Page 5 of Deadly Lies

After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and centered myself in the room.

Ash, who was going through boxes of mail, eyed me. “You going to bust out in some yoga, too? We have a missing little girl. Probably not the best time to take a break.”

Ash was so fucking uptight. I understood the importance of the task on hand, but even so, working when I was distracted would not bring Sienna home faster. We needed time to think, to reflect, to analyze.

“I’m not taking a break. I’m calmly centering myself so I can try to understand all the pieces.”

Ash rolled her eyes. Man, I would’ve thought that fucking Mitch might have loosened her up, but I was dead wrong.

“What are you pondering, Mia? Do tell. Please don’t tell me this has something to do with your new age interests. If you even suggest that we consult a psychic or read some Tarot cards to find Sienna, I’m going to lose it.”

I grabbed a canteen from my purse and filled it with hot water from the filtration device on the sink. I perused the tea choices in the pantry. Normally I would go for something calming, like chamomile, but I was exhausted, and I had a long night of work in front of me, so I chose an Earl Grey blend. April was clearly not a tea connoisseur; she had no loose-leaf teas or infusers. I was lucky to find this Earl Grey pack, even if it had recently expired. My kettle began to whistle. I plopped my tea bag down in the canteen to steep. Maybe once I had a sip, I could finally try to make some sense out of everything.

“Ash, you really need to stop being so bitchy to me. I know you’ve had some issues, but we’re in this together. The focus is on Sienna. And you should be able to find a small bit of compassion toward me, especially since I just found out that my brother may have been lying to me.” I inhaled the tea, but it was still too hot to taste. “And, because you think there’s a possibility that I’m your sister.”

Ash stood up and walked over to me. She grabbed my shoulders. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m awful. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so so so stressed out about Sienna. I’ve been blaming myself for leaving Mitch alone with her. If only I had been there, maybe she wouldn’t be gone.”

“Don’t do that to yourself. This is not your fault. And Ash, it’s okay to let people in.” I was ready to practice what I preached. “Look, I never told you, but I loved you as Autumn. I cared about you. You brought me eye to eye with my son for the first time since he had been taken. I will always love you for that. Whether we are sisters or not, I want to try to be your friend. Let me in, Ash.”

Her bottom lip trembled, and for a second, I thought that she would burst into tears. But Ash was not one for getting emotional, so I checked my expectations.

“Thanks, Mia. I’ll try. Now, what did you see?”

I took a sip of tea and showed Ashley the picture. “This picture of April and her family. The thing is, she doesn’t look like any of them. Neither does her brother. I mean, she’s probably adopted so it’s not a big deal, but maybe her biological dad is the grandpa who took Sienna. It’s a huge hunch, but we need to look into it.”

Ash ripped the picture out of my hand.

“What?”

Ash’s hands shook as she traced the picture. “April looks exactly like I did as a child.”

3

Mitch

AFTER THE LONGEST DAY OF my life, which said a lot since that included staying up for twenty-four hours in BUD/S during Hell Week, I finally collapsed on the bed in the hotel room.

Grant was with me, and I appreciated his support, especially to entertain Sam. But, now, it was night. The first night in my life since Sienna had been born where I wasn’t certain she was safe. Even when I had been deployed or after my divorce, I knew that my children were with someone who loved them. April and I had our differences, no doubt. But she was a good mother.

Make that she IS a good mother.

April. She was still in a coma. I had called her doctor’s earlier tonight, and there was no change in her condition. She didn’t even know that her daughter was missing.

Could she have been involved? Did she overdose on purpose?

Did she . . . my mind could almost not even form the thought, but the torturous idea barreled through my brain . . . sell her?

No. Never. I couldn’t believe that. I wouldn’t believe that. I would give my ex-wife the benefit of the doubt. She deserved that.

After, she hadn’t lost Sienna on her watch. I had. Some SEAL. I should be stripped of my trident. I couldn’t even watch my own daughter.

A paralyzing tightness took over my chest. How had I so utterly failed her? As a SEAL, I had been able to keep my country safe, yet I was unable to protect my own daughter. My own flesh and blood. My heart and soul.

Grant was scrolling through his phone. As men, especially alpha male SEALs, we were not used to talking about our feelings. No. We kept those emotions that we never expressed tight to our chests. We had been through hell and back together—more deployments than I could count, relationship problems, his injuries. Still, through it all, he had always had my back.

As if he could sense me staring at him, his eyes rose to meet mine. “Hey. Can I get you anything?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m just numb. I feel so fucking helpless, dude. I want to hit the ground and find Sienna. Sitting inside this hotel room is killing me. I can’t help but imagine what she is going through right now. What they—” I stopped myself. My mind had turned into an endless horror reel.