Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (3 page)

“This story doesnʼt have a happy ending, does it?”

“Iʼm afraid not,” he confirmed with a sigh. “But things were great for a few years. J.T. was nuts about Jack, he was the son heʼd always wished for, and the boy seemed to adore J.T., as well. Sure, they fought a lot, as they were both so damn hardheaded…but they did love each other. So much that, eventually, J.T. decided to adopt him.” He smiled sadly at the memory. “When the adoption became official, Jack became J.T.ʼs son in all respects—and, obviously, the sole heir to his fortune.”

Sara stiffened anxiously in her chair. “What happened?”

“Exactly ten years ago, I received an emergency call regarding an accident at the Turnersʼ ranch. At first I didnʼt think much of it. I mean, J.T.ʼs men worked with bulls and wild horses, and bruises and broken bones were the norm. But never in a million years could I have been prepared for the sight awaiting me when I arrived there.” Docʼs voice broke, and he drew another deep breath. “J.T. was lying on the ground in a puddle of blood, right below Jackʼs bedroom window. Jack kneeled beside him, in shock.”

“Oh my God!” Sara covered her mouth with a hand as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Iʼm so sorry.”

The doctor dabbed his own eyes with a napkin. “So many years have passed since that night, yet the wound is still open here in Starville. This is why we donʼt talk about it, Sara. It hurts too much. J.T.’s death has torn our town apart.”

She nodded―although, for the life of her, she didnʼt understand how an entire town could pretend something like that had never happened just by not talking about it. “What happened to Jack?”

“Well, the police investigated the matter extensively and came to the conclusion that, while it was obvious that J.T. had died by falling out of Jackʼs bedroom window, it wasnʼt an accident.”

Sara gasped. “They didnʼt think Jack…”

“He was known for his bad temper and violent ways, Sara,” Doc cut her off. “Either way, he was the only suspect, so he was arrested and held in prison for the entire duration of the trial―almost three years.”

“And?”

“He always pleaded innocent to the charges, insisting that heʼd arrived at the ranch right before me and had found J.T. already lying there. He was the one who called 911.”

“Was it true?”

He shrugged. “All I know is that the judge declared the case a mistrial for lack of evidence. The day Jack was released from jail was the last time we saw him in Starville…until today.”

An involuntary shudder raced through her. “Are you saying—”

“Yes, Sara.” Doc nodded grimly. “The stranger you rescued is Jack Turner.”

Chapter 3

It took Sara a few moments to put some order in her racing thoughts. The truth was, despite what sheʼd just learned, she couldnʼt match the intense gaze of the man sheʼd rescued with the one of a brutal murderer.

A murderer!
She shook her head hard. If anything, her dark knight now had a name. Maybe. “How can you be sure the man I saved is Jack Turner?”

“Many years have passed, and Jack has changed quite a bit, but he doesnʼt look that different, dear,” Doc said patiently. “Besides, the ID we found in his wallet confirmed his identity.”

Of course.

The doctor gave her a wary look. “Sara, I do realize that youʼve saved his life, and I know you well enough to understand that you might feel responsible for him right now. But, please, listen to me carefully: I know Jack. Whether he committed the murder or not, heʼs a dangerous man, not a helpless victim in need of your help.”

“I know.” Sara heaved a sigh. “Itʼs just that…honestly, I donʼt get it. Why would Jack kill his adoptive father if he was already the sole heir to his fortune? Wouldnʼt it have been easier for him to wait and inherit everything naturally one day?”

“Well—”

She cut the doctor off with a lift of her hand. “Fine. Letʼs assume that Jack really killed J.T., then. If he was as smart as you said, would he have thrown him out of his own bedroom window, knowing he would be the most obvious suspect? Wouldnʼt he have chosen a more…
subtle
way to get rid of him?” she reasoned, trying to be practical.

Doc shook his head in disapproval. “Let me remind you that weʼre talking about a hothead, Sara. A man who grew up on the street, known for his impulsive and aggressive personality. Now, Iʼm not saying that he killed J.T. on purpose, but itʼs entirely possible that he might have lost control in one of his frequent bursts of rage.”

Sara kept silent, lost in deep thought. Docʼs eyes darted around, as if to make sure that nobody was listening, before they settled back on her. He leaned forward across the table. “You know, all these years, I never doubted that Jack was guilty.”

