“I’ve disrupted your life. You must be sick of me already.”
He turned to look at her, realizing that his sharp tone with her earlier hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t have much of a life for you to disrupt.”
He backed out of the parking space, surprised that his own words swept that whisper of loneliness through him once again. What was the matter with him? He clenched the steering wheel more tightly, irritated by the wayward direction of his thoughts.
“Where exactly are we?” she asked as he pulled out on the street. “I mean, I know we’re in Kansas City, but nothing looks familiar.”
“Downtown is south of us. We’re at the northern edges of the city,” he replied. “The area where I found you is called Oak Grove Estates, upper-middle-class homes and a nice neighborhood. Ring a bell?”
“No.” She frowned and stared out the window. “But I remember running and running before I got into that car to rest.”
“Maybe we’ll go by a house or a landmark that you recognize,” he said. He wasn’t sure what else to do. Somehow they needed to stimulate her mind to remember what had happened to her, and it wasn’t happening in the safety of Loretta’s apartment.
“Maybe,” she agreed, and fell silent.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Oak Grove. Lucas drove slowly down the street where two nights before he’d repossessed the car and held his breath for an “aha” moment from her.
But it didn’t come. She stared out the window with desperation shining from her eyes. Thinking about the fact that she’d said she remembered running, he worked outward from the house where he’d found her, driving down street after street in the general area.
“It’s no good,” she finally said. “Nothing looks familiar.” Her voice held a wealth of disappointment. She released a weary sigh. “I’m beginning to think I’ll never remember who I am or what happened.”
“You can’t give up,” he replied. “It’s just going to take some time, Jane. We have to be patient.”
“I have to be patient, but you don’t have to be,” she replied. She looked at him. “Maybe it would be best if you did just drop me off at a motel, front me some money and let me figure this out on my own. You don’t owe me anything. I’m not your problem. I’m just a stranger you happened to stumble on by accident.”
It would be easy to do as she suggested, just pull into the parking lot of the nearest motel, pay for a week or two of lodging and drop her off and forget her. But he knew he wouldn’t forget anything. She’d haunt him forever. He’d worry about what had happened to her, to her baby. He’d wonder where she was and how she fared. Nope, that simply wasn’t an option right now.
He shot her a quick glance and then returned his gaze back to the road. “Don’t be silly. I’m not about to drop you off someplace and just drive away and let you figure this out on your own.” He thought he heard a little sigh of relief from her.
“Don’t worry about me, Jane,” he continued. “Sooner or later we’ll find out who you are and what’s happened to you. Until that happens, I’m here for you. I have no intention of walking away.”
He glanced at her again, just in time to see her offer him one of those amazing smiles of hers. As he focused back on his driving, he had a feeling he was already in too deep where Jane was concerned.
THE RECOVERY INC. OFFICE was nicely decorated with two large desks and a waiting area with a leather sofa and matching chair. As Jane and Lucas entered, she beelined for the sofa and sank down to ease her aching back.
It seemed as if her baby’s favorite position was sitting on her spine. Her lower back hurt most of the time.
“Troy and Micah should be here any minute,” Lucas said as he walked over to the phone and punched the button to check the messages.
There was only one—a man calling about a missing cigar boat that he suspected had been stolen by his ex–son-in-law. He left a phone number with an area code Jane didn’t recognize.
She felt ridiculously nervous about meeting his partners. It was as if she were Lucas’s girlfriend and desperately wanted to make a good impression on his family. Of course, that was ridiculous. She was nothing more than a burden to him and it didn’t matter whether his partners liked her or not.
“You want something to drink?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine,” she replied.
At that moment the front door opened and a tall, good-looking man entered. Lucas introduced Jane to Micah Stone. He smiled and shook her hand warmly, then gestured her back down on the sofa.
“Lucas has told me a little about what’s going on,” he said as he shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the coat tree next to theirs. “I did some research on that symbol and have some things for you both to look at.” He pulled several folded sheets of paper from his pocket.
As he sat on one side of her, Lucas sat on the other. She was flanked on either side by enough lean muscle and testosterone to feel as if the world could come to an end and somehow she’d survive.
“The all-seeing eye has quite a place in history,” he said. “Generally it is a symbol of the protective power of a Supreme Being,” Micah said. “In Mexican culture it’s been used as a talisman against evil. Its origin can be traced back to Egyptian mythology and the Eye of Horus.”
He opened up one of the sheets of paper and handed it to Lucas. “Did it look like this?”
Jane caught a glimpse of the picture and quickly closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see it again, didn’t understand what that symbol had to do with her and why it evoked such fear in her heart.
“Not exactly,” Lucas replied. “It wasn’t a pyramid. It wasn’t like what’s on the dollar bill, it was just a triangle.” Micah handed him another sheet of paper. “That’s it,” he said.
Jane looked at Micah. “What is it?”
“It took me a while to find anything locally, but I finally found a church that uses the symbol kind of like their logo.”
