It’s not that I’d ever done anything like this before, but I figured it couldn’t be that difficult to just throw out random words or questions out there and see what Emie came back with. “Just relax and say the first thing that comes to mind when I give you a word. Like…Seattle.”
“Home.” Her answer was quick, and followed by a surprised smile.
“There you go, baby. Sounds like there’s a good chance Seattle is home for you.” At least, I hoped so. “Movie.”
She hesitated this time, shaking her head. “I don’t know…”
I reached over and gave her a hand a squeeze. “That’s perfectly fine. Let’s try another one. Cake.”
“Chocolate.” She relaxed a little, managing a small smile.
“Car.”
“Mini.” She seemed to surprise herself with that one.
“A Mini, huh? I can see that.” As adorable as she was, I could easily see her in a cute little car with tons of zip. “Sports?”
“Seahawks.” The Seattle Seahawks…another indication that she was likely from Seattle.
“Married?” I hated that I held my breath as I waited for her answer, but there was no help for it. I wanted Emie to myself.
“No.” Yet another quick answer—and I swore, I let out a huge sigh of relief to hear it.
I knotted my fingers with hers as my free hand brushed her hair from her shoulder, needing every bit of contact I could muster without scaring her away. “Favorite food.”
“Sushi—no, pizza. Or Thai.” She shook her head, giving me a shrug and a shy smile. “Guess it could be just about anything.”
“That works for me, love.” I leaned in and kissed her, my lips lingering on hers for just a sweet moment, before forcing myself to pull away. “Job?”
Her brow furrowed as she gave me a pout. “I’m sort of blank on that one. What about you? You never really said what you do for work.”
“Honestly, my entire family has shifted its focus to our whiskey distillery in the last year or two. So we all do whatever is needed for the family business. Some days it’s dealing with manufacturing, and other days, I’m dealing with distributors and sales. But…it’s a bit of a shift from what my family was doing beforehand—in a good way. Especially since we lost my father to it…”
Fuck. I hated that it still hurt. But my father’s murder was still a raw spot on my soul, even if we’d finally paid back the bastards who took him from us.
“I’m sorry to hear it, Locke.” She took a long sip from her glass, before setting it down, her eyes refusing to meet mine. “What did you guys do before focusing on the distillery?”
I shrugged, knowing that if I went down that road, I’d do nothing but scare her off. “It was my father’s business for the most part, though we sort of got dragged into it as we got old enough. It was…just a bit of this and that. Running errands and tackling business dealings for our clients. How about you, Em? Any family?”
I wasn’t sure if she’d remember whether or not she had any family, but it was still worth a try, especially if we had any hope of figuring out who she was. And as close as my own family was, I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to have one of them go missing and not know what happened to them.
Yet instead of giving me any sort of answer, her eyes immediately teared up, even as she managed a smile, grabbing her glass. “Looks like I might need another one. Can I get you anything?”
“Hey…it’s okay, Em.” I took her glass from her and set it aside, not sure that another glass of wine would help her any.
“You know…it’s starting to get late, and I’m exhausted after getting almost no sleep last night.” She shifted away from me, quickly swiping at her tears.
“I hate the thought of you going to bed upset.” Especially when I didn’t know if she was upset because of something she’d remembered, or if she was upset because she’d been reminded that, until her memory returned, she was alone. And though she had me by her side, I was still a stranger to her. “Talk to me, Emie… What’s going on in that sweet head of yours?”
“I don’t know—and I don’t want to talk about it.” She got to her feet, looking ready to bolt, but I stood right along with her, refusing to let her take off in a panic.
“Then we don’t have to talk about it, love.” I cupped her face in my hands, closing the distance between us, her lush curves brushing against my body as her eyes slipped shut and she leaned into my touch. “I’m sorry if I pushed you too hard.”
She shook her head with a sigh. “It’s not your fault. It’s just me. I’m a mess. And not knowing who I am is leaving me feeling confused and dizzy.”
“Then maybe catching up on sleep isn’t such a bad idea.” Even if I’d be up all night, worried about her panicking and taking off. “Come on… Let’s get you to bed.”
I scooped her up into my arms and cradled her against me, carrying her off to her bed, relieved that she didn’t fight me but rather clung to me, her head resting against my shoulder. I laid her down against the pillows, but when I went to leave, she grabbed my hand. “Please stay, Locke. I don’t want to be alone.”
Fucking hell, she looked gorgeous with her red hair spilling around her. “As you wish, Em. I’ll be right here as you sleep.”
Lying by her side, I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart as she nestled her body against mine, knowing this was going to be one hell of a long night, especially if I was going to behave myself. Yet as she relaxed by my side, it didn’t take long for her breathing to slow and deepen as she drifted off to sleep, though I’d be damned if I could get my thoughts to slow.
Someone had to know who Emie was. Someone had to be missing her. But until we figured out who she really was, I’d happily be here by her side to help her through whatever came her way.
Maybe Dane could help. He was my family’s computer expert, and had more than a few ways of obtaining information others didn’t want found. If someone had taken Emie, then Dane might be able to find details of it on the Dark Web, depending on what they’d planned to do with her.
The thought had my body tensing with anger, my hold on her tightening. I hated having this unknown threat hanging over our heads. Something would definitely need to be done, though it’d have to wait until morning.
For now, I was happy to drift off to sleep with Emie in my arms—until I was woken up by her screams as she startled awake from a nightmare.
“It’s okay, baby…I’ve got you. You’re safe.”