Silenced Memories

by Brittney Sahin

  Buzzing. A loud, obnoxious ring.

  “Shit. Not now.” Michael lifted Kate and reached for her dress, handing it to her in haste. He glanced toward the hallway, knowing Connor and Jake were probably waiting inside the elevator for entrance.

  “Perfect timing,” Kate said as she slipped her dress over her shoulders.

  He stood up, zipping his pants over his now painful erection. “Thank God I didn’t give the guys access to my place yet. I’d have to kill them if they saw you naked.” He grimaced at the thought.

  “Last time I checked, you don’t have exclusive rights to my nudity. Just an F.Y.I.” She smirked, but the realization of her words hit him hard. “Will you kill every man who sees me naked?”

  The thought that any other man might touch her made his skin crawl. He’d never known what it was to feel jealousy over a woman before Kate. Never. It confused him. “I wouldn’t test me.”

  “Of course not—I need my bodyguard intact.”

  His heart hammered as she teased him with her delicious smile, revealing her dimples. What was she doing to him? How was he supposed to keep his damned walls up when she had such powerful tools at her disposal?

  But he had to stay strong. Sex was one thing. Sex he could handle.

  But that was where he had to draw the line.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kate wasn’t surprised by Connor’s schoolboy grin, which was as sheepish as if he’d caught his teacher making out with the basketball coach (which she’d actually witnessed once in school!). How did he know what she and Michael were doing—or had been about to do? Were her cheeks red or her dress askew? She tucked away her nervous smile and attempted to look professional when Jake entered the room.

  Michael was standing about as far away from her as he could get while being in the same room. He’d gone behind his own personal Berlin Wall again. Damn him. “So, I almost forgot. What did my dad have to say?” she asked as they sat down at the large farmhouse table in the kitchen.

  Michael looked across the table at Connor and Jake and shifted in his seat to face Kate, who sat to his left. “He said he was sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Your dad said your mother thought she had a stalker. Not long before she died, she told him that she felt she was being watched.”

  Just like me. Oh God. “So, does he think there could be a connection?” Her voice was just above a whisper.

  “He doesn’t think so. Or at least, the cops ruled out the idea of a stalker.” He pressed his palms against the table and shifted his focus to Jake. “What do you think?”

  “If your stalker is somehow connected to your mother’s killer, then I have two suspects in mind. Two people who went to the gala have a connection to your mom through school. And one of them looks like the man you drew.”

  Kate’s lips twitched as nerves pulled at her heart strings. She reached for the folder that Jake slid to her. With a shaky hand, she opened it and looked at the first photo. “That’s him.” She stared down at the picture of the muscular, blonde man. The anxiety that coursed through her body made her feel like she had just taken four shots of espresso.

  “That’s Nathan Williams. He’s a real estate attorney. He has several offices, including one in New York,” Jake responded.

  She moved Nathan’s photo aside to view the other.

  “Erick Jensen.” She ran her fingers across the image of the face. She had danced with him at the gala.

  “Michael tells me that Erick admitted he knew your mother.” Jake looked down at the photo and back up at Kate.

  “Yeah. He even asked me to help out with the winter ball in Boston.”

  “I’ll ask David about him,” Michael noted.

  Kate pushed aside Erick’s photo to study the image of the blonde man, who now had a name. Nathan Williams. “Given that this Nathan guy has a connection with my mom, do you think there’s a link between her murder and my stalker?” She tried not to feel a pinch of hope at the possibility of getting justice for her mother. She chanced a look at Michael, whose face was hard.

  “We have to keep in mind that your stalker may have nothing to do with your mom at all. This Nathan guy might be your stalker, but it may be sheer coincidence that he went to school with your mom.” He rubbed his hands together as if attempting to dispel the nervous energy that was hanging just above everyone’s heads. “The detective on your mother’s case was adamant that it was a robbery gone wrong. I need you to understand that I might not be able to help in regards to her murder. My main focus is catching your stalker.”

  “But my father said my mom thought someone was stalking her.” Kate stared down at Nathan’s picture, desperate to confirm that he was the killer and the stalker. She just wanted to get this over and done with.

  “Your father told the police that, but the cops said there was no evidence of stalking. No notes, pictures, or anything like that.”

  She was queasy. “I think I need to sit down.”

  “You are sitting.” Michael reached out and touched her arm, but she pulled away from him.

  “I would like to go meet with Nathan and Erick soon.” Jake stood up and looked at Connor, who had remained silent.

  “Well, Erick said he would be out of town this week.” Kate’s attention focused back on Nathan’s photo. Something inside her was screaming, “Murderer!”

  “Connor and I can go interview Nathan today, and I will double-check to make sure Erick is actually out of town.”

  “I would like to go.” Kate was on her feet and feeling focused for the first time that afternoon.

  “You’re not going,” Michael responded with a sharp voice. “Connor will stay here with you, instead. I’ll go.”

  “Like hell!” She folded her arms and stared at him, defiance burning in her eyes. There was no way she was going to stay at home. “I need to be there. I need to see this man for myself.”

  “She might be able to help.” Jake peered at Michael.

