Escaping Memories

by Amanda Siegrist

  And Danny could get downright obstinate with Logan, spewing harmful words that she imagined he didn't do before she disappeared. Logan would look at him, his muscles twitching a bit in his cheeks, but no words would leave his mouth. Not like Kat's. Kat wasn't one to mince her words or hold back. Logan normally didn't respond to Danny because Kat never gave him a chance, as she would jump in Danny's face telling him where he could shove his attitude. Aubrey almost found it comical if it weren't her fault for all the tension filling the house.

  "Can we talk about something, Aubs?" Danny asked, tired of the silence. He just needed to bring up the subject he meant to do when he stepped outside by her.

  "Sure. I like talking with you." She gave him a small smile, trying to express her apologies that things just weren't going the way he liked.

  "We haven't come up with any new evidence. Can't find this Wayne character, and his brother, Evan, still isn't helping. Without the truth, we can't lock him up for obstruction. We do think he's hiding something, though."

  She sighed, shaking her head with understanding. "And it's killing Seth. He just broke up with his girlfriend, you know, and now he's losing his best friend. It's just not right."

  "Right." Danny didn't care at the moment about Seth, but didn't want to damper the conversation. Not yet, anyway. "So, Deke and I have, maybe, a few more days here. But our boss is going to pull us back home soon. The case is going cold and stalling. But don't think that means I will stop. I will never stop looking until I find the bastard who hurt you."

  Her face lit up with delight, thinking how much he sounded like Logan. "I know. It's okay if you don't. I understand how difficult it's been. We can just move on."

  "Moving on. That's what I want to talk about. I want you to come home with me….to Florida. That's where your home is, your job. I think you still have a job. I'm sure if you walk back into the school, they'll give you your job back."

  Aubrey suddenly went from joy to panic in a few short seconds. She whipped her head to the sliding glass door, seeing Logan in the kitchen near the coffeepot. His back pierced her eyes, but just seeing him made her feel slightly better. Not by much, but enough to calm her racing heart a beat or two. "I ca…can't—"

  "Aubrey, please, don't just say no." He started to reach out for her, but stopped when she leaned away from him. "I won't force you. Look, I know the sheriff means something to you. I'm not trying to diminish that. Honestly, I'm not. I may never like the men you date, but I never try to get in the way. That's the truth. But this is different. Maybe being in your old surroundings will help with your memories. Maybe it will all click. You won't know if you don't try. That's all I'm asking. Just try."

  Her eyes swung back to Logan, who had turned around and caught her look. At first, he smiled tenderly at her. But he must have sensed an agitation from her because his brows fell into a frown and his feet moved forward an inch, stopping just as quickly. He pulled a tiny grin out and gave her a small wink, still giving her the option to make her own decision. So understanding. How could she possibly leave him?

  "Please, Aubrey. I'm not saying you have to forget about the sheriff. Just come home for a while with me. You're my sister. I promised Dad that if anything ever happened to him or Mom, that I would take care of you. I have failed miserably at that so far. I'm trying to make it right. You belong in Florida," Danny said with more force than he intended.

  She slowly turned to him, her expression blank. "Why can't you call him Logan? I know he's the sheriff, but must you refer to him like that all the time."

  Damn that man! His pride wouldn't allow him to make nice with the sheriff, and damn if the sheriff hadn't been right. He stood between him and his sister. He stared expressionless as he tried to find the words that wouldn't upset her any further.

  "I can't promise anything, Danny. I'll think about it." She looked out into the yard, searching for Brownie, searching for something else to take over her mind. Her eyes hit the woods, the trees standing with elegance, a whispering breeze speaking to her. And suddenly she knew.

  "Did you hear me, Danny?" she asked, turning to face him. She could barely control her excitement and the terror bubbling through her.

  He tried to loosen his clenched teeth, hating the sheriff all over again. "Yeah. I was just helping look for Brownie. That's what you were doing, right?"

  "I was. I guess he left for a rest. He uses a lot of energy running in the yard."

