“Someone tried to kill me?” she whispered. “Here? In the hospital?”
“Yes.” Had he said too much? Pressed her too hard? Done irreparable damage because he hadn’t followed the nurse’s orders?
“Hand me the clothes and help me into the bathroom. I’ll be ready to leave in about sixty seconds.”
THREE
Once they’d made it out of the hospital and she’d climbed into the passenger seat of Toby’s truck, Robin leaned her head back and closed her eyes in spite of the fact adrenaline wired her. Her head wasn’t pounding nearly as hard as it had been, and she figured it was the medicine that was keeping the pain under control.
When Toby hauled himself into the driver’s seat, she had a momentary blip of panic. What was she doing? How did she know she could trust him? But what choice did she have?
She tried to remember what had happened that had brought her to this point, but all she could pull from her mind was the phone call offering her the job at the university lab last week. She frowned. No, that was impossible. Last week it had been hot and muggy at night. She’d just walked out of the hospital to find it chilly. “What day is it? What month?”
“It’s December 5th.”
“December!”
“Yes, why?”
“Because the last thing I remember is getting a phone call offering me the job at the lab. That was at the beginning of June.” She swallowed the panic that threatened to consume her. “Are you telling me I’ve lost six months?”
“That’s what it sounds like, Robin, but don’t panic.”
A laugh escaped her. She noted that the sound bordered on the edge of hysteria. “Don’t panic? Too late.”
“Come on, you heard the doctor. You’ve had a traumatic experience. Once everything settles down, your mind will feel less threatened and your memory will probably return.”
“Probably. What if it doesn’t?”
He slid his hand from the wheel to grip her fingers. “We’ll figure it out, Robin. I’m here to help you, okay?”
“Why?” she whispered. “What are you to me? Why can’t I remember you?”
He drove with precise movements, showing his comfort with handling the large vehicle. For some reason that helped settle her. “You said you remember being hired to work at the lab. But you don’t remember anything after that?”
“No. Why?”
“Because we met about a month after you started working there.”
“Oh. So, we’re friends?”
“Definitely friends.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry I don’t remember.”
“It’s okay. Or it will be. We just need to get you somewhere safe until the authorities can catch whoever blew up the lab.”
“I’m all for them catching them, but I want to know more than who it was.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to know who and why.”
“Yeah, the why would be good to know.” He glanced at her. “I’m wondering if you know the answer to both of those.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, someone obviously wants you dead. I overheard them talking in the woods.”
“The woods,” she said. “We were in the woods?”
“The woods behind the lab on campus. After you got out of the building, you ran into the woods and were hiding. Which is where I found you. Anyway, there were two guys talking. I couldn’t see them—or hear them very well. I just caught some snatches of conversation but definitely heard them say something about killing you. Tonight.”
She rubbed her forehead and winced when she accidentally pressed too hard against her wound. “So what now?”
“We get you some clothes and whatever else you need for a couple of days of hiding out.”
“Hiding out? Where?” She had nothing but questions that needed answers.
“First, a motel. Then we’ll work together to find a more long-term solution to keeping you safe.”
“Like what?”
“I’m working on that.”
While he drove for the next thirty minutes, Robin dozed off and on. The silence was tense but not awkward. Tense only because she could tell he was thinking about their next move.
“We need to fill your pain meds,” he said when she blinked awake.
She frowned. “No. I don’t want them.” Her head and hands hurt, but the thought of a drugged unconsciousness scared her silly.
“You will when the current ones wear off. I’ve had a concussion before and it hurts. It may take you a while to recover.”
“But if we fill the prescription, whoever’s after me will be able to track us that way, won’t they?”
“It’s possible. The fact that you’re thinking rationally is reassuring.”
“Then we shouldn’t stop to fill it, right?”
“By the time they show up—assuming they manage to trace it—we’ll be long gone.” He pulled off at an exit advertising food and lodging. “Let’s try here. It’s a small town off the beaten path. I think we’ll be all right here for a bit.”
“Okay.” Robin had already made up her mind she was going to have to trust this stranger who claimed they were friends.
“So, first, let’s get food. What do you want?”
“Shouldn’t you know that?” She raised a brow. “If we’re friends like you say we are.”
He barked a short laugh. “Okay, you’re not really picky. You don’t do fast food on a regular basis, but I know there’s no way you’re going to be willing to go inside a restaurant looking like you just survived the apocalypse.”
Her jaw swung. “The apocalypse? Really?”
“Okay, you’re not that bad, but am I wrong?”
She huffed. “No.” His spot-on assessment greatly reassured her that he knew her. The fact that she remembered nothing about him wasn’t nearly as comforting. It was downright terrifying.
“So, do you want a burger or chicken?”
