Forgotten Memories. Laura Scott
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back, drawing the edges of his jacket close.
Shane was impressed by Gabriella’s determination and fortitude. Her training as a surgeon must be helping her to keep calm in a crisis. Which was a good thing...because they couldn’t afford to slow down now. He didn’t hear anyone moving through the woods, but that didn’t mean the gunmen weren’t out there tracking them.
He quickened his stride and urged her to do the same. There was no way he was going to assume the two he’d shot at were too injured to move. His goal had been to wound them enough to get away, not to kill them.
No doubt, the uninjured driver was still out there, searching for them.
Shane turned to the right, hoping they could double back toward Highway 60. His backup should be arriving any time now, but the deputies wouldn’t know he and Gabriella were hiding in the woods. And he wanted to warn his team members about the gunmen.
Gabriella stumbled and fell to her knees, breathing hard. His heart ached for her and he dropped down, placing his arm over her shoulders and leaning close. “Gabriella, are you all right?” he asked.
She rubbed her hand over her eyes and nodded.
“Let me help you,” he said, gingerly urging her upright. When she was back on her feet, he anchored his arm around her waist. She leaned heavily against him as they continued moving through the woods.
Did he dare use the radio? The last thing he wanted was to broadcast their location to anyone close enough to hear them. Even the slightest sound would travel in the night.
“Maybe we can hide over there,” Gabriella murmured.
He turned to the left and saw what she meant. A huge tree had fallen, but instead of hugging the ground, it was propped up at thigh level by the massive branches at the far end.
Not the ideal place to hide, but it might work long enough that he could radio for help. He took Gabriella’s hand and silently led the way to the fallen tree.
“Right here,” he said, indicating the thickest area of the tree. Gabriella didn’t argue, collapsing to the ground and leaning against the rough bark.
Shane stayed right next to her, using his body as a shield as he took a few minutes to sweep his gaze across the area.
The night was eerily silent.
He flipped on his radio and cupped his hands over his mouth and the speaker. “This is unit twelve. What’s the status on backup?”
“Two squads have gotten off on Highway 60,” the dispatcher informed him. “Please provide your location.”
“Roughly two miles west on sixty, there’s a dirt road off to the right.” Shane wondered belatedly if the deputies had passed them by. The dirt road might not be easy to see.
“Ten-four,” the dispatcher responded.
Gabriella looked up and lightly grasped his arm. “Tell them to look for a red fire marker, number 271,” she said quietly.
He lifted a brow, wondering how on earth she’d managed to notice that detail, but repeated the information for the dispatcher.
“Ten-four,” the dispatcher said.
Shane flipped the radio off and hovered over Gabriella. There was a part of him that wanted to keep moving, just in case, but at the same time, their backup was so close they only needed to hang on for a little while longer.
“Do we have to move?” she whispered, obviously exhausted.
“Not yet, you can rest for now,” he replied. He wanted Gabriella to be safe before he could begin to figure out why she’d been kidnapped in the first place.
He crouched protectively over her and waited, hoping his teammates would arrive soon.
* * *
Gabby was still wired from the rush of adrenaline, but she wasn’t sure her legs would carry her much farther. Shane must think she was a wimp, but he had no way of knowing she’d worked more than twenty-four hours straight.
She was still reeling from the fact that the ruggedly handsome deputy had appeared out of nowhere to help her. Had he witnessed the men kidnapping her from the hospital? No other explanation made sense, and right now she was deeply grateful to know she wasn’t alone.
His coat smelled like him, warm and musky. She buried her face in the collar, taking a deep breath. Shane’s scent helped to keep her calm as she listened for any indication the gunmen were close.
The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. Shane finally flipped his radio back on.
“I need an update,” he said in a low, urgent tone.
“Unit ten has been trying to reach you. They’ve found the truck and three men, all dead.”
A chill snaked down her spine and she stared at Shane in horror. “Wh—what? How could all three be dead?” she stammered.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Shane replied grimly. “I only shot two of them, leaving a third unaccounted for. He was the driver.”
“Understood. Unit ten, please confirm the number of dead found at the scene,” the dispatcher said.
“Hawk, where are you?” a male voice asked impatiently. “We found the black truck on the dirt road, but we have three dead guys here, and we need to know what’s going on.”
“I don’t know how that’s possible,” Shane said. “We’re obviously not alone out here. Someone must be lurking nearby, and I won’t risk exposing the female hostage with me to any more danger.”
“Creighton,” Gabby whispered, reaching up to grasp his arm. “They were taking me to see a man named Creighton, and told me I’d better cooperate since he’s used to getting what he wants.”
Shane narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you know this Creighton guy?” he asked.
“No, never heard the name before in my life and I can’t even begin to guess if that’s his first or last name.”
“Subject at large goes by the name of Creighton,” he said through the radio. “Spread out and search the woods.”
“Ten-four, hold your twenty.”
“Are you sure you don’t remember someone named Creighton?” Shane pressed. “Someone you work with, one of your patients...or someone from your past?”
“I’m sure.” She wasn’t about to explain about her eidetic memory. Men tended to look at her oddly once they knew the truth. Yes, she was smart, but mostly because her brain was wired in a way that made it easy to remember things she’d read or learned. But for some reason, men were put off by her level of intelligence. Except for Damon, and he’d turned out to be a horrible brute anyway. She shivered again, forcing the bad memories of the past out of her mind. None of that mattered now.
She felt safe with Shane.
Finally the beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness. “Hawk? Is that you?” a male voice asked. She could see a tall, sandy-haired man walk toward them, dressed in the same black uniform as Shane’s.
“Yeah, we’re here,” Shane said, relief audible in his tone. “I’m glad to see you, Nate. Are you sure there’s no sign of anyone else hiding nearby?”
“I’m sure,” Nate’s tone was firm. “And when you see the scene back at the truck, you’ll be sure, too. Whoever did that is likely long gone.”
Gabby’s stomach clenched, not that she wasn’t used to seeing dead bodies, but generally she preferred to see them in the hospital setting, not where they’d been killed.
“Gabriella, are you able to walk?” Shane asked her. “Or would you rather I carry you?”
“No, thanks. I can walk.” She couldn’t imagine being carried out