by Lisa Harris
She pressed her fingertips against her temples, trying to deal with the fact that once again she was having to trust her life to a stranger. “I don’t know—”
“It’s just a precaution until the storm passes. You’ll be safe there.”
“Will I?” She looked up at him, unconvinced. “Two agents are dead, which means I’d be putting your family at risk. And who’s to say they can’t find me there, too?”
She didn’t want to sound ungrateful, because she wasn’t. But she barely knew this man, and now he wanted to take her to his home to keep her safe? There had to be another option. Surely the roads weren’t that bad yet. If they could get to Denver, there had to be an FBI safe house where she could stay until this nightmare was over. Something that wouldn’t involve him and his family.
“I know this all has to be overwhelming,” Griffin said, “but my job now is to keep you safe. Plus, my mom’s a nurse and she’ll be able to keep an eye on any medical issues.” He turned back to the doctor. “I’m trusting you to keep this situation confidential.”
“You know I will and, with Tory’s permission,” the doctor said, “I can give your mother a call and update her, so she knows exactly what she needs to watch for.”
Tory knew Griffin must have read the doubt in her eyes, along with the fear she couldn’t shake. She might not remember what she’d eaten for breakfast yesterday, but she knew she hated feeling out of control. And that was exactly how she felt right now. But what choice did she have? Someone wanted her dead and she certainly wasn’t in a position to handle this on her own.
“I need you to trust me,” Griffin said.
She shot him a weak smile. “You did save my life once.”
“And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you stay safe, but we need to leave now. Once the storm hits, I don’t want to be out on these roads.” Griffin caught her gaze, reminding her how she’d become totally dependent on the deputy. “Are you okay with the plan?”
She nodded, despite the fact she wasn’t convinced they were doing the right thing. What if those men tried to come after her again? Deputy O’Callaghan might have saved her once, but she’d seen what those men could do, and he was only one man.
She glanced down the hallway at the six-foot-tall Christmas tree made from blown-up surgical gloves and an IV pole and loneliness surged through her. It was Christmastime and she couldn’t even remember who was waiting for her back home to celebrate the holidays. Surely there were family, friends and maybe even someone special in her life. Why couldn’t she remember?
Griffin hesitated in front of her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She forced a smile. “I will be.”
Because she didn’t have a choice.
“I just need to stop by the sheriff’s office,” Griffin said. “Then we’ll head out of town.”
Twenty minutes later they were driving toward the O’Callaghan ranch that was nestled beneath impressive views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding mountains while the sun slipped toward the horizon in front of them. On any other day, she would be soaking up the beauty of the wintery terrain. Right now, all she wanted to do was to run far away from everything that had happened.
“What are your parents going to say when you bring home a complete stranger?” she asked, breaking the silence between them.
“Trust me, my family won’t think twice about it. It’s definitely not the first time one of us has brought home someone needing a place to stay.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “You make me sound like a stray cat.”
He chuckled. “We’ve taken in a few of those over the years, as well.”
“Funny. Tell me about your family. You said earlier you had brothers.” She needed a distraction. Something to stop her from worrying about what could happen and the memories that still refused to surface.
“For starters, I’ve got three brothers.”
“Wow...your mother had her hands full.”
“More than you could ever imagine, but thankfully for her we’re all grown up now. Caden works with my father on the ranch and is a former army ranger. Reid works for the local fire department and my youngest brother, Liam, is in the army and recently got married.”
“He’s the only one with a wife?”
“Yep. They have a sweet daughter, Mia.”
His response surprised her. If his brothers were even close to being as good-looking as Griffin, the three of them sounded like catches. She glanced at her own ringless left hand. She was going to assume she wasn’t married or engaged but, for all she knew, she had a boyfriend back home.
Wherever that was.
She cleared her throat. “So, three bachelors. How did that happen?”
“That’s a question my mom asks almost every time I see her.”
“What about your ranch?” she asked, changing the subject. “Sounds like a wonderful place to grow up.”
“It was. Our family has worked the land since the 1920s. It’s got over ten thousand acres and some of the best hunting in the area, and is still used for hay production, livestock grazing and raising cattle.”
“Sounds beautiful, too.” Nevertheless, there was still the lingering question she couldn’t shake. “What if something goes wrong? What if they find me and it puts your family in danger? I couldn’t do that—”
“We’ll deal with that when—and if—the time comes. But don’t worry about that now.”
“Okay, then that must mean it’s time for you to ask me about my family, except I don’t have any answers.”
“Have you remembered anything new?”
“Nothing more than a handful of fuzzy memories.”