She snapped her gaze to him. “Are you saying that something made you change your mind?”

“Well, I probably shouldnʼt say anything before talking to the police but…” He hesitated a moment. Sighed. “I have to admit that Iʼm not so sure about anything anymore―not after seeing Jackʼs wounds tonight. The truth is, I donʼt even think he had an accident.”

Her mouth dropped open. “As in…somebody might have sabotaged his bike?”

“No, but Iʼve seen his injuries, and they donʼt look like the result of an accident.” Doc swallowed. “Look, thereʼs no easy way to say this, so Iʼm just going to throw it out there: Iʼm pretty sure that Jack was assaulted. And believe me, whoever did it did their damnedest to make sure he wouldnʼt survive.”

Sara slumped against the back of the chair. She didnʼt know what to say, what to think. It was so much information to absorb.

“Iʼm sorry for throwing all this on you,” the doctor whispered. “Please, donʼt mention this to anybody, okay? At least, not until I talk to the police.”

“I wonʼt, I promise. But tell me about Jack. Howʼs he doing?”

He lifted a shoulder. “As I said, he hasnʼt regained consciousness yet, and his head injury is what concerns me the most right now, but itʼs too early to determine if it might have caused any permanent damage, or what the long-term effects will be. Two ligaments of his right knee are damaged, and he sustained several cracked ribs, perhaps as a result of the fall off his bike. But the bruises he has all over his body are definitely not accidental.” He groaned, rubbing both hands over his face.

Sara didnʼt comment. If it was true that somebody had assaulted Jack, then it had to be somebody from Starville.
No.
It was impossible. Things like that happened in books, not in real life. …Not in Starville!

“Iʼll be honest with you, dear. Had you not called for help immediately, Jack wouldnʼt be here now,” the doctor added slowly. “He owes you his life.”

“He owes me nothing.” Sara grabbed her purse and stood. “Thanks for this interesting talk, Doc. Now, if you donʼt mind, I would like to see Jack.”

He gave her a long look. “Guilty or not, remember heʼs a dangerous man, Sara.”

When she didnʼt answer, Doc sighed and followed her out of the cafeteria.

***

A few more hours went by before Sara was allowed to see Jack. She was more than exhausted by the time she finally headed toward the room the nurse had indicated and cracked the door open.

It was already bright outside, the warm sunlight spilling through the window as she walked into the silent room. Remembering how the glare from her flashlight had seemed to hurt Jack, she decided to close the blinds a little, in case the sun would bother him once he opened his eyes. Well…
If
he opened his eyes.

Sara slipped into the chair beside his bed. “Wake up, Jack,” she whispered, taking his hand. He looked so big and strong lying in that small hospital bed, which made it even scarier to see him so unresponsive. She glanced at the beeping monitor in the vain hope of a good sign, then returned her gaze to him.

His face was as hard as she remembered, but his features looked even rougher now because of the dark bruise on his right cheekbone. A deep cut ran down his other cheek, starting at the temple and disappearing into the five-oʼclock shadow on his jaw. His dark brown hair looked almost black against the pillow. It was cut short, except for an unruly strand on the front, which hung down just above his eyes and fell lightly over the bandage wrapped around his forehead. Sara found herself fighting the irrational urge to smooth it back. Maybe heʼd wake up if she did. Maybe if she stroked his scruffy cheek, he…

Her eyes widened in shock. What the heck was wrong with her? How could she have such ridiculous thoughts about a man hurt and lying in a hospital bed? Besides, she needed to remember Docʼs words: no matter how harmless he might look right now, Jack was a dangerous man. He could be a murderer, for Godʼs sake!

And yet. Yet Sara couldnʼt forget the desperate way heʼd squeezed her hand on the road.  She couldnʼt forget the flicker of amusement that had lightened his eyes when sheʼd invited him to go for ice cream with her, or their tormented intensity as heʼd given her that one last look and begged her not to leave him before he’d lost consciousness.

She shook her head firmly. The only reason she was still at the hospital was to make sure Jack was all right. After all, sheʼd saved his life. It was obvious that she felt so strangely attached to him…right?

Sara jumped in surprise as Jackʼs hand twitched into hers. His long eyelashes fluttered, and she watched him struggle to open his eyes. He blinked, trying to focus his gaze, and took a long look around the room before finally settling his eyes on her.

