s sheriff—she could easily have gotten confused. And Holden. She knew him, now. That left the one brother, the veterinarian, Leith. They were dressed in somber, dark suits, but that didn’t disguise the power that each man possessed. They were tall, strong, rugged, and fit.

  Any other woman would have found all of them attractive. But not Sloane; she’d gotten her fill of strong attractive men long ago. Gresham and Garrett were extremely nice men, though. Gresham, especially. She’d spent some time with him, both on his parents’ property and in the capacity of physician.

  Gresham’s youngest son, Cade, had high functioning autism, and she’d been the one to recommend further evaluation when the boy was two. Gresham was a single father—his wife had left three years ago—and he’d been filled with questions on what to do for his son. Sloane had answered his questions to the best of her ability, then referred the family to a specialist in Evansville for more extensive treatment. Cade was thriving now, at the age of four, and with the help of speech therapy was beginning to talk.

  Her gaze took in Ella again, noting how frail she appeared. Ella was the one Sloane had worried about. She was diabetic, and though she tried to keep on top of her insulin numbers, Sloane had suspected the woman’s condition was worsening as she approached sixty. Her son hovered at her side, helping her over the uneven ground between the graveside and the parked cars. Holden.

  Sloane didn’t know what to think about him. He looked up and his gaze landed on her. Sloane drew in a tight breath, unable to look away.

  What was it about his eyes?

  ***

  He didn’t know why his attention landed on Dr. McLean, but it was her sympathetic expression that stood out among a sea of people he’d once known. Was it because she was one of the few people he hadn’t met before?

  He kept one arm around his mother’s waist, leading her back to the sedan. She’d said very little during the funeral service, just kept staring at his father’s casket. He knew she didn’t believe it was real, that it had happened. When would it hit her?

  His mother had always been strong, emotionally—probably stronger than his father—but his father had been the largest part of her world since she was twenty years old. How was she going to cope without him?

  Gresham and Garrett still lived in Lofton—Gresham within easy walking distance. But was it fair to burden either of his brothers with the care of their mother? Gresham had a full plate as it was, raising his two boys alone. And with Cade’s special needs...

  Garrett was one of the busiest men Holden had ever seen—probably due to the town only having him and two deputies to police the entire eighty something square miles of county. It was the smallest county in the state, but still, three people meant that they were working long hours with little off time in between. Garrett couldn’t add taking care of a grieving parent to his handful.

  He certainly couldn’t add caring for the largest farm in the county to his plate. And neither could Gresham, or Leith. Definitely not Aderyn. She was too busy driving all over the state to various farms and agricultural businesses for her job.

  Should they sell the farm? Would the rest of the family agree to it?

  What in the hell were they all going to do now?

  Now

  Available from EsKape Press!

  AND

  Elaina Lee

  Written In Blood

  Lyndi Crisdean is assigned one of the hardest cases in her career as a defense attorney. A serial murder case. Investigating is Alek Trevian, the lead investigator for the district attorney. A handsome and supremely dangerous man. Lyndi finds herself in over her head when she chooses desire for Alek over common sense. If they’re caught, Lyndi will lose everything she’s worked for. Circumstances beyond her control pull her toward Alek, for he turns out to be the only one who can help when threats start to mount against her.

  Lyndi may be the key Alek needs to bring down a murderous cult running loose in the city. When her beach house is broken into and a man begins to stalk Lyndi, Alek can’t help but reason Lyndi may be next on the cult’s hit list. The question is, will he discover the identity of the cult, keep her safe, and still win the case against the serial killer she’s defending, all while losing a battle against the strong, untamable desire she alone ignites within him?

  Chapter One

  A strong curl of anxiety bunched in Lyndi Crisdean’s stomach. Three days wasn’t long enough to recover from what she’d done. Yet, the choice was out of her control. Either she returned to work today, or she turned in her resignation. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the button to her law firm’s floor. Defense attorneys didn’t get the luxury of guilt.

  Sweeping her long locks away from her face, she clipped the strands back with a gold chain barrette. After touching up her lipstick, making sure she looked presentable and put together, she waited for the elevator doors to open. The elderly man waiting for her once she stepped out made her freeze. What was Chris doing waiting for her?

  Her ex-father-in-law warmly assessed her with intelligent blue eyes, and the wrinkles on his cheeks deepened with a smile. He held his arm out to her.

  Lyndi accepted his offer of an escort without hesitation. “Good morning, Mr. Jarlin,” she said teasingly. “What brings the founding father of Jarlin and Crimms here today?”