“Burger.”
Once they’d ordered and received their food at the window, he pulled into a parking spot where they dug in.
“We need to get you some clothes,” he said. “How do you feel about shopping?”
“I honestly don’t know if I have the energy. Besides, what do you think after that whole apocalypse comment?”
He groaned. “You’re going to hold that over my head, aren’t you?”
She tilted her head and thought. “Yes. I think I am.”
“All right. You can give me your sizes and I can grab a few things for you.”
“I don’t have any money. My purse, my—” She paused. “Where do I live? All I can picture is my two-bedroom apartment in Houston, Texas.”
“When you took the job at the university, they offered you an apartment across the street from the university.” He paused. “We live in the same building.”
“Then I suppose all of my things are there.”
“Except your cell phone. You always had that with you—usually in the pocket of your lab coat.”
“I...don’t know.”
“You weren’t wearing your coat when I found you, so you probably left it in the lab.”
“Then the phone’s gone if the fire was as bad as you say.”
He nodded. “It was. I can get you a phone. As for your purse, I don’t know where that would be. Sometimes you took it to the lab with you, sometimes you left it in your car—against my advice, I will say.”
She’d always left her purse in the car when she didn’t feel like carrying it. “Where’s my car now?”
“I had it towed to your home while I was waiting for you to get out of the CT scan.”
“I need to get it then.”
“No, you need to be safe.”
“But it has everything in there. My wallet. I�
�”
“Don’t worry about the money, Robin. You almost died. Let me help you. You can pay me back later if it means that much to you.”
She sighed. What choice did she have? “Fine. Thank you.”
“Of course. Now. What size are you?”
She gave him her information and when they were finished eating, he found a large superstore and parked. “I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“I’ll be all right. It’s busy. People are all around.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“You think we were followed?”
“I don’t, but I just have a bad feeling about leaving you here.”
“Then I’ll come with you and just endure the sidelong looks I’ll be sure to get.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. She leaned her aching head against the window and relished the coolness of the glass against her cheek.
“Amber? Yeah. I need a favor.”
Robin closed her eyes and listened as he spoke to the person on the phone. She’d almost drifted off to sleep when he hung up. She blinked at him. “Who was that?”
“A friend who is really good at protection detail. Her name is Amber Starke... I mean, Goode. She got married a couple of years ago to Lance who’s a deputy in Wrangler’s Corner.”
“And she’s coming here?”
“She’s only about thirty minutes away. I’ll put you two at the motel while I come back and get your prescription and some clothes for you.”
Robin had no strength to argue. She just wanted a shower, then to rest her head on a pillow and shut her eyes. In that order. Before she knew it, they were parked in front of the motel.
“I’ve got us connecting rooms,” Toby said. “Amber will be here in just a few minutes. She’ll stay with you tonight and we’ll figure out what to do in the morning.”
“Okay.” Robin climbed out of the vehicle and winced when she shut the door. Her hands had been bandaged at the hospital, and they stung. When he opened the door to the room, she stepped inside. Two beds, a dresser that held a television, a refrigerator and a microwave. The scent of pine and new carpet hung in the air and Robin was grateful the place was clean. And nice. She went to the bed and sat.
Toby shut the door behind him and set the key on the nightstand. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Someone bombed the lab with me in it and tried to kill me last night,” she said. “And again, today at the hospital.”
He sat opposite her on the other bed. “You remember?”
“No. I just thought saying it out loud would help me process it. Or something.”
“Right.”
“It didn’t work. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“For not remembering.” Tears spilled over her lashes before she could stop them.
He moved to sit beside her and pulled her against his chest and just let her cry. When her sobs quieted to sniffles, he handed her a tissue from the box on the nightstand.
She took it with her bandaged right hand and turned away to mop her face. “Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. None of this is your fault.”
A knock on the door jerked him to his feet and she squelched a scream. He squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay. That’s probably Amber. Bad guys don’t knock. Usually.”
She immediately mourned the loss of his arms but quickly focused on the woman now stepping through the open door. “Hi,” Amber said.
Robin offered the pretty dark-haired woman a wan smile. “Hi.”
“Having a rough day, I hear.” Her blue eyes flashed her sympathy.
“You could say that.”
Amber nodded to Toby. “I’ve got this. Go take care of whatever it is you need to do.”
“Thanks.” With one look back at Robin, he slipped out of the room.
Amber engaged the dead bolt, then took the chair near the window. She placed a gun on the table in front of her, and Robin drew in a deep breath. “I’m going to take a shower if that’s all right.”
“Can you manage with your hands?” Amber asked.
“Yes. The cuts aren’t too bad and Toby’s bringing more bandages just in case.”
