Dirk glared. “What can we do that we haven’t already done?”
“Double check. Just because no one saw your missing guy or the sisters a week ago, or two weeks ago, doesn’t mean they haven’t seen them since. Backtrack, ask again.”
“I’ll get everyone on it.”
They slapped each other on the back and headed out to do the legwork.
It was close to the end of the year. Time to call an end not only to the old year, but also to the cases that were driving them crazy.
Chapter Thirteen
“I’m starting over,” Dirk said as he walked out the door.
“You’ll find him,” Coop assured his brother, as he headed out to do his own investigation. It was time to talk to Anie again. Besides, he was hungry.
When he walked into Bill’s, every table was taken. He scooted onto the only open stool at the counter. Along with another young girl, a smiling Anie was circling the tables taking orders and filling glasses. Coop wondered what she would be doing and where she would be if she hadn’t escaped the clutches of what he suspected was a child sex-slavery ring.
Spotting him, her smile grew wider. “You hungry?”
“I am. How are you?”
“Happy. I now Mr. Bill’s daughter. I call him, Dad.” She looked toward the kitchen, her smile growing wider.
Coop took her hand. “I’m glad. Tell me, have you heard from your friends?”
They hadn’t called. If they had, the FBI would know from the wiretap, and they hadn’t made contact or his man would have spotted them.
Her smile disappeared. “I not hear.” Her brow puckered. “Are they still in danger?”
Coop nodded.
“I call if I talk to them.”
“Good. Now, if you’ll bring me a bowl of your Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup, I’ll be a happy man. As cool as it is today, it will hit the spot.” It was one of those cold, dreary, December days. Not a good day to be pounding the sidewalks.
“My favorite.” She smiled again and went to the kitchen.
When he left Bill’s, he spotted his operative in a car across the street. If the sisters showed up, they’d know.
But would they? Were they out of the city? Were Coop and his crew wasting time and money? His head told him they probably were. His gut told him otherwise. The women had to be involved with the kidnapper, which meant they were crucial to his case. If Christie had been caught up in a child sex-slavery-ring, it was even more important they be found.
Then there was Dirk’s missing guy, Allen Harper. If they could get their hands on him, maybe Dirk could solve his case. With so many boots-on-the-ground they’d better come up with something fast. Browning Brothers could only handle so much money going out and so little coming in.
Coop was a couple of blocks from his car, and continued searching the area for the sisters, showing their picture as well as Harper’s. He’d keep at it. If they were still in Houston, they would have to turn up somewhere.
By day’s end, he’d shown dozens of people the flyers. No one had seen them. He’d walked so many blocks his leg was aching from the hip down. He had to get off his feet.
It was another frustrating day.
He checked with Dirk who’d had no better luck. They called it a day, determined to be at it again in the morning. Early. Dirk would be at a coffee/computer bar even further afield than Carrie had gone. They’d pull Marshall out of the office and send him to another coffee house. If Harper showed his face, Dirk wanted one of his people to be there.
Coop prayed for a phone call or an appearance at Bill’s.
It was the best he could do.
On the way home, he dialed Doc’s number.
“Is Lori all right?”
“I’m on my way home, as far as I know she’s fine. What do you think about her amnesia? It’s been weeks now and other than quick glimpses into her past, she still doesn’t know who she is.”
“Your question is?
“Is that normal? Can you run tests to find out if something else is wrong?”
“Have you talked to Lori about this?”
“I wanted to ask you first.”
When Lori had helped with the dogs earlier, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She looked amazing all bundled up against the cold with her cheeks pink and her nose red. He’d wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless. And she seemed perfectly healthy. It took all of his SEAL training to keep his hands to himself.
“You should talk to her. I went to the homestead early this morning. She said I had just missed you. I can’t rule out anything else without those tests you’re talking about.”
“When are they scheduled?”
“They’re not. You’ll have to talk to Lori. She’s thinking about it.”
“Thinking about it!” he yelled. “If there’s a problem, you need to know so you can treat her.”
“Don’t yell at me, Coop. I’ve had a hard day.” And she hung up.
He looked at the phone in his hand. He would have to apologize. God knows he knew about bad days. Worry had him stepping on the gas. He couldn’t wait to get home and find out why Lori wasn’t jumping at the chance to find out if there was another reason she couldn’t get over her amnesia.
By the time he got there, Lori was already exercising the dogs, Thor at her side. Damned dog was turning into a pet. Dirk wasn’t around. Good. He and Lori needed to have a little heart-to-heart.
He caught her as she was putting Ajax in his pen.
“Hi,” she said, as she went to get Kuna. He walked over and stopped her. “What?”
“We need to talk.”
Lori crossed her arms over her chest. “About?”
“I understand you haven’t scheduled tests to find out if you have an underlying problem that is causing your amnesia. May I ask why?”
****
Coop’s mouth was tight with suppressed anger. This was her problem, not his. Didn’t he realize she might not want to know her identity? Might not want to know she’d done something so horrific even her best friend wouldn’t go to the cops and report her missing?
