by Moxie North
“No clue,” she said with a shrug.
Tanner narrowed his eyes. He wanted to move closer but didn’t trust himself not to touch her yet.
“What do you remember? The doctor says you can’t recall your name or who you are,” Tanner said.
“I know I don’t like broccoli. I know that it’s May. I know that I don’t like being cold. Who I am? I have nothing, it’s just dark and empty when I think about it,” she said, her brow wrinkling again.
“Do you know where you live?” Tanner pushed.
He saw her think. Literally, the struggle was physical; it showed on her face. He watched her shake her head, tears welling in her eyes. “No. Do I live here? Do you know me?” Her voice was trembling as she asked.
It killed Tanner that she was scared and upset. His bear wanted to comfort her and was pissed at Tanner for interrogating her.
“No, Brooklyn, you don’t live here,” Tanner said gently.
“Brooklyn?” she said looking at him with no recognition to the name.
“Yes, Brooklyn Nishi. I found your purse in your motel room,” Tanner said, stepping forward to put the purse on the bed. He took a step back after setting it down, even though it took all the strength he possessed to do it.
“I live in the motel?” Brooklyn asked, horrified. Shit, was she a vagrant? Junkie? Looking down at her arms, she didn’t see any track marks. For some reason, she knew what to look for, which seemed worrisome.
“We believe you were visiting or just passing through,” Tanner told her.
“We?” She looked up from the purse. She’d pulled out the wallet but hadn’t opened it yet.
“I spoke with your mother yesterday. She and your father are very worried about you.”
“I don’t remember them,” she said quietly. Opening the purse, she pulled out the driver’s license and stared at it.
Brooklyn stared at the picture and scanned the rest of the information. It was a California license. She was from California? They’d told her she was in a hospital in Washington State. How did she get here?
She looked over the height and weight. Glancing down at her thighs, she almost snorted. Clearly she’d lied about her weight.
Returning to the picture she tried to make her brain kick in, but there was nothing. It was like seeing a picture of someone in a magazine. Realizing that was her, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Grabbing the IV stand she stood, trying to get her balance. The woozy feeling almost had her falling back to the bed. Then a gentle hand was at her elbow, steadying her.
Looking up at the sheriff gratefully, she took a first step towards the bathroom. Another and another after that got her to her goal. The mirror.
Tanner was holding his bear back with two figurative hands. The minute he touched his mate, the sense of belonging washed over him so hard he fought to just touch her elbow.
He wanted to feel her pressed against him. Breathe her in, soak in that lemon scent so it was trapped in his pores. He wanted her to smell like him, not the hospital smell that was trying to mask her from him.
As they made it to the restroom, he watched her grab the edge of the sink as she stared in the mirror. He hadn’t let go of her elbow; he didn’t think he could stop touching her now that he had made contact. The heat from just the small patch of skin he touched was like electric shocks running over his palm.
Tanner watched as she looked from the license to her reflection in the mirror. Back and forth like she didn’t believe what she was seeing.
Brooklyn glanced at the pretty girl in the picture, then the woman in the mirror. Reaching her hand up, she felt her face; it was hers. It just didn’t connect in her mind. She saw her light brown skin; it was a soft tawny shade. Her eyes had a slight tilt to the edges, and her nose was straight and almost narrow, but her wide cheekbones balanced it out. Focusing on her lips, she saw they were dry. She licked them and rubbed them together, thinking she could use some lip balm.
She couldn’t see the rest of her body without flashing the man standing next to her. She’d have to do a more thorough examination later. Her body wasn’t small, but it wasn’t huge either. Her wide hips were curved nicely; her thighs were larger than she’d expected. The small rounding on her belly was a bit worrisome. She wondered if she worked out or if she was a couch potato.
“I lied about my weight,” she said out loud.
“I think most women do. I gave myself an extra inch in my height,” he admitted.
A tiny smile formed on her lips. Tanner thought it made her even prettier.
