Jillian Reed stood off to the side with Jacob Garcia, her former partner. Separated from the rest of the partygoers, it was clear they were outsiders doing their best not to look out of place. Ellie patted her brother’s arm and excused herself, hurrying to the back of the room. Jacob held a flute of champagne, his brown eyes soft and relaxed.
“I’m glad you two could make it.” Ellie motioned toward Wes, elbowing Jillian playfully. “I hear you and my brother were scheming.”
Jillian’s light-colored skin flushed the softest shade of pink as she shrugged one shoulder. The pretty evidence clerk had transformed into Ellie’s best friend when she’d been tossed into the police precinct’s basement to work on cold cases back in the fall. “Someone had to make sure you got out and had a good time. Especially on your birthday.”
Movement along the back wall caught Ellie’s attention, and she stiffened.
Jillian held up her hand before Ellie could ask. “It’s okay. According to your brother, the guestlist is a little more selective than usual.”
Jacob nodded his agreement. “Wes made us swear not to tell Chief Johnson and Captain Browning about the party.”
“Aside from Nick, Jacob and I were the only ones invited that aren’t family.” Jillian frowned. “It’s safer this way, but I heard your last party was epic.”
Ellie scoffed, snagging a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. “That’s how my family does these things. If it’s not extra, my mom isn’t happy.” She pursed her lips and nodded. “I’m glad they’re taking this seriously. With everything that’s going on with Valerie, and not knowing who is behind the website where my…kidnap video was posted, I’d rather not have the entire town here.” She downed half the glass.
The video was actually a snuff film, meant to end in two deaths. Only Ellie had gotten away. Survived. And she’d be damned if she stopped before she found the woman she had ordered to be killed.
Kill the bitch. The words still rang in her ears.
“It looks more like a wedding reception than a birthday.” Jillian held up a simple black gift bag with a pink ribbon tying the handle closed. Jillian’s initials were written on a tag in neat cursive with a silver marker. “I have to say, this is the first time I’ve been to a birthday party where I received a gift and brought nothing.”
“Have you opened it yet?”
Jillian bit her bottom lip. “Would it be rude if I took a peek?”
“Not at all.”
“It’s a charm bracelet.” Jillian lowered her voice to a dramatic whisper. “The expensive kind.”
Jacob cleared his throat, crossing his arms. “That’s real pretty and all, but I want to talk about something a little less flashy. Arthur Fink. Any headway on his case?”
Fink. The bastard’s name suited the man to a T.
A pervert to his very core, Ellie had arrested the asshole a month ago after discovering that he was a top-tier client for a human trafficking ring.
Ellie shook her head, taking a sip from her glass. “I miss you too, partner.” Jacob had been the only partner she’d ever had to not desert her because of her…rambunctious style of police work. Not even after she jumped off a bridge. “His lawyer has him in protective custody, and he’s working on a deal.”
Jillian’s hazel eyes narrowed. “Am I the only one who thinks that prick is going to walk away without serving a day in jail?”
“I’ve wondered the same thing, but at least for now, he’s behind bars.” Ellie lifted the glass to her lips and took another sip, letting the alcohol hit her bloodstream and soothe her raw nerves. “In solitary, with constant supervision, which is not much different than what he did to Valerie Price for nearly two years. If he gets released before the trial, he’ll have officers assigned to him round the clock. Not the justice he deserves, but no matter what happens, life as he knows it is over.”
Jacob set his empty glass on a nearby table. “How is Valerie? Did you visit her today?”
“I see her at least once a day. She’s doing a lot better than the doctors expected after being on death’s door from sepsis, not to mention being malnourished and being traumatized. She’ll be released from the hospital soon, and she’s going a little stir-crazy.” Ellie glanced around the room, stepped closer to Jacob and Jillian, and lowered her voice. “We’ll talk about it later. Mom’s on her way over here, and you know how she gets when she catches us talking shop.”
Jacob laughed, stopping abruptly as his eyes focused over Ellie’s shoulder. “Mrs. Kline. It’s a pleasure to see you.” He stepped forward and took her hand, kissing the back of it with the grace of an aristocrat. “Thank you for inviting us to this lovely celebration.”
Helen Kline beamed. “Thank you for coming.” She squeezed Jacob’s hand affectionately, then she glided from Jacob to Jillian, hugging her tight. “I’m glad you could come, dear.” Still holding on to Jillian’s hands, she turned her gaze to Ellie. “Jillian, if you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to my daughter alone for a moment.”
Jillian nodded as Jacob hooked an arm around her, and they blended into the crowd, heads close as he made a comment that made her laugh.
Ellie prepared herself for one of her mother’s well-intentioned lectures, so when Helen Kline reached into her purse and handed her an envelope with nothing but a smile, she was shocked almost speechless. “What’s this?”
“Eleanor, I was racking my brain, trying to figure out what to get our only daughter for her birthday. You have everything, and you’ve never asked for anything more, so it was hard to come up with a gift without asking you outright.”
“I have everything I could ever want, Mom. You don’t have to give me a thing.”
“I thought you would say that very thing, but then I had an epiphany.” She motioned to the envelope. “It’s cash for Valerie Price.” When
