What She Forgot

by Tammy Falkner

  “And what is that?” Lynn asked.

  “For Shelly to step out of my life.”

  “So step out, Shelly!” Lynn huffed. She dusted her hands together like this was a done deal. “If that’s all it’ll take, then do that.”

  “It won’t be that easy.” Mason heaved out a sigh. “She’s gone too far. She’s sent a warning that Shelly’s presence will not be tolerated. And at this point, even if Shelly stepped back, she probably wouldn’t stop what she’s doing. That’s my professional opinion.”

  Clark concurred. “Megan is cold-hearted.”

  “What’s her kryptonite?” I asked. “What would she be willing to die for?”

  This time, it was Clark who scrubbed a hand down his face. Then he blew out a breath, his lips vibrating. “She doesn’t have anything. She has no attachments. She has no family, no one she loves.”

  “He’s right. I’ve seen her file,” Mason said.

  Clark looked surprised.

  “I pulled all her records after you told me about your situation. I’m sorry. I just needed to know who and what I was dealing with when I asked you to help find Lynn.”

  “What records?” Clark asked.

  “Her hospitalizations. Clinic visits. Medication. Therapy sessions when she was inpatient.”

  “So you know everything.” Clark spread his feet apart, like his world was suddenly unstable.

  “Yes.”

  “Does everyone?”

  “No.”

  By everyone, did they mean me?

  “You three should leave tomorrow,” Clark said. “Leave your phone behind so she can’t track you. Pay for everything with cash. Turn off the navigator in your car, and just drive.”

  “You think she’s dangerous? Really?”

  “I know she is,” Clark stated.

  “So you don’t think Shelly can fix this by just staying away from you?” Lynn asked.

  “No,” Mason, Clark, and I all said at the same time.

  “Then how will we fix this?” Lynn asked.

  “I’m going to set a trap,” I said, my mind whirling. “And I’m going to be the bait.”

  Clark gave me a tight nod.

  “Are you going to hurt her?” Lynn asked. “Marley can’t help that Megan is in control right now.” She thumped her fist against her chest. “I know how that feels.”

  I stood up and walked over to Lynn so I could stare directly into her eyes. “Yet the fact remains that Megan is in control right now, you’re all in danger, and I have to fix this.” I rested my palms on her shoulders and squeezed. “I’ll do everything I can to keep Marley safe. I promise.”

  Mason cleared his throat. “When one alter ego is malevolent, the safest place for the host is in the hospital. Full time. But Megan has escaped from every facility where she has ever been placed.”

  “So we’ll find one where she can’t get out,” Lynn suggested.

  “But first we have to catch her,” Mason added.

  “Oh, no problem.” I waved a hand breezily in the air. “I know exactly how to do that.”

  Everyone in the room turned to stare at me. “How?” they all asked at once.

  I glanced down at my watch. “I have a lot to do. I need to go.” I leaned in and gave Lynn a huge, loud kiss on the cheek.

  “Shelly?” she whispered.

  “It’s going to be fine. Have I ever let you down?”

  “Not once,” she replied, her voice clear and even. “Except for that time you crawled into bed with Mason. That was pretty shitty.”

  “It’s not like I wanted to fuck him.” I smiled. “I’ve never let you down. And I won’t let you down now.” I turned to face Mason. “Pack up. You leave first thing in the morning. I’ll bring a car and some cash. You’ll find it outside. The keys will be in the wheel well.”

  “Where are you going to get a car at this time of night?” Lynn asked, her mouth hanging open almost comically.

  “You let me worry about all that. Pack your things. Be ready to go.” I pointed at Clark. “You’ll stay with them tonight.”

  “I’m going with you.” He hitched his pants a little higher. “I have a friend who can guard the door.”

  “Call him,” I barked out.

  “Is all this really necessary?” Lynn asked.

  “Yes,” we all said at the same time.