“Hmm, African American and Japanese, what a weird combo,” she murmured.
“Pretty combo,” Tanner couldn’t help but respond. “How do you know you’re Japanese?”
Brow furrowing, she replied, “Nishi is Japanese, I know that. And guessing by my eyes and bone structure, I would say that my father is Japanese. Or my mother is Japanese, and she isn’t with my father, and I have her last name.” Turning to Tanner, she asked, “Do you know?”
“Sorry, I don’t know the details. I believe they are together; your mom mentioned something about your dad and trains. I think she meant model trains and that they were close enough to annoy her. I’m sure they would like to hear from you. I’ve been in touch with your mother while you were unconscious. I asked them not to visit yet,” he explained.
“Why not? Shouldn’t parents rush to the side of their injured child?” Glancing down at the license and seeing the birth date, she realized she wasn’t anywhere close to a child. Still, she felt like her parents would want to be there.
“We need to talk some more. Let’s get you back to bed for that,” he suggested.
Chapter 10
Brooklyn was already tired from standing. Her head was pounding, and she felt better lying down. She nodded to him and let him help her back to the bed. As soon as she was under the covers, the Sheriff stepped back from the bed, grabbed a chair and sat down at least two feet away.
“A cousin of mine said he saw you walking in the woods. Then you got startled and ran away from something. He didn’t think you were prepared for a hike; he didn’t see a backpack, and you weren’t dressed for it. He was worried, so he came to me. I called out a search and rescue for you, and you were found half submerged in the creek.”
Brooklyn nodded her understanding. “Dr. Eddie said that I was hypothermic.”
“Dr. Eddie? Seriously that’s what he tells people?” Tanner scoffed.
“Is that not his name?” Brooklyn looked confused. She needed people to tell her real names right now; she’d never figure out her own if she didn’t trust the ones she was being told.
“Eddie, or Eddison, is his first name. Last name is Rochon,” Tanner explained.
“Like you?” Her head cocked to the side.
It made her hair bounce, and Tanner was transfixed momentarily.
“Uh, yeah, cousin,” he said.
“Wow, a sheriff and a doctor in the family. Someone must be proud,” Brooklyn offered.
Tanner didn’t bother explaining that in their family, he and Eddie were defectors – neither of them doing anything with timber.
Not wanting to talk about himself, he continued. “You were staying at the motel for about a week. I contacted your work, and they thought you were missing. Your parents filed a missing person’s report after seventy-two hours. There was some speculation, or gossip, that you were kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped? Who would kidnap me? Why?” Brooklyn asked, her head jerking up from the wallet where she was pulling out the credit cards.
“Well, you work for a hospital. There was a shooting the night you disappeared. They were concerned you were somehow involved in it.”
Tanner watched her closely for any sign that she knew what he was talking about. Her face showed nothing but frustration.
“Involved? Like I killed someone?” she gasped.
“No, no, sorry. They have a video of the shooting. You weren’t on it. I was hoping that this w
as just a case of you going on vacation. I haven’t contacted the local police department working the case because I didn’t know if you were involved in any way. No reason to make you a suspect if you weren’t there.”
“I can’t recall. Am I a flake that normally abandons my work? I wouldn’t think I would do something like that but who knows? I could be a closet crack whore that pinches drugs from the hospital when no one is looking!” she said dramatically.
Tanner held back a smile. “No, I don’t think that is the case. Your work is missing you; they are worried. If you were a junkie, they would just say good riddance. Your mom says you work all the time. Never even take a vacation,” Tanner assured her.
“Well, that’s good, I guess. Every time I try to remember, my head starts to pound. But I can’t not know who I am,” she said dejectedly.
“I get that, but you just woke up. Give yourself some time. I’m sure it will all come back to you.”
“Comforting,” she murmured sarcastically.
That made Tanner’s lips twitch. He liked a woman with some spark. For some reason, sarcasm looked sexy on her.
