Page 2 of Jenna's Threatened Sanctuary

Stella’s brows raised almost to her hairline. “Somehow I doubt that.”

Jenna bit back a groan of frustration. Arguing with Stella never got her anywhere. Besides, even though she was glad to hear Stella was doing well, it didn’t stop the nagging disbelief that her sobriety would last. It never did. And now there was way too much at stake to just let Stella waltz back into her life.

Taking a tentative step forward, she debated how to respond. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. To be healthy and find whatever it was that you were looking for. I love you, Stella.”

Stella fisted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin a fraction. “If that’s true, then you’ll give me back what’s mine. You’ll give me back my baby.”

Terror took hold of Jenna’s throat, making it almost impossible to push out her words. “Oliver is my child. You signed the papers. The adoption is legal. I’m his mother.”

“No, you’re not.” Stella stomped her foot on the wide-planked wooden floor. “I’m his mom. I gave birth to him, andyou took him from me. My life is on track, and I want him where he belongs.”

Jenna struggled not to lose her temper, not to launch into logic and facts that her sister wouldn’t consider. Wouldn’t hear. “Stella, you left Oliver in the NICU the second you were discharged and never looked back. You signed the papers that made me his mother, and I’m the only mother he’s ever known. Maybe we can sit down and talk about the best way to handle this. To discuss what’s best for him.”

“I’m what’s best for him.” Stella’s voice grew louder with each word, and red climbed into her cheeks.

Quick footsteps padded down the stairs. Mrs. Collins appeared, worry etched on the fine lines of her weathered face. “Jenna? What’s going on? Is there a problem?”

“Sorry, Mrs. Collins. We’ll take this outside. We don’t want to upset anyone.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Stella said. “I just came to tell you I’ll be taking back my son. One way or the other.”

Jenna watched in horror as Stella stormed out of the house, leaving jagged shards of the bomb she’d dropped behind her.

The steadydripdrip dripof coffee into the empty pot held Jenna’s full attention as she struggled to keep her eyes open. After she’d gotten home the previous night and put Oliver to bed, she’d attempted to play catch-up on all her missed sleep, but she’d lain in bed for hours, unable to drift into oblivion.

Not wanting to relive the moments with her sister, she retrieved a mug from the cabinet then grabbed the black handle of the coffee pot. Her hands shook. Stella wanted to take awayOliver—Jenna’s baby boy who she loved more than anything in the world.

She tightened her grip on the hard plastic. Anger surged through her, making her reconsider adding caffeine to her now boiling blood. How could her sister charge back into her life and mess everything up again? Stella hadn’t even considered what her new-found interest in the child she’d birthed could do to Oliver. A list of things she should do to cover her bases flipped through her mind as she filled her cup. Exhaustion weighed down her shoulders as the doorbell chimed from the front of the house.

Taking a quick sip of coffee, she burned her tongue then crossed through the connected living room to get to the door. She opened it wide and squinted against the harsh sunlight that poured inside along with the cool autumn breeze.

The sight of a uniformed police officer spiked her blood pressure. “Good morning. Everything okay?”

The scruffy-faced officer gave a brief nod. “Morning. I’m Officer Sawyer. I’m sorry to bother you so early.”

A boulder sat low in her gut, and an uneasy feeling washed over her. Something wasn’t right, and whatever bad news this man carried, she wanted it as far away from Oliver as possible. “That’s all right, Officer. Is there a problem?”

Officer Sawyer’s frown deepened. “I’m here to inform you that your sister, Stella Simon, was murdered last night.”

The matter-of-fact statement slammed against her like a physical blow. She’d expected this news for so long, always wondering when she’d get the call that Stella had overdosed or gotten her hands on a bad batch of whatever she’d shot into her veins.

But not after just seeing Stella with fire in her eyes and a healthy glow to her skin.

Officer Sawyer narrowed his gaze. “Where were you around midnight, Dr. Simon?”

She blinked, long and slow, trying to keep up with everything being thrown her way. “Home. Why?”

“I’ve been informed you spoke with your sister last night.”

Jenna set her mug on a side table pressed against the wall and willed her heart not to beat out of her chest. “Yes, we spoke briefly.”

“That you two had an argument about your child.”

Fear squeezed her heart. “Yes.”

“Do you have an alibi for the time in question?” The officer raised his brows high over blue eyes.

“No. I was home alone all night with my son. He’s not even two yet.” Sweat gathered on the back of her neck, but she refused to wipe it off. She didn’t have to be a seasoned criminal to understand what was happening. Stella was dead, and the police thought she might be involved.

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