Forget Me Not

by Madden, J. M.

  John tossed him a rare grin. "Yeah, I know, but Shannon fucking loves that dog. And the dog loves her. So it's all good in the end. At least the potty training is pretty much over with. Although she left me a present the other morning I didn't see until I'd run through it with my chair and circled the room. It took me forever to get the shit out of my tires."

  Gunny leaned over to look at the side of his wheelchair and Chad laughed out loud. That was too damn funny.

  Duncan walked in and parked himself behind them, arms folded and stance strong. Chad still couldn't get over how good he was doing after the hip replacement. "What's so funny?"

  "Dogshit in tires," Chad told him.

  Their partner barked out a laugh. "Yeah, I heard about that. Poor baby."

  John flipped Duncan the bird and they all chuckled.

  "No movement at all on the Watt-tech case?" Duncan asked eventually, nodding his head at the monitor.

  "No. The regular employees have come through the door, but not the ex-boyfriend."

  "Well, the woman called to let us know that she's had two hang-up calls this morning, making her think he's checking to make sure she'll be there. Chad, why don't you go ahead and grab the packet and head out. I have a feeling it'll be sooner rather than later when we see our friend."

  Chad tipped his imaginary hat and pushed to his feet. "Will do, mon Capítane."

  Duncan just shook his head at his silliness. "When did I get shuffled off to the officers’ club? John will call you when he has eyes on the target."

  "Gotcha."

  Chad grabbed his cowboy hat and jacket from the tree by the door and left the office. Outside, the sun shone brightly on the cold, cloudless morning. Denver was well known for its amazing scenery, but Chad thought even the average blue-sky days were beautiful.

  It was shocking to realize how quickly the days were going though. Every single one of the people that worked at Lost and Found had full lives, and it seemed like this year had brought huge changes for everyone. John and Shannon were expecting two babies in early summer. Duncan had surprised them all the other day during the weekly staff meeting when he admitted that he and Alex had eloped and gotten married. That had been a shock to Chad. He'd had no idea they'd been that involved.

  But then, Duncan always held his cards close to the vest, especially when it came to his personal life. Even the romance between Duncan and Alex had come as a surprise. Yeah, they'd all flown her out here at Christmas time to meet up with him, but he didn't think any of them expected Duncan to actually make a serious relationship develop out of it.

  Max and Lacey were settling in well, and Rachel had a perpetual smile on her face. Obviously Denver PD Officer West was keeping her very happy. Flynn, Willow, and their daughter Raven were thriving. Flynn obviously loved being a very hands on dad, and doted on his baby girl. Chad thought that Flynn was a good example for John Palmer. The once closed off former SEAL took to fatherhood like a duck to water and loved it.

  Chad missed seeing Zeke. The big guy worked graveyard shift now so that he could help his fiancée with the Frog Dog Bar and Grill and raise their son Drew. Gabe and Julie Carter fit the group so well, it seemed like they’d always been part of LNF.

  Everyone seemed good and settled into their happy relationships except him.

  Now, he loved Lora, there was no doubt about that, but he missed her. He knew from watching his parents' long and happy marriage that you needed a lot of contact to make the relationship work. It had been weeks since they'd talked about anything more important than Mercy or her classes, let alone actually made love. Chad had let her know more than once that he needed affection, but she'd seemed lost in her own tiredness and drive to learn the business.

  Something needed to change.

  Nothing was going to change until he talked to her though.

  Chad was glad that Duncan was such a strategic thinker because less than five minutes after he left the office Palmer called to tell him the guy showed up at the client's place of work. Chad parked his truck and jumped out, long legs eating up the distance to the front door. The suspect, Jerry Wallace, had broken several protection orders between him and his ex-girlfriend, Tiki. Now, the company where Tiki worked was filing a 'leave the premises' warning. The next time Jerry showed up the cops would be called and he would be taken to jail on trespassing charges.

  Chad needed to make sure the guy understood everything about his situation. Hopefully they could get this done and all move on with their days.