“Welcome back.” Her voice cracked. She had a hard time swallowing against the dryness of her throat as she stared at him. Now that she could study his eyes up close, she noticed they had gorgeous blue flecks in the center, and she found herself hypnotized by the way they seemed to change in a blink between the shades of blue and green, as if reflecting the thoughts battling in his mind.

Good grief, girl, get it together!
She cleared her throat. “Iʼm not sure you remember me. My name is Sara Milano. You helped me with my car before your accident, and I called the ambulance. Everythingʼs fine now,” she rushed on, noticing heʼd instantly tensed at her words. But now there was a dazed look on his face as he studied her in silence. She tried her damndest not to squirm as his magnetic eyes slowly swept over her.

After what felt like several minutes, he nodded and moved his gaze to the water cup sitting on his bedside table. Sara stood and handed it to him, holding it to his lips as his hands were trembling too much. She waited for him to finish drinking, then helped him lie back down.

“Thank you, Sara.”

Just like earlier, the raspy way he spoke her name sent tingles rippling through her. Thankfully, Jack didnʼt seem to notice. In fact, he wasnʼt even looking at her anymore and seemed more interested in the monitor beeping beside his bed. She hoped to sound calm and collected as she sat back down. “How do you feel?”

Turning his attention back to her, Jack lifted a hand to his head. He touched his wound lightly with his fingertips, as if exploring it, then glanced down to his bandaged chest. “Like a semi just ran me over.”

“Iʼm sorry. You know, I should probably tell a nurse that you woke up.” Sara turned to his bedside table again to grab the small remote control on top of it.

“What happened to me?”

She stopped with her thumb on the call button. “You, uh, had an accident with your motorcycle. You donʼt remember?”

Jack thought about it for a few seconds and shook his head. “No.”

“What about your name? Last night you couldnʼt remember it… Do you now?”

“No, I―” He frowned. Confusion, apprehension, then panic filled his eyes, darkening them as they locked with hers. “I donʼt think I remember anything at all.”

Saraʼs heart dropped.
Crap.
Now what? “Doc, the doctor who took care of you last night, said you sustained a pretty serious head trauma, and Iʼm sure a temporary memory loss is completely normal in your state,” she said, trying to sound calm and reassuring in order not to agitate him more. Sheʼd no sooner finished those words than Doc entered.

“Well, well. I see weʼve made big progress here.”

“I was just about to call a nurse.”

The doctor nodded absently at her as he walked to the window. He pulled the curtains open, then turned around with a smile, feigning a lightheartedness that she knew he was far from feeling. “Welcome back, Jack.”

“Jack?” he murmured in a daze. Doc looked at Sara with just as much puzzlement.

“He doesnʼt remember anything, Doc. Not even his name,” she explained. “Itʼs normal, though, right?”

He didnʼt answer, but a wary expression appeared on his face. Pulling a small flashlight from his pocket, he leaned over Jack and shone it into his eyes. “Is it true? You donʼt remember anything?”

“Nothing.” Blinded by the sudden glare, Jack let out a pained groan and tried to avert his eyes from the light. “Apparently you know my name, though.”

Sara held her breath, but Doc shot her a warning look before she could say anything. “I need to run some tests on Jack. Why donʼt you go home? You must be tired after everything you went through last night.”

His dry tone made her frown. “I donʼt have my car, remember? I rode in the ambulance.”

“Leslieʼs shift is almost up; ask her to give you a ride.”

She hesitated but forced a nod when, behind Jack, Doc clearly signaled her to leave. “Fine. Iʼll come back later,” she said, scowling at the doctor, then turned back to Jack with an encouraging smile. “Donʼt worry, everything will be all right.” Telling herself to ignore the lost expression on his face, she rushed out of the room before he could reply…and before she changed her mind.

***

Jack had no idea what had just happened as he stared at the door Sara had closed behind her. All he knew was that he didnʼt want her to leave. It was as if all his strength had left with her.

“Jack, are you listening to me?”

Docʼs voice sounded far away and remote, and he easily ignored it.
Jack.
A name that meant absolutely nothing to him. Yet it apparently belonged to him. But what about Sara? Did she belong to him, too? She hadnʼt seemed surprised when Doc had called him by his name. Were they close? They had to be. Why else would she have waited at the hospital all night? Maybe they were friends. Or maybe…something more?