Chapter 1

Chapter One

Snowflakes melted on his face. Blinking in confusion, he wondered why in the world he was outside lying on the cold, hard ground.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he winced when his head throbbed with pain. He lifted his hand and found the source, a large bump and a gash of broken skin on the back of his head. When he saw the blood on his fingers, he grimaced and cleaned them with the freshly fallen snow.

He was in danger. The primitive instinct to get away couldn’t be ignored. But as he gazed around, he didn’t see a car or any other source of transportation.

Had he walked there? Or been dumped like garbage?

A sense of urgency hit hard. He needed to get far away before whoever had hit him returned. His thoughts were muddled; he couldn’t remember what had happened. How he’d gotten there. Or why he was even there. Yet a single thought flashed through his mind.

Cassidy. He desperately needed to find Cassidy.

The image of a beautiful redhead was the only clear memory that came to the forefront of his mind. Somehow, he managed to get to his feet. His sneakered feet slipped in the snow, and he frowned when he realized his feet were wet and cold.

His hands too. He patted his coat pockets but didn’t find gloves. Or a phone. He checked his back jeans pocket and shouldn’t have been surprised to find his wallet was gone.

Had he been robbed?

Where exactly was he? Why was he there? And how long had he been unconscious?

Stepping carefully, he made his way down the slippery and deserted stretch of road. He scanned his surroundings. Something about the area was vaguely familiar. Not that he remembered ever having been there before, but because of the open space where some construction work appeared to have been done. Hadn’t he overheard someone talking about a deserted building along an isolated stretch of road? The memory hung like mist in the air, just out of reach.

Why couldn’t he remember?

The lights whizzing by made him realize he wasn’t far from the interstate. Yet seeing cars wasn’t exactly reassuring. What if the person who assaulted and robbed him returned?

A sense of panic hit hard. How would he manage to find Cassidy?

He stumbled but managed to stay upright. Nausea swirled in his belly, and the pain in his head grew worse with every step. Still, he kept moving, placing one foot in front of the other toward the highway that seemed impossibly far away.

As he grew closer, it was clear the road he was on crossed over the highway. A gas station sign gave him hope. He had to believe whoever was manning the gas station would allow him to borrow a phone.

Headlights from a car illuminated the road up ahead, and he instinctively ducked and darted into the clump of trees. His heart thundered in his chest as bitter fear coated his tongue. Were the bad guys coming back to finish him off?

Crouching down behind the bare trees, he watched as the vehicle rolled past. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought the car moved slower than the weather conditions dictated.

A cautious driver? Maybe.

Yet once the car disappeared from his line of sight, he didn’t move. Didn’t head back out toward the gas station. He didn’t trust anyone.

Except Cassidy.

But she wasn’t there. He forced himself to stay where he was, despite the cold winter wind. When he began to shiver, he realized he was being foolish. There was no reason to risk hypothermia.

Leaving the relative shelter of the trees, he quickened his pace, lightly jogging to get the blood flowing through his veins. The motion made his head hurt, but he did his best to ignore the discomfort.

At this point, pain meant he was alive.

And he fully intended to stay that way.

He finally reached the gas station, thrilled beyond reason to see it included a small store. A bell jingled when he walked in, and he stood for a moment, savoring the warmth.

A dark-skinned man behind the counter eyed him suspiciously. He tried to smile, but his face felt frozen.

Maybe he had frostbite. He wasn’t an expert on that sort of thing.

What was his expertise? Again, there was nothing but swirling mist where his memories should have been.

“May I help you?” The clerk’s tone was clipped as if he wasn’t happy to have him as a customer.

He pulled his hands from his pockets, lifting them up in a gesture meant to reassure the clerk he meant no harm. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been robbed. I don’t have my wallet or my phone. I was hoping I could borrow your phone to make a call.”

“No phone,” the clerk said. The way the guy’s hand hovered under the desk out of sight made him worried he had a gun back there.

“Okay, look, I understand. You don’t know me and don’t trust me. But I can’t walk all the way to...” He hesitated. Where did Cassidy live? Greenland? He didn’t remember, but he did have a phone number in his head. At least, he hoped the number belonged to her. The way his brain was working, the number might have belonged to Mickey Mouse. “Would you please make a call for me? I need a friend to pick me up.”

