Forgotten Memories

“I’m not sure I understand,” Gabby said, glancing between the two deputies.

“Dead men don’t talk,” Shane explained in a somber tone.

She shivered, knowing he was right. Dead men couldn’t talk, and she couldn’t help wondering if Creighton himself had done this.

And if so, what had he intended to do with her?

THREE (#ulink_c8c459a0-5ff9-5f89-ac97-79972d9893e1)

Shane scowled and glanced around the clearing, trying to piece together what exactly had taken place. “Don’t you think it’s odd that he didn’t come after us? Why give up so easily?”

Gabby shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Did you notice anyone following you before all this happened?” Nate asked her.

“No, but again, I wasn’t really paying attention to that kind of thing.” She shivered again, and Shane didn’t think it was from the cold. “I was focused on getting home.”

He wanted to put his arm around her for support, but reminded himself he was here to protect her. Nothing more. “Maybe Creighton heard the gunfire and knew that Gabby escaped with my help. Since he knew I was armed, Creighton decided to kill the guys who had let her get away and decided to wait for a better time to come after her.”

“Sounds plausible,” Nate agreed.

“But the real question here is why they’re after Gabby in the first place,” Shane said thoughtfully. “I still find it incredible that they dared to grab her from right outside the hospital.”

“I know, and that’s been bothering me,” she admitted. “Those guys had to be waiting there in the parking structure for a really long time. I ended up working over twenty-four hours straight, and frankly, the only routine thing about my schedule is that it’s not routine.”

“Is it possible they couldn’t find your home address?” Nate asked. “Did you move there recently?”

“Yes, I moved into my current place just three months ago,” Gabby replied. “But I only live a mile from the hospital and, considering how everything these days is on the internet, I can’t imagine that they couldn’t find the address if they really tried.”

“True, but maybe they hadn’t gotten that far,” Nate mused. “Could be that they knew you worked at the hospital so used that as their stake-out point.”

Shane knew that with resources, finding Gabriella’s address wouldn’t take long. “That settles it,” he said, taking Gabby’s arm and drawing her away from the corpse. “You’re not staying at your place alone until we figure out who’s after you and why.”

“Wait, maybe we’re overreacting,” she said, backpedaling. “The whole time they had me, I couldn’t help thinking they’d grabbed the wrong person. Maybe they mistook me for someone else?”

“You mean they would have kidnapped any beautiful woman with red hair?” Shane echoed drily. “No way, Gabby. This is definitely personal.” He gave her a pointed look. “It’s obvious they want something specific from you—otherwise, why would they tell you to cooperate with Creighton?”

“None of this makes sense,” she said with a scowl. “But I’m telling you, I don’t know Creighton and I think they grabbed me by mistake.”

Shane turned to Nate, tired of arguing and determined to get Gabby away from here. “Would you mind giving us a lift back to the hospital? That’s where I left my car.”

“Sure,” his friend agreed. “After we’re finished here, I’ll give you both a ride back.”

“Good, that way I can take Gabby someplace safe where this Creighton guy will never find her.”

“Wait a minute,” Gabby protested. “I can’t just disappear! I have patient-care responsibilities.”

“She has a point,” Nate said. “And really, it might be best if she stays inside the hospital where there are plenty of people surrounding her. These guys waited for her outside because it was a better place to grab her. It wouldn’t be so easy to get to her inside the hospital.”

Shane hesitated. Nate was right. Being surrounded by dozens of people around the clock was a good way to remain safe. “I wish the hospital security guards carried weapons,” he muttered.

“A Taser is a weapon,” Nate said mildly. “And I know the senior security guards carry Tasers.”

“There are dozens of call rooms,” Gabby spoke up. “I can stay in one of them.”

Shane considered the fact that Gabby might be safer in a call room at the hospital than in some isolated hotel room. And he could sleep on the floor outside her room as an extra point of security. The floor wouldn’t be comfortable, but maybe they could find a blanket or two for him to use as a cushion.

“Uh-oh, we’re in trouble now,” Nate muttered. “I just saw Griff pull up.”

“Who’s that?” Gabby asked with a frown.

“Our boss,” Shane explained. “He’s tough but fair, even if he doesn’t know how to smile.”

“That guy is seriously intense,” Nate added.

Their tall, blond-haired leader climbed out of the police vehicle and strode purposefully toward them. “Hawk, fill me in on what went down,” he ordered.

Shane gave him the condensed version and as he spoke, Griff’s serious expression morphed into a dark scowl.

“Why didn’t you follow protocol by calling for backup right away?” Griff demanded. “You could have tailed the truck using your squad.”

Shane shook his head, deciding this wasn’t the time to explain how he owed Gabby for saving his life. “I followed my instincts, and my vehicle was too far away to go back for it.”

Griff glared at him for a long moment before he spoke in a grim tone. “Hawk, you’re the newest member of my team and a good cop. But I need you to follow the rules. Trust me, if you pull a stunt like this again, I’ll cut you loose so fast your head will spin like a top.”

“Understood,” Shane said, swallowing hard. The last thing he wanted was to lose his job, but he wasn’t going to apologize for rescuing Gabby, either.

Given the same set of circumstances, he’d do the same thing again.

“Excuse me, Mr. Griff?” Gabby spoke up.

It hardly seemed possible, but Griff’s expression turned even darker. “Vaughn, Lieutenant Vaughn,” he corrected in a clipped tone.

“Oh, sorry, Lieutenant. I wanted to make sure you understand how grateful I am for Shane’s actions tonight. Maybe he didn’t follow protocol but he saved my life.”

Shane wanted to tell Gabby to be quiet, that she was probably only making things worse, but the fact that she spoke up in his defense at all caught him off guard. Was she actually trying to shield him from Griff’s anger? The notion was inconceivable.

“Look, Miss—” Griff began, but she swiftly cut him off.

“Doctor,” she corrected, adopting the same clipped tone he’d used earlier. “Dr. Gabby Fielding, trauma surgeon.”

Griff looked polaxed by Gabby’s quick comeback and Shane didn’t dare look over at Nate for fear he’d burst out laughing. Obviously, Gabby didn’t have red hair for nothing.

“Dr. Fielding, I’m truly glad you’re all right, but the end doesn’t always justify the means.”

Gabby opened her mouth to argue, but Griff shook his head.

“Let’s put that aside for now, okay? Have either of these deputies taken your statement yet?” the lieutenant asked, his tone softer than it had been before.