  Chris patted her hand. “Just wanted to show my support. So, are you ready to face the wolves?”

  She laughed and pulled her hand free. “The wolves you hired?”

  “I consider you among their ranks.”

  “But yet I’m not among them.” Lyndi hid her disappointment with a smile.

  He patted her shoulder and stopped before the boardroom doors. “Your time is coming, my dear. Becoming partner isn’t a choice to be made lightly, by the firm or yourself.”

  One of those prove yourself moments was seconds from happening. How she handled this morning’s meeting would put a point for or against her. Since becoming partner was a goal only months away, she wouldn’t allow anything they said or did to faze her today. Chris being present to make sure she was ready to handle the other partners gave her further strength.

  “You keep showing your favor and I’m going to be in trouble,” she joked.

  “Can’t be avoided; you are, after all, family, and family always
creates exceptions to the rules.”

  Discomfort made Lyndi shift her shoulders faintly, but she met Chris’ stare as she said, “We’re no longer family.”

  His gaze softened; his knuckle graced her jaw gently. “You divorced my son, not me. I had no say in the matter, so don’t punish me for his mistakes.”

  That very son was one of the partners waiting behind the closed mahogany doors. The close relationship she had with Chris was one of the main reasons she decided to stay on at the firm after the divorce from Rick. Though the separation wasn’t messy, Lyndi often questioned her decision to continue working with her unfaithful ex. However, she’d worked too hard to let Rick’s asshole behavior ruin her career.