“Okay. I don’t think he’ll be too long. I’ll knock on the door when he gets back with the clothes.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
Toby didn’t plan to be more than thirty minutes. Less, if possible. The store was right across the street from the motel. He parked and noted that while he didn’t see anyone following him, he wasn’t completely convinced he wasn’t being watched.
But how? And by whom? With the hair on the back of his neck spiking, he made his way into the store, grabbing a cart and glancing into the mirror that hung at the entrance.
No one behind him looked suspicious. Two teenagers who could use a haircut, a young couple with a toddler and an elderly couple who held hands.
Bypassing the rows of Christmas decorations and aisles of toys, he headed straight for the toiletries section where he pulled up the list Robin had made for him in his notes app.
And then the man next to him caught his attention. He’d pulled in two spaces down in the parking lot just as Toby had exited his own vehicle. Nothing about him suggested Toby should be alarmed, but just the fact that he was there was enough to make him keep his eyes peeled.
From the corner of his vision, Toby kept the man in his sights while he headed to the women’s clothing section and found three long-sleeved T-shirts. He added them to his cart with a subtle glance over his shoulder. No sign of the man. Next, jeans. He found Robin’s size and added two pairs.
Another glance around.
The guy was back. This time looking at the shirts on the rack behind him. Toby pulled his cell phone from his pocket and activated the camera as though he were going to take a selfie. He turned his back to the man and lifted the phone to an angle that had his shadow behind him.
Trying to be subtle but needing a good picture, he shifted so it wouldn’t look like he was doing exactly what he was doing. He waited until the guy turned slightly, snapped the picture, then held the phone to his ear. “Yeah,” he said to the device. “I can do that. Bye.” Tucking the phone back into his pocket, he shot another look down the aisle. The person was gone.
One by one, he added items to the cart until he had everything, still keeping an eye out for the guy.
In spite of the fact that Christmas was just around the corner, the store was only moderately busy and within another ten minutes, he was checked out.
And looking for his tail.
Not seeing him but wanting his hands free, Toby transferred everything to the overnight bag he’d purchased and pocketed the receipt. With the bag slung over his left shoulder and his right hovering near the weapon in his shoulder holster, he walked out of the store, tension running through every muscle in his back.
He wanted to know who that man was and if he was connected to Robin. And if he was, Toby was going to deal with him.
FOUR
Robin paced the small motel room while the news played clips of the lab burning in the background. She’d watched it intently, hoping to spark some sort of recognition, but the yawning black hole in her memory never closed. When the reporter continued to say the same thing she’d said five minutes ago, Robin had finally shut the sound off.
Toby hadn’t yet returned with her clothes, so she’d wrapped herself in the snuggly robe she’d been surprised to find hanging on the back of the bathroom door.
Amber looked up from the table in the corner. “You took a hard hit to the head. You should probably be resting.”
“I can’t rest. I need to think, but my thoughts are so jumbled.” Robin pressed a hand to her pounding head.
“You have a concussion.
I’m sure that’s part of it.”
“So, after I heal from the concussion, will I remember what happened?”
“I don’t think anyone can tell you that. I suppose time will help. What did the doctor say?”
“That time will help.” She shot her new friend a rueful smile. Then frowned. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I have a lot of time.”
Lights flickered behind her eyes. She blinked, then lowered her lids as she sat on the edge of the bed. No, not lights. Flames. Smoke. Choking her. She gasped and opened her eyes.
Amber stood, brows drawn in concern. “Are you okay?”
Robin raked a hand through her drying hair. “Yes. I think I just... I don’t know. Remembered the fire. Maybe.”
“Anything else?”
“Choking on the smoke. Feeling like I couldn’t breathe.”
“I would think that’s normal. You were trapped, right?”
“I... Yes. I mean, I think so.” She frowned. “Was I?”
“That’s what Toby said. He said you broke the window out of one of the bathrooms and escaped that way.”
“Then I guess that’s true.” She pressed her palms against her eyes, then lowered them with a sigh. “So, what do you do when you’re not guarding people?”
Amber smiled. “I take care of my family. I have a nine-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter.”
“I’m taking you away from your family. I’m so sorry!” Remorse had a bitter taste.
“Hey, it’s okay, really,” Amber said, her voice low and soothing. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to help out and I’m glad to do it.”
“Still...”
“No, not ‘still.’ It’s fine, I promise.”
Robin sighed. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Any big Christmas plans?” Amber asked.
Was the change of subject an attempt to get Robin’s mind off everything? Possibly. “No big plans.” At least she didn’t think so. If this Christmas followed true to the pattern of past ones, she would be curled up somewhere on a sofa watching It’s a Wonderful Life. “I suppose my plan is to stay alive to see Christmas.”
Holiday Amnesia Page 3