“We know your name and that you have medical training. I suppose we can always Google you.” Griffin glanced toward the back seat. “The FBI sent over a brief file on the case. That’s what I picked up at the sheriff’s office. There’s supposed to be something on you, as well.”
“Really?” She grabbed the folder, suddenly nervous about what she was going to find out.
The file was thin and the documents had been redacted in several places, including her hometown, but reading through it felt more like reading someone else’s biography.
“Does anything stand out or jog your memory?” Griffin asked.
“Not really, but there’s not much. It says parents are dead, and no siblings.” She looked up at him. “I’m going to assume I have a friend or two.”
“I’d say you definitely have way more than just a friend or two.”
“And why would you say that? I could be some recluse who lives with a houseful of cats and only goes out to check the mail.”
“Somehow I don’t think so. You’re easy to talk to, you have a sense of humor, and we already know how well you do in a medical emergency.”
She couldn’t help but smile. She liked the way he managed to disarm her fears and make her laugh. “Keep trying to make me feel better. You’re doing a good job.”
“There’s something else,” he said. “I know you put your life on the line to put a murderer behind bars. Something like that takes a lot of courage.”
His statement brought on another flash of memory, but she could not quite grab on to it. She glanced out the window at the falling snow that had already left a dusting of white across the landscape. She might have had to risk her life for justice, but even if that were true, it did little to erase the terror that wouldn’t leave her alone.
* * *
Griffin studied her reaction for a moment as they headed down the two-lane dirt road toward the ranch, knowing everything that had happened had left her unsettled. He couldn’t blame her. Not only was her life in danger, she could not remember what had brought her to this point beyond what had been written in an FBI report.
“I meant what I said. What you did took a lot of courage.”
“Or extremely brave,” he countered.
“I’m not feeling brave.” Tory drummed her fingers against the armrest. “Instead I’m wondering what made me think I could survive going up against this guy.”
He felt his jaw tighten as he debated whether or not to share with her what had been nagging him all afternoon. What he had to say would shake her already precarious world, something he didn’t want to do. But if there was any chance that he was right...
“What are you thinking?” she asked, somehow sensing the shift in his thoughts.
“What if they weren’t trying to kill you?” he asked, feeling the burn in his arm.
Her eyes widened as she glanced up at him. “I’m not sure I understand. They killed the men transporting me, chased me through the woods and then shot at the car as we left. I’d say they were definitely trying to kill me.”
“They killed the agents you were with and shot at me. Did they ever shoot directly at you?”
His question seemed to throw her off. “They shot at the car.”
“Yes, but what if they were trying to stop the FBI detail. To extract you. Alive.”
“Alive?”
He hesitated again, knowing that what he was saying would probably make no sense from her point of view. From the little they’d been told about the case, it seemed clear that Jinx and his men’s only objective was to silence her. She was the sole witness to a heinous crime, and it didn’t matter if she could remember the details or not. She had the evidence the FBI needed to put Jinx behind bars for life.
“Why would they want to me alive?” she asked. “I’m a witness to a murder. Aren’t I better off dead to them?”
“That’s an obvious assumption, but there are things that don’t add up.”
“Like?”
Griffin searched for the words to clarify what he was thinking. “What if you have information they want? Something that would make you worth more to them alive than dead?”
“Like what? Because at this point even if that were true, I can’t remember the murder, let alone any information I might have.”
“True, but they don’t know that. Just think about it. There were two men after you, but three helmets on the bikes. And on top of that, they never shot at you. They killed the agents and they were shooting at me.”
“I’m not convinced you’re right, but until I get my memory back, I have no way of knowing.”
“I’m sorry.” His parents’ house appeared in the distance as the snow began to fall heavier. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“What I do know is that they found me once and I’m sure they can find me again. I’m the only witness in a case that could put Jinx behind bars for the rest of his life. That’s pretty strong motivation on his part to get rid of me.”
He didn’t miss the fear in her voice as she spoke, making him regret he’d ever brought it up. “Forget all of that for now. All we really need to do is to focus on keeping you safe.”
“And when the storm passes?” she asked.
“We’ll get you to Denver. But it won’t be easy for them to trace you here.”
“Are you sure? What’s to stop them from finding me here just like they found my escort?”
“The sheriff’s office is going to be on alert, and I’ll also make sure our ranch hands are on the lookout for anything suspicious.”
Beyond that, all he could do was pray it would be enough to keep her safe.
Griffin’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation. He checked the caller ID and opted to answer on his cell instead of through the car’s speaker system.
Thirty seconds later he ended the call. “That was the FBI.”
