Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

W hen Kyle returned to Sibby's, Conor was the first to greet him.

"We've got the situation under control, Kyle. All doors and windows are locked. Tim and I checked the shed in the backyard and the basement. Nothing is out of place, no sign of anyone having been here when we were gone."

Kyle simply nodded. "Thanks, brother. Good to know."

"What's the deal? Were they PIs?"

"Hard to tell. They were goons, that's for sure. I don't know if they were out to snatch Mia or if they were just observing her for now. They were both armed. That I can confirm."

Conor joined the conversation, his arms crossed over his chest. "You want to call this in? Maybe you should get the department involved."

"I was going to call the Chief tomorrow, but I think I'll do it now instead. I got the plate. Maybe something will turn up when we run it."

"Yeah, but Kyle, you're probably right. I bet they're investigators. I wouldn't be surprised if Mia's family showed up here looking for her."

"If that was the case, why didn't they knock on the door of my condo? They tracked her to my address."

"Yeah," Tim offered. "But they didn't see Mia that day, did they? Today they got a visual. They'll be back, or someone else will."

"What's the next move?" Conor asked.

"I think I should speak to Mia first. I don't want to upset mom and dad, or Sibby for that matter. You know how she gets…"

"Yeah man, good luck with that," Tim grimaced. "She's gonna lose her mind if she knows that those guys were near the kids."

"True," Kyle nodded. "I need a minute. Let me get Mia alone and take her temperature on all of this. It's her life we're talking about here. I have to know what she wants to do."

He walked into the family room to find his nephews surrounded by piles of candy, their father monitoring them to be sure they didn't eat too much of it at once while rocking his youngest in his arms. Sibby wasn't there, she and his mother must have been getting dinner ready. Mia wasn't there either.

He made his way into the kitchen and saw his sister putting a lasagna into the oven while his mother was slicing carrots and cucumbers for a salad. He reached over to the cutting board to snag a carrot, and his mother admonished him with, "do that again and risk losing a finger."

He smiled at her, not wanting to give away his inner turmoil. "Anyone see Mia?" he asked.

"She's feeding Sarah. They're in the baby's room."

"Oh, right," he said, turning on his heel to leave.

"Give the woman her privacy, brother. Leave her be," Sibby said. "Instead, you can bring those dishes to the table." She pointed to a large stack of white plates.

"Of course, Sib," he said, grabbing the dishes and walking back through the swinging doors to the dining room. He put them down quietly and made his way to the baby's room. Despite his sister's warning, he had to talk to Mia now. He quietly made his way up the stairs to the second level where the bedrooms were. The door to the nursery was partially open, the lighting was low. He could make out Mia's form in the rocking chair, the baby at her breast. He didn't want to scare her or interrupt Sarah, so he softly knocked on the door.

"Come in," he heard her say.

He stepped inside the room. She had the baby's head covered with a cloth diaper, concealing her chest from his view, but he could hear the smacking sound of the small child swallowing the milk.

"Mia. We need to talk."

She looked up at him and teased in a whisper, "Are you breaking up with me? Because that line sounded familiar. Not that anything is truly familiar, that is," she said with a lilting tone, clearly enjoying the chance to engage in some banter with him.

He smiled. "No. Not exactly." He saw a shadow fall over her face as she recognized that something serious was happening.

"What is it then?"

"I think you're being followed. No, let me rephrase that. I don't think it, I know it. I just saw that black car again, but this time I spoke to the men inside myself. They didn't give me much to go on, but I have a large suspicion that they were tracking your movements. I don't think you're safe here."

Her eyes widened and in a rushed flow of words she asked, "What? How could that be?"

"Since you can't remember, we can't know what it is. I'm just starting to believe that there's something going on with your past that's trying to catch up with you."

Her face fell. In a whisper, she asked, "Did I put your family in danger by being here? Oh my God Kyle, if anything happens to them because of me I don't know what I'll do."

"My brothers can handle it. You don't need to worry about the family. They'll be fine, I promise."

"I should go. I'll find a hotel. I'll lay low until my memory returns."

"I can't let you do that, Mia. I can't leave you alone to fend for yourself. Those men looked dangerous." He didn't want to tell her that they were armed. She looked frightened enough.

She took the now sleeping baby and stood, walked over to the crib, and put her down in it. As she remained turned away from him, she buttoned her shirt and folded the diaper she'd used for modesty, laying it on the changing table.

"Kyle, listen. You've done so much for me already. I can't let you do more. Sarah and I will be okay. Maybe those men know who I am. Maybe it's time that I speak to them myself."

He simply shook his head. "Not. Going. To. Happen."

"Kyle! It's not like we're a couple, or even involved. You can't tell me what I can and cannot do."

Something inside him woke up in that moment. After months of being suspended from work, of feeling unsure, unsettled, her words forced him into action. He didn't hesitate. He took two steps closer to her, put his hand on her shoulder, looked directly into her eyes and said, "I'm invested in this now, Mia. I care about what happens next for you and Sarah.