  The receptionist, Penny, waved when she saw him, and motioned to the hallway to the right. "Break room," she whispered, her brown eyes wide with fear.

  Tipping his hat, Chad strode down the hallway. Without hesitation he pushed through the swinging door, his gaze latching onto the couple in the back corner. No one else was in the room. Tiki, a petite dark-haired girl with a lot of make-up on, stood against a vending machine, arms crossed over her stomach, an obvious sign that she wanted no part of the blond-haired kid in front of her. He wasn't much taller than the girl, but Chad could see his ego from here.

  Why did some little men always have to overcompensate and be assholes?

  The male reached out to finger the girl's hair and Chad thought it was a good time to interject himself. Smoothly, he handed the kid the manila envelope and gave the girl his back. "Hold this for me buddy. Oh, and just so you know, you've now been served notice that you are no longer permitted on these premises. If you come here again, you will be arrested for trespassing. Denver PD has a copy of the order I just gave you."

  Red began to suffuse the kid's face, and Chad realized he was older than he looked. Probably at least twenty-five or twenty-six. Old enough to know better.

  "What the fuck are you talking about cowboy?" he snarled.

  "You have been served notice that you are no longer allowed on these premises," he repeated, more slowly. "Do you need me to say it a third time?"

  The young man scowled and ripped open the envelope, then scanned the papers inside. "This is bullshit. I'm allowed to come see my girl."

  "Well, actually," Chad started, but he didn't get a chance to finish. The girl had stepped to the side to confront the young man.

  "I'm not your girl," she yelled. "I keep telling you that. We had one date, and you refused to listen to a word I said. I'm done with you, Jerry. I'm tired of you threatening me like you’ve got some kind of right to me."

  Chad knew the guy was going to do something stupid, so when he reached out to slap the girl, he struck Chad's shoulder instead. That seemed to piss him off even more though. Stepping back, he reared back a fist.

  Chad would have laughed if it hadn't been so sad. He had at least eight inches on the guy, and probably a hundred pounds. He let the dude throw the punch, simply because it was that much more they had on tape. Gunny Palmer was recording everything right now, he had no doubt.

  The punch barely rocked his head. The kid blinked when he realized he hadn't done anything to Chad, and took a step back in preparation of getting his ass kicked.

  "Are you done throwing your tantrum, Sugar?" Chad asked him.

  Fists clenched, the kid spun away with a snarl and stalked out of the room.

  Licking at his mouth, Chad realized he had a busted lip. He looked up at the camera in the far corner for a moment for documentation purposes then took the handful of napkins the girl was shoving at him. There were tears rolling down her face now, streaking her makeup.

  "I kept telling him to leave, but he wouldn't listen. I knew he wouldn't. That's why I told my boss he needed a security door, but he didn't listen either."

  "He listened, actually." Chad swiped at the split lip, but it seemed to have quit bleeding. "We've been watching for the past few days, waiting for Jerry to show up."

  She blinked and looked around. "Really?"

  He nodded, but didn't bother pointing out the new cameras they had installed. "If he comes around again, call the cops. The receptionist has a copy of the order as well,
and a new lock is being added to the front vestibule door, which can be controlled remotely. I suggest you update your restraining order information so that this doesn't happen again."

  The girl nodded emphatically. "I'll do that. Thank you so much."

  With a wave, Chad left the room. The receptionist was wide-eyed but grinning now when he stopped at her desk. "I heard everything. Thank you. You guys did such an excellent job. I didn't expect him to react that way, but you did. Well done."

  Chad grinned at her, till the split in his lip protested. "Thank you, ma'am."

  She ducked down and reached for something in a drawer, then handed him a wet baby wipe. "You have blood on your chin."

  Chad scrubbed where she instructed, but apparently didn't get it, because she reached out to guide his hand where it needed to go. She glanced up at him from beneath her eyelashes, and Chad suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Was she flirting with him?

  "You know, maybe we can grab a beer sometime." The woman smiled at him.