“Fine.” The man scowled as if the simple task was a huge imposition. “What’s the number?”

After a brief hesitation, he recited the digits. Why the phone number and Cassidy’s face were the only clear images in his mind, he had no idea. But he was grateful the clerk had agreed to make the call.

He moved away from the door, grateful for the meager warmth. He eyed the snacks but wasn’t hungry.

“No answer.” The clerk waved his hand. “You go now.”

He didn’t move, trying to figure out what to do. Call the police? For some reason, he didn’t want to go that route.

He and the clerk jumped when the phone rang. With reluctance, the clerk answered. “Hello? Yes, just one moment.” The clerk scowled as he slid the phone under the glass window separating them.

He grabbed the phone and lifted it to his ear. “Cassidy? Is that you?”

“Who is this?” a familiar female voice asked.

“I—uh.” He frowned, wondering why his name didn’t pop into his mind. “I need a ride. I’ve been robbed and need a ride.”

“Gabe? Is that you? You’ve really been robbed?”

“Yes. I don’t have my phone or my wallet.” A sense of calm washed over him. The name Gabe sounded right. Although it seemed strange not to know his own name. “I’m sorry, but I need a ride.”

“Okay, where are you calling from?”

“From a gas station. Um, what’s the address?” he asked the clerk. When he rattled it off, Gabe repeated it for Cassidy.

“I know that area. I’ll be there as quickly as possible. Are you sure you’re okay?”

No, he wasn’t okay. But of course, he answered, “Yes. I’ll be fine. Just get here soon.”

“I’m on my way.” Cassidy disconnected from the call.

Dazed and relieved, he slid the device under the glass. “Thank you. My friend Cassidy will be here soon.”

The clerk nodded, his expression indicating Gabe was welcome to stay inside to wait.

He lifted his hand to the back of his head again. What had happened? A simple robbery?

Or something more sinister?

For some strange reason, he felt certain there was nothing simple about what had happened to him.

Danger lurked nearby. Too bad he couldn’t remember anything about who might have come after him or why.

Tactical police officer Cassidy Sommer quickly dressed and headed out to the garage attached to her condo. Why on earth was Gabe way out near the Wildflower Motel? Had he met someone there and been robbed?

She didn’t want to believe the team’s tech guru would do something illegal, but she was at a loss as to why he was so far away, considering he lived closer to the lakefront in White Gull Bay. Upon reaching the interstate, she hit the gas, speeding as fast as she dared. The hour wasn’t that late, only ten thirty at night, which meant traffic wasn’t a problem. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be pulled over by the state patrol.

It was difficult to imagine a legitimate reason for Gabe so far outside the city. She considered Gabe to be a good friend; she felt certain she’d have known if he’d done something illegal. Besides, Gabe worked for the Milwaukee Police Department. As a civilian, yes, but he still needed to keep his record clean.

Soft snowflakes melted when they hit her windshield, and the outside temperature hovered at 32 degrees. Christmas, her favorite holiday, was only three weeks away, and she was planning a party for the entire tactical team for the weekend before the actual holiday since she knew her teammates would want to spend that time with their families. Joe Kingsley and Elly in particular were expecting their first baby on the day after Christmas.

All her teammates were getting married or engaged. She was still the odd one out but tried not to focus on that. She had been engaged once, but the guy who’d claimed to love her abruptly decided he didn’t want to be married to a cop. Last she’d heard, Wade Morris was happily married to an accountant.

Goody for him , she thought with a sigh. Obviously, he hadn’t loved her as much as she had cared for him.

Reminding herself she was better off without Wade, she spied the exit for the Wildflower Motel. The gas station was located about a mile to the north, so she turned right after getting off the interstate.

She pulled into the parking lot of the gas station, wondering how Gabe had gotten there. There was no sign of his car, a tomato-red SUV. She hadn’t seen it in the motel parking lot either.

Had he taken a rideshare out there? Was that the person who’d robbed him?

She killed the engine and slid out from behind the wheel. Ducking her chin into her coat collar, she hurried inside the building. It reeked of tobacco, either from the stock of cigarettes or because the clerk smoked while on duty.

“Cassidy!” Gabe’s expression brightened when he saw her. “Thanks for coming.”