  She smiled at him for the Brownie comment. Instinctively he knew. To convince her he would have to be a bit nicer. The thought of trying to be nice to the sheriff killed him inside, but for her, he would give it his best effort. "Well, I'm going to grab a coffee. I'm sure we're going to head out for the day soon. Who's staying with you today?"

  "Kat."

  His attempt at hiding his annoyance was horrible. "Well, have fun, I guess." He stood up and walked back inside, meeting Logan's stare with resolve. "Morning…Logan."

  "Good morning. How's Aubrey doing?" Logan asked, wanting to beat the answers out of him and what he talked to Aubrey about. He could see the terror run over her face.

  "Fine. Are we ready to leave soon?"

  "Yeah, I just want to say good-bye to Aubrey first. Kat just got here. Why don't you say morning to her as well," Logan said, a slight twinkle in his eye as he did.

  He walked past Danny, resisting the urge to push him in a childish manner and stepped outside. Aubrey glanced over to him and stood up from her chair, falling into his arms with an urgent frenzy.

  "I wish you had more vacation time. What I wouldn't do just to sit on the porch at the cabin and watch nature pass us by," she whispered into his chest.

  "We can go to the cabin any time you want. Vacation is never a problem when it comes to you." Logan kissed the top of her head as he inhaled her sweet essence. "Everything alright?"

  She lifted her head, grabbing a kiss from him. Short and pleasant. Not too much for her brother to witness. "Yep. Danny was just talking to me. He asked me something."

  His heart picked up its pace, but he tipped the corner of his lip up soothingly. "Yeah, what did he ask?"

  "If I would go home with him when he finally leaves."

  His smile wanted to falter, but for her sake, he maintained its perfect position. A boyfriend, a close friend, hell, even a husband, he would have fought with tooth and nail. But family. He'd never get in the way of family. His family was important to him. Everything to him. He knew just how much Danny cared for Aubrey. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the jackass he was half the time, or all the time, really. A part of him would wither and die when she left, but he would never hold her back. Not for family.

  "He cares about you. He loves you." Logan kissed her lips, opening her mouth with the tip of his tongue and took a bit of her sweet essence as a memory he could cherish when she was gone.

  "I told him I would think about it. I'm not sure I can leave you, Logan," she said, breaking from his lips as she rested her head against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat. He may sound nonchalant, but his racing heart told her how scared he was from the prospect of her leaving.

  He squeezed her tighter, enjoying the warmth that seeped into his bones. "And I'm not sure I want you to, but you have to do what's best for you, honey. Don't let it be because of me. Do it for yourself."

  "Stop always being so reasonable. Demand I stay," she said, enjoying the way his arms fit perfectly around her, but also feeling bad for what she was about to do today. He would be mad at her if he only knew.

  "Aubrey, I—"

  "Hey, you ready to roll, Sheriff," Deke said, popping his head out of the sliding door, unaware of the serious conversation going on.

  Logan leaned down and kissed her neck. "We'll finish this conversation later." He let her go reluctantly and turned towards Deke. "Ready if you guys are."

  "We are. Let's go. Bye, Aubrey. Have a good day with Kat," Deke said with a wink and popped his head back inside the house.

  Logan started to wal
k away when Aubrey grabbed his hand, yanking him towards her lips. She clung to him with a sort of desperation he didn't understand. Then it sunk in. She made her decision. Instead of dwelling on the heartache already settling into the pit of his stomach, he kissed her back with all the vibrancy his heart could muster.

  "Bye, Logan," she said against his lips, lightly biting his bottom lip before pulling herself away.

  "Bye, honey. I'll call you later. I—" He kissed her one more time, hard, yet with a tenderness that always curled her toes. "Bye."

  She sighed deeply at the pain she saw in his eyes as he walked away, then kicked her leg in the air with irritation at his stubbornness not to beg her to stay. Always looking out for her and her feelings. Well, she was feeling a lot right now, that's for sure. Why couldn't he see those true feelings? The blinding terror of leaving his home, his arms, his comforting presence. Could she even handle a night alone without him near? She couldn't even cope properly when the sun disappeared unless he was near. Would her brother be enough to get through that fear?