"Kyle, I…"

He tightened his grip. "Don't, Mia. Don't argue. I just want to keep you safe until you remember more."

"But you don't know me. I don't even know me. We don't know who I am, where I'm from. I mean, what if I never remember? What then? Plus, what if Sarah's father is in my life and looking for us? How will I explain living in your house, with you?" She shook her head and pulled away from him. Then she suddenly looked up, a thought clearly coming to mind.

"How do you explain the men in the car, then? They could have been hired by whomever is looking for me. It could be a husband, or the man I'm involved with at the very least."

"Mia. Listen to me. We're going to figure this out, and if you're attached to someone else, terrific. You'll go and live your life and that will be that. But for now, let me do this. Let me keep you safe. Let me keep Sarah safe."

"How do you plan on doing that? Those men found me here, somehow. If we go somewhere else, they'll find me again."

"Not if we do this my way. I know exactly where we can go and be off the grid."

"Off the grid? I don't know that much about my past, Kyle, but judging from the contents of my suitcase I have a feeling that I wasn't exactly a survivalist. Does ‘off the grid' mean no running water?"

He laughed. "No. They'll be running water and more where I'm planning to take us. Leave it to me."

"What about your family? What about making sure they're safe? How do you know that those men won't come back here and ask where we went if we're not at your place?"

"Have you met my sister? I pity them if they darken her door." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "First things first. Let's go tell them what we have to do. Sibby's made her famous lasagna and I know that she expects us to eat dinner."

"Is Sarah safe up here alone?"

"Absolutely. No one is getting in here without going through me or my brothers. She's fine. C'mon."

He took her hand and led her back down the stairs, all the while trying to come up with the right words to say to let his family know what he had planned.

Mia could barely eat the lasagna on her plate. Kyle had been right. When confronted with the situation she was in, Kyle's family rallied. Everyone had an opinion as to what she should do next. All she really wanted to do was run away and hide alone, but with Sarah to care for, that wasn't an option. She would have to let Kyle handle the next steps.

She marveled at his patience. He listened to what everyone around the table was saying, each offering their ideas, their concerns. Finally, when the entire group had a chance to contribute, he cleared his throat and said, "I'm taking Mia and Sarah to the Cape."

"The Cape house? Kyle, who's to say they won't follow you there?" Sibby asked.

"I'll be sure of it. They must have tracked Mia somehow. I'm going to go through her luggage myself to be sure there's no device hidden somewhere."

"Device? What do you mean?" Mia asked.

"Somehow, someone might have put a tracker on you. Maybe on the plane. Maybe you were followed from London."

"I wish I knew why I had been visiting London. I don't even remember being there," she said.

Kyle drew in a breath. Good thing I never mentioned her having an accent when we first met. That information would only make this worse for her. "It doesn't matter now," he said softly.

"But why would anyone want to follow me from anywhere?"

"That's the question, isn't it, dear?" Colleen added.

Mia put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She couldn't remember. She had to try, though. Somehow, she had to try.

It had been easy to stay with Kyle. He was wonderful to be around, so attentive, so helpful with Sarah. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him before that kiss, but now, how could she stay alone with him in a place she'd never been, let alone heard of. It was a frightening thought, but what was her other option? With her eyes still closed, she tried to visualize herself on a plane with Sarah, but nothing came to mind. She didn't even remember traveling or arriving at an airport. It was as if she sprung to life in that hospital room after her car accident, her past erased.

She heard excited voices around the table and forced herself to concentrate on what they were saying.

"No one's been there since Labor Day. There'll be no food in the pantry. You'll need to turn the water and gas back on, oh, and the cable too, if you want internet and tv," Sibby said.

"I know it, don't worry. I'll take care of everything once I'm up there. I don't want to do anything from here. It might raise an alarm, besides, I'm not sure if my condo is compromised. What if it's bugged, or if they've tapped into my internet? No. We'll go tomorrow night, after dark."

"Should we come along?" Tim asked.

"No. I don't need a convoy of cars and besides, I can protect us myself."

"How about this? We all come up for Thanksgiving next month. By that time, you should have some idea of what you're looking for, and we can help if you need us. A holiday at the Cape might be perfect, after all," Sibby added in a tone that made what she said a done deal.

"That's a possibility, Sib. I'll let you know. I'm going to pick up a burner phone tomorrow morning. I'll send you an encrypted email with the number."

Sibby nodded her head.

Mia listened to them talking about this Cape house that they all seemed to love so much not saying a word. But when she heard the phrase "burner phone," it gave her a jolt. She didn't know why, but it sounded familiar. She repeated it to herself a few times. What is it about ‘burner phone' that sounds like I should know it? ‘Burner pho…"

And then she knew, because she had one herself once. Who gave her a phone? Did she still have one? And if she did, where the hell was it?