Pass Protection (Fair Catch Series, Book Five)

by Christine Kersey

“I’ll make sure she takes it easy,” Greg said as he stepped onto the patio.

  Olivia’s heart did a little flip at the sight of him.

  “Good.” Shay turned back to Olivia. “Talk to you soon.”

  Olivia smiled. “Yes.”

  Olivia closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cushion as Greg walked Shay to the door. A few minutes later she heard his footsteps approach and she opened her eyes and sat up straight.

  “I’m guessing your visit went well,” he said as he sat in the same spot Shay had occupied, next to Olivia on the couch.

  “It went really well. Thank you for setting it up.”

  “No problem.” He paused a beat. “Did it…well, did you remember anything?”

  Softly sighing, Olivia shook her head. “No.”

  He smiled in a way that said it didn’t matter. “You look beautiful.”

  Caught off guard by his sweet words when she’d half-expected him to make a comment about her lack of memory, she had the urge to scoot closer to him. Her foot up on the pillows would make it too much of a production, so she settled for smiling. “Thank you.” Then she tilted her head. “How do you always know just the right thing to say?”

  He laughed. “Oh, I don’t. Believe me.” Then he grinned. “But I’m glad I’ve been getting it right lately.” He paused. “I’m going to fix a snack. Can I get you anything?”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “All right.” He stood and walked into the house.

  Olivia watched him go, her heart swelling with the powerful attraction she felt towards him.

  Moments later her phone chimed a text.

  Hopeful that it was her mother finally getting back to her, she picked up her phone and glanced at the screen. Rather than Mom listed on the notification, it showed a phone number, and the snippet of message said We have a problem.

  Maybe her mother was using someone else’s phone. Eager to see what her mother had to say, Olivia swiped the screen to unlock it and tapped on the message icon. The full message appeared.

  We have a problem. We had an agreement, but you lied to me. That is unacceptable.

  Alarmed, Olivia tightened her grip on the phone. What agreement? Who had sent the message? What had she lied about? What was going on? Did this have something to do with her mother and the secrets she was keeping? Knowing it had to, Olivia was more desperate than ever to speak to her mother.

  Once again, she dialed her mother’s phone, and once again it went straight to voicemail.

  “Mom, you have to call me. I just got a strange text and I…I need to know what’s going on.” She sighed. “Call me. Please.”

  Discouraged, Olivia dropped her phone on her lap.

  “Are you sure you don’t want some of this?” Greg asked when he stepped onto the patio a short time later, a large fruit salad in one hand and a pair of plates in the other.

  Appetite gone, Olivia shook her head.

  For half a second Olivia had forgotten about the text. Seeing Greg always seemed to distract her from her problems.

  Maybe I should tell him about it. Tell him about what my mother said. Maybe he can help.

  He settled on the couch beside her, setting the fruit salad on the table before parceling out a large portion onto one of the plates.

  She didn’t know him well, but what she’d seen of him, she liked. A lot. And she had no reason to distrust him. He’d been nothing but kind to her. Kind and sweet.

  She had to take a chance. Had to tell him what little she knew.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Something had happened. Greg could see it in the way Olivia sat on the couch. She’d been so relaxed when Shay had left, so at ease. Now though, her body was rigid, her mouth set, her eyes tight.

  Not sure if he should come right out and ask or give her a chance to tell him, he ate several forkfuls of fruit.

  “I have to tell you something,” she said as he pierced a chunk of cantaloupe with his fork.

  Thrilled that he hadn’t had to ask, when he considered what she might be about to say, his heart began to pound. What if the man she’d been seeing had contacted her? What if she remembered him? Wanted to be with him? Had chosen him over Greg?

  The thought made his gut churn.

  Forcing himself to not betray his emotions, he set his fork down and turned to her, giving her his full attention. “What’s up?” Struck by the way his tone completely belied the emotions roiling inside him, he only hoped his calm demeanor would encourage Olivia to be completely truthful.

  “Something’s going on,” she said, her eyebrows drawn together.

  The vagueness of her statement only made the churning in his stomach morph into a battering sensation that sent waves of nausea climbing his throat.

  This was it. This was where she told him that she was in love with someone else. “What…” He had to swallow over the knot in his throat. “What’s going on? What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”

  Shaking his head slightly, Greg narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand.” Was this her way of breaking it easy? Of claiming this was all out of the blue? That she was the innocent victim?

  “I think it has something to do with…well, with my mother.”

  “Your mother?” So whatever she was talking about was completely unrelated to her betrayal. And it was tied to her mother. Again. That was just what they needed.

  They’d helped her mother too many times to count. Not that he resented it. They had plenty of money and if helping her mother made Olivia happy, Greg was all too willing to do whatever she asked. But even he had his limits. And now was not the time to stop their lives to help her mother deal with her addiction. They had enough on their plate.

  Holding back the sigh that wanted to come out, he asked, “What about her?”

  “Yesterday I got a…” she shook her head. “Well, a weird text from her. It said that I was in danger.”

  Greg’s eyes widened. “In danger? From who?”

