Chapter 13

The next morning,the nurse helped Sadie get dressed. She’d been given some clothing from the donation bin at the hospital—black sweats, a pale pink T-shirt, and flip-flops one size too large.

Her whole body was sore today, and it hurt to move. But what bugged her most was the fact her memory still hadn’t returned.

She’d naively hoped she’d go to sleep, wake up, and everything would be back to normal. Everything would make sense.

Instead, nothing had made sense. In fact, she felt more confused than ever.

She’d had a dream, however. At least, she thought it was a dream. Maybe she hoped it was a memory.

In the sequence, she’d been on the beach laughing with someone. The beautiful waters of Lake Michigan had been sparkling in front of her. A breeze had rushed through her hair. Sand speckled her skin.

Then she’d stood and grabbed someone’s hand. They’d run toward the water.

But she’d hadn’t just grabbed anyone’s hand.

She’d grabbed the hand of a man.

Someone Sadie was nearly certain she was in love with.

But every time she looked up and tried to see his face, she couldn’t make out any details. Everything was blurry.

In the dream, that hadn’t mattered. All that had mattered was the overwhelming happiness she felt.

As the two of them had reached the water, the man had scooped her into his arms as he waded deeper.

She’d squealed and told him he better not throw her in.

Bliss had captured her—bliss that left a horrible ache when she’d awoken and realized it wasn’t real.

Or was it?

Who was the mystery man with her? Guy?

Could what he’d told her be true? Were the two of them really dating and in love?

Sadie didn’t know. But she needed to talk to some of her coworkers or neighbors or friends so she could figure out exactly what the truth was.

Certainly, someone would know if she was dating.

Then there was one other thing, she mused as the nurse finished helping her and left.

Somewhere in the middle of that dream/memory, her stomach had tightened.

Tell him your secret.

The words had wafted through her mind.

Her secret? She didn’t know what it was.

She only knew at the core of her being that it would change everything.

Then she’d seen a man in the distance. He’d had a knife. As he lunged toward her, she’d screamed, and her dream had ended.

Nothing made sense, and the realization almost made her want to give up.

Was she a quitter? She didn’t think so.

But she felt so alone that her heart physically ached.

Maybe she should call Guy. Ask him more questions. Ask him to take her to all the places where she might remember something.

Yet something internal stopped her from doing that.

It didn’t make sense. She didn’t know what her mental block might be.

But she couldn’t deny that feelings of caution were there.

She needed to trust her gut.

A knock sounded at the door, and her breath caught.

She looked over, hoping it might be Trevor.

She knew he’d left one of his colleagues outside her room all night. In fact, the man had poked his head into the room to check on her several times.

Instead of Trevor, however, it was Detective Bennett.

Sadie tried to hide her disappointment. Then she realized he might have an update for her, and she perked up. He’d sent an officer last night to take her fingerprints, and she was anxious to hear if he’d discovered anything.

He took a chair across from her, and the nurse scurried from the room to give them privacy. This was a different nurse from yesterday, and she seemed much more skittish than Kate.

“Any changes this morning?” He sat upright, his voice professional but concerned.

Sadie remembered that dream again but knew she couldn’t mention it. Mostly because the dream didn’t mean anything concrete. There was no certainty in any of it. People had dreams all the time that didn’t match reality.

“No, unfortunately there haven’t been changes.” Sadie tried to conceal the disappointment in her voice.

Bennett pressed his lips together grimly and nodded. “I see.”

“Have you found out anything? Did you find the person who did this?”

“We ran the plates that Mr. McGrath gave us.”

“And?” She held her breath as she waited for him to continue.

“His recollection of the plates was correct. That vehicle did in fact hit you. We found damage on it.”

Her breath caught, and a moment of hope filled her chest. As quickly as the feeling appeared, it began to shrivel as the detective’s tone echoed in her head. “Why do I feel like there’s a but in there?”

