“I won’t. I’m not here to hurt you,” he said as he lifted his hands in the air and stood. “Please don’t shoot me.”
“What do you want?” Lea demanded.
“Just to talk, that’s all.”
Lea’s mind raced as she disengaged the safety. She knew how to use the weapon, but would she be able to shoot a man at point-blank range if he rushed her?
As if intuiting her mental calculations, he said, “I was told you have amnesia. You must be so frightened right now. I can help you.”
Lea backed away from him. “How?”
“I know something of your situation.”
Her voice rose. “How do you know anything about me? Who are you?”
He kept his tone even, almost soothing. “My name is Frank Grimes. I’m a retired Houston police detective. I can show you my credentials, but I’ll need to reach in my pocket.”
“No! Keep your hands in the air. Just tell me why you’re here.”
“I told you. I want to talk to you.” He made no further move toward her, just stood there with his hands raised. “Like I said, I’m a former police detective. Sometimes I do favors for people who need my help. People like you.”
A shiver went through her. “You broke into my room because you think I need help?”
“I couldn’t take a chance that we would be seen together. This was the only way.”
Lea’s impulse was to make a mad dash for the hallway, but she didn’t want to turn her back on him.
“A few weeks ago, a young woman in my building approached me,” he said. “She’d uncovered something at her work that put her life in danger. She was being followed. She thought someone was watching her apartment. Then she just up and disappeared. She didn’t answer my calls or come to the door when I knocked. One night a van showed up to clean out her apartment. I rousted the landlord and he said she’d gotten a job out of town and broken her lease. That story didn’t match with what she’d told me, so I followed the van to a warehouse. It’s possible she just needed to store her things until she found a new apartment. It’s also possible someone was tying up loose ends.”
“What kind of loose ends?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out. This woman worked from home and rarely interacted with her neighbors. She’s like a lot of young people these days. Her whole life is spent online. A person in that situation would be easy to erase.”
Lea’s heart pounded. It wasn’t just fear that overwhelmed her. Something he’d said touched a chord. A person in that situation would be easy to erase.
Her voice quivered. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I think you know why, Mrs. Westin.”
The way he said her name...
The way he watched her in the moonlight...
So many questions bubbled inside her, but before she could make sense of his story, a movement on the balcony caught her attention. Her gaze shot beyond the doorway to where a second shadow had dropped down from the roof.
The detective whirled, but he was too late. All Lea saw was a flurry of motion, followed by the spit-spit of a silenced weapon. Frank Grimes, if that truly was his name, never knew what hit him.
Her gaze met the intruder’s in the moonlight. Lea was so stunned that her guard momentarily lowered and the hesitation cost her. He was on her in a flash, grabbing the weapon from her hand and pulling her roughly to him. She felt the prick of a needle at the side of her neck and then she was falling. Down, down, down into a sea of darkness.
Chapter Seven
She awakened to a drumbeat inside her head and sunlight streaming across her face. She tried to swallow past the chemical taste in her mouth as she lay still for a moment, orienting herself to her surroundings. She was in bed with the covers pulled up around her, but she had no idea where she was. Or who she was.
A wave of panic washed over her as she cast her gaze frantically around the room. Then slowly as the fog cleared the events of the past few days came back to her. Her name was Lea Westin. She’d been attacked and left for dead on a Houston street, only to awaken days later with amnesia. Her husband, Andrew Westin, had checked her out of the rehab center where she’d been convalescing and brought her here, to a remote ranch in the Hill Country. She was safe and sound in her room, with Andrew presumably still asleep next door.
But...was she safe?
She squeezed her eyes closed, scanning her sparse memory banks. There was a man. A detective. Cole Matheson. He said she’d hired him to find her would-be killer. His ruggedly attractive image appeared, only to be replaced by a more sinister countenance—a bearded man with glasses.
A knock sounded at the door and she jumped, pulling the covers up to her chin as her gaze darted around the room. Paranoid and nauseous, she slipped out of bed and padded to the door, glancing through the peephole before she answered.
Andrew gave her a long scrutiny. “Are you okay? I got worried when you didn’t come down for breakfast.”
She massaged her temples. “I guess I overslept. I must have been tired last night.”
“No harm done. But we should get a move on if you want to eat before our climb.”
She frowned. “Our climb?”
“You don’t remember? I told you last night at dinner that I’d planned an easy climb for us today. Some of the others are joining us. It’ll be a nice outing for both of us.”
Lea suppressed a shudder as an image of Bishop’s Rock formed in her head. “I don’t think I’m ready for anything like that. But don’t let me hold you back. You go on without me.”
“Of course you’re ready. We won’t go all the way to the top. You need this, Lea. We both do.”