  “No.” Michael released the word so fast that she almost missed it.

  “I’m going, whether you like it or not.” She exited the kitchen and made her way to the foyer. She grabbed her purse off the hall table and waited by the silver elevator doors.

  “If I let you go, you don’t leave my side,” he warned upon approach.

  Why did he insist on treating her like a child? Maybe she did need protection, and maybe she was scared, but he didn’t have to make her feel so damned weak. “Fine,” she bit out, hating herself for not fighting back to his use of the words ‘let you go.’

  “Come on, then,” he said after an obvious sigh.

  She slid into the back seat of the SUV and clamped her hands together on her lap as they drove. Her body tensed with irritation as Michael talked with ease to Jake and Connor as they drove to Nathan’s law firm. She hated the fact that he was different with them. More laid back.

  His face didn’t strain with anger at the slightest provocation when he was talking with them.

  The SUV rolled to a stop in front of a three-story brick building on the outskirts of town. “This is it?” Kate shifted in her seat to gain a better view out the window, peering past Connor, who sat to her right. “I was expecting some shiny glass tower.”

  Jake, who was riding shotgun, turned and looked back at her. “It might not look like much, but he is a well-known attorney. And very rich.”

  Kate nodded and stepped out of Michael’s SUV. She could feel an uneasy anticipation grow inside her as she stared at the building. She glanced over at Michael, and he was studying her with obvious concern riddled over his face. She bit her lip and moved an inch closer to Connor, who was standing beside her with a somewhat defensive posture, his shoulders arched back and head held high. She wished it was Michael at her side, but he had grown increasingly cold to her ever since their bodies had tangled together on his couch.

  She started to move when her phone vibrated against her side. She took a moment to glance at it, but tucked it back away when she saw who was c
alling. It was her father, for the twentieth time that day.

  “You ready?” Jake asked, looking to Michael and Connor. They nodded back at him and followed him inside.

  When they entered the lobby, they were greeted by a cute brunette, who was clearly doing her best not to stare in awe at the three gorgeous men standing before her. “Do you have an appointment?”

  Jake held up his FBI badge. “We need to see Mr. Nathan Williams. It’s urgent.”

  The woman nodded and reached for her phone. She mumbled a few words and motioned for them to follow her. She stopped outside a conference room. “Please, wait inside. Mr. Williams will be with you in a moment.” She kept her gaze focused on Michael a touch longer than Kate would have liked.

  Once the brunette left, Kate sat down at the large, oval, glass-top table and stared at the dim shadow of her reflection. She wasn’t sure how she should react toward the man who might not only be her stalker but her mother’s killer.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Michael rested his hand on her shoulder before moving toward the window and pressing his palm against the glass. He had changed out of his delicious three-piece suit after they came treacherously close to having sex.

  She rubbed her hand against her cheek while observing the backside of Michael, needing a distraction. God, he looks every bit as delectable in his jeans and polo. She had to stop visually undressing the man. She had witnessed his lips pressed against the redhead’s, earlier that day. She needed to be thankful that Connor had shown up when he did; otherwise, she would have made another mistake.

  When Kate saw Nathan Williams open the door, her thoughts jolted free of Michael.

  Nathan’s dark eyes locked on Kate’s as he stopped in the middle of the doorway. He raked a nervous hand through his blonde hair. He cleared his throat and shifted his black blazer.

  Something was definitely making him uneasy. She assumed it was her—or maybe it was the fact that there were three former Marines in the room.

  Jake directed his attention to Nathan and reached for the man’s hand. He introduced himself, Connor, Michael, and then Kate. “Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice.” He sat down and waited for Nathan to sit, as well, but Nathan remained standing near the door.

  “What can I do for you?” His accent was thick, and Kate guessed he was originally from Alabama or Mississippi. He folded his arms and leaned against the wall near the door.

  Kate studied him. He was tall, well-built, and had a sort of Russian meets cowboy look to him. “I’m Kate Adams. I believe you knew my mother?” she spoke before giving Jake a chance. She was surprised by the sound of her voice. She hadn’t planned on breathing a word during the meeting, but she found that her curiosity overwhelmed her common sense.

  Nathan blew out an indrawn breath. “Um. Was your mother Elizabeth?”

  Their eyes locked on each other. “Yes,” Kate replied, parting her pink lips.

  “Yes. Yes, I knew her.” His shoulders sank a little. “What—what is this about?”

  Kate shot a look at Michael, who had tensed.

  “What can you tell me about your relationship with Elizabeth?” Jake swooped in to speak before Kate could.

  “Listen, I will answer any questions you have—but you need to tell me what this is all about.” The lawyer in Nathan broke to the surface.

  “Someone has been stalking Kate, and this person may be connected to Elizabeth’s murder,” Jake replied with blunt honesty.

  His face paled. He started to move his mouth, but no words came out. He shook his head and approached the table. He reached for a chair at the head of the table, distancing himself a bit, and sat down. “Why are you coming to me?”

  “Kate saw you a few times since she arrived in Charlotte—and, well, you are connected to her mother,” Jake explained.

