Forgotten Memories (SWAT: Top Cops Book 4) (12 page)

“Let’s walk in the opposite direction for a bit,” Shane suggested. “I’d rather not let anyone know that we’re staying at the motel down the street.”

“All right,” she agreed, understanding where he was coming from. “Thank you for bringing me along,” she added softly as they strolled down the street. “I enjoyed the service.”

“Really?” The frank hope in Shane’s deep masculine tone surprised her. “You’re not just saying that?”

She smiled and shook her head. “I have to say that I wasn’t sure what to expect. And I was able to let go of my resentment toward Richard. Now, if only I could do that with—” She abruptly cut herself off, embarrassed to realize she’d been about to tell Shane about Damon.

“Do that with what?” Shane asked gently.

She swallowed hard, wishing she’d guarded her tongue. “It’s nothing.”

“Okay, but I’m here if you want to talk,” Shane said. “And sometimes secrets can fester if they’re kept buried too long.”

Gabby sighed, hating it when he was right. But this was more than just a secret. It was a betrayal that had shattered her innocence.

And even though she knew she wasn’t to blame, she couldn’t seem to forget Damon’s parting accusation about how she’d been asking for it.

“Gabby?” The husky tone of Shane’s voice broke through the memory.

“Remember that boyfriend I had in my first year as a resident?” she whispered. “His name was Damon Keller and, as you know, things didn’t end well between us.”

Shane’s pace slowed to the point they were hardly moving. “I remember you said you broke things off with him,” he agreed, his eyes darkening with concern. “Did something happen? Did he cheat on you the same way my fiancée cheated on me?”

She wished it were that simple. Not that she was making light of what Shane had been through. Linda had made a commitment to marry him; she had no business cheating on Shane behind his back.

Truth was, both of them were better off without the Lindas and Damons of the world.

“Damon and I used to study together, shared lunch in the cafeteria together. When he invited me to his place for pizza and a movie, I didn’t think twice about going.”

Shane stopped beneath the shade of a large maple tree and took both of her hands in his. “Gabby? What happened?”

She couldn’t meet his gaze. “Well, he never intended to watch a movie, that’s for sure.”

Shane’s arms filled with tension, but his grasp on her hands remained gentle. “Did he hurt you?”

She nodded. “He pinned me on the couch, kept kissing me, grabbing me. I was so shocked...so afraid.”

“Gabby...” Ironically, the tortured sound of Shane’s voice gave her the strength to tell him the rest.

“I hit him in the face, stunned him long enough to get away before he could finish. I ran out of his apartment, sobbing and holding together my torn blouse while he screamed at me that it was all my fault, that I was asking for it.”

“Oh, Gabby...” Shane pulled her into his arms, holding her gently against his chest. “I hope you went to the police and pressed assault charges against him.”

“No,” she said, her voice muffled against his sweater. “I didn’t. Because, deep down, I believed he might be right.”

“Not true,” Shane bit out. “No means no, and that’s the end of it. Date rape is all too common, and almost always goes unreported.”

Gabby lifted her head to meet Shane’s fierce blue gaze. “That’s not really what I meant.
Of course
I wasn’t asking to be assaulted. But I was young, barely twenty, with absolutely no experience with men. Maybe other women understood some unspoken rule that if you went to a guy’s apartment you were pretty much agreeing to be intimate. But I didn’t know.”

“Wrong again,” Shane said harshly. “None of that matters, Gabby. He’s the one who didn’t listen when you said no and he’s the one who tried to blame you for his actions.”

The way Shane defended her was so sweet, she just had to smile. “You’re amazing,” she said huskily. “Thank you for making me feel better. And maybe one day I’ll be able to forgive him.”

Shane stared at her for a long moment. “Gabby, last night when I kissed you, I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t, Shane,” she interrupted him. “Your kiss was wonderful. My reaction was because of Damon not you.” She hesitated and then asked, “Actually, I was hoping we could try that again.”

“What?” Shane looked dumbfounded.

When he didn’t move, she slowly raised up on her tiptoes and tentatively pressed her mouth against his. Shane held her carefully, allowing her to have control of the kiss.