“What on earth happened?” Gabe’s brown hair and the side of his face was matted and smeared with blood. Her heart squeezed as she realized he’d been assaulted. “Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know.” A flicker of uncertainty darkened his brown eyes. It took her a minute to realize he wasn’t wearing his glasses. He’d recently gotten contacts but mentioned how he hadn’t liked wearing them at work. “Can we please get out of here?”

“Yes, of course.” She glanced at the clerk who was watching them suspiciously. She smiled and nodded at him. “Thank you for allowing my friend to borrow your phone.”

The clerk shrugged. “It is fine. Just please go now.”

“Yes, thanks,” Gabe added.

She took his arm and steered him toward the door. But rather than going outside, Gabe stopped, peering through the glass into the night. She frowned, wondering what was wrong with him, but then he moved forward to open the door.

“We need to hurry,” he said as they stepped outside. “I don’t like being out in the open like this.”

What? She glanced at Gabe, wondering what on earth he was talking about. This wasn’t the Gabe she knew. He was acting as if he was a cop who needed to track down a perp.

Not the tech team expert who supported her and her fellow officers while they were on scene facing adversity in their quest to protect the public.

“You’re worrying me,” she said as they crossed to her black SUV. “Where’s your car? Was that stolen too?”

“My car?” Gabe turned in his seat, looking confused. “I don’t know. What kind of car do I drive?”

Again, she felt as if she’d been dropped into an alternate universe. “You’re asking me what kind of car you drive?” She frowned, searching his gaze. “You know what car you drive. You were so happy to have the only bright-red SUV in the parking lot of our precinct.”

“Precinct?” Gabe clipped his seatbelt in place. “We’re cops?”

“I’m a cop. You’re our tech analyst.” As she put the SUV into gear and pulled out of the parking lot, she didn’t try to hide her frustration. “What is going on with you, Gabe? Why are you acting like this?”

He didn’t answer for a long moment. “I guess I should tell you everything.”

“Yes, you should.” Cass braced herself. “What have you gotten involved in?”

“I don’t know.” Gabe lifted a hand to his head, winced, then lowered it again. “I don’t know anything. I didn’t remember my name until you mentioned it on the phone. I don’t know why I was hit on the head and knocked unconscious. I don’t know why I woke up way out in the middle of nowhere without my wallet, phone, or any cash. I don’t remember anything.”

Seriously? She glanced at him, trying to understand.

“I wish I could tell you what is going on, but I can’t. I don’t remember anyone being with me or striking out at me.” He turned to meet her gaze, and the troubled expression on his face tugged at her heartstrings. “I only remember you, Cassidy.”

She blew out a breath, reeling from what he was saying. Part of her wanted to scoff at the idea that he had amnesia. That Gabe Melrose couldn’t remember his name or his impressive career within the tactical team.

But the man she knew wasn’t this good of an actor. Gabe might be big into gaming and unreasonably excited over technological advances, but he didn’t pretend to be something he wasn’t. He was up front and honest about his strengths and weaknesses.

A trait she’d found endearing.

She forced herself to think like a cop. Gabe had been assaulted and robbed. And as such, he was the victim of a crime. “Okay, you have a head injury and can’t remember anything. I’ll take you straight to Trinity Medical Center to be medically evaluated.”

“No! We can’t go to the hospital.” He grabbed her arm. “Please, Cassidy, just take me home. I’m sure I’ll remember everything by morning.”

“Gabe, you’re bleeding and have a head injury. Of course, you need to be checked out. The gash on your head likely needs stitches.”

“No, please. I don’t want to go.” His voice sounded panicked. “Not yet.”

She glanced at him with concern. “What is really going on here, Gabe?”

“I don’t know.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to look at her. “I wish I understood why I’m in this situation. All I can say is that my gut is telling me to lie low. To keep off the grid. To make it difficult to find me.”

“Who? To make it difficult for who to find you?” She didn’t want to risk his head injury getting worse. But the way he was so emphatic about not going in to be seen was weighing on her. What if he was right? What if someone was still out there, waiting for the chance to finish him off?

“I don’t know!” His voice was tortured. “If I knew, I’d tell you so you could help me find and arrest him!”

“Him? You remember the assailant was a man?” she asked.