  Michael moved toward the table and sat next to Kate. It was comforting to have her own personal superhero sitting to her right.

  Nathan clasped his hands on the table and looked straight into Kate’s eyes. “Kate, I’m recently divorced. I don’t normally frequent nightclubs, but I was out one night, and I saw you dancing. And my heart stopped. I thought I was seeing a ghost. I thought I was looking at your mother. You’re identical. I freaked out and took off.” He paused for a moment while rubbing his hands together. It was clear he wasn’t a poker player. “I saw you again in Uptown and then at the Maddox event. I had no idea you were hosting the ball. When I saw you there and heard your name . . . I realized you were Elizabeth’s daughter.”

  Kate had to remind herself to breathe. She felt like she was swimming under water and wouldn’t make it to the surface in time.

  “I was your father’s roommate in college. I hung out with your mother a lot because of that. But I had nothing to do with her death, and I am most certainly not stalking you.”

  “My father never mentioned you.” But he’d never mentioned that her mother was murdered, either.

  “We were best friends, but after what happened to your mom, he shut me out. I’ve bumped into him a few times in New York, but he had no interest in reconnecting. I guess I reminded him of his past, of your mother.”

  “Is there anything else you might be able to tell us that would help out?” Jake asked as he rose to his feet.

  “Not that I can think of.” Nathan stood and reached into his wallet for a business card.

  “Do you know Erick Jensen?” Jake asked while taking the card from Nathan.

  Nathan’s lips pressed together, and his gaze shifted down. “I know all the big name lawyers in town, but he also went to school with me. I didn’t know him that well while we were in school, though.”

  “And now?” Jake pried.

  “I’m a real estate lawyer. He’s a defense attorney. Our paths rarely cross. I did see him at the ball, though.” He folded his arms in front of him and directed his attention to Kate. “You really are your mother’s daughter,” he said with an affirming nod of the head.

  She rose to her feet, and her knees almost buckled.

  “We’ll be in touch,” Jake said.

  Nathan held Kate’s gaze until she exited the room. Something in her gut just didn’t feel right.

  “I don’t believe him,” Michael said as soon as he slid in the driver’s seat.

  “I feel the same,” Kate chimed in. She became lost in a daze as they drove back to Michael’s place, only half-listening to the conversation. She wanted to be privy of the details of Jake’s plan, but her mind reeled from meeting the man who may have killed her mother.

  “Connor and I will follow up on Erick Jensen’s story,” Jake said as Michael pulled up in front of his building.

  Jake’s words shook Kate free of her stupor. She reached for the door handle to exit, but Michael beat her to it. The gentle touch of his hand on her arm as he helped her out of the car made her spirit liven a fraction. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll bring Kate upstairs,” Michael said as he tossed his car keys to Connor. “See you guys later.”

  Kate and Michael rode the elevator in silence to his home. She watched as he turned on the security cameras and alarms. He investigated every inch of his loft before allowing Kate to wander freely, just to be on the safe side.

  “You’re being a bit overprotective,” she announced when he returned to the front entrance, where she had been waiting.

  “Better to be safe,” he warned.

  “So, what should we do while we wait for the guys?” she asked, lacing her fingers together. It was close to dinner time, but all she could think about was that some lunatic might be watching them. As if reading her thoughts, Michael walked toward the windows and closed the blinds.

  “Hungry?”

  “Are we . . . should we talk about what happened earlier?” she found herself asking. She moved toward him, and he took a cautious step back and into the kitchen.

  Was he afraid of her? Afraid of losing control again? For a military man, he seemed to lack self-control
when it came to Kate.

  “What is there to say? We almost screwed up. We can’t let that happen again. We need to concentrate on finding your stalker.” He turned his back to her and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

  She watched his tan throat as he gulped down the cold water. She needed to cool off, herself. The circuits were misfiring in her brain. A crazy person was spying on her, and she could only think about how Michael’s hands would feel on her body. But a distraction from her dark life might be what she needed. “Did we screw up?” She moved closer to him. The words that tumbled from her lips contradicted the cautious whispers inside her.

  He withdrew the bottle from his lips and set it on the counter. “Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Being with you again would be amazing. I won’t lie. But you want more, right?”

  Kate stood a few feet from him and thought for a moment. She wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted. She just knew that her body craved his touch. “All I know right now is that I want you. You help me forget the craziness that’s going on in my life. I feel safe with you.” What about the redhead, Kate? Her inner voice was at serious odds with her words.

  He moved closer to her and tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. “You shouldn’t feel safe with me. I’m fucked up.” His voice was low and raspy, and she could feel that there just might be a dangerous man lurking beneath the surface.

  Her eyes shut, and she licked her lips. “You don’t scare me,” she whispered, unsure of her own words.

  “I should. Do you know how many people I have killed? Do you know the things I have done to get terrorists to talk? I’m a killer.”

  The grittiness to his voice and the reality of what he’d said caused her eyes to flash open. But when she looked at Michael, she realized he wasn’t a dangerous man, but a broken one. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the hell he must have survived when in the Marines.

  Her mind flashed to the three scars on his chest, and she reached for him, but he recoiled.