Chapter 14

Two hours later,Sadie stepped outside the hospital and drew in a deep breath.

Even though she’d only been in the building for less than twenty-four hours, the fresh air felt good—felt healing.

Trevor remained close to her, his hand near her elbow as if he feared she might topple over.

Although it wasn’t necessary, she appreciated his concern and attention. The truth was, she didn’t feel totally steady on her feet. Her head still had a slight throb, and the medications she’d been given left her feeling weak.

He ushered her to his truck, an older blue Chevy from the nineties that looked well taken care of.

Once she was tucked inside, Trevor jogged to the driver’s side and climbed in, slamming his door behind him.

He cranked the engine before turning to her. “I’m assuming you want to go home?”

She shivered as she realized she couldn’t even remember what home looked like. “Yes, please. I’m hoping that something there—something familiar—will dredge up some memories.”

“Nothing yet?”

She sucked on her bottom lip before shaking her head.

The dream she’d had last night flashed back into her mind. But she still wasn’t sure if she could trust it. Who had that man been? A figment of her imagination? Or a real person in her life?

“Not really,” she finally said. “The doctor has no idea when my memories will return. He said there’s a possibility they won’t return.”

“That has to be a tough pill to swallow.”

“For sure. Dr. Evans, the hospital psychologist, came in this morning. There’s some therapy that might help, but she wants to see if I regain anything on my own first. I scheduled an appointment with her next week, as well as a follow-up with Dr. Conroy later this week.”

“Let’s hope you remember everything before then.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” She stared at the traffic whizzing by on the street beside them and frowned. “I wonder where my Bronco is . . .”

“I heard the detective say he would have one of his guys bring it to your house.”

“That’s good news, I suppose. I would give you directions to my house but . . .” Her voice trailed in a weak attempt at humor.

“I’ll just plug the address into my GPS if you don’t mind reading it to me from your license.”

She did that, and then they took off.

Sadie watched as Trevor’s gaze scanned everything around them as they drove.

Just what she would expect from a bodyguard, she supposed. At the very least, the action made her feel safer.

Her thoughts continued to wander through what she did know. They wouldn’t stop, and Sadie wasn’t sure she wanted them to. But Dr. Conroy had warned her not to put too much mental stress on herself.

“I hope everyone is wrong,” Sadie murmured after a few minutes of silence. “I hope that maybe the person who did this to me was just some crazy druggie who didn’t realize what he was doing. I just can’t imagine why someone would want to kill me.”

“Someone driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol—or both—is a definite possibility,” Trevor said.

She stared out the window, still waiting to recognize something and have some kind of ah-ha moment.

But she didn’t.

As despair tried to bite deeply, she turned to Trevor, desperate for a distraction. “Tell me more about yourself.”

He flinched as if surprised, but the reaction quickly faded as if he’d stowed it away, locked it up, and thrown away the key.

He shrugged. “Not much interesting to say about me.”

“There must be. You’re a bodyguard with experience in the military. You must like the beach since you were headed there yesterday when you found me. My understanding is that no one else was there. Were you just going to enjoy the view? Or do you do some type of water sports?”

“I was just headed to the beach to relax,” Trevor said. “I’m thirty-four years old and originally from North Dakota. I joined the military right out of high school, really as soon as I could.”

“Is that because you wanted to serve your country or because you had no idea what else you wanted to do?”

“Maybe a little of both. It seemed noble.” He paused before continuing. “My mom was a single mom for years until she got remarried to a man who wanted nothing to do with me. He didn’t tell my mom that, but he made it clear to me. One day, he pulled me aside and told me that as soon as I graduated I had to get out of the house, that he wasn’t going to pay for a freeloader.”

“That’s terrible.” A frown tugged at her lips at the thought.

Trevor nodded. “Leaving home right away wasn’t my original plan, that’s for sure. But my mom seemed so happy. I didn’t want to break it to her that she’d married a jerk. I couldn’t afford college on my own, so the military seemed like a good option.”

“Is your mom still with this guy?”

“No. She eventually figured out for herself what kind of man he was. They divorced a couple of years later. My mom didn’t handle it well. She overdosed on some pain meds and . . .” His voice cracked.

Sadie reached for his arm and squeezed it. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay. There’s no need to hide the truth, even when it’s painful. I miss her every day, but time marches on, right?”

“It does, whether we want it to or not.” She paused. “And now you work for a security agency that does jobs all over the US, but you just happen to be in Michigan right now taking a few days for vacation? And you showed up at the same secluded beach as me at just the right time?”

“There’s more to it than that.”

She stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“This was one of my mom’s favorite places to vacation,” Trevor told her. “So every year around her birthday, I try to come here and have some time of self-reflection. It makes me feel closer to her somehow.”

“That’s really beautiful.”

It truly was. Sadie was enjoying—if enjoying was the right word—finding out more about Trevor. At least it was something concrete. It was better than thinking about the uncertainties of her own life.

“I think the shores of Lake Michigan are gorgeous,” Trevor said. “Being on the water seems to make everything better, you know?”

A smile tugged at her lips. “Yeah, surprisingly, I do know. Even though I can’t remember much, for some reason I know I love the beach.”