“A church?” Jane frowned. What on earth could a church have to do with her current situation?
“The Church of Enlightenment, to be exact,” Micah said.
“And what did you find out about this church?” Lucas asked.
“Big church with a healthy, multidenominational congregation. The church owns about a hundred acres of land north of here. It’s open to the public, but they have a small compound there that’s a gated community of sorts.”
“A gated community. That sounds rather odd,” Lucas said with a frown.
“The church itself seems a bit odd,” Micah said. “I didn’t have time to do a lot of research. But from what information I was able to gather, the church is headed by a man known only as The Prophet, who gives the sermon each Sunday and remains a sort of mysterious father figure.”
“Can you say cult?” Lucas said drily.
“I don’t know about that,” Micah replied. “I’d have to have a lot more information than what I have to make that kind of call.”
“Just because we saw that symbol on the back of the van door doesn’t mean the people who tried to grab me at the store are in any way related to this church,” Jane said.
“That’s true,” Lucas said, his frustration obvious in his voice. “But you react strongly to that seeing eye and there’s got to be a reason for it.”
“Maybe I was as scared as a baby by a big hairy eyeball,” she offered with a touch of humor.
Lucas laughed and shook his head. “I’m glad somebody still has a sense of humor about all this.”
“You didn’t notice anything else about the van?” Micah asked.
Lucas shook his head with a grim expression. “It was just a plain white panel van. Everything happened so fast.” His frown deepened, as if irritated with himself for not doing more, for not seeing more.
At that moment the front door whooshed open and the third partner of the business walked in. Lucas introduced her to Troy Sinclair and for the next few minutes the three men talked
about Recovery Inc. business.
As they talked she found herself watching them with interest. Loretta had told her that the three men had been best buddies when they’d all been Navy SEALs and that their close relationship had continued into civilian life.
Their friendship showed in the easy way they spoke to each other, in the way they could almost finish each other’s thoughts. There was respect there, as well as the warmth of men who cared about each other.
Did she have a friend someplace? A girlfriend who she’d met for lunch or gone shopping with? A woman who had known her secrets and who had shared her laughter and her tears?
Where was that friend now? Was she worried about Jane? It was going on forty-eight hours that Jane had been missing from her life. Didn’t anyone care? A wave of despair rushed through her.
It was only when she heard her name that she focused on the three men once again. “I checked with Wendall. There have been no missing persons reports in the last twenty-four hours that match Jane,” Lucas told his partners. “I plan on checking in with him again tomorrow morning.”
“He didn’t ask why you wanted to know?” Micah asked with a lift of one dark eyebrow.
“He asked. I didn’t tell him,” Lucas replied. “Jane has a feeling that in going to any authorities she could be putting herself in more danger than she’s already in.”
All three men turned to look at her and she felt the heat of a blush in her cheeks. “I can’t explain it,” she said. “I know it sounds irrational, but the idea of going to the police terrifies me.”
“With what happened yesterday at the store, I’m willing to give it some time before going to the police, but I’ve told Jane if she doesn’t recover her memories soon, eventually we might not have any other choice than to go to the authorities,” Lucas said.
Even though Jane knew he was right, a shiver of dread worked through her at the thought. Why was she afraid of the police? Was she some kind of criminal? She couldn’t imagine that being the case.
As she’d told Lucas when they’d first met, she might not know who she was, but she knew what she was. She’d bet her life she’d never been in trouble with the law in her life.
It was almost noon when they finally left the Recovery Inc. offices. The November air had chilled while they’d been inside and there was a faint scent of impending snow.
Thanksgiving was two weeks away. Would she be home by then? Would she be having turkey and stuffing surrounded by friends and loved ones, or would she still be struggling to figure out who she was and where she belonged?
Minutes later she and Lucas were back in his car and headed to Loretta’s. “I’ll drop you off at the apartment. Then I’ll be back around dinnertime,” Lucas said.
She didn’t ask where he might be going or what he was going to do. She knew there was nothing more they could do to get her memory back. At the moment it seemed as if all she needed was some time. But how much time would it take before Lucas was sick of her and her problems?
It was a silent drive back to Loretta’s. “You’ve gotten quiet,” Lucas said as he turned the key in Loretta’s door.
“I was just thinking about Thanksgiving and wondering if I’d be home by then.” She leaned against the wall in the hallway. “Do you and Loretta have a big feast that day?”
“Actually, we do. It’s the one holiday that Loretta never works. She does the turkey and stuffing and makes sweet potatoes and pies and we invite some friends over.”
He took a step closer to her and raised a hand and touched her cheek. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that you’re home for Thanksgiving,” he said softly.
His warm fingers lingered on her cheek and Jane’s breath caught in her chest. There was a look in his eyes that made her think he was going to kiss her and she was stunned by how much she wanted him to.
She raised a hand to capture his, not wanting him to draw away from her, but rather wanting him to fall into her, to wrap her in his arms and pull her as close as he possibly could.
