Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Sienna sighed, lowering her head and rubbing the back of her neck absently. But her head lifted when someone sat down in the booth across from her, and shock ricocheted down her spine. Shock and an odd internal stillness, just underneath the surprise. You knew, didn’t you? Somewhere deep inside, you’ve known this was inevitable. She’d felt it like the far-off approach of a train—the horizon empty but the ground trembling faintly beneath her feet. He’d been approaching. All these long years, their collision had somehow been destined.
“Gavin,” she said and was proud of herself for the steadiness of her voice.
“Sienna.” They stared, two strangers who’d once been soul mates. And she’d believed, truly believed in her heart of hearts, that soul mate was not a temporary status.
“I turned on the news,” he said softly. “And there you were.”
As if she’d been unfindable for the last decade. She looked away. The couple at the bar was gathering their things, leaving together. She brought her gaze back to his and cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?” She swirled her finger in the air, indicating the bar they were sitting in. She didn’t explain anything about her return to Reno. She owed him nothing.
He squinted off behind her, and she took a moment to study him more closely, her eyes doing a quick sweep of his features. He looked older, yes, but he was one of those men who got better with age. Of course he was.
She’d looked him up once a few years ago after several glasses of wine. She’d wanted to prove to herself that she was over him, once and for all. It’d hurt, but she’d survived. He hadn’t been directly in front of her, though, nor in the flesh. She hadn’t been able to see the texture of his skin or smell the woodsy scent of his cologne. This was . . . harder. And he still hadn’t answered her question.
She’d opened her mouth to ask again when he said, “I went to the station to see you. I saw you leave and followed you here.” He gave her a small, lopsided smile that reminded her of the boy he’d been. But that was also the boy who’d hurt her so profoundly. “I’ve been sitting outside in my car, talking myself out of coming in here,” he admitted.
She did not smile back, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. “I see you were unsuccessful.”
He let out a small chuckle but then went serious. “What are you doing back in Reno, Sienna?”
She shrugged. “I was offered a job.”
He studied her for a few seconds. “That can’t be all there is to it.”
“It isn’t, but it’s also none of your business.”
Something flickered in his expression, but she was too wound up by his unexpected presence to read it. “You’re still angry at me.”
A blast of indignation shot through her veins, and she leaned forward. “I’m not angry with you, Gavin. Why would I be? I don’t know you. My life and my present circumstances are simply none of your concern.”
He looked at her for a few heavy beats, and then a slow smile spread across his face.
Her brow dipped. “What’s funny?”
“You’re angry with me.”
Sienna exhaled, sitting back and popping a cold fry into her mouth just to give herself something to do. Her jaw didn’t want to work, and she practically swallowed it whole. The asshole liked her anger—it probably fed his ego—and so she’d take it away. “What do you want? A reunion?” she asked after she’d forced the fry down her throat, barely managing not to choke.
“Maybe.” He paused. “But first, tell me about the cards.”
“The cards?”
“The ones from your case. The woman who was murdered last night.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose anything to you about a murder still under investigation.”
“You—or someone from the Reno PD—were probably going to question me anyway if you didn’t come up with any leads to those cards, so why don’t you do it now and tell me a little about them.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m assuming the manager at the gift shop told you we’d stopped by earlier today.”
“Your mind works quickly.” He smiled again. “It always did.”
She let out a slow breath, but her burst of anger had faded. Maybe he was right. Now that he was sitting in front of her, why not use the opportunity to question him about the cards? They’d planned to potentially do that anyway, so in essence, she’d already been granted permission. “Fine. We found several cards at the crime scene. We were later told that the design on the backs of those cards was originally inspired by a tattoo you were well known for during your poker days.”
He paused a moment and then turned his arm over, pulling up his shirtsleeve to reveal the art on his inner wrist. Her stomach dropped even though she’d had a good idea what it looked like based on the card design. What hadn’t been on the cards was the slip of lake behind the swans, the tree placement she knew well. She met his eyes. “When did you have that done?”