Reckless Hours: a Romantic Suspense novel (Heroes of Providence Book 3) by Lisa Mondello

“You’re wrong, Dylan. I didn’t know exactly what I was searching for or what I’d find when I drove into town this morning. Now I know. All the answers I’m looking for start here—in this house.”
    Dylan’s eyes darted back to the mansion and then to Tammie again. “That may be so, but it doesn’t feel right. You should know Cash said he was coming here to save Serena. I thought he was being dramatic, but that’s out of character for my brother. Now he’s missing and I feel like I’ve just thrown you to the same wolves responsible for it. I can’t leave you here like this.”
    She cocked her head to one side and paused as they reached her car. “You were so eager to get me here in the first place. Why the change?”
    He looked away, seeming embarrassed, but then looked her square in the eye. She admired him for that.
    “I’m sorry. I really thought you were playing games with me. It’s my suspicious nature. As a cop, I’m used to people feeding me lines. I spent all these weeks in Eastmeadow getting the runaround, and then you showed up. When I saw you out on that road, I didn’t believe you. Even as we drove here, I thought you were really Serena Davco.”
    She nodded and smiled as she yanked open the door to the backseat of her rental car. “That explains your behavior.”
    Dylan grabbed her suitcase and then slammed the door. “Look, I don’t know what brought you here, but I have a feeling we’re both after the same thing—the truth. What that looks like I don’t know, but it’s what I want. I’m hoping it leads me to my brother. I’m not comfortable with you staying here alone.”
    A warm flow of emotion hugged her. “It’s sweet of you to worry. But I’m not going to be alone here. I’ve just found out I have a sister. No DNA tests are going to tell me different.”
    “It’s not safe.”
    “How do you know that?”
    He looked at her hard. “Because Cash is missing and he came here looking for Serena because she was in trouble. I don’t want you to end up with the same fate he did. Why is that so hard to understand?”
    Tammie glanced back to the house and caught the sharp glance Susan cast at them from the front door as she waited for Tammie to return. It was clear they didn’t want Dylan there. No one but Serena wanted Tammie there, but it was a harder argument for the others to win when it was clear Serena Davco believed Tammie was her long-lost sister, who had supposedly died at birth.
    With a quick rake of his hand over his head, Dylan looked back at the house and grunted. “We can come back tomorrow. Maybe Serena will be feeling better then. Call it gut instinct, but I don’t like what’s happening here.”
    Tammie couldn’t have agreed more. But she shook her head, determined to see this through. “That’s not good enough.”
    “Sometimes that’s all you have. Cash is missing, Tammie, because he went after Serena Davco, and it’s clear they’ve made a fortress out of this place to keep people from her.”
    “Exactly the reason I should stay. Maybe she is in trouble. Maybe she needs someone.”
    “You have a name now, information to start searching for the truth. You don’t have to be here to do it.”
    “What about you? Obviously Serena knew your brother.”
    Dylan reached for her, touching her shoulder. The warmth of his touch, the gentle concern in his eyes, filled her with emotion. “And now he’s gone.”
    Voices from an upstairs window filtered out into the summer air, but Tammie couldn’t make out the words. “Aurore knew my mother and father. I’m sure of it. Ever since I found out my parents weren’t my biological parents, I’ve been having a hard time forgiving them for not telling me the truth. I…I just can’t get past it.”
    A look passed between them, a look she didn’t quite understand, and held for a moment.
    “Ms. Gardner,” Susan called from the front porch. “If you’re ready, I’ll show you to your room.”
    Dylan sighed and