She still wasn't getting along with Nick all that well. The only good thing that had come out of their one time trying to be intimate was the fact that he didn't try anymore. By saying another man's name in the midst of it, she had made it so her husband didn't even want her. She should have been upset about it and tried to fix it. He was her husband, but she didn't have any of those reconciliatory feelings inside of her.
At first, when she had found out that her memory was gone and there was a chance that it would just come back, she had really hoped that she would see something and it would all come flooding back to her. She also desired the understanding of what was going on truly. She had to know because Amber didn’t believe anything that was told to her. That realization never happened, though. She was still just as much in the dark as she was before.
Amber felt like she was in the dark about many important aspects of her life, but there really was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to reconcile the marriage that was not working out, but then again, her husband made it clear that he did not. He was just hurt, and from what Amber could gather, he had been taking another woman into his bed. She knew that it was because of her refusal to be with him, however, she did not feel bad about it at all. In fact, she felt relief that he wasn't going to bother her anymore about it.
As much as he had been particularly sweet to her and ever so helpful, it was nice that he didn't want to be with her like that anymore.
What it left her, though, was too much time to think. It would have been okay if it was memories, possibly of whoever it was she dreamed about every night. Instead, it was worry about what was going to happen to her and the baby, once the baby was born.
As much as Nick only seemed to want to tolerate her, he was genuinely excited to be having a child. The way his clan worked, he had to have an heir. It would have been a disaster if Nick had not been able to produce one. Then the clan would be lost to the strongest member that wanted leadership. It would have killed the family legacy, and it would have brought shame to Nick’s father, as well as himself.
There was a lot of politics involved, and Amber found that it was so much so that it made her head hurt. She wanted to believe that her husband loved her, and one day soon, she would just wake up and everything would come back to her, but there was still a part of her that was realistic. She needed a just-in-case plan for its very namesake. She just didn't know how she was supposed to make that happen or what it would even look life. She had no life outside of Nick.
Most of her days were spent walking the grounds and trying her best not to think about the mystery man in her sleep. He came to her most days, and it was usually as soon as she was actively not trying to think about him. Then he would pop up. That name kept rolling around in her mind too. Trevor. Why did it sound so familiar?
“I was looking for you.”
Nick stood right in front of her, and she about ran into him, before Amber could stop all the way. He was not happy, by the expression on his face.
“I'm sorry, I didn't see you there.”
“You don't seem to see me at all, Amber. I can't say that I am happy with the way our marriage is going.”
“What do you want from me? I am trying. I still don't even remember you. How can I go back to the old ways if none of my memories are intact? I don’t know what the old ways even look like.”
Nick just shrugged and looked frustrated. It was an expression that she was quite familiar with at that point. It seemed like he was always frustrated with her, and she knew that it wasn't just sexual either. She refused to act the way he wanted her to. Amber didn't know why, but she felt a rebellion in him, and when he said something to her, she wanted to ask him what exactly it meant.
“It doesn't really matter, I guess. We have our own reasons for staying together. I was just getting you for dinner. I was looking for you earlier, and you weren’t in your room, so I figured I might as well track you down.”
The marriage that Amber always thought she wanted was not happening. Instead, it was this tension between them all the time, and the emotions of being pregnant probably didn't help.
“Sorry, I got sidetracked running around checking things out.”
“Don't worry about it, but you at least have to sit next to me at the table. You choose not to be with me in my bed, but I won't stand for people talking about you not even sharing a meal with me.”
Amber hadn't realized that people were talking, and she asked him why he cared so much.
“I care because you're my wife and that is what you're supposed to do.”
It became clear to Amber that he was far more worried about how everything came across than he was worried about what was actually going on between them. He was far more worried about the people on the outside looking in. Amber couldn’t have cared less what people thought. She wanted answers, and since none of the strangers judging her had any, she had nothing for them anyway.
“I will make sure to be the dutiful wife and say and do everything that you want me to.”
He chuckled and scoffed at the same time. “I know that it is your passive-aggressive way of trying to get me to apologize, but I won't. We are married, and you are supposed to act like it. How is my clan ever going to be able to accept you, if you are constantly missing?”
“I don't mean to. Tonight, I will go on the run with you all, if you want.”
He looked at her with surprise. “In your condition? We don't need you tramping around the woods as a wolf. It's dangerous out there at night, and especially around here. I would feel safer if you stayed in.”
Amber nodded slowly, but something was forming in her mind. How did her husband of five years not realize that she was a bear and not a wolf? It seemed like so much more than a slip of tongue, and instead of saying anything to him, she remained quiet. Amber was starting to get that funny feeling again; something just wasn't right. The marriage that was supposed to be perfect and everybody knew about was one that she didn't even remember. How could that even be?
