Chapter 21

Trevor feltKai’s eyes on him and quickly tried to clear his expression.

“Why do you look so upset?” his colleague asked.

Trevor forced his shoulders to appear casual as he shrugged. “Sadie just doesn’t seem like the type to live a lie.”

Kai continued to eye him. “But remember . . . you don’t know her very well.”

“No, I don’t,” Trevor conceded.

“For all we know, she could be in witness protection. The government could have easily fabricated fingerprints for her in the system and created a new background.”

“Maybe.” Trevor hadn’t really thought about that possibility.

Kai tilted his head. “Are you going to ask her?”

Trevor gave his colleague a sharp glance. “You think she’s faking her amnesia?”

He shrugged. “It’s a possibility. We should consider everything. It’s only wise.”

Trevor couldn’t argue with Kai’s statement, even if he didn’t want to believe it. Instead, he let out a sigh. “I think asking her would be premature. But I’ll keep the possibility in the back of my mind. In the meantime, I want to look into Guy more. Something about him bothers me.”

Kai opened his computer and typed in a few things. “I did a preliminary check, but nothing came up. He’s thirty-five. Been married once. Worked in various sales jobs throughout the area.”

“I’m going to dig deeper. There’s got to be more to Guy.”

“I also looked into some other people at the office. The one person who sparked the most suspicion was April.”

“I met her today. What about her?”

“She’s had a couple of arrests—one for drunk driving. Another for shoplifting. Those were quite a few years ago. What concerns me the most is her relationship with a man named Joseph Hayden. He’s a known drug dealer.”

“Interesting . . . see what else you can find out on him. And while you’re at it, dig a little deeper in Juan Blevins also.”

“Will do.”

“If we don’t find some answers, these people will just keep coming after Sadie.”

Kai nodded before rubbing his neck. “The whole situation is strange. If it turns out not to be Guy, maybe Sadie has an ex-boyfriend. You know what they say? The root of most crimes is love or money.”

Trevor let that settle for a minute. Kai was right. Most crimes were motivated by those things.

Sadie had never mentioned a crazy ex-boyfriend.

Then again, she hadn’t mentioned Guy either.

Nothing was as it seemed.

Had Trevor been a fool to believe her innocence? Or should he continue to give her the benefit of the doubt?

* * *

Sadie sat up in bed with a start.

Her heart stampeded in her chest. Sweat covered her brow.

She glanced around, panic filling her.

Where was she?

She soaked in the white walls. The long dresser. The TV hanging over it.

A hotel room, she realized. But how had she gotten here?

Then she remembered.

Trevor had brought her here to rest while they figured things out.

She let out a breath and slumped back down in bed.

Then she tried to search back farther in her thoughts and hit a figurative wall.

That was right. She’d lost her memory.

Had her nap stirred any thoughts?

Sadie kept trying to conjure information about her past. But there was nothing. Empty pages. A screen with only static. A canvas painted white.

How was this even possible? She could understand her brain blocking out the event where she was almost killed. But why was her brain blocking out the rest of her memories? It didn’t make sense.

She supposed that was how the brain worked sometimes. She had hit her head hard.

In fact, according to the doctor, she was lucky to be alive.

Movement across the room caught her eye, and she saw Trevor step into the doorway.

Just the sight of him loosened her lungs.

Even though he was hired help, Sadie felt as if she could depend on him. Maybe because he had been the one person who’d been there for her since this ordeal started.

She prayed her trust wasn’t misplaced.

“How was your nap?” He leaned in the doorway, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

She averted her gaze as her cheeks heated.

Those thoughts . . . they weren’t appropriate. The two of them only had a professional relationship—there was no room for attraction.

“I guess it was pretty good. I don’t remember much.” She let out a dry laugh. “Usually, that’s a good thing, but I suppose in my case . . .”

He offered a compassionate smile. “Your case is a tough one.”

She let out another breath. No one knew that better than her.

“What now?” She ran a hand through her hair, hoping it didn’t look too crazy.

“Are you hungry? I thought we could get a late lunch/early dinner.”

“Now that you mention it, I am hungry.”

“Anything sound good?”

“A burger and fries.” Then she paused. “Isn’t that strange? How do I know that sounds good? That a burger and fries are something I like?”

He shrugged. “I certainly can’t explain it.”

“That makes both of us. Just let me get freshened up.”