Page 2

CHAPTER 2

TODAY

O live Sterling paused on the sunny sidewalk of Oasis, Texas, and felt the warm, late April breeze sweep over her, pushing strands of her curly hair away from her face.

She stared at the small, familiar town around her. This place, located about an hour west of Austin in Texas Hill Country, had once been home.

That seemed like another lifetime ago, however.

Her gaze drifted from the Rusty Lantern Café, where she’d soon meet the subject of her investigation, to Irwin’s Pharmacy on the corner.

As Olive stared at the small business, memories of that long-ago day with her dad filled her mind. This wasn’t the same pharmacy Dad had ordered her to go into and plead for money. But it might as well be.

Olive had put the recollection out of her head for many years, trying to forget the shame she’d felt as she obeyed her father.

Right now, the details of that day jolted back into her memory with striking accuracy.

Her father’s ask hadn’t made sense back then.

But now it did.

Now Olive knew more about her father. Knew about his schemes. About the lies that had been hiding beneath his friendly exterior.

Other parents taught their children not to lie. Her dad, on the other hand, had taught her how to lie. Which was probably why Olive hated not telling the truth now.

She could justify it when it came to investigating, she supposed. But not in real life.

Even worse, she’d never truly have closure on those issues. Her father was dead, and he’d taken the answers to the grave with him.

Olive pulled herself together and drew in another breath.

She glanced around her again. She never thought she’d revisit this place.

Then she’d gotten a phone call from her old friend Jason Stewart. His request for help had been hard to turn down.

Partly because it was Jason, the only man she had ever loved.

He was also the man she could never be with.

Not that she wanted to be with anyone. Her life was too complicated—not to mention the fact she had major trust issues. The one man she was supposed to feel safe with—her dad—had been full of lies. How did someone move past that?

She stuffed her hands into her pants pockets and watched the people around her.

Did she even know anyone who still lived here in Oasis? Or had everyone moved on? Gone on to bigger and better places?

Olive had lived here when she was sixteen. Back then, the population was only 3,241. Now the town had blossomed to nearly fifteen thousand, and a few strip malls and hotels had even been erected on the outskirts of town.

In some ways, living in Oasis had been among the happiest days of her life. This town was where she’d met Jason. He no longer lived here—he was in Chicago. But some of his family remained.

Olive and her family had stayed in Oasis less than a year, as they were prone to do. Then her father had uprooted them and moved them to Indiana so he could become a pastor. Her father becoming a pastor had caused a whole slew of other issues. But she preferred not to think about those now.

Right now, she’d focus on this case.

Jason had hired Aegis, the company she worked for, to do some investigating. One of his sisters thought she—and the whole town, for that matter—was being scammed.

It had taken some convincing, but Olive finally talked her boss, Rex, into letting her take this job. Normally, the cases they took on were much more high-stakes and high-profile. They left insurance cheats and infidelity to the smaller firms.

She was here under the guise of being a documentary filmmaker.

The case: A woman in Oasis could be defrauding the community of their money to satisfy her own greed. Olive needed to prove if that theory was true or not.

And she needed to do it by Saturday, when a community-wide event called Kick Cancer would take place and all the proceeds would go to this woman. Apparently, there would be an auction, a bake sale, and a concert by a local band.

And all the money raised would be matched by a local real estate developer.

If this woman was lying, she stood to steal thousands of dollars this weekend alone. Olive had seen flyers for the event posted around town, and someone had walked past wearing a “Kick Cancer for Rebecca” T-shirt.

As Olive stood on the sidewalk, goosebumps suddenly spread across her arms and neck.

She recognized the feeling—the feeling of someone watching her.

However, she’d just gotten into town, and no one should know she was here. So who would be watching, and why?

She scanned the street around her. The cozy storefronts with colorful flowers in hanging baskets. The wooden benches beckoning people to sit and stay awhile. A barbershop complete with a barber pole. A café with a chalkboard advertising the day’s specials. People walking their dogs or strolling with shopping bags.

Then she saw him.

Just around the corner across the street.

A man holding a camera.

A camera whose lens was aimed at Olive.

Her breath caught.

“Hey!” she shouted.

Then she took off after him.

The last thing Olive wanted was to make a scene. But she had to find out why this guy was taking pictures of her. She’d only been in Oasis for a few hours, and no one in town knew the real reason she was here. Only her coworkers at Aegis and Jason.

Something like this could blow her cover—something Olive couldn’t afford to let happen.

She darted across the street, and a Honda Civic nearly rammed into her. Instead, the driver threw on brakes and lay on his horn.

“Sorry!” she yelled as she continued to dodge vehicles.

But the pause had given the photographer long enough to put more distance between them.

Whoever the guy was, he was fast.

Olive watched as he turned, heading down an alley.

She pushed her legs as quickly as she could, trying to reach him.

She had some serious questions for this guy.

There was a small chance his presence wasn’t about her current case.

For the past few months, someone had been sending her texts that implied they knew who had murdered her family eight years ago.

Yes, murdered them. If Olive had been home at the time, she’d be dead too. But she’d sneaked out that night to go to a party, which was the only reason she was alive now. Her disobedience had ultimately saved her.

The thought made her heart twist.

Her family’s killer had never been caught, but Olive was determined to change that.

And it started with figuring out who’d sent her those texts.

Olive pushed herself harder as she ran down the sidewalk, dodging several people and murmuring her apologies.

Then she turned down the alley.

She paused to catch her breath as she scanned the area.

The space was narrower and darker than she’d expected. Aside from some trash cans, the alley appeared empty.

But that didn’t mean this guy wasn’t hiding.

She squinted as she took a step forward. She couldn’t be certain if the alley stopped at a dead end or if it turned. The shadows made it difficult to determine.

She wished she could draw her gun, but she didn’t want to alarm anyone innocent who might see her.

However, the Glock was tucked beneath her jacket in case she needed it.

She peered around the first set of trash cans.

There was no one.

Then she peered around the second set.

Still no one.

Where had the guy gone? It appeared he knew his way around this area. She stashed that fact away in the back of her mind.

Then she continued forward.

Suddenly, an engine revved in the distance.

She froze.

The next instant, a man on a motorcycle charged around the corner.

Headed straight for her.