“Is there anything you want from your hotel room? I’m not sure how long they plan on keeping you here,” Tanner offered.
“I don’t know; will they let me leave if I don’t know who I am?”
Running his hand over the back of his neck, Tanner didn’t know the answer to that. He liked that she was at least safely inside the hospital. The idea of her out on her own with no memory scared him. His gut was telling him she wasn’t faking. She really didn’t know who she was. That meant her situation was even more precarious than he thought.
His mate needed to be watched. There was no way he could do that if she was back at the motel. But he had no good reason for her to be anywhere else.
“How about I talk to Eddie and see what he plans for you? I’ll go to the motel. Betty, who owns the place, can grab you some clothes. She’s honest, and I’m sure she can pack what you need,” he offered.
Maybe knowing he wasn’t rifling through her things would make her feel better. Not that Tanner wouldn’t like the opportunity to see if she had some matching bras to those panties. After he met her, he couldn’t keep himself from imagining her in those lemon yellow panties. They would look beautiful against her skin. He also couldn’t help but think about slowly sliding those sweet panties off her ass.
“I’d appreciate that. Hospital gowns are gross. Who knows who was wearing them before,” she said with a shudder.
Tanner couldn’t fault her that. He wouldn’t like it, and he’d never even been in a hospital. Any injuries he sustained healed within hours or a few days, depending on the severity.
“I want to make a call into whoever is running the case at the hospital. Feel them out how you play into all of this. If you can just hang tight, we may be able to clear this up quickly, Brooklyn.”
Brooklyn was thinking that this town’s sheriff was a full-service model. Willing to do laundry runs and investigate a possibly dangerous situation. Of course, she was also thinking this whole scenario might just be an embarrassingly minor situation in which she was running away from her responsibilities. That would suck.
“I don’t think I like that name,” she said to him offhandedly.
“Brooklyn?” he looked at her, surprised.
“Yeah, too formal. I don’t know that I look like a Brooklyn. Don’t think I was the type to insist everyone use my full name. I think I probably went by a nickname. What do you think?”
Tanner wasn’t sure why her train of thought had gone that way, but who was he to judge someone recovering from a head injury?
“Uh, Lyn?” he offered lamely.
She wrinkled her nose at him. Damn. That was cute, too, he thought.
“Brooke?” he tried again.
She seemed to ponder that. “I like that, Brooke. Does it seem like me?”
Tanner saw her look at him expectantly. He could see she wanted him to like it.
“Yeah, I think Brooke fits you,” he said with a smile. He liked Brooke. It reminded him of the favorite brook his bear liked to run through. But he really just wanted to call her his.
Nodding, seeming to have found something that made her feel in control, she looked at him with a smile. “Thank you, Sheriff, I’ll be here until Dr. Eddie lets me out. Do you think my room is okay at the motel?”
“Yup, you paid in advance. And please, call me Tanner. I have a feeling we are going to be good friends,” he said. What he wanted to say was that they were going to be friends, then hopefully lovers, then he would claim her as his bonded mate. But first things first.
“Let me make some calls and see if we can get everything figured out so you can heal and get on with your life, yeah?” Tanner suggested.
“Sure, thank you again for bringing my purse,” Brooke said with a sweet smile.
“Anytime. I’ll get your clothes sent over, too,” he said before standing. He couldn’t resist touching her again. He stepped to the bed and held out a hand.
Brooke instantly reached for it, sliding her soft manicured hand into his rougher one. She wanted to feel his skin again. It was comforting, made her head not hurt as badly. Her panic also felt lessened the closer he was to her.
Holding onto his hand instead of shaking it, Brooke asked, “Will you come see me again?”
“Without a doubt, ma’am. I’ll be back this afternoon, hopefully with some good news,” Tanner said. He also couldn’t resist running his thumb over the back of her hand a few times. He saw her eyes go soft at his touch. He fucking liked that. He liked it a lot.
“Bye, Sheriff,” she said.