And when he tenderly kissed her back, she wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into his embrace.

TWELVE

S
hane kept his kiss light and gentle, refusing to do anything that might make Gabby feel afraid. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he had to remind himself to maintain control, no easy feat, considering the way her citrusy scent was wreaking havoc with his senses.

Her lips teased his and he cautiously allowed her to deepen the kiss, hoping, praying she wouldn’t regret this. His pulse leaped in response and he desperately wanted to pull her close but didn’t move, allowing Gabby to explore within her own comfort zone.

When she finally broke off the kiss and smiled shyly up at him, he was overwhelmed with relief. She’d taken the first step and, hopefully, from here on out, she’d be okay.

“Thanks,” she murmured softly.

He took a moment to pull his scattered brain cells into some semblance of order. “Gabby, I’m always here for you, no matter what.”

She loosened her grip around his neck but didn’t let go. Shane liked the fact that she felt comfortable being so close to him. She tipped her head to the side, regarding him steadily. Her green sweater heightened the color of her eyes, and the way her red curls framed her face made her so beautiful, she literally took his breath away.

“I didn’t know kisses could be so special,” she whispered. “Or maybe it’s just you.”

Yes!
he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs. Because no way did he like the idea of Gabby practicing kisses with another man. But he held his tongue because past experience had taught him that what Gabby was feeling toward him right now wasn’t real. She was in a dangerous and vulnerable situation, completely out of her element. She was leaning on him because he was there, protecting her.

As soon as the danger was over and they’d captured Creighton, or whoever hired him, this close association would end. She had her life and he had his. She’d soon realize that there were other men out there, men she might be attracted to. After all, hadn’t he seen with his own eyes that she was surrounded by doctors? Physicians she may not have noticed before because of what that jerk had done to her? Highly likely that Gabby might now be able to come out of her protective shell to see the men she worked with differently. Every fiber of his being rebelled at the idea, but he forced himself not to show his turbulent feelings.

No way could he afford to repeat the mistakes of his past.

“Shane?” Gabby said his name in a low, hesitant tone. “Is something wrong?”

He forced himself to smile. “Nothing is wrong, Gabby,” he said huskily. “I’m happy that you’ve begun to put your fears behind you. I hate that you had to suffer at a man’s hands in the first place.” If the statute of limitations hadn’t run out, he’d head out to arrest the guy.

Gabby’s own smile dimmed and he caught a glimpse of disappointment reflected in her eyes.

He sighed and reached over to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. “Gabby, we’ve been thrown together in the heat of danger, and it’s not unusual for emotions to become more intense in these types of situations. I care about you, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe. But right now, we can’t afford to lose focus regarding the fact that someone is still trying to get to you.”

Her gaze clung to his for a long moment before she nodded and drew away, stepping back and crossing her arms over her chest. The moment she released him, he balled his fingers into fists so he wouldn’t reach out and pull her close again.

He missed the warmth of her sweet embrace.

“I guess we should head back to the motel,” she said, changing the subject.

From their position under the tree, he could see that the area around the church had thinned dramatically. Most of the parishioners had left or were walking toward their cars. “Sure, we’ll go there now,” he agreed.

“Tell me about Linda,” Gabby said as they strolled casually along the road in the direction of the church, since the motel was just a mile farther. “How did you meet her?”

He wasn’t sure why she was suddenly curious about his former fiancée, but since she’d been honest with him, he owed her the same frankness. “We worked together, she was a cop within my district.”

“A cop?” She glanced up at him in surprise. “Were you partners?”

“No, not partners. But she was in a tough situation, her ex-boyfriend had a temper and had hit her a few times. She discovered he was stalking her, so I helped her put together a case against him.”

“I see,” Gabby murmured. “That explains it,” she added.

He frowned. “Explains what?”

“Why you think that the feelings that are building between us aren’t real,” she stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “You rescued her, and she began to lean on you. But in the end, her feelings weren’t real, they were a result of a heightened awareness that comes from being in danger.”

Shane shouldn’t have been surprised by her astute insight to his failed relationship. “Yes,” he admitted quietly.