  Clark stepped into the kitchen to make his phone call, and I could hear him clearly, which allayed some of my nerves.

  “Shelly,” Lynn whispered. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to find her. I’m going to be sure she’s somewhere that she can’t hurt anybody, least of all you or that baby.” I grinned at Mason. “Or Mason.”

  “Thanks,” he deadpanned.

  “He’ll be here in twenty minutes,” Clark said as he walked back into the room.

  “Good.” I looked around. I had a list of items in my head that I needed to purchase.

  I needed a few flirty dresses.

  I needed a couple of nice handbags.

  I needed some sexy shoes.

  Because I needed to be something I’d never been: I needed to be a girlfriend.

  I bit back the shiver that crawled up my spine. The idea of turning myself into someone’s arm candy nearly turned my stomach. “I have a lot to do tonight.”

  “You’ll take care of her, right, Clark?” Lynn asked around the fingernail she absently chewed.

  “I won’t leave her side,” he replied.

  Chapter 16

  Clark

  “What is this place?” I asked, brushing brambles out of my face as I followed Shelly down the overgrown path to the garage of a tiny little house deep in the forest.

  “Why does that matter?” she asked as she brushed back a limb of a small tree and stepped forward. It swung back quickly and slapped me in the face. I bit back my grunt and trudged along behind her, suddenly wishing I was wearing something a little sturdier than the dress pants and button-down shirt I’d had on before. Walking this path would be easier in walking shoes instead of the shiny dress shoes I had on.

  “Just curious,” I answered tersely.

  A thorn snagged the back of my hand and I bit back an oath.

  “I bought this place a while back,” she said. “No one comes here but me.”

  “Does Lynn know about it?” I asked, surveying the place in the darkness. We were walking by the lights of our phones, which were woefully inadequate in the gloom. We had driven for about two hours to get here, leaving the city far behind.

  “Again,” she said, annoyance clear in her tone, “why does that matter?”

  “Never mind,” I muttered.

  Then we stepped into a clearing and I saw an overgrown path to the garage that she had been looking for. I followed as she let herself into the garage with a series of four different keys in four dead bolts. I didn’t fail to notice that the place, although it looked old and unkempt, was as safe as Fort Knox. She had cameras on every corner. I could see the tiny green and red lights that showed they were operational. Then it hit me. She cared about this place.

  “I just need to get the Jeep for Lynn,” she said. “And the cash. And some weapons.”

  My head shot up at that one. “Weapons for what?”

  “Would you prefer that I just throw my purse at Megan when she finally shows up?” she asked.

  Finally, the door opened, and we walked into the garage. A pristine older Jeep sat parked inside. It was obviously taken care of. Shelly got inside and hit a button to open the garage door. Then she turned the key of the Jeep and backed it out of its spot.

  “This one doesn’t have navigation. They should be fine in it,” she said more to herself than to me as she climbed back out and shut the door.

  “Is it yours?” I asked.

  “Who else’s might it be?” she asked absently. She was obviously going through a to-do list in her head because she paid me almost no attention as she walked to a door at the back of the garage and let he
rself inside, again going through a series of locks on the way.

  She went into the small room. I followed, but I stopped short in the doorway. It looked like an armory. Guns, knives, and other weapons hung on every wall.

  “Do you know how to use these?” I asked.

  “Why else would I have them?” she tossed back.

  Since she was Shelly, and I felt pretty confident that she did know how to use every last one of them, I didn’t even answer. She was Shelly.

  “Are they legal?”

  She smirked at me from over her shoulder. “Where would be the fun in that?”

  She moved a false front from one of the walls, and I saw a safe. Shelly entered the code, and the door swung open. She began to remove stacks of cash from inside, stacking them on the table in front of her.

  “Shelly…” I said hesitantly.

  “Hmm?” she replied without looking up. She counted to herself, but I couldn’t hear her.

  “Where did you get all this cash?”