  Olivia shook her head. “I don’t know. She didn’t say. She just said I should be careful who I trust.”

  Did that mean she didn’t trust him? Clearly it did or she would have told him about the message the day before. Then he remembered the way she’d hid her phone under her leg. When he’d called her on it, she’d admitted hearing from her mother. But she hadn’t told him what her mother had really said.

  But she’s telling me now. That counts for something, right?

  His hurt feelings weren’t important. What was important was the fact that Olivia could be in danger.

  “You need to call her,” he said. “Find out more.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve already left several messages.”

  “Wait. Yesterday you talked to her on the phone. What did she say then?”

  Olivia bit her lip like she was trying to remember. “Basically that she was going to figure it out herself.” She looked at him, her eyes wide. “Whatever it is.”

  A powerful urge to draw her into his arms swept over him—the need to crowd out the world and focus on her, to protect her from everything. But he held back. Though he loved her with all his heart, she didn’t feel the same. How could she when she had no memory of him? The thought pained him, but he knew it was true.

  He focused on the issue in front of them. “Why are you telling me this now?”

  She picked up her phone and held it out to him. “Because a few minutes ago I got a different text. And I don’t know who sent it.”

  Greg’s heart began to hammer. It had to be from him.

  Not wanting to read what the man had said to his wife, Greg forced himself to take the phone from Olivia, swipe the screen, then pull up her messages.

  Without even trying to, he’d memorized the number the other texts had come from, the texts that he’d deleted. The texts that showed she’d betrayed him.

  Now, as he looked at the number this new text had come from, he wasn’t at all surprised that it
was the same number. The exact same number. It was from him.

  Disappointment rocketed through him. He’d hoped the amnesia would give them a fresh start. He should have known better. If this other man was in love with Olivia then the man wouldn’t give up easily.

  “What do you think it means?” Olivia asked.

  Greg dragged his focus away from the phone number and read the message. We have a problem. We had an agreement, but you lied to me. That is unacceptable.

  What agreement had she made with him? What had she allegedly lied about?

  Wait. Was this man—this scumbag—threatening his wife? That’s what was unacceptable.

  Nostrils flaring, Greg lifted his gaze to Olivia’s. He needed her to remember.

  Her blue eyes shone with confusion and her brow furrowed with worry.

  Clearly, she had no idea what this was about. No recollection of her betrayal. Maybe it was time for him to enlighten her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Greg looked angry. Olivia didn’t know him well, but even she could see that his body had tensed, his lips had flattened, and his jaw had clenched. What was going on? Did he know who had sent the text? Did he know more than he was letting on?

  “What?” she asked, desperate to have him fill in the blanks. “Tell me. Please.”

  This Greg, angry Greg, was so different from the man she’d gotten to know over the last few days. Was this who he really was? Was the Greg she’d been falling for the illusion?

  The idea saddened her. Then again, she had a hard time seeing herself marrying him if he was really an angry person. Maybe there was another reason behind his change in attitude.

  “There’s something you should know.” His voice was soft but intense.

  “What?” When he stared at her in silence, she added, “Does it have to do with my mother?”

  He barked a laugh and shook his head. “No.”

  “What then?”

  Audibly exhaling through his nose, he stared at her a moment longer before looking toward the lake spread out below them.

  Whatever it was, he was obviously reluctant to tell her. That could only mean it was bad. Really, really bad. Maybe she didn’t want to know. But she had to know. Had to understand what the heck was going on. Had to remember.

  “What?” Her tone was sharp. “Would you just tell me? I can’t stand this!”

  His head swiveled in her direction and he glared at her. “You were cheating on me.”

  Recoiling at the poisonous words, Olivia felt her heart drop into her stomach. She wasn’t a cheater. She’d always considered herself to be loyal. Fiercely loyal. She was disgusted by the idea that she would cheat on her husband, on him. From all appearances he was a good man. Why would she have risked throwing away her relationship with him?

  Now she understood why he was angry.

  Still, she found it hard to believe. Was he making it up? Telling her this lie for some unknown reason?

  By the look on his face, he believed what he was saying. But it couldn’t be true.

  Then she remembered how she’d disbelieved his declaration that her mother had a drug problem. Then he’d proven it to her. At least his proof seemed to be legit.

  “Prove it,” she said.

  A muscle worked in his jaw and his lips pursed. “I can’t.”

  There! So it wasn’t true at all. Triumph burst through her.

  Then Greg held up her phone. “But this is the same person who’s been texting you.” He shook the phone. “This is who you’ve been cheating on me with.”

  Hating the idea that she really had cheated on him, a new thought occurred to her. “What do you mean this person’s been texting me? There’s only one message. The message I just got. Where are the other messages?”

  A look of defeat swept over Greg’s face and he set the phone on the cushion between them. “I deleted them.”

  Why would he do that? Then she knew. He wanted to keep the information from her. Didn’t want her to remember. What else was he holding back? What else did he not want her to know?

  Distrust flooded the space between them. Even so, she needed to know more.