Bennett frowned. “Unfortunately, the vehicle was stolen, and there were no viable prints. So we don’t have any leads on who may have been behind the wheel. They abandoned it on the outskirts of town.”

“Did any cameras nearby pick up on who may have been driving it?” she asked.

Amnesia was a strange thing. Sadie couldn’t remember her past, yet she could remember that cameras were located on streets in the downtown area? It was all so very peculiar and didn’t make sense.

“We’re still checking, hoping to figure something out, but so far there’s nothing.”

“I assume you’ve confirmed that my name truly is Sadie Carrington? That I really am thirty-three years old, and that I work for . . . who do I work for again?”

“Your fingerprints check out. We confirmed that you work for Sleeping Bear Elevator Company.”

Her jaw tightened. That meant that what Guy said was true.

The detective handed her a paper bag he’d brought into the room with him. “These are some items we recovered from your vehicle. Your purse, which contains a few personal effects as well as credit cards and some cash.”

“Did you search the rest of my car and find anything?”

“We checked it out, but we didn’t find anything of note,” Detective Bennett said. “Just what was to be expected. Nothing that gave us any indication as to who might have done this to you, however.”

Sadie tried to hide her disappointment and keep some semblance of hope alive. They were just beginning the investigation. They still had time to discover more information.

“Did you talk to my coworkers?” she asked. “Maybe one of them has an idea of who might want to hurt me. Although, I don’t really know how competitive my job would be at an elevator company.”

“We’re in the middle of talking to everyone there now. But so far, your coworkers are as shocked as you are. I assure you we’ll keep looking into this.”

Sadie frowned but nodded.

She’d been hoping for something more concrete. But in reality, she didn’t know any more right now than she did before the detective had come into her room.

* * *

Trevor headed from the elevator to Sadie’s room.

He’d intended on coming back last night, but too much had happened.

After he’d left the restaurant, he’d gone to Sadie’s Bronco in the parking lot. The police hadn’t towed it yet.

He searched through it, but he’d found nothing.

Then he’d picked the lock at her house, snuck inside, and looked around for anything that might give him a clue about what was going on.

Again, he’d found nothing.

Strangelynothing.

This was his first time inside her place. She had a rule about bringing guys here, she’d told him.

But he was still surprised.

Sadie had very few personal effects inside. A couple of pictures of her by herself, one at the Grand Canyon and another at what appeared to be a Florida beach.

There were no photo albums or files that gave him any insight—no birth certificate, tax returns, or warranty information even.

It was almost like she’d made a clean start when she moved into the place.

Sadie, however, seemed like the type who would like mementos of the places she’d been or lived. Who would put up pictures of loved ones and friends. Who would have cozy blankets and cookie-scented candles.

By the time he’d done all that, it was late. Trevor had gone back to his hotel to get some shuteye while Kai kept an eye on things. Then he’d awakened bright and early to come back to the hospital. Before leaving, he’d packed his overnight bag.

He’d move to a new hotel tonight, just to be on the safe side.

Kai nodded from outside Sadie’s hospital room as Trevor approached.

“Any updates?” Trevor paused in front of him.

“The detective is in there with her now. No other visitors or anything suspicious.”

That was good news. But Trevor didn’t feel any better. Danger and unanswered questions still seemed to close in from every side.

“What’s this about a dead body that was found outside town?” Kai narrowed his eyes in concern. “Any updates?”

Larchmont had called Trevor with an update this morning.

The man who died was John Breckenridge. He was thirty-eight. From Wisconsin. Supposedly in town to kayak.

He’d been killed via knife wound to the gut.

That was all they knew so far. Both the police and Larchmont were continuing to dig.

His boss had sent a picture of John. The man had thick brown hair, darker skin, and a small build.

Larchmont also said they found a hair on the hat abandoned by the man who’d fled from the hospital. They were running it through the system for DNA, but so far hadn’t had any hits.

Also, the man Guy had met with at the restaurant last night had been a friend from high school, a man without any criminal record. The dinner could have truly been casual. But Trevor was reserving his judgment.