“Why do I have the feeling this isn’t going to be good news?”
“Because it isn’t.” His frown deepened. He wished he could find a way to lessen the blow. “Jinx was in the process of being transferred to a new facility, so he’d be near the courthouse for the trial.”
“Griffin...what happened?”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “Jinx escaped.”
FOUR
It didn’t matter that she couldn’t remember Jinx Ryder’s face, or even all the details of what she’d witnessed. Tory knew enough about the situation to realize her life was in danger. Now that Jinx had managed to escape from custody, there was a good chance he’d come after her himself. And that terrified her.
“Would you like more bread?”
Tory jumped at the question clearly posed at her and looked up at the basket of garlic bread Griffin’s mom, Marci, was holding. She wondered how long the older woman had been waiting for her to answer.
Tory grabbed a piece then passed the basket to Griffin. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about.” Marci’s smile seemed genuine, just like everything else about his family. “This entire situation has to be unsettling for you.”
“I just can’t stop jumping at every shadow.” She glanced across the room as if to prove her point, but the reaction was automatic. “I’m convinced he’s going to come after me himself.”
“Not any time soon.” Griffin’s dad, Jacob, looked up from his bowl of stew. “I’ve lived in these mountains my whole life, and I’ll be the first one to tell you that he’d be a fool to try to find you in this kind of weather. I know every inch of this ranch, and trust me, even I’m still planning on staying right here in this house until the weather clears.”
Tory could hear the wind howling against the side of the house, giving her a tangible reminder of the storm now brewing outside. But Jacob’s words failed to take the edge off her fear. Jinx had managed to call a hit on her FBI transport before escaping from custody. She had no doubt that if he wanted to, he could find a way to make it through the storm and come after her here, as well.
“And when the storm’s over?” she asked. “He’s not going to stop until I’m silenced.”
“I say we worry about that when the time comes,” Marci said.
“You’re right.” Tory drew in a deep breath while trying at the same time to shake the fear that had taken hold. “I’m safe for now, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your generosity. All three of you.”
“We’re happy to help,” Griffin said.
She forced herself to finish eating the rest of her stew—a family recipe that called for elk meat hunted on their land, she’d been told, passed down from Griffin’s great-grandmother. While she sure would have enjoyed the meal if circumstances had been different, at the moment it was tasteless.
Marci stood from the table as soon as everyone had finished and caught her son’s gaze. “Why don’t the two of you go relax in the other room while your father and I clean up? You both look exhausted. I have some cobbler with berries from our summer garden and vanilla ice cream, if you’re interested.”
Tory scooted her chair back from the table. “Let me at least help clean up first.”
Marci waved away her request. “You go relax. I insist. Besides, I have the world’s number-one dishwasher right here beside me.”
Jacob’s brow crinkled when he laughed. “How did I know that was coming?”
Tory looked to Griffin.
“It’s not worth arguing with them,” he said. “They always win.”
“While you’re at it,” his mother continued, “try not to think too hard about what you can’t remember. Doctor’s orders.”
Tory smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Go on into the living room,” Griffin said. “I’ll bring you some of the dessert.”
She nodded, feeling spoiled but too tired to argue, and went to stand in front of the Christmas tree. She breathed in the scent of fresh pine from the lighted green tree that no doubt had come from the ranch. White lights flickered against multicolored glass ornaments. She’d hoped that sitting around the table with his family would jog her mind and bring up memories of Christmas dinners, birthday parties and anniversaries from her own past. She had to have experienced those things at some point growing up.
But whatever those memories were, they were still lost for the moment.
Two minutes later Griffin handed her a bowl of cobbler with ice cream and stood beside her at the tree. “You seem deep in thought. What are you thinking about?”
“The one thing I can’t forget.” She couldn’t help but shake her head at the irony as she took a spoon from him. For someone who’d lost most of her memories, there was one she couldn’t shake. “He’s out there, Griffin. And his escape ups the stakes. He’s going to come after me himself.”
“Maybe, but if I were him, I’d forget about any witnesses and simply flee the country.”
“Don’t you think that’s easier said than done?”
“Probably. But he’s got to have plenty of money and resources to set himself up on some island and live out the rest of his days sitting in the sun.”
Needing a distraction, she reached up and touched a glass snowman hanging on one of the branches. “I’m guessing you didn’t pick this tree up at a local farm.”
“No. Comes from right here. We always head out into the woods the day after Thanksgiving and find the perfect tree for my mom.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“Christmas is a pretty big deal around here, even now that we’re all grown up.”
“What do you do?” she asked.