“Tanner. Goodbye, Brooke. Rest up for me, yeah?”
She nodded to him and reluctantly let go of his hand. She could have sworn he didn’t want to let go either, but maybe that was just her imagination.
Chapter 11
Tanner was not having a good day. Again. Sure he’d found his mate, the One he’d spent so many years searching for, but her case was no longer cut and dry.
He’d made a call to a Detective Buchannan in the San Francisco Police Department. The man that answered the phone didn’t say much but gave him a cell phone number and told him to call in ten minutes. That was not the usual protocol, and it made Tanner’s bear roar in frustration.
He watched the minutes tick by and dialed the cell number he was given.
The detective answered on the first ring. “Sorry about that, Sheriff, but the second you said you had news about Brooklyn Nishi…well, it’s complicated.”
“Why am I talking to you on your cell?” Tanner wanted to know first off.
“Because I’m not sure we don’t have a leak in the department. Brooklyn Nishi has been missing since the Valentino family knocked off two of the Sick Devils at St. Luke’s a week ago. Since then we’ve had an all out gang war going on, the likes this town hasn’t seen since prohibition. Seems Brooklyn Nishi has a price on her head. The Valentinos have put out a bounty of a hundred grand for proof of her death. Whatever she saw or however she was involved, they no longer want her walking and talking,” Detective Buchannan said, sounding tired and agitated.
“Fuck,” Tanner groaned. This was not what he had planned for the next step of his courtship. Gangs, motorcycle clubs, shootings, and now a bounty on her head.
“Sherriff, this is a fuck storm the likes of which I have never seen in my career. To be honest, I never even wanted this kind of case. Give me little old ladies pissed at their neighbor’s dog any day. When Ms. Nishi’s parents filed her missing person’s report, I hoped she’d just run and that they hadn’t gotten to her yet. Since the bounty is still out there, I’m guessing they’ve had no proof she’s not breathing anymore. If you have her, I’d keep a very close eye on her. Has she said what she saw that night?” the detective asked.
“Fucking hell. No, she’s got amnesia. Doesn’t even know her name, why she is in my town, nothing. I’ve been in contact with her wor
k, told them she was in trouble and not to mention I’d called. But I don’t know how secure that is. Her parents are waiting to hear from me before venturing to see her. She’s still in the hospital.”
“Well, shit,” the detective sighed. “How’d she get hurt?”
“Fell in the woods, hit her head. Was half dead when we found her. Motel owner said she’d been there a week. I’m guessing she rented a car, since the one she registered wasn’t in her name, and just drove as far away as she could. Whatever she saw or however she was involved scared her enough to take off without any notice,” Tanner said.
“This might actually work to our advantage. We know where she is. She has no clue to be terrified that someone wants to kill her. Think you can keep an eye on her for me, Sheriff? Soon as she gets her memory back, I’m gonna need a full interview from her. They haven’t managed to track her so far; she must have played it smart, used cash, and laid low. But we need to keep her off the radar for as long as we can,” Buchannan said.
“Agreed. Let’s keep all communication through cell phones for now. Doctor says she could get her memory back all at once or piece by piece. It’s going to take time,” Tanner told him. He couldn’t even think about courting her when she had no clue who she was.
His animal knew her, but the man still needed to get to know the woman she really was. Until she knew that herself, he was physically and emotionally attached to a mystery.
“Well, the longer we can keep her hidden, the more time she has to recover. I’ll be in touch if I have any further information,” Buchannan offered.
“Thank you, Detective. I’ll keep a close watch on her,” Tanner promised.
Dropping his phone to the desk, Tanner leaned over and let his head thump against the wood. His body was rigid with longing for his mate. His bear was pissed he’d left her alone in the hospital. Man and bear were furious that some assholes put a price on her head. And Tanner’s soul ached because his One was on the other side of town, not with him.
Finding no reason not to go back to her, he picked up his phone to call Cage. He needed his kin on duty now that his mate was in trouble.