Page 1 of Bad Mother

CHAPTER ONE

Reno, Nevada, the one place on earth she’d vowed never to return to. Unfortunately, that pledge had blown up in her face, an outcome that was an iffy mix of fate and her own emotionally charged decision-making.

Would you change it?Sienna asked herself for the hundredth time.

And for the hundredth time, she still wasn’t certain of the answer.

Only... yes, yes, shewassure of the answer. She’d do it again if given the choice. She just hadn’t anticipated the choice leading herhere.

The cloudless desert sky—vivid blue and endless—stretched above as she pulled open the door to the police department before stepping into the blessed relief of the air-conditioned building.

“May I help you?” the woman at the front desk asked on a smile.

Sienna smiled back, though not quite as widely. “Sienna Walker here to see Sergeant Dahlen.”

“Oh, hi! You’re the new detective from New York, right? I’m Chelle Lopez. Nice to meet you. What do you think of Reno so far?”

“Hi, Chelle. Nice to meet you too. And I’m actually from Reno. Originally, I mean.”

A look of surprise lit Chelle’s round face. “Oh, well then, welcome home.”

Sienna schooled her expression, even while a knot twisted in her stomach at Chelle’s words, and she watched as the woman picked up the phone and let Sergeant Dahlen know she was there.

“She’ll be out in just a minute.”

“Great, thanks,” Sienna said as Chelle picked up another call. Soon she was laughing at something the person on the other end said and lowering her voice as she chatted on what was obviously a personal call.

Sienna had barely taken a seat when a very tall, striking woman in her fifties with white-blonde hair in a spiky pixie cut entered the lobby, her eyes focused on her. “Sienna Walker?”

She stood. “Yes. Sergeant Dahlen? Nice to meet you in person.”

The older woman, who was wearing a black pantsuit, a black shirt, and red high heels, moved toward her and shook her hand quickly as Sienna lifted her chin, attempting to see eye to eye with the woman and failing. “You can follow me this way.”

Sergeant Dahlen led her through the station, buzzing with the midday activity of a busy police force, her long legs causing Sienna to have to hurry to keep up. They entered an office, and Sergeant Dahlen closed the door behind them. She gestured to a chair in front of her desk, and they both took a seat as she picked up her phone and asked someone to come to her office. Sienna did a quick sweep of the room, which was completely devoid of clutter and appeared as squared away as the woman who inhabited it.

She replaced the phone in its cradle, leaned back, and crossed her legs as she perused Sienna. “Your captain, Darrin Crewson, and I are both army veterans.”

“Yes, he told me, ma’am.”

“Ingrid.” She paused, her eyes narrowing very slightly. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my fellow brothers and sisters in arms.”

Sienna nodded, her nerves tingling. “Yes, and vice versa, Darrin said.”If an icicle morphed into a person, Sergeant Dahlen is what it would look like,Sienna thought.Lovely in a cold, sharp way.

Sergeant Dahlen—Ingrid—lifted her chin as though reading Sienna’s thoughts and agreeing. “Even so, I don’t need nor want a troublemaking renegade causing me headaches and unnecessary paperwork. Ihateunnecessary paperwork.”

“No, ma’am. I don’t intend to cause this department—er, especially you—any trouble. What happened in New York was a... unique situation. I won’t let it happen again.” Her tone soundedweak, even to herself. She straightened her back, attempting to convey the message of strength with her posture where her voice had failed. Sienna had a strong feeling Sergeant Dahlen had a low threshold for weaklings.

The older woman studied Sienna for another moment, and she resisted the urge to squirm. If that was the look the detective sergeant used when she was interrogating a suspect, the department must have an insanely high solve rate. Anyone would crack under that glacial gaze. Her eyes moved to the window, and Sienna let out a silent breath. “We have a major staffing shortage right now in the Reno PD, so when Darrin requested the transfer, that made things a little easier on our end.” Sienna resisted a flinch. “But,” the sergeant went on, “Darrin also told me you’re a damn good detective when you’re not going off half-cocked and that any department would be lucky to have you.”

Thank you, Darrin. For that and a dozen other kindnesses.“I’m going to do my best to live up to that generous description, Sergeant.”

“See that you do.”

Sienna turned at the sudden rap on the glass of the door, and a dark-haired woman opened it and peeked her head in. “Come on in, Kat,” Ingrid said.

The woman named Kat came in, taking a seat next to Sienna. She had her hair pulled back in a tight bun, and her lips were red and full. She reminded Sienna of a Bond girl in a pantsuit, if a Bond girl would ever be seen in a pantsuit, fashionable and well fitted though Kat’s was. “Katerina Kozlov, this is Sienna Walker, your new partner.”

Kat turned, assessing her very directly but not unkindly. “Well, thank God the percentage of testosterone in this place just reduced another fraction.” She leaned in slightly. “Ingrid being the biggest supplier of said testosterone.” She shot a grin at the older woman, whose eyebrows rose slightly but who seemed otherwise unamused. Sienna fought the smile that would make it appear she was laughing at her boss’s expense on the first day of a new job.

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