Trevor shared what he knew with Kai.

Kai stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I overheard the nurse and doctor talking this morning. They indicated Sadie would probably be cleared to go home soon.”

“I figured as much. That’s why I’ve been trying to get everything lined up so I can take her there. Did they say anything about the medication mix-up yesterday?”

“Only that they were still trying to figure out what happened,” Kai said. “Did you check out her house?”

“I did.” Trevor nodded. “I didn’t find anything useful.”

“How about her SUV? Did you have a chance to look in it?”

“I did. But again, there was nothing. It’s all strange. I’m not done with this yet, however. Something’s not adding up.”

Kai’s jaw twitched. “What do you need me to do?”

“You’ve been working all night. You go get some rest, and I’ll take over for now. I’ll give you a call later.”

“Understood.” With a nod, Kai headed down the hallway, relieved of his duties.

Only a few seconds later, the door to Sadie’s hospital room opened, and Detective Bennett stepped out. His eyes widened with recognition and surprise when he saw Trevor standing there.

Trevor wasn’t sure if the detective trusted him or not. The man definitely seemed cautious, but Trevor couldn’t blame him. Any good detective would be.

“Good morning, Mr. McGrath.” The detective nodded.

“Morning.” Trevor’s gaze traveled behind him, and he saw Sadie sitting in a chair. Her hair had been washed and combed, and she wore fresh but ill-fitting clothes.

“I assume you’re still keeping an eye on Ms. Carrington.”

“That’s right,” Trevor said. “At least until she regains some of her memories or you guys apprehend whoever tried to kill her.”

Something darkened in the detective’s gaze, but the shadow had only been a flicker. It disappeared as quickly as it had materialized. “I assure you that we’re working on it.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Trevor had to be careful. If the detective dug too deeply, he might find out things about Trevor that needed to remain buried.

The agency was good at what they did. Good at covering their tracks. But there was always the possibility that some small detail would fall through the cracks—a small detail that could lead to major consequences.

Even though they’d been hired by the government for multiple assignments, the government would claim ignorance if they were ever pressed. They wouldn’t come to his rescue or defense.

Trevor and his colleagues would be on their own.

Trevor needed to keep that in the back of his mind.

Always have a backup plan.Rule number one for covert op assignments. He knew that better than anyone.

As the detective walked away, Trevor took another step toward Sadie’s room and knocked on the open door.

Sadie spotted him and nodded, giving him permission to come inside.

His throat went desert-dry as he got a better glimpse of her. Even after everything that had happened, she still looked gorgeous. Even in her sweats and oversized T-shirt. Even with her normally styled hair looking wavy with untamed strands and no makeup on her face.

The only difference was that she now looked gorgeous, secretive, and confused.

How had this turned into such a nightmare? Just yesterday morning, Trevor had been picturing himself spending the rest of his life with this woman.

The thought had been crazy, and he’d known that. They’d only been on four dates.

But there had been something special about Sadie.

Had the chemistry between them been an act?

Trevor didn’t want to believe it.

“The doctor should have my discharge papers signed soon.” Sadie offered a faint smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m ready to get out of here. And good news—they brought me my wallet, and I do have at least a little cash with me.”

She was so worried about paying him what she’d promised. That sounded like Sadie. She wasn’t the type to take advantage of anyone. At the store once, the cashier had given her an extra five-dollar bill. She’d gone back to return it.

“Like I said, don’t worry about that right now,” Trevor told her. “We’ll get it all figured out later.”

She studied him another moment. “If you’re sure . . .”

“Of course.” Trevor forced himself not to react to her gaze on him. He feared she might read too much into his expression. Might know there was more to the relationship than he was letting on.

Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Larchmont.

Trevor quickly glanced at the message.

One last update I failed to mention earlier. We sent one of our guys to Sadie’s office last night. He found a hidden cell phone taped beneath her desk. Still trying to unlock it. She’s definitely hiding something.