“I know how I feel,” she said stubbornly. “Please. Just go on without me.”
His expression hardened almost imperceptibly. “What’s really going on?”
Her impulse was to tell him in no uncertain terms that she didn’t trust him or anyone else at Whispering Springs. But something held her back. A prodding that warned her to act natural. Don’t let him see your fear. “Nothing is going on,” she said with a sigh. “I appreciate everything you’re trying to do for me, but didn’t you bring me here so that I could convalesce in peace and quiet?”
He gave her a pained smile. “Yes. But I also brought you here so that we could reconnect. We can’t do that if you keep avoiding me.”
“I’m not avoiding you. It was your idea to book separate rooms.”
He looked surprise. “Is that what you think? That I’m avoiding you? I’ve tried to give you space because the doctor said that’s what you need right now. It hasn’t been easy. I’m your husband, Lea, but I’m nothing more than a stranger to you. This is an impossible situation for both of us.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want an apology. I just want to help you. We can get through this together, but you have to meet me halfway.” His tone now was solicitous. “Has nothing at all come back to you?”
An image flashed, something too terrible to contemplate.
Andrew’s voice sharpened. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I just...” Her voice trailed away as she glanced back into the room. “It was a dream, I think.”
“A dream?”
“I have these vague images from time to time. I don’t know what they mean. I don’t even know if they’re real. I feel like I should remember something. It’s right there. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t bring it back.”
“The doctor cautioned about short-term memory loss.” He took her arm and guided her back into the bedroom. “Sit.” He gently pushed her down on the bed and then disappeared into the bathroom, returning a moment later with water and a pill. “Take this.”
“I don’t have a headache.”
“Then why do you keep rubbing your temples? The pain will only get worse if yo
u don’t take something.”
She grudgingly accepted the medication and washed it down with water.
“Now get dressed,” he said. “Whether we climb or not, you still have to eat. I’ll wait for you downstairs. We’ll take it slow, I promise. Today is a new beginning for us, Lea. I can feel it.” He bent and kissed her forehead. “Walk me to the door?”
She waited until he’d disappeared down the hallway before closing the door and engaging the deadbolt. Glancing through the peephole, she made sure the coast was clear before she went into the bathroom and started the shower. The room grew warm and steamy. She stood at the vanity and swiped her hand through the fog on the mirror. An image appeared, wavering in the glass and at the edge of consciousness.
Mrs. Westin, did you hear what I said?
You must be mistaken. You’re talking about millions of dollars. It can’t have just vanished.
It didn’t just vanish. Someone has been authorizing payments to vendors that don’t exist for contracts that were never processed. In other words, Global Alliances is a front for something very dark and sinister, and if you’re in any way involved—
I swear to you I’m not. But I’ll get to the bottom of it, I promise. I just need some time.
Forty-eight hours. After that I’m calling the police.
The memory fluttered away, leaving Lea more confused than ever as she stared at her pale reflection. “Who are you?” she whispered. “And what have you done?”
Chapter Eight
A little while later, Lea hovered in the dining room doorway searching for Andrew. When she didn’t see him at a table or in line at the buffet, she went across the foyer to the great room. The large space was empty, but she could see Cole Matheson out on the patio. She opened the door and stepped out to join him.
He looked relieved when he saw her. “There you are. I was getting a little worried when your husband came down without you.”
“I slept in.” She cast an anxious glance over her shoulder. “Where did you see Andrew? He wasn’t in the dining room.”
“He was there a little while ago. I assumed he went up to check on you.”
She nodded, but she had a hard time focusing on the conversation. Her mind kept wandering and the dull ache behind her eyes made her feel light-headed.
“Are you all right?” Cole asked in a worried tone.
“I have headaches since the attack. They sometimes disorient me.”
“Maybe you should sit. You look a little unsteady on your feet.”
“I’ll be fine. I took something before I came down.” She pressed fingertips into her temples. “It’s just—”
“What?”
“I have this nagging feeling that I need to remember something. It’s been tormenting me ever since I woke up.”
He touched her arm lightly. The contact shivered up her backbone. “What’s the last thing you do remember?”
“I remember meeting you at the springs. The details are a bit hazy. I think we discussed our initial phone call. And then you advised me to act normal around Andrew so that he wouldn’t get suspicious. That part I remember vividly.”
“How are you managing?”
“Not well. He’s arranged for us to go climbing today.”
“Where?”
“Bishop’s Rock, I think.”
Cole’s expression darkened. “That’s not a good idea. Not in your condition.”
“He’s very insistent. I can’t get out of it without arousing his suspicions.”
He watched her for a moment. “Did you know your husband left the ranch last night?”
“Andrew? When?”
“I heard two cars drive off sometime after midnight. Only one of them returned.”