  “Don’t worry, big guy,” she said, patting my shoulder as she walked by me. “It’s all mine.”

  “Where did it come from?” I asked, still in awe as I looked around the room.

  “Here and there,” she replied flippantly. She closed the safe and locked it back, then started to fill a black bag she’d just picked up. In a second bag, she loaded firearms. Enough firearms to protect a whole city.

  “Do you need all that?”

  “Better to be over-prepared,” she said, still engrossed in her task.

  I needed to tell her that I couldn’t let her take all that with her. “Shelly—”

  But she cut me off. “These aren’t for me,” she said.

  “Who are they for?”

  “For Lynn and Mason. Just in case.”

  “Nobody needs that many guns, Shelly.”

  “No one needs a gun until they really need a gun, Clark,” she replied. She finally turned to face me. “Do you want to drive my car or the Jeep?”

  “Either one,” I replied, still mentally tallying up the cash and the value of the weapons she’d just loaded into the Jeep. Mason had said Shelly didn’t lack for money, but I had no idea what she was actually worth. A lot, apparently.

  She tossed me the keys to her car. “I’ll take the Jeep. Follow me back to Lynn’s, and then we’ll get a few hours of sleep and come up with a plan.”

  I nodded, still struck so dumb I couldn’t speak.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was.

  We dropped the car off in the dark of night, leaving the keys in the wheel well like we’d said we would.

  “Aren’t you worried about leaving that much cash?” I asked as she locked the doors.

  “There’s more where that came from.”

  We’d stopped at a gas station and bought two disposable phones. Then she’d programmed the one for Lynn with the number for hers, so they could stay in touch. She left Lynn’s new phone in the glove box.

  “Does Lynn know how to use a gun?” I asked as she got in her car. I folded myself into the passenger seat.

  “She’s not a very good shot. I tried to teach her, but she didn’t want much to do with it. She’s more of a pacifist.” She grinned at me. “I never had that problem.”

  I believed her. I completely believed her.

  “Do you want me to drop you off at your apartment?” she asked.

  I’d promised Lynn I wouldn’t let her out of my sight. “I can go with you.”

  “Good,” she said, shifting into drive. “That way I can keep you safe.”

  “Keep me safe?”

  She glared at me for just long enough that I paid attention. “If you think it’s just me that Megan is coming after, you have another think coming.” She pulled out into the street and merged into the early-morning traffic. I covered my mouth, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. “Pussy,” she teased.

  “It’s tomorrow,” I reminded her.

  She was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “Thank you for helping me with the Jeep.” Her quiet thanks shocked the shit out of me.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Do you want to talk strategy now or later?”

  “Strategy?” I asked.

  She chuckled. “Later it is.” Then out of the clear blue, she said, “Will you hate it?”

  “Hate what?” I had no idea what she meant.

  “Being my boyfriend. Will you hate it?”

  “I’ll live,” I replied. But some little part deep inside me was thinking that, no, I wouldn’t hate it at all. And another little part, the sane part of me, knew that my acquiescence to this plan would be one of the dumbest things I’d ever done.

  Chapter 17

  Clark

  “Would it be okay with you if we get some of your things and take them to my house for the night?” I asked Shelly when we got to her apartment.

  “Would you feel safer there?” she asked, stopping in the entryway to her kitchen. She jerked her thumb toward her bedroom door. “I have guns in the gun safe. And ammo. And knives.” She started to tick items off on her fingers. “I have some low-grade explosives.” She stared at me. “Close your mouth, Clark.” She rolled her eyes dramatically.

  “I have someone at my house who relies on me,” I blurted out.

  She spun around quickly to face me.

  “Close your mouth, Shelly,” I taunted.

  “Who’s waiting for you?” She drummed the toe of her shoe against the hardwood floor. “Please tell me that you and Marley never had a child…” Her voice trailed off.

  “No, no,” I rushed to say. “Nothing like that.” Thank God we never had a child. That would have compounded the horror of our love story.

