I’d fucking kill the bastards if they came after Emie. What the hell did they want with her anyway? Or was it the obvious, and she was just one more woman who’d gotten forced into doing unthinkable things, with no way out? Things so horrible, that her mind was refusing to remember them?
Except that I’d overheard the cops tell her that the doctors found that she hadn’t been sexually assaulted—no doubt a huge relief for her. But they didn’t know much else, other than she’d been drugged, bound, and had suffered some blows to her body and head.
As we headed back toward my place, I had to wonder if any part of her memory was coming back to her. Any information that she managed to recall could be a huge help in figuring out who she was and the trouble she might be in. “Emie…do you remember anything at all?”
She shifted in her seat to face me, chewing on her bottom lip with a pout as she mulled things over. “I’ve been catching flashes of things in my head. Sort of like déjà vu. But…the memories feel slippery. Before I can figure them out, they escape, and I’m left with nothing again.”
“I’m sure it’ll all come back to you eventually. Maybe once you get some sleep.” I parked outside my home and walked her down the dock, scanning the area to make sure we were alone. Not knowing who’d taken her was leaving me feeling uneasy, since it meant I also didn’t know what they were capable of. Hopefully, she’d remember more once she let her body and mind rest.
I let Bear out, but he quickly returned, clearly happy to see us—and an even better sight was the smile on Emie’s face when she sank to her knees by my dog’s side, her fingers sinking into his thick, black fur.
“Come on…the bedrooms are upstairs on the second floor. You must be exhausted.” I led the way, relieved that I’d bought the larger of the houseboats I’d looked at. Though it was still smaller than a traditional home, it was roomy enough, which was a damn good thing since Bear was massive. “This is the guest bedroom, and there’s a bathroom just across the hall, with fresh towels in the linen closet. Not sure what else you might need… Is there anything I can get you? Maybe something for your cuts and bruises?”
She shook her head no. “I already have more than I need, and the doctors cleaned my cuts. Thank you, Locke…for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” And then she went up onto her toes and kissed my cheek, before taking a step back toward her room. “Good night.”
Bear plopped himself down outside her door and settled in for the night with a huff of breath as he laid his head down on his giant paws, making me smile. “Good night, Emie.”
I headed to bed, knowing the sun would be up in just a few hours, and though I was exhausted, it was hard not to keep my mind from racing through all the unknowns of the evening. Yet there was little I could do without more information.
With luck, we’d have a little more to go on come morning.
I’d already been up for a few hours, catching up on some work, when Emie finally came downstairs, her hair wet from her shower. “Coffee’s on if you want some. Eggs and toast okay?”
She nodded, looking a little lost, as if unsure of what to do with herself. “Honestly, you don’t have to cook for me. A bowl of cereal would be fine—or if you just point me in the right direction, I can cook us up something.”
“I like cooking, and since I never get much of a chance to make much for anyone but myself, this is fun. Besides, in the time it’d take to tell you where everything is, I could’ve already made you a full breakfast.” Abandoning my laptop, I got up and headed into the kitchen, my body brushing past hers as I grabbed eggs, cheese, vegetables, and ham out of the fridge, and put them on the counter near the stove, before grabbing a pan. “Anything you won’t eat or don’t care for?”
“I don’t think so. Not that I would know for sure.” She grabbed a mug off the hook, and poured herself some coffee, quickly doctoring it up and climbing onto the breakfast stool with a sigh. “I’m still only catching snippets of my past. And some things seem to just sort of come naturally—like how I take my coffee. It’s all just so…odd. Like there’s no rhyme or reason.”
“Give it time. Who knows? It could be some form of PTSD rather than amnesia from the drugs, and your brain just needs time to process it all.” After dropping some bread in the toaster, I sautéed the onions and mushrooms, before adding the diced ham and scrambled eggs, letting it all come together and then topping it off with some Swiss once the eggs had cooked through. “Did you at least sleep okay?”
“Like the dead.” She smiled when I slid the plate of food in front of her. “This smells amazing, Locke.”
“I was thinking…if there is someone out there trying to find you, then you’re probably right—chances are good that they might track you to my home. We might want to head elsewhere, just until this all blows over.” My family had plenty of properties all around Washington state, and this seemed like the ideal situation to make use of them. “I figure we can pick up a few things that you might need, and then head out of town. We’ll also give the cops my number in case they need to get in touch with you.”
She shook her head no, her brow furrowed with concern. “I can’t let you abandon your life to take care of me. You’ve already done so much to help me.”
“It’s really not a problem, Emie. I work for my family, and they’ll understand, especially given the circumstances. Besides, even if there’s something that needs seeing to immediately and can’t wait, most of what I do for the family business can be done remotely. All I need is an Internet connection.” It was nothing but the truth, and there was no way I was letting her deal with this on her own. I didn’t know her, or who was after her, but my family and I had more than enough experience to deal with thugs and criminals.
“You’re going to be stubborn about this, aren’t you?” She shot me a stern look, spearing a chunk of omelet with her fork.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sweetheart… You already know me so well.”
Just a few hours later, we were packed, and Bear was lounging on his dog bed in the back of my large SUV, the seats down to give him extra room. I debated long and hard on which family home we should head to, but in the end, I opted for something remote, tucked deep in the woods and high up the mountain—the same home Finn and Skylar had been using a few months back.
But first, before we went anywhere, Emie needed a new wardrobe, since the items I’d picked up last night had been purchased not for their style or quality, but for the mere fact that the store had been open at one o’clock in the morning. And given that I’d been guessing at her size, chances were good that the clothes I’d bought her were just one step up from useless.
“Why are we at a mall?” Emie turned in her seat to face me, and it was already clear she was going to fight me on this. It was clear that she was uneasy with being dependent on another person, and I had no doubt she was worried about causing me any sort of inconvenience. Except that she wasn’t. I was happy to do this for her.
“We’re at the mall because you need clothes. The stuff I got you? That’s not going to cut it, especially if we’re heading into the mountains.” I ignored the glare she shot me, and got out of the car. “I’m not going to have you freezing your ass off just because you’re being stubborn.”
She hopped out and headed over to my side. “What about Bear? We can’t just leave him here on his own. We should just go. The stuff you got me will do just fine.”
I had to laugh, loving her attempt to derail this shopping trip. “Emie…though I appreciate your concern, it’s fifty-five degrees out, and Bear’s fur is thick enough for him to comfortably survive being out in a blizzard for hours. He’s part Tibetan Mastiff, or something equally big and hairy, so trust me when I tell you, he’ll be fine. And he’s got water, chew toys, and plenty of room back there. I promise we won’t be long. This is just a quick trip to get you a few supplies.”
“And you call me stubborn.”