  Chad appreciated the interest. It had been a long time since he'd played the field.

  "I thank you, Penny, but I'm in a relationship."

  Penny glanced down at his left hand and he suddenly wished he had a band there. Surprisingly, she didn't even wince when she saw his injured hand. She hadn’t winced at the scars that ran up his neck either. Instead, she looked him in the eye and smiled again. "That's fine, then. Thank you for telling me."

  She turned back to her desk. "Figures," she laughed. "First hot guy I asked out since my breakup and he's taken."

  Chad grinned at her. "It was a great line. You did it exactly right, I promise. If I wasn't taken I would absolutely have gone out with you."

  She laughed lightly, and Chad wondered who he could set her up with. Surely one of his buddies needed a nice woman. He'd have to think on it.

  "Thanks for the ego boost, Penny. I appreciate it. Let us know if you need anything else."

  With a final tip of his hat, he left.

  He chuckled to himself as he walked to the truck. Without being egotistical, he knew he was good looking enough. Women watched him a lot. The damn arm shut most of them down pretty quickly though.

  The gnarly thing was hard for him to look at, let alone other people. Once again, he wondered if he shouldn't just get the damn thing chopped off. Even a prosthetic would probably look better than this thing. He turned it over, looking at the clawed fingers. They'd gotten so tight recently that he knew he was going to have to go in to have the contracting scars released soon. He’d probably need another skin graft, which sometimes hurt as bad as the original injury.

  Even as beat up as his hand was, though, it still had some mobility. Probably more than he'd have with a prosthetic. Sighing, he climbed into the truck and pulled the door shut behind him. It was good enough to do that, so he'd hang onto it for a while.

  John grinned at him when he returned to the office. "Hey, Buttercup. Still charming the ladies, I see."

  Snorting, Chad shrugged good-naturedly. "What can I say? Did you get all that?"

  John scowled at him, his dark eyes narrowing. "Seriously? Do I look like I just started this fucking job?"

  Chad shrugged. "Well, you are getting pretty old."

  He ducked the roll of black electric tape as it sailed past his head. "And your aim is off. Dude, I was joking, but damn, that's sad."

  He took off running before John exited the office. "Good thing I didn't wear my sidearm today, Lowell."

  Chad laughed as he ducked into the exercise room. Gunny Palmer pretended he was offended, but the jokes were all in good fun. The two of them went back many years. They'd seen good times and plenty of bad ones as well. Now that they'd gained some maturity, it seemed like things were rolling more their way now.

  Well, John's life seemed to be rolling well now. Shannon loved him so much it hurt to look at them together. And they had two kids coming. They didn't know the sex yet, but John was forecasting gloom and doom, bemoaning the fact that he would be the only male in the house when the girls were born.

  Chad thought she would have boys, like John's long-lost brother Jaime had said before he’d disappeared again.

  He snorted as he walked over to the bank of lockers and spun the combination lock. What a crazy year it had been so far. Only seven months to go.

  Would Lora marry him this year?

  Honestly, he wanted to drag her away from everything. Away from school and business and her damn office, just to give her time to gain some perspective. She was locked into the same groove for days at a time, and it had to be hard on her body. As well as her mind.

  She was so hard working at making them a better life that she was losing sight of the one she had.

  Chapter 3

  Lora rubbed her eyes and yawned, glancing at the clock. No way! Where had the day gone? It was almost time for her to pick Mercy up from school.

  Pushing away from the desk, she looked down at herself. Sleep pants and t-shirt were fine for computer work, but not when she went out in public. Were they? Wafting her shirt, she cringed. No, she definitely needed a shower and fresh clothes.

  Lora hurried through the cleaning. She blew her hair dry enough that she could pull it back into a ponytail, then brushed her teeth. She had just enough time to grab a banana from the basket and a bottle of water from the fridge before she bolted out the door, car keys in hand. She paused long enough to set the house alarm with the little key fob, and she was in the car, heading down the street toward Mercy's school.