  “Then who’s waiting for you?” she asked, her hands settling on her hips.

  “My grandmother,” I muttered.

  “Your what?” she asked, cupping her ear as she leaned toward me.

  “My grandmother lives with me, and I don’t like to leave her alone all the time,” I confessed, my cheeks growing warm as she studied my face.

  “Your grandmother lives with you,” she said, slowly enunciating each word as the smile grew on her face.

  “She raised me. And now she’s old.” I shrugged. She still stared, her lips tipping up more and more into a grin.

  “You need to go home so you can take care of your grandmother.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “And I need to feed the dog.”

  She hitched her shoulder against the doorjamb, crossed her arms, and stared at me. “You have a dog.” She shook her head, like she was shaking cobwebs out of her face. “Never would have suspected that.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I bet you have a goofy, great big golden retriever with a permanent smile.”

  I snorted. “Nope.”

  “Then what kind of dog is it?”

  I finally smiled, too. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  “That is not a dog,” Shelly said quietly as Channing wandered around her feet, sniffing her and barking randomly.

  “Don’t tell her that. She’ll bite you.” I showed her my hand where Channing bit the shit out of me last week.

  “What did you do to her?” she asked, as she bent down and baby-talked to the most hateful dog that ever existed. I could barely touch the thing, but my grandmother had had her for ten years before coming to live with me three years ago. She was part poodle, part something else hairy, and all hateful. She weighed about eight pounds, and her favorite pastime was making me miserable, despite the fact that I was the one who fed her, walked her, and applied her flea and tick prevention. She whined during the night, keeping me awake, and she slept during the day when I wasn’t home. If I was working at night, she adjusted her schedule just so she could spread as much misery as possible.

  “I didn’t do anything to her,” I groused.

  “What’s her name?” Shelly asked, as she sat down on the floor and let the killer dog climb into her lap and lick her chin.r />
  “Her name is Channing Tatum.” I watched as the little dog that hated everyone fell all over herself trying to get closer and closer to Shelly. “Channing for short.”

  “You named the dog Channing Tatum?” Shelly grinned at me.

  “I didn’t. MeeMaw did.” Then I waited. Because I knew it was coming. But Shelly said nothing about what I called my grandmother. Instead, she grinned even wider. “And apparently Channing is a fucking traitor.” Okay, so I said the last part a little too loud.

  “Watch your language, young man!” a voice called back from down the hallway. “It’s not her fault she doesn’t trust men!”

  “That’s my MeeMaw,” I said quietly to Shelly. “You want to meet her?”

  “Hell yeah,” Shelly said, and she stood up, scooping Channing into her arms where Channing settled comfortably under her chin. I hated that dog, and I was jealous as hell that she was cuddling up to Shelly when I’d been trying to buy the dog’s love for the past three years. “Lead the way,” she said.

  We went into the kitchen, where MeeMaw sat at the little table watching a portable television set.

  “You make her sit in here all alone?” Shelly whispered, her eyes wide as two saucers.

  “He doesn’t make me do anything,” MeeMaw replied, without taking her eyes off the little TV. “I can’t figure out all the buttons on that monstrosity of a TV in the living room.”

  “I told you I could teach you, MeeMaw,” I reminded her.

  “I’m too old to learn. And I like my buttons and dials,” she said, motioning toward her tiny TV.

  I leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to MeeMaw’s forehead and she finally looked up. “Why do you have my dog?” she asked Shelly when she saw Channing cuddled up quietly in Shelly’s arms.

  “I think she likes me,” Shelly replied with a shrug.

  “MeeMaw,” I said, “this is Shelly. She’s a…” I looked at Shelly and she waggled her brows playfully at me. “Friend,” I finally said.

  MeeMaw patted the table with her fingertips, making a ticking sound. “This is the one…?” She finally looked at me, with a question on her face.