Trevor cast a quick but faint smile her way. “It’s a good place to love.”

Before they could talk more, he stopped in front of a small bungalow located in an older, more established neighborhood full of similar homes.

This must be her house.

The place was so unfamiliar, however, that it almost felt eerie to be here.

Sadie braced herself for whatever she might find inside.

* * *

Trevor pushed down the grief simmering inside him. Even though he knew it was crazy to feel heartache over a relationship that had only been four dates deep, the feelings were still there.

Listening to Sadie talk had done all kinds of strange things to his heart.

She’d loved the beach. She’d adored it, actually.

He’d loved watching her stare at the water and soak in the sun and laugh as the waves hit her.

Now, all that could be gone. Those days might not ever be recreated. The possibility of their relationship might have died right along with her memories.

His gut clenched.

Maybe it was better this way.

Especially considering that hidden cell phone one of his colleagues had found in Sadie’s office.

Why would she have a hidden cell phone? Why did she have blood on her hands? And what about that list of numbers she had in her beach bag?

He’d examined the list last night, but he still didn’t know what the figures meant. He would keep searching.

He shoved those thoughts aside for now.

He hadn’t told the truth earlier about his mom either. The truth was, he’d been on assignment in this area about a year ago taking down a human-trafficking ring. While here, he’d fallen in love with Michigan’s beaches, and now he tried to come up here as often as he could.

Trevor ran around to Sadie’s door and opened it for her, helping her out.

He knew she wasn’t fragile, but he wanted to make sure she didn’t have any more falls.

Head injuries were serious matters, and she didn’t look steady on her feet yet.

“Do you have your keys?” He had picked the lock to get into her place last night, and he could do it again if needed. But he couldn’t let her know that.

She reached into the paper bag they’d given her at the hospital and pulled out a set. “I’m assuming one of these will fit.”

Trevor took them from her and walked beside her toward the door, which had been painted a cheerful yellow that fit her normally sunny demeanor.

When he reached the porch, his muscles went taut.

The door wasn’t latched.

He knew without a doubt he’d closed this door last night after he finished inside. He’d been careful not to leave any sign he’d been there.

“Trevor?” Sadie’s voice trembled as she watched his reaction.

“I need you to stay here.” He handed the keys back to her, stealing a glance at her expression.

She’d gone pale.

Right now, however, his main concern was keeping her safe.

He pulled out his gun and carefully nudged the door open.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

The whole place had been ransacked and looked like someone had either been looking for something or trying to send a message. If they’d been trying to send a message, it had worked. Sadie was clearly shaken—as she should be.

He quickly glanced at Sadie again. “You should wait in the truck.”

She shook her head. “If no one is here now then I want to see.”

Trevor’s gut tightened. He wasn’t sure that was a good idea. But he knew by the look in her eyes that she wouldn’t back down.

He gave her a nod before stepping inside. He quickly dodged the overturned furniture, scattered books, and ripped cushions on the floor as he searched the house for any intruders.

Just as he suspected, whoever had done this was now long gone. He shoved his gun back into his holster as he approached Sadie outside.

“It’s clear.” He led her into the living room and shut the door behind them, just to be on the safe side.

Her face paled as she glanced around the room and shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”

Neither could he.

“Should I call the police?” she asked.

“I’ll do it for you.” He pulled out his phone—his regular one that had no record of calls between him and Sadie—and made the call to Detective Bennett.

The detective promised to be right out and asked them not to touch anything.

Instead, he and Sadie stood in the doorway as they waited.

“Anything bringing back memories?” Trevor glanced at Sadie.

She shook her head, grim lines around her mouth and eyes. “No, nothing. Right now, it’s even hard to believe I called this place home. It just looks like something that belongs to a stranger . . . and like a wreck.”

“After the detective clears it, I’ll help you get the place cleaned up.”

She shivered as she continued staring at her living room. “Except I’m not sure I want to stay here. I’m wondering if a hotel might be a better option.”

Trevor had the exact same thought. There were too many opportunities for someone to breach this place. A hotel room would be safer.

“I can arrange that,” he said. “I’ll use my credit card. We don’t want someone tracing yours.” Before Sadie could insist that she would pay him for any expenses, he jumped in with, “We’ll make everything right when this is over.”

Sadie studied him another moment and then nodded and looked away.

Trevor’s gaze lingered on her as she stared at the mess in front of her.

He remembered back to only four nights ago when the two of them had been in front of each other.

They’d had dinner together. Then they’d gone to the beach. He’d walked her to her car and paused there.

They had been laughing, the chemistry between them easy and natural.

Then he’d leaned toward her and planted a long, slow kiss on her lips. She’d returned the kiss, and the two of them had become lost in the moment.

He’d been dreaming about that kiss ever since. Wanting to recreate it.

Now here they were alone again.

But no matter how much Trevor wanted to kiss her again, he couldn’t. Not without her not knowing their past. Not until they discovered the truth about her past.

Maybe not even until Trevor could tell her the truth about his own life.

Before Trevor could think about it any longer, a police car pulled up outside.

He’d have to wallow in the remorse of those lost kisses later.

Right now, he had to focus on whoever was trying to kill Sadie.