  “What did the texts say? The ones you deleted?”

  He frowned. “Mostly where and when you were meeting.”

  “Mostly? What else was there?”

  His frown deepened. “Things like I look forward to our meeting, lovely lady.” His jaw tightened. “Does that ring a bell?”

  It didn’t. Not at all. But it obviously upset Greg. Who could blame him? If she were to find messages like that on his phone from some mystery woman, she’d be livid. And hurt. So very, very hurt.

  Had she actually cheated on him?

  Guilt lanced through her, sharp and deep. If it was true, she deserved whatever horrible things had happened to her. Had she been coming back from a rendezvous when she’d crashed? If so, it was karma.

  “I’m so sorry, Greg,” she whispered as tears sprang into her eyes.

  So she was admitting it. At last. It didn’t make him feel any better, but the dull ache in his heart that had been a constant companion since he’d discovered her betrayal lessened.

  “I don’t…” She shook her head as tears slid down her cheeks. “I don’t remember anything, but if it’s true, I don’t deserve you.” Staring at her lap, she wiped at her tears. “I should…I should go.”

  Alarmed at her statement, Greg second-guessed his decision to tell her. “Where would you go?”

  Her shoulders seemed to fold inward and she refused to meet his gaze. “I don’t know. I’m sure I can figure something out.”

  There was no way he would let her leave. Not when she couldn’t take care of herself. Not when she couldn’t remember anything about her life. “I don’t want you to leave.” And that was the biggest truth of all. He loved her so deeply, so fully, he would do anything for her. Anything.

  Lifting her head, she finally met his gaze. Her cornflower blue eyes were bright with tears. “You don’t?”

  At that moment all he wanted was to wrap her in his arms and hold her against him, to tell her that everything would be okay. Then he remembered the text she’d just received. This man, this interloper, had sounded vaguely threatening. He needed to deal with this guy. Let him know he couldn’t push Olivia around, that it was time for him to disappear from their lives.

  Greg wanted his feelings to be crystal clear. “Of course I don’t want you to leave. I love you, Olivia. I have since the day I met you, and I always will.”

  Fresh tears filled her eyes, but this time they were accompanied by a smile. “Are you sure?”

  One side of his mouth quirked up. “Sure that I love you or sure that I don’t want you to leave?”

  Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Both?”

  His smile grew. “Yes, I’m sure. Of both of those things.”

  He was so good. She really didn’t deserve him. Why was he giving her a second chance? Did he really love her that much? How did she get so lucky?

  Now it was her turn to do whatever she could to make this work.

  She glanced at her phone on the cushion beside her before looking at Greg. “What should I do? About this…person?”

  Greg looked toward the lake, then faced Olivia, a pained expression on his face. “First, we need to know exactly what agreement you had with him.”

  Olivia was curious about that too. She just hoped that when they found out what it was she wouldn’t be too ashamed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “What should I say to him?” Olivia asked.

  Greg looked at her tear-stained cheeks and felt like a jerk for being the cause of them. Well, maybe it wasn’t actually his fault. He was just the messenger, after all. Still, he hated seeing her in any kind of distress.

  Wishing he could make this all go away, he frowned. “Why don’t you let me handle it?” Then he could make sure this was taken care of. His way.

  Olivia immediately handed him her phone. “That would be great.
Thank you.”

  Thrilled that she really did want him to deal with this, that she hadn’t been playing him, he paused for a moment before he began typing a reply to the sender. I’ve changed my mind. The agreement is off.

  He showed Olivia the message, and after she nodded, he pressed Send.

  Within minutes they received a reply. Doesn’t work like that, beautiful.

  Annoyed that this man hadn’t gotten the message and also irritated that he was calling Olivia beautiful—yes she was beautiful, but that was only something he should be saying—Greg tapped out a response. You’re not hearing me. I’m no longer interested. Do NOT contact me again or there will be consequences.

  He knew the message sounded nothing like Olivia, but he didn’t care. He wanted this guy out of their lives. For good.

  After getting Olivia’s approval, he pressed Send.

  This time they received a reply in less than a minute. Looks like you didn’t hear ME, but if that’s how you want to play it…

  Did that mean the guy understood things were over between him and Olivia? Greg hoped so, although the way he ended his text, like he was keeping it open-ended, made Greg wonder.

  Though Olivia was glad Greg was handling this horrible situation, she had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing. The way the man responded didn’t sound like a man who was in love. It sounded more like a business arrangement.

  Despite her concerns, she was eager to put this whole mess in their past. “Are you going to send him a reply?”

  Greg shook his head. “No. We’re done here.”

  As much as Olivia wanted to believe that, she got the feeling that this wouldn’t be the last they would hear from the man. Still, she didn’t know what else to do, so she nodded and hoped he was right. “Okay.”

  After that she tried to put all of the troubles she couldn’t control—which were basically all of them—out of her mind. Greg made a delicious lunch, and when he left her on her own so he could work out, Olivia went into her bedroom and stretched out on the bed before trying to call her mother again. And again it went straight to voicemail.