She closed her eyes as he came closer, his mouth mere inches from hers. She leaned forward, wanting…needing the contact with him. And then his mouth touched hers.
Hot and tender, his soft lips plied hers in a kiss that didn’t just warm her mouth, but sizzled a wave of warmth through her entire body.
It wasn’t until he pulled her closer and her tummy bumped into him that he jerked back from her. “Sorry. That was inexcusable.” He drew a deep breath as if to steady himself.
She took hold of his arm. “I can excuse it,” she said. “In fact, if you wanted to do it again, I wouldn’t have any problems excusing you.” She couldn’t believe her forwardness, but it wasn’t just gratitude she felt for him, it was a white-hot attraction that had her half-giddy.
She was afraid she might have offended him, but he gave her a sexy half grin that only increased his appeal. “That was very nice, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that there’s probably a man in your life.” His gaze shot pointedly down to her stomach.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I can’t explain it, Lucas, but I think I was alone before all this began.”
He sighed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, then opened the door to Loretta’s apartment. “Get some rest,” he said. “I’ll see you later this evening.”
He turned and nearly ran down the hall away from her. How foolish was she? A pregnant woman with no memory making passes at a hot guy who’d already said he had no interest in getting married or becoming a father.
How foolish was she to think that he’d even want to kiss her again. With a new depression settling over her shoulders she turned and went into the apartment.
Chapter Six
The kiss had been a major mistake. The taste of her sweet, lush lips haunted Lucas for the remainder of the day.
He’d left Loretta’s apartment, gone straight back to his car and headed out to the Church of Enlightenment compound. He had no idea if it had been somebody from the church who had tried to grab Jane at the store, but the fact that the church used the seeing-eye symbol as a kind of trademark was the only lead they had.
The Church of Enlightenment was located at the very northern edges of Kansas City, about ten miles from the neighborhood where Lucas had found Jane in the car.
It seemed unlikely that Jane would have been able to walk ten miles in her condition that night, but he wasn’t willing to rule out the possibility altogether. There were stories in the news all the time about people accomplishing all kinds of impossible feats when in danger.
The church itself was a huge building with amazing stained-glass windows and a sign across the door that welcomed all who came for spiritual nourishment.
He didn’t bother going inside; in fact, didn’t even leave his car. What interested him more than the church itself were the buildings in a gated area behind it.
There was a massive three-story home, several other low, flat buildings, a construction site with a foundation poured and fields as far as the eye could see. All of it was surrounded by tall, sturdy fencing designed to keep people out.
There was no question that religion could be big business, but this particular church didn’t seem to be affiliated with any others or have an organized base. He made a mental note to ask Micah to see if he could find a list of the board of directors or whatever governed the money obviously flowing into this church.
He pulled up to the gate, but there was no guard on duty and the heavy iron fencing was locked.
Surely this couldn’t have anything to do with Jane, he thought. Even if he were able to get a list of names of all the people in the congregation, there was no way he could pinpoint who had been responsible for the attack at the store.
It just didn’t make sense. Maybe the sign he’d seen in the back of that van had nothing to do with this church. He just couldn’t make the pieces fit.
He left the church and went back to the Recovery Inc. office where Troy was inside working on t
he financial records for the company.
The two men talked about Jane and both agreed that time was what she needed most of all. Eventually something would trigger her memories, and in the meantime there wasn’t much any of them could do.
While Lucas would love to know who had tried to grab her and why, the odds of figuring it out were not in his favor.
It was nearly four when Lucas left the office. But instead of heading home, he drove to the Sandbox, a bar and grill he frequented on a regular basis.
It was dark and smoky and the perfect place for a man to sit and drink a beer without being bothered by anyone. Even though Lucas had been coming here for years, he knew nothing about the bartender except that his name was Joe and he poured a perfect Scotch and soda.
Joe nodded to him as he took a stool at the bar and in the blink of an eye Lucas had his drink in front of him. He curled his fingers around the cold glass as he thought once again of kissing Jane.
He didn’t know her real name, but he liked her sense of humor. He liked the fact that despite everything that had happened to her she hadn’t melted down into a hysterical mess.
She represented everything he didn’t want in his life, a woman who would want a husband, a woman beginning a family. Kissing her had been a major mistake. Even if she were single and as alone as she thought she might be, he had absolutely nothing to offer her.
Her mouth had been tempting before he’d tasted it, but with that single taste, his desire had winged out of control. He’d wanted to back her up against the wall and explore her mouth further. He’d wanted to cup her full breasts in his hands and feel their warmth, then take her hips and press them against his.
He clenched the cold drink glass tighter. She was vulnerable at the moment, and he’d be all kinds of a bastard to take advantage of that vulnerability.
Still, the thought of kissing her again filled him with an anticipation he hadn’t felt for a very long time, and that bothered him. She bothered him in a way no woman ever had.
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