He sighed heavily. “No, I don’t remember. I guess it could be a woman who clocked me in the back of the head, but I assumed the person responsible was a man. Someone with the strength to toss me out of the car and onto the side of the road.”

Cassidy didn’t point out that she, Raelyn, and Jina, the only female members of Rhy Finnegan’s tactical team, were capable of that and more. Because he was probably right. It wasn’t likely the assailant was a woman, yet one thing she’d learned over the course of her career was to not make any assumptions.

She and several of her teammates had trusted the wrong person before. Anything was possible.

But that didn’t help in making the right decision about whether to take him to the hospital or to give in to his request to be taken home.

“We could try to reach out to Alanna,” she finally said. “I’m sure she has the ability to stitch up a wound.”

“No. I can’t allow you to drag anyone else into this.” Gabe curled his fingers into fists, another gesture she’d never noticed from him before. He seemed very different from the Gabe she’d worked with for four years now.

“I would rather—” she began, but he cut her off.

“No. I’m begging you to take me home. If my memory is still foggy by the morning, I’ll agree to be checked out.” He met her gaze. “I promise.”

“Fine.” She threw up her hand. “Have it your way. I don’t ever remember you being this stubborn before, Gabe. It’s not the least bit logical not to have a doctor examine a head injury.”

“I’m sorry.” His tone was subdued, as if she’d wounded him by speaking her thoughts. “I can’t explain it other than to say I have this weird sense that I’m in danger. That I need to remember what happened before I do anything else.”

She gave in, mostly because she knew how important it was to trust her instincts. If Gabe felt as if he was in danger, then she needed to take his feelings into consideration.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go to your place,” she said, breaking the silence. “You can stay with me.”

He hesitated. “I don’t want to put you out. The thought of going home doesn’t scare me the way going to the hospital does.”

That didn’t make any sense. Yet rather than continuing to argue, she passed the exit that would take them to her condo and kept going toward White Gull Bay.

She’d give in to a certain extent. If he wanted to go home, she’d stay with him at his place. She knew Gabe had inherited the house from his father, who had passed away two years ago. Not only did he have a nice guest bedroom, but he was in no condition to toss her out.

For one thing, Gabe was tall and skinny, despite the way he devoured snacks like he feared a worldwide shortage loomed on the horizon. But even more so because she and Raelyn had begun working out with Jina at her MMA gym. She didn’t have Jina’s skill or strength yet, but she was learning.

She could be stubborn too.

“What’s my last name?” Gabe’s question came from left field. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Melrose. Your name is Gabriel Thomas Melrose. Your dad’s name was Thomas.” She glanced at him. “He died two years ago.”

He frowned. “I wish I could remember him.”

She had no idea what to say to that. Gabe and his father had been very close, but that wasn’t the case with his mother who had remarried eighteen years ago. She’d traded up, as Gabe had put it. Giving up his father the police detective for a wealthy lawyer.

Gabe’s home was a small ranch, two houses in from the corner. She pulled into the driveway, frowning when she didn’t see any Christmas decorations. Gabe had mentioned his plan to put up a tree this year, but it appeared he hadn’t followed through.

She parked in the driveway and slid out from behind the wheel. Gabe headed to the garage and entered a code on the keypad. Which was probably a good thing since he’d been robbed and didn’t have his keys.

When the garage door opened, though, she saw his red SUV parked inside. What in the world? Gabe had clearly left the car behind on purpose.

He looked just as surprised to see the SUV. He glanced at her. “This is my car?”

“Yes.” Alarm bells rang in the back of her mind, and she reached for her gun. “Stay back. I’m going in first.”

He scowled, looking as if he wanted to argue, but stepped to the side to give her room to squeeze past the car. The door leading from the garage to the house didn’t look tampered with, but she didn’t lower her weapon. Twisting the handle, she pushed the door open but hung back to wait and listen.

Hearing nothing, she stepped across the threshold, sweeping her gun over the area as she went. It was dark inside, but lights from the neighbors’ Christmas decorations along with the streetlight outside, provided enough illumination for her to see.

The interior of the house stopped her cold. The place had been trashed. Her gaze went from the shattered oversized TV screen to the sofa cushions that had been cut open and strewn around the room to the kitchen drawers that had been opened and dumped onto the floor.

This was no robbery. Whoever had done this had been searching for something. She only wished she knew exactly what they’d wanted.