They walked to dinner together, and the whole time, Amber was trying to figure it out in her head. It just felt like she was missing something very important. She had no idea what it was, but one thing she knew for certain: Nick was lying to her, and Amber was going to get to the bottom of it.
“How sure are we that this is where Dominic is?”
Dylan shrugged. “The information is from a good source, so hopefully this is right.”
“And what is the plan if we find him?”
Dylan smiled. “That is the man that I want to kill. We, of course can torture him a little bit to get the information that we need about Jessica first, though. Then we will be able to track her down, and we won't have to worry about any of it.”
“And then you're going to kill him?”
Dylan agreed. “Yes, we get information, and then I kill him. I want to make sure that it's nice and slow, though.”
Trevor could see the look on his friend’s face. It was very similar to his own reaction, and he could relate to it completely. How badly he wanted Dominic to suffer. Whoever had taken her was going to suffer as much as he could possibly manage. He had never been the voice of reason and he certainly wasn't going to start now.
Dylan's anger and hatred were only going to fuel their ability to get Jessica out of whatever hell she had been put into. He knew that she might not be the same woman that she was when she left. There were a lot of unknowns and all he could really do was try his best to not freak out.
That, of course was easier said than done.
They were outside of a really nice house, in a really nice neighborhood. It would have been out of the question for such a man to live there, amongst other humans, but Trevor could sense someone that was like them there. He just knew that they had finally found the one they had been looking for.
“He's here, Dylan, I know it.”
Dylan nodded his head like he felt the same thing. “I think you're right. We need to go in nice and slo
w. The element of surprise will be the easiest way to take him down and not have to kill him. If we kill him, then you won't get your information, and I won't get my revenge. It's always sweeter when it's nice and slow.”
It was Trevor’s turn to laugh about it. Here he was trying to calm himself because it had been brought to his attention how intense he was, but now that they were so close to Dominic, it was Dylan that looked like he was ready to come out of his skin. He was practically shaking with anticipation.
After a few moments, they realized that there was nobody else there. Trevor had expected there to be all kinds of people between them and Dominic. As long as it had taken them to track them down, it seemed impossible that they would be able to walk in and Dominic would be there.
Since Trevor and Dylan had been working together on so many missions, they really didn't have to even speak anymore. Everything that needed to be conveyed could be done so just by looking at each other and a nod of the head. Trevor was anticipating the nod of Dylan’s head. That would mean that it was time to fight. His hackles were raised, and there was a feeling that they were finally going to get to the end of their quest. He was ready to have Jessica back in his arms.
Dylan nodded his head, and Trevor stood up. He was shifted into his bear form in moments, crashing through the door right behind Dylan. There was a huge surge of adrenaline that ran through him, and before he could do much else, they had found Dominic. He was still in his human form, half-awake, rubbing his eyes and trying to figure out what the hell was happening. He didn’t look happy to be disturbed.
Dominic asked Trevor who he was, but then his eyes went to Dylan, and they got a little bit wider.
“Tell me that you're not here. Have you not learned yet?”
“No, it seems that I need you to tell me one more time. Tell me how you have killed countless people in my clan just because you were shorted a few dollars from your own operator.”
Dominick's eyes shifted from one man to the next, and he asked Trevor again who he was.
“He is the one that was going to marry Jessica before you ripped her out from underneath him. He's been looking for months, so you can imagine how happy he is to see you.”
Dominic pressed his lips together, and he kind of shook his head, like he was still trying to wake up from a dream.
“You know that I'm just a middleman. This was not my grand plan. I am given orders, and all I do is follow them.”
Trevor smiled. “Good, that will make things a lot easier for you.”
Dominic looked from one man to the next. “How will that be easier for me?”
“Because if you have no skin in the game, then you won't mind telling me where you took Jessica.”
“You know that I can't do that. My boss would kill me.”
“You need to stop worrying about your boss and worry about me. What do you think we’re going to do to you?”
Trevor was getting frustrated, and when Dominic started to laugh, he hit him as hard as he could. They were all back in their human form, and in reality, he just wanted to pummel the guy for a while. All of the months that he had been without Jessica were his fault. All of the times that his daughter cried at night to him and asked him repeatedly where she was, it was all Dominic’s fault. Trevor must have lost himself for a moment because it was Dylan that pulled him away.
“We're not going to be able to get any information out of him if he can't speak. It looks like you damn near broke his jaw.”
Trevor didn't care. He was covered in the man's blood from punching him, but it still wasn't enough. It wasn't going to be enough until Dominic was dead.
“Just tell us what we want to know and will let you live.”
Trevor looked at Dylan and shook his head. “I'll be damned if I'm going to let him live.”
Dylan gave Trevor a dirty look. They still needed to find Jessica.