A sudden wave of dizziness made her reach over to the nearest pen and hold on. It took a few moments to regain her equilibrium. “No, Coop. You can’t ask why. I’ll get the tests when I’m ready.”
His mouth went tighter. She couldn’t see his lips. Those beautiful lips she wanted to kiss. Her gaze went to his shoulders and arms. She’d felt safe in those arms that first day and wanted to melt into them now.
“Why don’t you want to do this? If you’re afraid, I’ll go with you.”
“I can go on my own, thank you. I’m not afraid of the tests.” Just of other things.
“You’re going as soon as Doc can get you in.”
Something primal washed over her. For a minute, her vision blurred. She saw another man…a big man, standing there, demanding. Ordering. Forcing her to do what she didn’t want. Anger, swift and powerful, propelled her over to Coop where she poked a finger into his chest. “Don’t tell me what to do. Not now. Not ever. I refuse to be bullied another minute.”
“Whoa!” He captured her hand, brought it to his mouth for a gentle kiss. “Take it easy, honey.”
His voice brought her vision back to normal. Coop stood before her with a bewildered expression.
What had she done?
She swiped a hand over her brow. “I’m sorry, Coop. I don’t know what came over me.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Tell me what just happened?”
She couldn’t stop herself. Melting into his arms, she held onto his jacket as she sobbed her heart out. When she could talk, he handed her a handkerchief and watched as she got herself under control. “I think you’re right. I need to find out who the hell I am before you put me in a psych hospital.”
“Talk to me.”
She settled into his arms. “When you demanded I get the tests, I saw a man in my head—someone in my past. A big man. I didn’t see his face, but he had a powe
r over me that both frightened and enraged me.”
“You’re trembling.”
“I didn’t like him. Whoever he was, he controlled my life.” Tears welled again. “I don’t want to go back to that life. That’s why I don’t want the tests. I’m afraid of what I’ll find. Right now, I want to be Lori. Other times, I want to know who I really am and why someone wanted me dead. Do I make sense?”
“Poor baby. Of course you do.” He tilted her head and gave her a soft, sweet kiss on the lips.
The second his lips touched hers, she couldn’t suppress the inferno that engulfed her, and the kiss he’d meant to be short and comforting, turned deep and sensual.
Every nerve ending burned with the desire to wrap herself around him. Devour him. She wanted to forget the man who had just shown up in her memories. He didn’t belong here. She didn’t belong with him. She belonged right where she was, in Coop’s arms.
The more she learned about her previous life, the more she realized it had been a living hell. Here, with Coop, Shorty, the dogs, she could see happiness shimmering in the distance. She wanted to grab hold and bring that happiness into her soul.
The image was there. Wanting it wouldn’t make it so.
But the other image was there as well. The one that frightened her—the one she didn’t want to uncover and live again. Yet, Coop was right. She couldn’t live like this forever. At some point her memory would return and she didn’t want to be so involved with Coop it would break her heart to leave.
Wouldn’t it now?
She leaned closer and kissed him deeper. Why couldn’t it be like this forever? And knew until she uncovered the truth of her life it would never happen. Pushing against his chest, she took a deep breath. She brushed his dark hair off his forehead and traced his mouth with her finger. How could she ever leave him? “You’re right, Coop. I’ll call Doc and set it up as soon as possible.”
“I’ll go with you.”
She put a hand on his arm. “No. You have two major cases on your hands, the dogs, and me. I’ll be fine.”
“Take Shorty.”
She shook her head. “This is something I want to do alone.”
“I’ll set it up so you’ll be safe.”
She gave him a half-smile. “Whoever tried to kill me thinks I’m dead. My hair is a different color. My clothes consist of jeans and T-shirts, not the designer clothes you found me in. I think I could look the killer in the eye and he wouldn’t recognize me.”
Coop laughed. How she loved that sound. It reached right through to her core.
“You may be right, but we’ll still take precautions.”
“I’ll take Thor.”
“I’m quite sure you can’t take a dog into Doc’s clinic or in the hospital, if that’s where she’ll run the tests.”
Lori chuckled. “I’ll bet Doc can do just about anything she wants. She’s Navy, you know.”
“You have a point. Why don’t we ask?”
“That’s settled.” She looked at the sky. “It’s getting dark and it could rain. I think we’d better get on with our job or we’ll freeze.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a peck on the lips. “Whatever you say.”
They were almost finished before Dirk showed up. “Sorry I’m late, but I wanted to cover as many Internet cafes as I could.”
“Any luck?”
“No. But I’m not giving up. I can feel this case coming together.”
“I’m going to the house,” Lori told the guys. “Don’t be too long. It’s going to rain.”
Lori headed for Shorty’s car only to pause when she heard Dirk.
“She’s amazing.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Coop warned.
“Are you kidding? I don’t want you all over my butt for going after your woman.”
Lori’s heart fluttered. Coop’s woman? Did he think of her that way? Surely not.
She didn’t listen any longer, but got in the car with Thor and hurried away.
Chapter Fourteen
Lori watched the brothers in her rearview mirror as Coop went to his truck and Dirk to his house. Coop limped as he hurried to beat the rain. It hurt to know his war injury still pained him. The urge to massage and kiss the hurt away made her weak with longing. Coop’s woman. She couldn’t get the words out of her head. It was what she wanted.
