by Rita Herron
Thoughts she shouldn’t be having under the circumstances. “What was that about?”
“That was Officer Duncan.”
“He knows who broke into my house already?”
Cole shook his head, his expression guarded. “No. But he did file the report on your car. It looks like someone tampered with the gas line.”
“Then it wasn’t an accident?”
“No.” His voice sounded grave. “Someone intentionally tried to hurt you, Megan. And my guess is, it’s the same person who attacked you last night.”
Chapter Ten
Cole detested the look of fear he’d just put into Megan’s eyes, but he had to tell her the truth. She needed to be careful.
She immediately withdrew from him. “I can’t believe this is happening. Why would someone want to hurt me?”
“Maybe they think you know something about Tom’s death or his work that they don’t want exposed.”
“But that’s just it. I don’t know anything.”
Cole massaged the tension at the base of her neck. “I know that but they must think differently.” He cleared his throat. “Or if I am Tom, maybe they’re afraid you’ve figured that out.”
Megan fisted one hand and pressed it to her mouth. “But we still don’t know anything for sure.”
Cole nodded. “We will, though. I’m going to find out the truth, Megan, if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
Megan hugged her arms around herself while Cole lumbered to the kitchen. He returned with a cup of coffee for her, placing a sweetener beside it. She stared at the small packet, the little things he’d done like Tom stacking up in her mind.
“I’m going to shower. Then I’ll drive you by your place to clean up, and maybe we can think of a way to break into Tom’s files.” He lifted her chin with his thumb. “Better yet, I’ll do that. You can stay here and rest.”
“I’m fine. I’m not staying in bed.”
“You shouldn’t push it, Megan.” His voice grew low, gravelly. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”
“This is about me, and Tom, too. You know that.” She ignored his grimace. “I’ll try to think of a word or number he might have used as a password.”
She struggled to compose herself while Cole left her to shower. She had not fallen apart when her parents had died. Or when Tom had been missing. She had gathered her courage and faced the obstacles ahead.
She could do it now, too.
But she needed to keep her distance, both physically and mentally, from Cole Hunter until she discovered his identity and why he had come to Savannah. And why he disturbed her so much and made her ache for his touch. She envisioned him in the shower, his muscular body rigid and hard as water sluiced over him.
Why did she have this insatiable hunger for him?
Even more disturbing, the hunger he evoked had nothing to do with the fact that he might be her husband. In fact, even if he wasn’t, she would be attracted to him.
COLE CLOSED HIS EYES and let the warm spray of water wash away Megan’s scent. He wished he could wash away his hunger for her as well.
She was in danger, possibly because of him. He had to protect her.
Protecting her did not mean taking her to his bed.
But the seconds before he’d awakened, he’d been dreaming that he was doing just that. Holding her and loving her and giving her pleasure. And taking his own.
He turned off the hot water and welcomed the cold. He had to get his libido under control. And he had to delve deeper into CIRP to find out the truth about his identity and the threats to Megan.
He climbed out and toweled off, noting the various scars on his leg and chest. What would Megan think if she saw him this way? Would she be appalled at the scars? Would she mind?
Pushing the thoughts aside, he wrapped a towel around his waist and shaved, then opened the medicine cabinet and stared at the medicine bottle holding his prescription. Cogrixa.
He’d forgotten to take the pills last night. Odd, but he’d slept better. It was the first time since his injuries that he hadn’t dreamed of darkness and death. The first morning he’d awakened without a headache, too, he realized, as he studied his face in the mirror. Even his eyes looked clearer and less shadowed.
All because of Megan?
Or the medication?
AS SOON AS MEGAN ENTERED her house, a sense of violation engulfed her. A stranger had been inside her place, had touched her private things.
“I can’t go to work today until I clean up this mess.”
Cole headed to the phone. “I’ll help you. But first I’m going to arrange for a security system to be installed on your house today.”
Megan nodded, grateful for his help as she began to straighten things.
“It might be a good idea if you got a dog, too. Maybe a big one that could be a watchdog.”
Megan dropped the papers and stared at him in surprise. She had mentioned the same thing to Tom before, but Tom was allergic to dogs. Plus, he’d been bitten as a child by a snappy terrier and had never recovered from it. He’d even developed a slight phobia.
“You think I should get a dog?”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not? Big dogs are great pets, especially if you get a lab or a golden retriever. Statistics prove they scare off some intruders.”
“Y…Tom hated dogs.” She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. “I wanted a golden retriever but he refused.”
His gaze met hers, a frown puckering between his brows as the implication of her comment sank in. Tension gathered in the air between them, hanging like a frayed rope on the verge of breaking. He finally pulled his gaze from hers and picked up the telephone.
Megan tried to dismiss the unsettling moment as she gathered the loose papers and placed them on the desk. How could he threaten her sanity and make her feel safe at the same time? She couldn’t rely on this man; she wasn’t sure she could even trust him.
