Forgotten Memories

Gabby was still wired from the rush of adrenaline, but she wasn’t sure her legs would carry her much farther. Shane must think she was a wimp, but he had no way of knowing she’d worked more than twenty-four hours straight.

She was still reeling from the fact that the ruggedly handsome deputy had appeared out of nowhere to help her. Had he witnessed the men kidnapping her from the hospital? No other explanation made sense, and right now she was deeply grateful to know she wasn’t alone.

His coat smelled like him, warm and musky. She buried her face in the collar, taking a deep breath. Shane’s scent helped to keep her calm as she listened for any indication the gunmen were close.

The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. Shane finally flipped his radio back on.

“I need an update,” he said in a low, urgent tone.

“Unit ten has been trying to reach you. They’ve found the truck and three men, all dead.”

A chill snaked down her spine and she stared at Shane in horror. “Wh—what? How could all three be dead?” she stammered.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Shane replied grimly. “I only shot two of them, leaving a third unaccounted for. He was the driver.”

“Understood. Unit ten, please confirm the number of dead found at the scene,” the dispatcher said.

“Hawk, where are you?” a male voice asked impatiently. “We found the black truck on the dirt road, but we have three dead guys here, and we need to know what’s going on.”

“I don’t know how that’s possible,” Shane said. “We’re obviously not alone out here. Someone must be lurking nearby, and I won’t risk exposing the female hostage with me to any more danger.”

“Creighton,” Gabby whispered, reaching up to grasp his arm. “They were taking me to see a man named Creighton, and told me I’d better cooperate since he’s used to getting what he wants.”

Shane narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you know this Creighton guy?” he asked.

“No, never heard the name before in my life and I can’t even begin to guess if that’s his first or last name.”

“Subject at large goes by the name of Creighton,” he said through the radio. “Spread out and search the woods.”

“Ten-four, hold your twenty.”

“Are you sure you don’t remember someone named Creighton?” Shane pressed. “Someone you work with, one of your patients...or someone from your past?”

“I’m sure.” She wasn’t about to explain about her eidetic memory. Men tended to look at her oddly once they knew the truth. Yes, she was smart, but mostly because her brain was wired in a way that made it easy to remember things she’d read or learned. But for some reason, men were put off by her level of intelligence. Except for Damon, and he’d turned out to be a horrible brute anyway. She shivered again, forcing the bad memories of the past out of her mind. None of that mattered now.

She felt safe with Shane.

Finally the beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness. “Hawk? Is that you?” a male voice asked. She could see a tall, sandy-haired man walk toward them, dressed in the same black uniform as Shane’s.

“Yeah, we’re here,” Shane said, relief audible in his tone. “I’m glad to see you, Nate. Are you sure there’s no sign of anyone else hiding nearby?”

“I’m sure,” Nate’s tone was firm. “And when you see the scene back at the truck, you’ll be sure, too. Whoever did that is likely long gone.”

Gabby’s stomach clenched, not that she wasn’t used to seeing dead bodies, but generally she preferred to see them in the hospital setting, not where they’d been killed.

“Gabriella, are you able to walk?” Shane asked her. “Or would you rather I carry you?”

“No, thanks. I can walk.” She couldn’t imagine being carried out of here in Shane’s arms...talk about embarrassing! “And please call me Gabby.” She dragged herself upright with an effort, secretly relieved when Shane put his arm around her waist again, grateful for his support.

“I’m Deputy Freemont,” Nate said, coming up alongside her. She nodded, humbled by the fact that these brave men had put their lives on the line to rescue her.

Especially Shane.

“I don’t know how you managed to find me,” she murmured to Shane as they approached the clearing. Now that they were walking back to the scene from where she’d managed to escape, she felt nervous, half expecting the men in black to come after her again. “I thought for sure those thugs would hurt or kill me.”

“I was supposed to be picking up evidence at the hospital, but when I saw you outside, I decided to head over to talk to you,” Shane said. “I just happened to be several yards behind when those two men grabbed you.”

“Did you follow the truck?” she asked.

“No, I managed to hitch a ride in the back,” he admitted gruffly. “There was no way I was going to let them get away with hurting you.”

The stark conviction in his tone sent a shiver of awareness down her spine. Gabby knew Shane was a cop and that protecting people like her was part of his job, but she couldn’t help thinking how attractive he was with his dark brown hair and blue eyes. But his big muscular frame was a bit intimidating, even though he didn’t give any indication that he’d use his strength against her.

Damon hadn’t given her that impression, either.

Trusting men wasn’t easy for many reasons. Damon had tried to sexually assault her. And she still resented her stepfather for sending her away at nine years old to live at the Einstein School of Brilliance. He hadn’t seemed to care how much he’d hurt her by tearing her away from her mother. And her mother certainly hadn’t stood up for Gabby, either.

She shook her head, reminding herself that all of that angst was in the past. She needed to stay focused on the present. Her career. The hospital, the one place she knew she belonged.

She walked alongside Shane and when they approached the clearing, he stopped and placed a restraining hand on her arm. “You shouldn’t come any closer, Gabby,” he advised. “This might give you nightmares. Stay here with Nate and I’ll return shortly.”

“No, I want to come,” she said, surprising herself with the need to see what had happened.

He frowned and shook his head. “There’s no reason for you to have to see this,” he insisted.

“Shane, I’m a trauma surgeon,” she reminded him. “I’ve probably seen more gunshot wounds than you.”

Shane and Nate exchanged a look of frustration. “I doubt it,” Shane said grimly. “Come along, if you insist, but stay close to me.”

She was still shaken by what had happened, so sticking close to Shane wasn’t a problem. There were several other cops in the clearing, but Gabby’s focus was on the dead gunmen.

The closest man lying on the ground was the guy she’d stabbed with her scalpel. Even though she was told they were dead, she found herself kneeling and reaching out to feel for a pulse.

“Don’t,” Shane said quickly, reaching down to take her hand. “I’m sorry...but I can’t risk you accidently contaminating the evidence.”

She hadn’t thought of this as a crime scene, but of course it was. “Sorry,” she murmured. “But you should know this is the one I stabbed with a scalpel.”

“A scalpel?” he repeated in surprise. “You normally carry one around with you?”

She flushed and shook her head. “No, but sometimes supplies end up in my pocket. This particular scalpel wasn’t the kind we use in the operating rooms but one of the disposable ones that we use to make small incisions as needed while providing patient care in the emergency department.”

“I’m really glad you had that with you,” he said, looking deep into her eyes. “Using that as a weapon provided the perfect distraction to help me take out the other guy.”

She nodded, ridiculously touched by his praise.

“Nate, shine your flashlight on him. There, see? He has two gunshot wounds,” Shane said. “I shot at his chest, and can see the entry wound where I hit him. But there’s no way I gave him the gunshot wound in his forehead.”

“The other two guys have the same type of injury,” Nate added, leaning over Shane’s shoulder. “They were all taken out with a single gunshot wound to the head. You can see why we figured the shooter was long gone.”