“And now you think I’m doing the same thing your ex-fiancée did,” she went on.

He hesitated, not sure how to respond to that. He didn’t
think
she was doing the same thing—he was absolutely certain she was.

But Gabby didn’t realize that’s what she was doing. Not yet. The same way Linda hadn’t, until she began to fall in love for real.

“Not exactly,” he said, choosing his words carefully. His phone rang, saving him from needing to come up with some way to smooth things over. He pulled out his phone, tipping the screen so Gabby could see Nate’s name across the top. “Hey, Nate, what’s up?”

“Chicago PD called to let us know they believe Eric Ambrose is in the area,” Nate said. “Unfortunately, they lost him, but hopefully they’ll find him soon.”

“How could they lose him?” Shane asked in exasperation.

“I know, but the cop who was driving past Joe Chasco’s place called in Ambrose’s license plates, but before he could stop, he was notified about a shooting located a few miles away, so he had to leave.”

“So Ambrose did go to Chicago to be with Chasco,” Shane muttered, glancing at Gabby, who was listening intently. “Our instincts were right on.”

“Yeah, it would be nice to have a break in the case,” Nate agreed. “I’ll keep in touch.”

“Thanks.” Shane disconnected from the call and then glanced down at his phone, making a mental note to swap it out as soon as possible. Just in case whoever this Creighton guy was had the ability to track his cell phone.

“I can’t believe Eric is really in Chicago,” Gabby croaked. “Even though I knew that he was a suspect, deep down I didn’t really believe it.”

“I’m sorry, Gabby,” he said, picking up his pace. Knowing Ambrose was nearby was enough to make him want to get her back to the relative safety of the motel. He also took the battery out of his phone as an extra precaution, tucking it in the back pocket of his jeans.

“You and me, both,” Gabby said with a grimace. “I hope Eric comes to his senses, before it’s too late.”

Grimacing, Shane slid a glance her way. The sooner they managed to get Ambrose into custody, the better. Because as much as he knew that Gabby’s feelings toward him were heightened by the very real danger she faced, he couldn’t necessarily say the same thing about his feelings for her.

Despite not wanting to make the same mistakes he’d made with Linda, he was very afraid it was too late. He cared about Gabby—too much for his peace of mind.

* * *

Gabby tried to hide her disappointment as she walked beside Shane up to their motel room. The kiss they’d shared, being held in his arms, had been amazing.

Shane could tell himself that her feelings weren’t real, but she knew the truth. She cared about him.

A lot.

When he put a hand on her arm, preventing her from unlocking her motel room door, she looked up at him in surprise.

“Me first,” he said. “Just to be safe.”

She stared at him, wondering if he really believed that Creighton or Ambrose had found them there. Or maybe he was trying to remind her that he was there only for her protection, nothing more. Feeling oddly bereft, she handed him the key and moved off to the side. Shane used her key to open the door. He pushed the door open with his foot, keeping his hands free even though he wasn’t armed, since he obviously hadn’t carried his weapon with him to church.

She peered inside, seeing for herself the room was empty. He cautiously stepped inside and made his way to the tiny bathroom. A few minutes later, he returned and then went through the connecting door between their rooms.

Less than two minutes later, he returned to the doorway. “All clear,” he said as he hooked his gun holster onto his belt.

Gabby nodded, wondering just what he had expected. “I’d like to call the hospital now, to check on Brandon’s condition,” she murmured. “Is it safe to use this phone here?”

Shane hesitated but then nodded. “I would think so... I can’t imagine Creighton has access to your hospital phone records.”

“Good.” She used the phone to make the local call, relieved when the ER nurse reassured her that Brandon was fine.

“He’s awake, has a minor concussion but otherwise seems to be okay,” the nurse assured her. “They’re talking about keeping him overnight for observation.”

For a moment, the image of Richard flashed into her mind. “Who’s the attending on duty?” she asked abruptly.

“Dr. Sebastian, why?”

“I need to talk to him right away,” she said, not bothering to hide the urgency in her tone.

“Okay.” After a few moments of silence, she could hear Sebastian’s deep baritone over the line.