If he wasn’t Tom or this man Cole, then who was he? Could he possibly have a life somewhere else? A lover or a wife and family waiting on him to return to them? Another woman who wanted his strong arms to hold her through the night?
THE INTIMACY OF BEING IN Megan’s house while she showered didn’t escape Cole.
Neither did the implication that his suggestion for her to get a dog had been so natural he’d thought nothing of it. For the past week, he’d noticed dozens of details pointing to the fact that he might be Tom Wells.
But what if he wasn’t?
What if it was only wishful thinking? What if he’d grown so enamored with Megan that he was seeing things that weren’t there?
And if he wasn’t Wells or Hunter, then who the hell was he?
AS SOON AS THEY REACHED CIRP, Megan and Cole drove to his office.
Connie gave them a curious look but Megan fabricated an excuse about helping him locate some of Tom’s files. While Cole booted up the computer, she listed possible key words Tom might have used for his password.
She handed him the list and watched over his shoulder as he keyed in her suggestions. He tried several words related to the psychiatric field, then resorted to more common ones; his birthday, his parent’s names, his birthplace. When the first attempts failed, Cole glanced at the last date. “Your anniversary?”
Megan nodded, surprised when the date worked. She hadn’t thought Tom would be sentimental enough to use it. They waited anxiously for the information to download, but a few seconds later, hit another stumbling block.
“All the files relating to M-T have been deleted,” Cole said. “Jones claimed the project was scratched.”
Megan tapped her fingernails on her leg in thought. “I wonder if he had a backup disk somewhere.”
She accessed the files listing pharmaceutical orders. A long list spilled onto the screen, but she scrolled down and found the order. Cognate. The notation that it was being used for M-T wasn’t there, but she was sure it was the same drug. Or a derivative of it.
; “Cognate is a memory altering drug?” Cole asked. “Connie mentioned a discrepancy in another file about that order. Could it be listed under another name?”
Megan cited at least two derivatives. Cogrixon was one of them.
Cole pulled the pill bottle from his briefcase where he’d put it after he’d showered. He’d intended to ask Jones about it, to see if it might have caused his headaches. He held it up for Megan to examine. “That’s what they’ve been giving me.”
“To help with your memory loss?” Megan asked.
Cole nodded. “Jones said that it had proved effective with some Alzheimer’s patients, that it might improve my memory.” He leaned on his hand in thought. “But if it’s being used for hypnosis, do you think it’s possible that it could alter a person’s memory?”
“You mean if it’s combined with a posthypnotic suggestion?”
“Exactly.”
Megan’s chest tightened, following his train of thought. Could the combination of drugs and hypnosis be used to alter someone’s entire identity?
CONNIE POKED HER HEAD IN. “Dr. Parnell called. He said he wants to see you in his office, Dr. Hunter.”
“Tell him I’ll be right there,” Cole said.
Connie glanced at Megan as if she wanted to say something, but clamped down on her lip instead.
“I guess I’d better get to work, too.” Megan smiled at Connie. “How’s your son?”
“Fine. He’s starting soccer practice.”
“Great, Connie. Sports can really improve a child’s self-esteem.” How she had wanted a child of her own.
“He certainly has the energy for it.”
Cole closed the file and stood, waiting until Connie left.
Cole caught Megan’s arm as she started for the door. “You won’t go home today without me.”
“Listen, Cole—”
“I mean it, Megan. I want to follow you and make sure you get home safely. The security consultant I called couldn’t come out until tomorrow.”
She sighed. “All right. I’ll let you know before I leave.”
Five minutes later, Cole strode toward Parnell’s office. The doctor waved him in.
“What can I do for you?” Cole asked.
Parnell thumbed his glasses up on his nose. “How’s the memory coming along?”
“It’s about the same,” Cole said. “I’ve been having headaches, though, and wondered if it was a side effect of the medication. Don’t you think I’m healed enough to come off it?”
Parnell clasped his hands behind his head. “I’d give it a couple more weeks. You know it’s dangerous not to finish a prescription.”
“Did you hear about the trouble at Wells’s house yesterday?”
Parnell lifted his brows in surprise. “No, what happened?”
Cole studied Parnell’s reaction as he described the break-in, but Parnell’s expression remained guarded.
“It’s a good thing you happened along,” Parnell said. “What’s going on between you and Wells’s widow anyway?”
“Nothing. She cleaned out her husband’s office earlier and forgot some things. I simply stopped by to take them to her.”
“I see.”
“She’s having a difficult time right now. What exactly happened to her husband?”
“I thought you heard about his boating accident?”
“I did. But she mentioned that he was an excellent swimmer. Did the police investigate the matter?”
“I believe so, but there was no reason to suspect foul play.”
Except that part of Wells’s work was highly confidential, and now files had been deleted and someone had broken into Megan’s house and stolen Wells’s files. “But I thought I was supposed to work with Wells on his research, yet the only project I’ve found that he was working on was one you said was scratched.”