If her memory returned, would she still be the Lori who was falling in love with Coop? Or would she be a criminal headed for jail? The things she knew about her past frightened her. The short glimpses into an unhappy life haunted her.
It was time to find out all she could. She wanted the shadowy past to become a clear picture. At least then she’d be free to follow her heart and be with Coop. Or not.
The or not made her want to stay Lori forever.
Cold, icy rain beat down on Shorty’s car as she pulled as close to the house as possible. When she went inside, she headed straight for the fireplace.
“You should have come in earlier,” Shorty exclaimed, coming at her with a towel.
Lori laughed as she took it and wiped her face. “It’s freezing out there.”
“It’s going to be a cold Christmas.”
“That makes it seem even more like the season.”
“Do you remember the holiday?”
Did she? Celebrations when she was a child, maybe. Not as an adult. Her brow knit at the memory or lack thereof. “I don’t.” She looked around at the room full of Christmas decorations. The glowing tree under which gifts seemed to grow daily; the lit candles on the fireplace. “I know I love it here; the decorations, the pine scent of the fresh-cut tree, the lights. I want to wrap it up and take it with me when I leave.”
“Are you leaving?”
The unhappy look on Shorty’s face told Lori how welcome she was here. Her heart swelled.
“I can’t stay here forever, Shorty. At some point my memory will return and I’ll have to settle my life.”
Lori had no idea what that might entail, but the feeling it wouldn’t be good made her sad.
Coop came in the door, shook off the rain, and came over to stand by the fireplace with Lori. Just seeing him walk through the door sent her heart beating faster. His standing next to her, smiling at her, made her want to weep. How could she leave him?
Even now, cocooned in the bosom of this wonderful family, she knew she would have to. The thought of walking away from this wonderful warmth and love made her ill. “Excuse me, I think I’ll take a hot shower.”
“I have a pot of vegetable beef soup ready when you finish,” Shorty announced.
“Why don’t you call Dirk to join us? He looked as if he could use something warm.”
“I sent a text to him and to Matt, Lori. They’ll be here soon.”
She made it to the bathroom before throwing up. The not knowing was making her physically ill. Showered, and in dry clothes, she sat on the edge of the bed and, using her cell phone, called Doc. “I’m ready for those tests.”
“I’m glad. What made you change your mind?”
“I have to know my past before I can plan my future. Does that make sense?”
“It does. I’ll schedule them as soon as I can. With the holiday here, it won’t be before Christmas.”
Which made Lori happy. She wanted to spend that time with these people she’d come to love. “It’s all right. I have a problem, though. Coop insists I have protection. I told him no one would recognize me, but he’s being stubborn. I told him I would take Thor. Would that be possible?”
“Let me think.” A few seconds later, Doc said, “Let’s do the tests the day after Christmas. The clinic will be closed. I’ll call in the Nuclear Med guy so no one will be there except him and the two of us. How does that sound? There’s no reason Thor can’t stay in the waiting room.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“I’ll take you home with me after the festivities Christmas day. That way I won’t have to come back and pick you up the next morning. I’ll s
ee you Christmas. I always come early to help Shorty.” She chuckled. “With you there she won’t need much help.”
“Who else comes?”
“Carrie, because she has no family. We have a great time.”
“I wish I had money so I could shop for gifts. I would love to get everyone something to remember me by.”
Silence.
“I don’t like to shop, but I’ll do it. You can pay me back when your memory returns.”
Would she have money then? It didn’t matter; if she didn’t, she’d get a job. “I promise to pay you.”
“What do you want to get everybody?”
For the next five minutes, they talked and exchanged ideas.
“Got it. Now I have to get busy. It looks as if it’s going to be a cold Christmas. Maybe we’ll have a little snow.”
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And thank you, Doc. You’re the best.”
Now she had to get something for Doc, but how did you get something for someone who had turned out to be not only her doctor, but also a dear friend?
An idea popped into her mind. Going to Coop’s office she searched the Internet, where she found what she wanted. The item was in Houston and they promised to deliver it by Christmas Eve. All she needed was a credit card.
Lori went to find Shorty. Would she ever be able to repay these wonderful people what she owed them? Money—yes. Everything else they’d done for her, never in a million years. Her eyes prickled with tears.
She had two days left with the family. After Doc performed her tests, she might have to go into the hospital. There had to be something seriously wrong for her amnesia to last this long. Once she knew who she was, she’d find out why her mom and her best friend hadn’t reported her missing. That omission made the hurt in her heart unbearable.
Lori motioned for Shorty to come into Coop’s office. When Lori told her what she wanted to get Doc, Shorty was only too glad to let her use her credit card. “It’s the perfect gift. I’m only sorry I didn’t think of it.”
By the time Lori walked into the kitchen, the guys were waiting.
“What is Santa going to bring you this year, Shorty? Another flannel gown?”
Male laughter rang through the room at Dirk’s question.
Wounded at the Lake Page 13
