Pregnesia. Carla Cassidy
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to you?”
“No, not a word. They just grabbed me and tried to get me into the back of the van.” She shuddered as she relived the moment when they’d grabbed her arms, when they’d begun to force her toward the vehicle.
Lucas didn’t say another word as they drove back to the apartment. As he drove he checked the rearview mirror constantly and she realized he was watching to see if they’d been followed.
He didn’t sign up for this, Jane thought. He didn’t volunteer for whatever was going on in my life. But the idea of not having him next to her terrified her.
When they reached the apartment he grabbed her by the arm and walked her inside the building, his gaze seeming to go in all directions at the same time.
“Why don’t you go and take a shower and change clothes,” he said. “Then we’ll head to that restaurant and see if anyone there can identify you.”
The idea of leaving the safety of the apartment terrified her, but she knew she couldn’t just stay here and hope that her memories might magically return. Maybe being in the familiar surroundings of the restaurant would jog something loose.
She brought the shopping bags into the bedroom where she’d spent the night, then carried the clean clothes and the other items into the bathroom for a quick shower.
As she stood beneath the hot spray of water she thought of the moments when the men had grabbed her. She’d been so stunned that she’d been unable to think, and had reacted only by fighting back. She’d kicked and punched to get away, but they’d seemed determined to get her into the back of the van.
Why? Who were those men?
Don’t let them find you!
The words thundered in her brain and she leaned against the porcelain wall as wave after wave of fear swept through her.
Were those men the “them” that her brain had screamed a warning about? What did they want with her? Who was she? The questions pounded her as the hot water pelted her skin.
What kind of trouble was she in?
When she was finished showering, she dressed in the new clothes, the maternity jeans feeling crisp and clean against her skin and the blue blouse fitting her perfectly. She found Loretta’s blow-dryer beneath the sink and dried her hair, then brushed her teeth and pronounced herself ready for what the rest of the day might bring.
She found Lucas seated at the kitchen table, doodling on a piece of paper. He looked up as she entered, and for an instant she saw the flash of something dark, something hot in his eyes.
She might not know her own name, but she knew desire when she saw it. It stunned her and at the same time sent a shock wave of excitement through her.
There was no question that she was attracted to him, that his lean, dark good looks made her heart beat just a tiny bit faster. But she’d attempted to shove away those crazy feelings. She was carrying somebody’s baby, and for all she knew she was in a happy, committed relationship with another man.
“You look nice,” he said.
She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I look pregnant,” she replied, as if somehow reminding herself and him of that fact.
A corner of his mouth curled up in a smile. “You can look pregnant and nice at the same time.”
“Thank you,” she said, aware of the flush that warmed her cheeks.
She sat at the table across from him. “What are you doing?”
“Unfortunately I didn’t get a good look at the two men who were trying to grab you, and I didn’t get the license plate of the van, but I did notice a sign in the back window.”
“A sign? What did it say?”
“It didn’t say anything. It was a symbol of some kind. I tried to draw it to see if maybe you’d seen it before.” He shoved a piece of paper to her.
She stared down at what he’d drawn—a triangle with what looked like the all-seeing eye in the center. The sight of it shot a cold, stark terror through her. She gasped and pushed it back across the table to him.
He leaned forward and covered her hand with his. “Do you recognize it? What is it, Jane? What does it mean?”
“I don’t know.” She felt ill, as if the cold November air had brought icy snow into her veins. “All I know is that seeing it makes me feel sick. It makes me so afraid.”
She turned her hand over and twined her fingers with his, needing the warmth of his hand to banish some of the chill. “What does it mean, Lucas? My God, what was going on in my life before I lost my memories?”
“I don’t know. But those men definitely had something in mind for you.” The throb of that muscle was back in his jaw.
Reluctantly Jane pulled her hand away from his. Her heart thudded anxiously as she looked at the man who had taken her in. “Lucas, maybe you should just drop me off at a shelter or something.” The words came reluctantly and with a thunderous pounding in her head. “I don’t know what kind of danger I might bring to you and Loretta.”
His eyes narrowed. “Danger has never scared me.” He leaned back in the chair. “There’s no way anyone can tie you to me. I’m not concerned about danger finding you here. And there’s no way in hell I’m going to drop you off anywhere until we know what’s going on. I don’t think those men intended to take you someplace for a nice hot cup of tea.”
A river of gratitude washed over her. It would have been so easy for him to abdicate all responsibility for her and toss her to the proverbial wolves.
She cradled her stomach as the baby moved inside her. “Junior is restless,” she said.
“Maybe he’s hungry.” Lucas pushed back from the table and stood. “Come on, let’s check out that Italian restaurant. Maybe over bread sticks we’ll learn your real name.”
They put their coats back on, then left Loretta’s apartment. “We need to stop by my place before leaving,” he said.
When they reached his door he unlocked it and gestured her inside. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and disappeared down the hallway while Jane looked around the living room with interest.
It somehow didn’t surprise her that his living conditions were spartan and as impersonal as a motel room. He’d been completely at ease in Loretta’s apartment. She had a feeling he spent most of his free time there.
There was only one photo in the room and it sat on top of the television in a silver frame. She walked over and picked it up. It was a picture of him and Loretta sitting on a park bench. He looked to be around fifteen and she was nine or ten. She leaned into him, smiling up at him as if he were the greatest thing since sliced bread, but his smile looked slightly forced.
She set the photo down as he returned to the living room. “You and Loretta have always been close?”
“It’s always been her and me against the world,” he replied.
“What about your parents? Are they still alive?”
“No, they’re both dead. But even when they were alive, Loretta and I only had each other.”
She wanted to ask him more about the dark shadow that had danced over his eyes when he’d mentioned his parents. But his terse tone and frown forbade her from asking anything else.
They left his apartment and walked back out into the cold, wintry air. She got into his passenger seat and watched as he walked around the front of the car to the driver side.
As he moved, his coat blew open to reveal that he now wore a holster with a gun. Jane’s mouth went dry. She’d known she was in trouble when those men had tried to grab her, but the sight of that gun suddenly shot it all home.
He