“The project was scratched because it failed.” Parnell’s voice sounded stern. “And I wouldn’t go nosing into confidential or closed files. Not if you want to stay here for long.”
Parnell stood and adjusted his lab coat, cutting off any more questions. “Are you ready to start seeing patients? When you start working with people again, your memory will probably return.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to take on the responsibility of counseling someone else right now.”
“That’s understandable. But why don’t you tag along with me and sit in on a couple of sessions. It might help your memory regarding therapeutic techniques.”
Cole nodded. He supposed it couldn’t hurt. But Parnell’s warning bothered him. And why did he have the feeling Parnell wanted him to tag along so he could keep an eye on him instead of help him?
AFTER MEGAN HAD TENDED to her morning’s round of patients and taken a despondent Daryl Boyd to the solarium, she met April in the hall.
“Meg, where were you last night?” April fell into step beside her. “I called all evening.”
She’d forgotten about April’s nightly call. “I’m sorry. I…I got caught up in everything that happened.”
“Sounds like a story there.”
“It is.” Megan pointed to the break room. “Let’s grab a cup of coffee and I’ll fill you in.”
Five minutes later, April stared at her in shock. “Oh, my God, honey, what’s happening? What do you think the intruder wanted?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t steal my jewelry but the policeman said I probably disturbed him. He did take some of Tom’s files, though.”
“Tom had files at home.”
“Just notes of old projects. Nothing confidential.” Unless he had a backup file about M-T.
“So, why didn’t you call me? I would have spent the night so you didn’t have to stay alone.”
Megan stirred her coffee, avoiding April’s gaze. “Cole Hunter showed up. He was bringing by some things from Tom’s desk and found me on the ground.”
April gasped. “Don’t tell me he stayed all night.”
Megan shook her head. “No, I went to his place.” When April simply gaped at her, she continued, “Nothing happened, April. The police were dusting my place for fingerprints, and he thought I might have a concussion and he is a doctor—”
“A very handsome doctor.”
“A doctor who is suffering from amnesia.”
“What?”
“You didn’t know.”
April sighed. “No.”
Megan briefly filled her in on his accident while April retrieved her purse from the locker and brushed through her hair, removing a silver compact to check her lipstick.
A compact that was almost identical to the one Cole found in her husband’s desk.
Megan paled.
“What is it, Meg? You’re white as a sheet.”
“Nothing.” Megan sipped her coffee and backed out the door. “I just remembered I have to meet Dr. Jones for a consult. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Call me if you want me to come over and stay tonight.”
Megan hurried to the door. “Don’t worry. That won’t be necessary. Cole arranged for a security system to be installed.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
“No, but thanks. I’ll be fine.”
The hell she would, she thought. Not if Tom and April had had an affair. Not until this whole mess was resolved and she knew Cole Hunter’s true identity.
Not until she was safe again in her own home.
Furious at having to live in terror and uncertainty, she strode straight to Jones’s office, determined to get some answers.
He was finishing with a patient, so she waited in his outer office, pacing back and forth.
“Megan.” He motioned her in as his patient left. “What can I do for you?”
Ignoring his good looks and charm had always been difficult, but today she barely noticed them. “I…” Why had she come? She sank onto the love seat, weary.
“What is it? You look upset.” He lay a hand on her shoulder. “Can I get you something? Coffee? S
oda?”
She shook her head, knotting her hands in her lap. “I have to ask you something.”
“Yes.” He sat down beside her, so close his leg brushed hers. A little too close for her tastes. “You know I’ll do anything I can to help you through this difficult time.”
She instinctively backed away. “Then tell me the truth about Tom.”
He squared his shoulders. “What do you mean?”
She inhaled a calming breath. “Is there any chance that Tom didn’t die in that boating accident? That his body might have been mistaken for someone else’s?”
A deep frown marred his handsome face. “Why would you ask something like that?”
Megan shrugged, deciding not to confide about Cole. “I’ve had some strange dreams.”
“Dreams that he’s still alive?”
“Yes.”
“Megan, you know dental records don’t lie.”
“But the dreams seem so real.”
“You work with psychiatric patients. You’ve learned about the stages of grief, the meanings of dreams, the tricks our mind can play on us when we want to deny the painful truth.”
Megan’s throat closed as she toyed with her wedding band. He was right, she did know those things. So how had she let Cole Hunter make her believe he could be Tom when she knew in her heart that Tom had died? When she had felt his loss the first day he had turned up missing…
COLE STUDIED THE WAY PARNELL worked with the patients, taking notes. The whole process seemed eerily familiar.
And not familiar at all.
His anxiety deepened with every patient. With every hour.
He wanted to check on Megan. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in danger. And that at any second she might be taken from his life.
A loss he didn’t think he could stand.