“Gabby? What’s wrong?”

“How bad is Brandon’s concussion?” she asked. “Does he really need to stay overnight?”

“His CT scan is normal. I was thinking of sending him home, but apparently his wife is out of town, so there isn’t anyone to watch over him.”

Gabby closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Listen, I’m worried that whoever hit Brandon in the first place might try to come after him again. If he has to stay, do me a favor and put him under an alias name. Just in case.”

“Gabby, what’s going on?” Sebastian demanded. “First, you’re suddenly on a leave of absence, and now someone intentionally hurt Brandon?”

“I know it’s my fault—I’m sorry. Please use the alias name, all right?”

“I will,” Sebastian replied grudgingly.

Gabby hung up the phone and turned to see Shane standing close behind her. The urge to throw herself into his arms was overwhelming.

“Alias name?” he repeated with admiration in his tone. “Wow, that’s brilliant. I’m sure that will keep him safe.”

Gabby bit her lower lip. “I should have requested that for Richard,” she said in a low voice.

“There’s no reason to think your stepfather’s death was the result of foul play,” Shane said firmly. “Didn’t that doctor friend of yours mention a blood clot?”

She nodded since he was right about Bill’s theory.

“All right then, stop beating yourself up over this.”

“I’ll try.” She glanced around the motel room with a sense of helpless frustration. “So now what? I need something to do or I’ll go crazy.”

“I know what you mean,” Shane said wryly. “What if we go for a drive? I’ve been thinking we should pick up a few burner cell phones to use.”

Burner phones? For a moment the conversation seemed surreal. She didn’t live in this world of looking for bad guys around every corner, using cash and burner phones to hide their electronic trail.

Was Shane right about situations like these causing intense emotions? Feelings that might not last?

She didn’t want to admit it, but he was probably right. Her world had been knocked off-kilter from the moment those men had taken her hostage at gunpoint.

Since he was watching her intently, waiting for a response to his question, she nodded. “Sure, why not? Anything to get out of this motel room for a while.”

She followed Shane out into the bright sunlight as they walked to Nate’s aunt’s car.

He stayed on the side roads as he drove to a well-known big-box store. She was oddly surprised that purchasing the two disposable phones didn’t take long, and soon they were back on the road.

“Here, we’re going to need my phone to get those activated,” Shane said, handing her his cell phone. She put the battery back in and waited a few minutes for the device to power up.

Before she could use it, though, it rang, displaying Nate’s name and number across the screen. Shane was driving, so she answered. “Yes?”

“Gabby? Where’s Shane?”

“Hang on, he’s right here.” She handed the phone to Shane. “It’s Nate.”

“Put it on speaker,” Shane instructed.

She did as he asked and held the phone between them.

“I’ve been trying to call you,” Nate accused. “We have a lead on Ambrose.”

“I had the phone off,” Shane admitted. “Where is he? Does the Chicago PD have him in custody?”

“No, but he crossed the Wisconsin-Illinois border roughly thirty minutes ago,” the other man said. “State Patrol caught his license and tried to pull him over, but so far he’s leading them on a high-speed chase.”

Gabby gasped at the news. “Why would he do that?” she asked. “He has to know they’ll catch him eventually.”

“No clue, unless he’s feeling desperate,” Nate said grimly. “He may figure he has nothing else to lose.”

She could barely fathom the idea of the Eric Ambrose she knew giving up. Her former colleague had been cold and calculating, deliberate in his attempts to discredit her.

Although everyone had a breaking point. With the pending litigation and subsequent leave of absence, it was possible Eric was feeling desperate.

“Where is he now?” Shane asked.

“Not sure. They were heading north on Interstate 43 last I heard. Where are you?”

“We’re about ten miles from the motel,” he answered. “But I think we’ll head over to the interstate.”

“Don’t interfere,” Nate warned him. “They’ll get him in custody soon, one way or the other.”

“Yeah, I know,” Shane agreed.

Gabby was very much afraid she knew exactly what that meant. During the course of her career she’d taken care of many trauma patients involved in high-speed crashes. The worst ones were drivers who had drugs or alcohol on board.