“How do you know it was Andrew?”
“I went down and checked. His car was gone. He returned an hour later and came in through the back door.”
“Was he alone?”
Cole hesitated. “Elise Terry came in with him.”
“Who was in the other car?”
He glanced around the patio. “It’s not safe to talk here. We need to meet again later.”
“After the climb?”
He gave her a warning look as the French doors opened behind her and Andrew stepped through. His gaze took in the two of them and he scowled.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said to Lea.
“I didn’t see you in the dining room so I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. It helps with the pain.”
Cole glanced at Lea. “I won’t keep you from your breakfast. I’ll see you both later.”
Andrew wrapped a proprietary arm around Lea’s shoulders. “Not until dinnertime. My wife and I have plans for the day.”
“Yes, I know. She was kind enough to invite me to join you on your climb.”
It took all of Lea’s self-restraint not to react.
“Did she, indeed?” Andrew asked coolly.
Cole smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Chapter Nine
Andrew was obviously angry, but he held his temper in check until he had brought coffee and food from the buffet.
“You’re upset with me,” Lea said as he sat down across from her.
“I’m not upset. I just don’t understand why you invited that man on our outing. We don’t know anything about him.”
“We don’t know the others, either, but you invited them to join us. Or am I wrong?” She set aside her cup. “Do you know some of the other guests here? Do we know them?”
“No, of course not.”
“Not even Elise Terry?”
He gave her a long look. “Is that what this is about? Are you trying to make me jealous because of the attention she’s paid me?”
Lea shrugged. “I’m not trying to do anything. I just don’t see how inviting her along is any different from my asking Cole Matheson to join us.”
Andrew’s gaze darted to the entrance and then he scanned the room before returning his attention to Lea. He looked unsettled all of a sudden, as if there was something on his mind he didn’t want to reveal.
Lea leaned in. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”
He ran fingers through his thick hair. “I wasn’t exactly truthful with you last night at dinner. I didn’t want to frighten you, but maybe you need to know the whole story. There’s a reason I brought you here instead of taking you straight home when we left the rehab center.”
“Yes, I know. You said you didn’t want to subject me to all the questions and curious stares from our friends and neighbors.”
“That’s true. But there’s another reason.” He paused yet again as his gaze lingered on her bruises, causing her heart to trip. “I told you last night that you’d once had an admirer who became a nuisance. It was more serious than I let on. The man was a stalker. In the weeks leading up to your attack, you were certain that he’d come back into your life.”
She stared at him across the table. “A stalker?”
He nodded. “You started getting hang-up calls like before. Then you spotted a strange car in the neighborhood. We called the police, but there was nothing they could do. That’s why you moved out of our house. You were in hiding.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”
“I didn’t want to upset you. You had enough to deal with.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “That man terrorized you, Lea, and I was helpless to stop him.”
“Who is he?”
“That’s the really scary part. We still don’t know. The police said he was very likely a stranger, someone you’d come into contact with in passing. For whatever reason, he fixated on you and became convinced the two of you were in love.”
A shudder shot through her. She didn’t know whether to believe h
im or not and yet...
He looked so earnest. So angry and contrite. Exactly the way a helpless husband would react.
“Is he the one who attacked me?”
Andrew released her hand and sat back in his chair, staring down at his cup. “The police are still convinced your assailant was a random mugger. But why would you have been on the street at that time of night unless you were fleeing from someone?”
A scream echoed inside Lea’s head. She put a hand to her temple to silence it.
“Lea?”
Her husband’s face swam before her. “I don’t feel well.”
He took her hand again. She wanted to draw solace from the contact, but her instinct still was to recoil. “I didn’t want you to know about any of this. Not yet. Not until you’re stronger. I thought we would be safe enough here. I even hired someone to watch out for you, a retired HPD detective. But now he’s disappeared and I can’t help but think—”
Lea jerked her hand away. “You think this person followed us here?”
“All I know is that a stranger, this Cole Matheson, appeared out of the blue, and he seems to have a disturbing fascination for you. A man like that can be very convincing. He’ll fabricate whatever story he needs to in order to gain your trust.”
Lea’s head throbbed. She pressed her palms to her temples.
“Your headache is worse,” Andrew said.
“Yes.”
“I’ll get your medication for you.”
“Maybe I should go up and lie down,” she murmured.
“Try to eat first. You’ll feel better with something in your stomach.” His phone rang and he glanced at the screen. “I need to take this call. I won’t be a minute. Wait for me here. I’ll bring your pills when I come back.”
Lea watched him disappear through the archway into the great room. She picked at her food for a moment, and then rose from the table, weaving a bit as she clutched the back of a chair.
One of the staff was instantly at her side. “Mrs. Westin, are you okay?”
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