past.
âI donât know anything about your family. You said they were dead, that they died in a car crash and you went to live with your grandmother in Boston, but I couldnât find her or any record of her -- or you, for that matter. So that was a lie."
She sighed. It seemed every question she asked eventually led to a dead end. âAre you sure thereâs nothing else I told you about my parents, like where we lived, or what they looked like, or what they did for a living?"
âYou said you missed watching old musicals and movies with your mom. I think she was a stay-at-home mom. You didnât mention a job. Apparently when you were a little girl, your mother used to take you to a movie theater in the afternoons where --"
âWhere movies were a dollar,â she finished, excitement racing through her veins. âI remember that movie house. It was one of those big, old-fashioned theaters. We used to sit in the balcony in the front row. Iâd put my feet up on the railing." She paused. "Weird that I would remember that and nothing else."
âMaybe you remembered the movie house because thereâs nothing about it that scares you. But something terrifies you. There has to be a reason why your brain is protecting you from your memories."
âIs that the way you think of it?"
âHow do you think of it?â he countered.
âI feel lost in my own head. Itâs strange. Itâs like youâre telling me a story about someone I donât know. Some things you say feel right, but others donât. Iâm trying to rely on my instincts, but I feel like Iâm walking through a minefield."
âBecause you mixed lies with truth, Sarah. Thatâs why things donât add up. You should try to get some sleep. Maybe when you wake up youâll know who you are. And we can go get Caitlyn."
âHow was I with Caitlyn?"
He cleared his throat. âGood. You were good,â he said roughly. âThe two of you were inseparable from the moment I cut the cord and handed her to you."
âYou cut the cord?â she echoed, the tender image at odds with the hard man sitting in front of her.
âYeah, I did. I was there for every second of the fourteen hours you were in labor. And when Caitlyn was born, my life changed.â His gaze settled on her face. âIt was the best moment of my life. The worst was when I realized youâd taken Caitlyn and left me.â He jerked to his feet. âIâm going for a walk."
âJake..."
âWhat?"
âDid we really love each other?"
He paused by the door. âWhen you get your memory back, youâll know the answer."
* * *
âShe went on the news,â Shane Hollis said, adrenaline rushing through his blood as he turned off the television set in his motel room. He hadnât anticipated that she would go public. It changed everything, and it would make it more difficult to get to her. âShe went on the fucking news,â he repeated.
The silence on the other end of the phone disturbed him. Heâd already failed several times. He knew he would have only one more chance at the most. If he didnât kill her, his own life would be over.
There had been a time when they were equals, brothers -- or so he had thought. But what had started out as a game in their youth had taken turns he had never imagined. He stared down at the tattoo on his wrist, still remembering the day theyâd gone in to get them. The tiger stood for fierceness, power, loyalty, brotherhood. He hadnât realized at the time that it also stood for murder.
He was in too deep now; there was no way out. The price of belonging to their elite group was blood on his hands that would never come off. He could only continue what had begun years earlier.
âIâm disappointed in you,â the man said. âAfter all Iâve done for you."
Shane wanted to point out that heâd done far more in return, but he
âI donât know anything about your family. You said they were dead, that they died in a car crash and you went to live with your grandmother in Boston, but I couldnât find her or any record of her -- or you, for that matter. So that was a lie."
She sighed. It seemed every question she asked eventually led to a dead end. âAre you sure thereâs nothing else I told you about my parents, like where we lived, or what they looked like, or what they did for a living?"
âYou said you missed watching old musicals and movies with your mom. I think she was a stay-at-home mom. You didnât mention a job. Apparently when you were a little girl, your mother used to take you to a movie theater in the afternoons where --"
âWhere movies were a dollar,â she finished, excitement racing through her veins. âI remember that movie house. It was one of those big, old-fashioned theaters. We used to sit in the balcony in the front row. Iâd put my feet up on the railing." She paused. "Weird that I would remember that and nothing else."
âMaybe you remembered the movie house because thereâs nothing about it that scares you. But something terrifies you. There has to be a reason why your brain is protecting you from your memories."
âIs that the way you think of it?"
âHow do you think of it?â he countered.
âI feel lost in my own head. Itâs strange. Itâs like youâre telling me a story about someone I donât know. Some things you say feel right, but others donât. Iâm trying to rely on my instincts, but I feel like Iâm walking through a minefield."
âBecause you mixed lies with truth, Sarah. Thatâs why things donât add up. You should try to get some sleep. Maybe when you wake up youâll know who you are. And we can go get Caitlyn."
âHow was I with Caitlyn?"
He cleared his throat. âGood. You were good,â he said roughly. âThe two of you were inseparable from the moment I cut the cord and handed her to you."
âYou cut the cord?â she echoed, the tender image at odds with the hard man sitting in front of her.
âYeah, I did. I was there for every second of the fourteen hours you were in labor. And when Caitlyn was born, my life changed.â His gaze settled on her face. âIt was the best moment of my life. The worst was when I realized youâd taken Caitlyn and left me.â He jerked to his feet. âIâm going for a walk."
âJake..."
âWhat?"
âDid we really love each other?"
He paused by the door. âWhen you get your memory back, youâll know the answer."
* * *
âShe went on the news,â Shane Hollis said, adrenaline rushing through his blood as he turned off the television set in his motel room. He hadnât anticipated that she would go public. It changed everything, and it would make it more difficult to get to her. âShe went on the fucking news,â he repeated.
The silence on the other end of the phone disturbed him. Heâd already failed several times. He knew he would have only one more chance at the most. If he didnât kill her, his own life would be over.
There had been a time when they were equals, brothers -- or so he had thought. But what had started out as a game in their youth had taken turns he had never imagined. He stared down at the tattoo on his wrist, still remembering the day theyâd gone in to get them. The tiger stood for fierceness, power, loyalty, brotherhood. He hadnât realized at the time that it also stood for murder.
He was in too deep now; there was no way out. The price of belonging to their elite group was blood on his hands that would never come off. He could only continue what had begun years earlier.
âIâm disappointed in you,â the man said. âAfter all Iâve done for you."
Shane wanted to point out that heâd done far more in return, but he
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