  Chris released his hold on her. Taking a deep breath to quell the nerves dancing in her stomach, she opened the boardroom door. She’d take what they threw at her with grace and professionalism. Because of her first request for time off after the hardest case of her career, she had to prove she could handle a partnership under any stressful situation in her life. Relaxing her face and shoulders, she removed any trace of emotion from her body and walked inside.

  ~~~~

  Lyndi sat down, clutching the folders they’d given her at the meeting, and tried to calm her racing heart. Trying to gather her bearings, she searched for the smallest heap to place the new cases on. Stacks of papers and legal folders crowded the polished, cherry wood surface. Just enough free space allowed her overbooked desk calendar to peek through. Later, she’d sort through and prioritize the cases again.

  Their message had been clear. Any more personal interferences and she could kiss her partnership goodbye. They needed to know they could rely on her to perform her job under any circumstances. Due to the press coverage, they’d been willing to give her time off until the media spotlight on her — and the animal she’d represented — died down. After a bit, it had, and the media no longer cared about whom Lyndi had allowed to walk free. She just wished she felt the same way.

  “My father thinks you may have too big of a heart for this career. I told him I know better,” Rick said.

  Lyndi jumped, shocked out of her reverie. She hadn’t seen or heard Rick enter, too wrapped up in dismal thoughts.

  “Your father is a sweet man to worry about me,” she stated, ignoring the rest of his words and the implication behind them.

  Rick sighed again. The sound of his fingernails nervously scratching along his wool pants tickled in her ear. “I worry about you, too. If you’d just let me—”

  Discomfort welled in the pit of her stomach, but she managed not to fidget. “That chance has come and gone; we’re nothing more than colleagues now. Unless you have something job-related to discuss with me, you need to leave.”

  “The cases we gave you today, are you going to be able to handle them?”

  Lyndi snapped her head in his direction and glared up at him. “I am not even going to justify that question with an answer.”

  He held his hands up and gave her a crooked grin. “Glad to hear, because on this one,” he said, leaning back slightly and picking up one of the folders, “you don’t really have a choice. He requested you personally.”

  Although she itched to snatch the folder from his hand, she gently slipped it free of his grasp and opened the front flap. “Blaine Ryland, indicted on the murder of Claire Owens and possibly...” Her voice died as she narrowed her eyes on the black print. “A serial killer?”

  A deep chuckle drew her attention to him again as he stood. “Come on, Lyndi, you’re not nervous, are you? After all, this won’t be the first serial killer you’ve handled. All part of your illustrious career.” He rapped his knuckles against her desk and then gave a wink. “You know, the career you want us to pay close attention to.”

  Before she could reply, the door opened without warning. Young and beautiful, Allison Danvers walked into Lyndi’s office as though the room belonged to her. Cheeks tinged bright pink, she flashed her deep blue eyes in Rick’s direction.

  “You have an important call you’ll want to take in your office,” Allison stated, her voice calm and controlled, though Lyndi noted her fisted hands.

  Allison didn’t give Rick the opportunity to respond. She turned on her black, four-inch heels and walked out the door.

  Lyndi raised a brow and slowly closed the file. “You’d better follow the princess before she makes a bigger fuss. I’m sure she’ll give you an earful for being alone with me as it is.”

  “I’m your boss—”

  “For the time being,” she said, giving him a smile as she set the file down.

  He inclined his head in compromise. “Allison doesn’t have any grounds to stand on about my being alone with you.”

  Lyndi couldn’t hold back a soft chuckle. “Except I’m your ex-wife, and she’s the woman you left me for. Other than that, no, absolutely no grounds.”

  At the doorway, he paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Go get a drink; you could use one.”

  A sharp response rose in her throat, but she held back the retort. For once, he was right; she did need a drink. She held down the intercom button on the phone to contact her assistant. “Wes?”

  “Yes?”

  “Did they give you the information on my new cases?”

  After some rustling, he answered, “Yes.”

  “Organize and prioritize with the others, please, and have everything ready for me by tomorrow afternoon, including the cases already stacked on my desk. Thank you.”

  Before she could disconnect the call, Wes’s frantic, “Wait,” stopped her.

  “What?”

  An audible swallow crackled over the line, and Lyndi impatiently tapped her fingers beside the phone.

  “Do you know who’s investigating the Ryland case?” he asked.

  Lyndi glanced at the files. “The serial killer case?”

  “Yes,” Wes answered.

  “Why does it matter? We deal with the investigators for the prosecution all the time. Part of the job.”

  “Because, you’ve never had to worry about this particular investigator,” Wes said, his voice wavering slightly.

  Lyndi sighed and glanced at the clock to her right. “I was on my way out, Wes; we can talk about this tomorrow—”

  “It’s Alek Trevian,” he blurted out. “And that’s not all... Adam Reale is prosecuting.”

  Heat flooded her cheeks and her heart hammered. For a good two seconds, she couldn’t find her voice. The best investigator for the DA and the Assistant District Attorney were working the case against her. Maybe Wes had his information wrong, at least about Alek Trevian. “How do you know that? The arrest, from what I read, occurred less than a week ago. All the evidence is from the state; how do you know who’s investigating already?”

  “I’m staring at his signature on the visitors’ log to see Ryland.”

  Lyndi wanted to voice a handful of other reasons the detective’s name might be on that log, but her gut told her they were all wrong. Why else would Trevian see Ryland if he wasn’t there to question him? Damn, she needed a drink worse now than before. Handling a serial killer was bad enough; having to take on the case with the best investigator in the state working against her was a nightmare. For the first time in her young career, Lyndi began to doubt her abilities to manage what fate — and the partners — had thrown her way. With nothing more to say, she thanked Wes, released the intercom button, and straightened. Deep in thought, she shrugged into her suit jacket.

  She slung her purse over her shoulder and contemplated the new development. Glancing down, she caught a glimpse of the white and gold box peeking through the unzipped opening. Her heart raced with the thought of a nicotine rush. Take just one sinful puff, that’s all. One drag wouldn’t be breaking a promise to herself, would it? Nicotine and alcohol, an unbeatable combination to tackle a stressful day. Of all the issues she’d thought she would have to deal with, battling against Alek Trevian wasn’t one she’d considered. Sighing, she turned off the lig
hts to her office and closed her door.

  A handful of people remained in the quiet office, including the other partners. Only half the fluorescent lights were on, glaring off the windows to the darkening city twenty-five stories below. Lyndi used her hip to open the doors on the way to the elevator. The elevator seemed to take longer to get to her than usual, but then again, she couldn’t wait to leave. Lyndi stepped on and pushed the lobby button.

  Before the elevator arrived on the first floor, her cell rang. She pulled it out, checked the ID, and almost shoved it back into her bag. Not now, she thought with a groan. Of all the times and days for her biggest mistake to call, he chose this one. Of course he did; that was his style and her luck.

  After taking a deep, calming breath, she slid the phone open. “What do you want, Paul?”

  Silence.

  “Paul?”

  “I need money,” he said so quickly she almost didn’t catch it.

  She ground her teeth and fisted her hand. “I told you, I’m done giving you money; I’ve been done giving you money for years.”

  “Look, you have it, I know you do, and I owe these guys… My work didn’t sell for what I thought it would, and I just need a little. Come on, give it to me. We can meet somewhere, tonight, you pick.”

  “No.”

  “Fuck, Lyndi, please!”

  The desperation in his voice forced a reminder of the last time she’d denied him. He’d keyed her car and threw a brick in the back window with a note that read: Should have given me the money, bitch. However, she hadn’t given in then, what made him think she’d do so tonight?