“Okay, Dominic. It's time to talk, or I'm just going to let Trevor have his way with you. He seems to think that it would be easier to soften you up first.”
Trevor smiled at his friend. “Is it that obvious that I am enjoying this?”
Dylan agreed. “You could try a little harder to hide your humor.”
Trevor shrugged. He was finally ready for it to be over. It didn't really matter how badly Dominic fought him. By the end of the day, he would have his answers.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Amber felt like she was going to pop at any moment. It was estimated that she was about eight or nine months pregnant. At any time, she was going to have a baby.
When she had first found out she was pregnant, there had been a hope that she would have her memories back before the baby was born. The idea of raising a child with someone she didn't even remember was still hard for her to fathom. The relationship that she had with her husband was not the best one. He seemed to be disappointed in her somehow, and a lot of the time, she was disappointed in herself. How much easier her life would have been if she could just remember something, anything, really. It was all blank, though. Nick was not a stranger any longer, but that was because they had spent months together.
Now that it was finally coming down to the time, she was sure that it was all just going to have to work itself out. Amber didn't like the situation she was in, but it was one of her own making. While she never said anything directly to Nick about the two of them breaking up, she had asked a question along those lines once, and he had completely freaked out.
It told her that the last thing she could do was have a real conversation with him about it. It was almost like he wasn't even interested in her. He was interested in the heir that she was going to give him. It made her feel even more isolated, and even though she supposedly had a best friend to talk to, she had never felt so alone in all of her life.
She couldn't imagine how her life had turned out to be so strange. It was not what she thought it would be. Amber didn't need a memory to know that she would have never wanted this for herself. When she had thought of getting married, it was always a happy occasion and to a man that adored her and couldn't live without her. None of that was the reality for her.
The reality was that her husband didn't really seem to care all that much about her. Since she had rejected him sexually and accidentally said Trevor’s name, Nick had never been the same to her. Sometimes she was happy that it happened because it gave her a break from his expectations and desires. But then again, she wondered if the relationship would be better off if she tried something. She’d given up, and it was downhill from there. What if she got her memories back, but then she had ruined it all?
Just like most days, Amber was laying down in the late afternoon. It was hot outside and easier to relax when she had a cool nap. Even though her days were getting shorter, it did not slow down her brain for one moment. She was still thinking about her options and what was going to happen when the baby was born. That was the last thought that she had before she heard a loud crashing sound coming from downstairs. Since she had lived with Nick, her life had been almost ridiculously peaceful. She didn't have to worry about anything, and a sudden jolt to the way that it usually was made her pay attention.
She started to get up to go investigate, but then she heard yelling and then something that was very similar to gunshots. Her heart beat a little harder in her chest. She didn't remember having any enemies, but the fear was so familiar that it made her think that she had hidden before.
Instead of going downstairs to see what the matter was, she listened intently at the door, hoping that what she heard was a TV or something like that. She knew better, though. There was obviously someone in the house creating havoc. Maybe more than one person.
The fear and the familiar instinct to hide took over, and she went into the closet. Amber was moving slowly because she was pregnant, but she knew enough that she had to keep the baby safe. Whoever was there, could be there for her or her baby. She had no idea. It was like most everything else in her life, it was all unknown, but the f
eeling of being afraid certainly wasn’t. That one was very real and something she’d felt many times before. It was like a reaction.
Someone was suddenly coming up the stairs, and she heard Nick yelling from somewhere that felt far away.
“You're not taking her. She's carrying my baby!”
All of her fear from that point was an unknown. It was just the silly fear that came through her all of a sudden, and she didn't really have a name for it. She didn't really even have a good reason for feeling that way, but now she did. Now she heard firsthand that whoever it was not only managed to take out her husband, but also was coming for her. It all seemed surreal, and she went further back in the closet, hoping that whoever was there would eventually go away. There was no way that she was coming out.
Amber could hear someone calling for someone else. It was a woman’s name.
Jessica.
Again, she had a familiar feeling go over her, but it was not very long lived. The door to the room that she was in opened and she held her breath as well as she could, convinced that whoever it was in the room would hear her breathing and drag her out of the closet. What he would do with her after that, Amber had no idea. She certainly didn't want to find out.
“Jessica! Jessica! I know that you're here. Please, come out. I have been so worried about you. Dominic said you were here, so come out.”
Whoever he was, he was pleading for this Jessica woman to come out of her hiding place. Amber said nothing. She just sat there as quietly as possible, waiting for them to leave. It felt like forever, but they finally walked out of the room, and she was able to breathe again.
There was some yelling and fighting downstairs, and Amber finally got the nerve to go check out what was happening. She called out to Nick. It wasn't something that she would do any other time, but she was scared, and she was waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t, she started to get nervous.
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