  Man, she must be early, she decided a few minutes later. There was no congestion around the school. When she pulled into the main entrance, she knew something was wrong. There were cars in the lot, but no school buses and no kids. At almost the same moment, her phone let off a blaring alarm.

  "Perimeter Breach. Perimeter Breach."

  Lora fumbled the phone, so thankful that there was no one behind her. Flicking through the sign-in, she looked at the remote control camera feed.

  The front door of her house stood wide open.

  Pure terror bolted through her. It was like those nightmare years when Derek was alive, all over again. Worrying about what was going to happen when she was away from the house, wondering where her daughter was every second of the day. It was why she had taken the job at the school years ago; so that she could be close to Mercy in case anything happened.

  She gasped in a breath and steered the car to the side of the school driveway, her heart thundering in her ears. Where was Mercy?

  The phone rang in her hand. Chad.

  "What's going on, darlin'?"

  Lora dragged in a breath. "I don't know. There's no one at the school. Do you have Mercy?"

  There was a long silence on the end of the line. "Mercy stayed home today, Lora. When I left she was still in bed, and you were on the computer. They had a teacher in-service today, remember?"

  No, she didn't. Fuck!

  "I need to get home, then. She must be home. And she must have opened the door after I set the alarm."

  "Okay. Do you need me to come get you?"

  "No, I'll be fine."

  Now that she knew where her daughter was she would be. She swung the car around.

  "I'll meet you there, Lora."

  She hung up without saying anything.

  The ten minutes it took her to get home were interminable. Panic raced through her when she saw the familiar white Denver PD cruiser parked in her drive, till she realized the officer sitting on the front steps with Mercy was Dean West, Rachel's boyfriend. They were both eating popsicles, like nothing had happened.

  Lora leapt out of the car and hurried across the drive. She squatted down and hugged Mercy to her, trying not to cry.

  "Mom, my popsicle," she protested.

  Lora let her go and stepped back, swiping beneath her eyes.

  Dean gave her a considering look and lifted a brow. "You doing okay, Lora?"

  She shook her head, fighting the tears. She'd reall
y messed up today, and if she was offered kindness she would break down completely. If her daughter had been harmed in any way she would never have forgiven herself.

  When Chad pulled into the driveway, her breath hitched in her throat. He was such a good, concerned father. If he yelled at her right now she so wouldn't blame him.

  Chad crossed the driveway and hunkered down in front of Mercy. "Hey, darlin'."

  "Hey," she responded, licking the purple juice from her lips.

  "Nice seeing Dean today, huh?"

  She nodded happily, nibbling around the stick. "He should have brought Rachel too, though."

  "I will next time," Dean promised her.

  The young, heavily built man looked up at Chad as he bit into the other half of the purple popsicle. "I happened to be in the area when I heard there was something going on at your house. Mercy met me on the porch. I checked the area real quick, but Mercy said she'd seen you drive away." His gaze flicked to Lora. "She just forgot about the alarm being on. So, dispatch called your security company back and assured them we were on scene and everything was secure. We thought we would munch a popsicle while we waited for you to get back."

  Lora straightened her spine. "I appreciate that. You're welcome to come over for a treat anytime."

  Mercy nodded her head, wiping her mouth on the long sleeve of her shirt. "Anytime."

  Dean cleaned off the stick and handed it to Mercy to go throw away inside the house. "I need to get back to work, kiddo. Thanks for sharing with me. Maybe this weekend we can meet you at the park or something."

  With a hug around his neck, she nodded. "Okay. Bye, Dean."

  Standing, Dean moved closer to Chad. "I don't think she even realized what craziness she set off. You might talk to her about the alarm system."

  Chad reached out and shook his hand. Lora moved closer to take his hand as well. "I'm sorry, Dean. I just got my days mixed up. I forgot about the teacher in-service."

  He shrugged. "It happens. No big deal. I'll see y'all later."

  With a final wave he climbed into the cruiser, maneuvered around the two vehicles parked behind him and accelerated away.