  She plopped back down on her chair, brooding. That's how Kat found her.

  "Geez, don't put on a happy face for me." Kat stretched her legs, crossing them at the feet as she leaned back in the chair, her head raised to look up at the sky.

  Aubrey took in her relaxed posture. She looked every bit relaxed as she appeared, but the tired wrinkles around her eyes told her Kat was affected by the recent events as everyone else. Nobody could escape the tension, the stress, the worry of it all. Not until she remembered everything.

  "Danny asked me to go home with him. Logan said to do what was best for me."

  Kat trailed her eyes from the brilliant blue sky to Aubrey's lost expression. "That would make me frown, too. What are you planning on doing?"

  "I don't know," Aubrey said with a shrug.

  Kat chuckled, slapping a playful hand on her shoulder. "Girl, you're still using that damn phrase. Do I have to go back to calling you Doni?"

  Aubrey pierced her lips in a gentle smile. "I do kind of miss it, actually. It feels more a part of me than Aubrey does. I still don't know who I am, Kat. I'm surrounded by my brother and his memories, by Deke and his friendship, and yet, I don't know them. I know you. I know Logan and Seth. That's what I know."

  Kat shook her head as she raised her eyes back to the sky. "You have time to think about it. Maybe Logan won't come right out and say it, but I will. I hope you stay. I'll also understand if you go. Knowing who you are is important. I'm sure your brother made a good case why it's best to go with him."

  "He did."

  And for the next hour, they sat in silence, watching the morning slowly pass them by. Aubrey imagined they thought about the same things, or maybe not. Everyone had problems. A normal person tried to solve their own problems. She hadn't tried that. She was sitting back, curled up in her cocoon of safety, and watching as everyone else tried to solve it. No more. She needed to take her turn. Right now sounded like a good time to start.

  "Can you help me with something, Kat?"

  Kat opened an eye, peeking over at Aubrey. "Love to. If I sit here any longer with my eyes closed, you might start hearing some snores."

  Aubrey chuckled, flexing her fingers over the chair railings to calm herself down. "You have to promise not to tell Logan."

  Kat sat up straight, turning her whole body at Aubrey as her brows dunked down into contemplation. "You're not gonna leave without saying good-bye, are you?"

  "I'm not leaving. But I want to do something and I can't without your help. I suppose I could've tried and left you here sleeping. I want you to come with me."

  "I don't like the sound of this. What are you talking about, Aubs?" Kat said, using her nickname for the first time.

  "I need…want to go…I have to…" Aubrey started to say it, but the words kept sticking in her throat.

  "The answer's no. You can't even say what you want to. I don't even want to know." Kat stood up and took a deep breath.

  "I have to go back." She was so proud of herself. She finally let it out.

  "So you are going to leave without saying good-bye to him? That's not right, Aubrey. That's just plain mean."

  Aubrey jumped out of her seat and pointed a finger in Kat's face. "Don't you call me mean. I said I wasn't leaving."

  "What the hell does I have to go back mean then?"

  Kat stared at Aubrey for a brief minute until a tiny light bulb went off in her head. "For the love of—oh, hell, no. We are not going there! Absolutely not. Logan would kill me if I did that." Kat started shaking her head no as her feet moved away from the longing in Aubrey's eyes.

  "Please, Kat. I have to." Aubrey's eyes lit up with panic, but dimmed with strength.

  "No! It's out of the question. Not gonna happen. Nope. Sorry," Kat said, shaking her head with vivacity. The mere thought of Aubrey's suggestion had her breaking out in a sweat. Her brother would have her hide. It would never happen on her watch. She was glad Seth had to work and it was her turn today to hang with Aubrey. Seth probably would've caved with those sad, pitiful eyes staring her down. Nope, she would not falter. She would not give in. "It's not happening, Aubrey."

  ***

  The constant drip drop in his ear did nothing to soothe his nerves. Not that he figured it would. But just one little thing to keep his mind off the knowledge that Aubrey was leaving him had to work. Otherwise, he would become a broken man—right in front of her brother. He watched solemnly, saying nothing, as the other two men, who he wanted to hate with a passion, and Derek, organized everything they had collected for the case. It wasn't the first time they organized. Danny had a nasty habit of rearranging things frequently, noting that a new fresh look could give them something they didn't see before. He agreed with him to an extent, but figured it was more nervous energy on Danny's part than anything else.

  Logan heard the coffeepot weaning down. He turned around, waiting another thirty seconds before he grabbed the pot and started pouring coffee for everyone. He hoped it was suitable for everyone's tastes considering Charlotte decided to give him the silent treatment after he still refused to speak to Bolt and boycotted making the coffee. He really did miss her special brew she could concoct, but not enough to say something to one of his own deputies. Bolt was just eager, excited, and looking for his chance to shine in the light for once. He knew how that felt. He had that same surging energy when he worked down in Minneapolis. He didn't anymore. If he couldn't trust his own people, he was screwed. Plain and simple. So, he trusted Bolt.

  "Coffee's ready. Where are we starting today?" Logan asked, turning back to meet their gazes. He brooded enough for the morning, time to get in the game and worry about his heartache later.

  "Damn if I know. We've been over every inch of that forest, possible suspects, and the evidence when she was abducted, which wasn't much. I feel like we're nearing the end…coldness is creeping in." Deke shrugged, grabbing his cup from the counter and sipped with a grimace. "I'll make the coffee tomorrow."

  "Little too much today? Sorry, my mind is everywhere," Logan said, walking over to the table as he perused everything that they scattered on the table. "You called down to the lab in Minneapolis yesterday. What did they say about processing the dress?"

  Deke took another sip, needing sustenance, not caring how horrible it tasted. "They said they'd try to push it up for us by a week, but that's the most they can do. They're backlogged horrifically. That's exactly how the beautiful woman's voice put it, too. Horrifically. Even with us calling, pulling our FBI weight, it didn’t work like we wanted it to. Like I said, the best she can do is a week."

  "Better than nothing, I guess," Logan murmured as he continued to scan the table. He just wanted a small piece of evidence to come into their path. Any little piece would do.

  Surveillance video photo stills from the grocery store across the alley where Aubrey had last been seen before she disappeared. Photos, text messages, and emails from Aubrey's phone, that so far, useless i
n pointing them in a good direction. They found no enemies, digging deep into her comings and going. She generally got along with everyone. She was a fifth grade school teacher and had a few run-ins with disgruntled parents, but no incident that would set a parent off to the extreme of kidnapping.

  Danny did say she could produce talons on occasion, but not mean enough for someone to swipe her off the street and hide her away. Deke was the first to voice the concern that it could be connected to one of their cases. Some crazy criminal they locked up looking for revenge. Targeting Aubrey instead of them.

  Thankfully, they grabbed all their work they already gathered from the initial investigation before they flew to Minnesota. The list compiled contained their most recent and most violent cases. They ranged anywhere from rapists to murderers to armed robberies. But the most disturbing were a few of the human trafficking cases they worked. They generally stuck to the violent crimes, only helping on occasion with a trafficking case. But Derek was quick to point out the inconsistencies concerning why the trafficking cases just didn't fit. Why take her and lock her up for three months underground in the middle of a small town in Minnesota that most people have never heard of? It just didn't make sense. Everyone agreed, and decided to focus more on the violent crime cases.

  "Maybe if we would've received a call sooner, we'd have better luck…in all aspects of this case," Danny said with a bit of venom that he normally did.

  Logan looked up from the rim of his cup, biting back a nasty comment. Danny deserved it. But his heart couldn't handle it. That's all he needed. Having to explain to Aubrey how him and Danny managed to get into a physical altercation. And it would be physical. The looks he received, the sharp words, all indicated Danny was just waiting to pop him a good one. That would never happen. Not if he could prevent it.