Christmas Amnesia

“Thanks.” She stood, then reached out to grab his arm. “Whoa. The room spins when I move too fast.”

A flash of guilt assaulted him. Was he causing more harm than good by taking her out of here? Maybe he’d be better off asking for her to spend the night at the hospital so he could sit at her bedside, keeping an eye on her.

Then his eyes fell on the discarded mop. A tall man with thinning hair stood beside the mop, arguing with a middle-aged lady. There was still no sign of the man with the tanned skin, and the hairs on the back of his neck lifted in alarm.

No way did he believe the guy who’d been looming over Maddy was a hospital employee.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Noah asked. “I can probably convince Dr. Hawkins to admit you upstairs.”

Maddy looked puzzled. “Who?”

“The red-haired doctor.”

“You know her?” Maddy asked.

It was on the tip of his tongue to explain how she knew Dr. Hawkins, too, but he decided that would only make her feel bad. “Yeah, she’s married to a cop, a deputy from the sheriff’s department.”

“Oh, I see. No, I don’t want to stay here. I’d rather go home.” She frowned. “I must not have a purse or a phone, huh?”

“Unfortunately not. It appears the mugger took them.” He bent over to grab her long coat off the chair. “Here, let me help you with this.”

“Thank you.” Maddy slid her arms into the sleeves as he held the coat for her. “Your mother must have taught you manners.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t bother to elaborate since his mother had died a long time ago, and what was left of his family was scattered all over the globe. He and his siblings weren’t at all close. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his older brother. Three years? Four? Rose’s death six months after losing their mother to cancer had torn their family apart and, like the famous nursery rhyme, there hadn’t been a way to put the pieces back together again.

He knew the Callahan clan was a tight-knit family and he wondered again why Matt hadn’t returned his call. Should he start calling her other brothers? The only problem was that he didn’t know their numbers and obviously Maddy couldn’t help. Right now, she didn’t realize she had five brothers—Marc, Miles, Mitch, Mike and Matt—every one of them older than her.

Wrapping his arm around Maddy’s waist, he matched her slower pace as they made their way out of the emergency room. She stopped, looked surprised to see the Christmas tree in the lobby of the ER, as if she hadn’t known the holiday was near. When they were outside, he gestured to a squad car in the small parking lot across the street. “That’s our ride.”

“Okay.”

She ducked her head against the cold wind, walking alongside him down the sidewalk toward the parking lot. As they reached the road, a car came out of nowhere, heading straight toward them.

“Look out!” Noah grabbed Maddy around the waist and leaped out of the way, landing in a snowbank on the other side of the road. The car came close enough to clip the back of his legs, then careened from view.

Noah stared at the retreating taillights, knowing that he wasn’t imagining things. This was the second, maybe even the third, attempt on Maddy’s life—if you considered that the tanned guy who’d been in Maddy’s room wasn’t a hospital employee—all in the span of a few hours.

All these incidents were related, he was convinced, to the upcoming trial of Alexander Pietro. And the thought of Maddy being in danger, not to mention having lost her memory, gave him a desperate sense of urgency.

Right now, he was the only one who could keep her safe.

TWO

“Are you okay?” The cop—she searched her memory; Noah?—helped her upright, brushing snow off her pants and coat.

“I don’t understand. What’s going on?” In the second she thought the car would hit her, she’d found herself praying for safety. Was that something she did on a regular basis? Must be, and for some reason, knowing that slight bit of information, that she believed in God and prayed often, helped calm her frayed nerves.

Thankfully Noah had reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, or she was sure she’d have ended up back in the ER with worse injuries. The hammering in her skull was bad enough, and it hadn’t lessened one iota.

“You’re in danger,” Noah said in a grim tone. He put his arm around her waist, urging her toward the squad car. “I need to get you someplace safe.”

“Why?” She braced herself with a hand on the squad car when he released her long enough to open the passenger-side door. “You think the mugging and this close call are somehow related?”

“Yes. I’ll explain once we’re somewhere safe,” he said, his voice clipped.

She gingerly slid into the passenger seat. Noah shut the door, then came around to climb in behind the wheel. She latched the seat belt, then rested her head back against the cushion and closed her eyes, swallowing hard against the increased pain.

Noah didn’t break the silence, and she felt the car moving down the street. It wasn’t until he took several turns, heading away from the hospital, that she opened her eyes and grabbed his arm, seized by a sense of panic. “Wait! I—I don’t know where I live.”

He flashed a reassuring smile, gently covering her hand with his for a long moment before letting go. “Don’t worry, I do. You share a condo with a woman by the name of Gretchen Herald; she’s a flight attendant for Airstream Airlines.”

It seemed so wrong that this cop, this man, knew more about her than she did. Ignoring the pain in her head, she continued pressing him for information. “Tell me more, specifically why I’m in danger.”

“Okay.” His smile faded, his expression turning serious. “Maddy, you’re an attorney, working in the DA’s office.”

His statement should have brought forth a flood of memories, but didn’t. She stared at him, feeling stupid and not at all like a lawyer. “I am?”

“Yes. You have a big trial starting next week. A man by the name of Alexander Pietro is facing serious felony charges related to drug trafficking and gun running. Thanks to your impressive track record of winning guilty verdicts, you’re the lead prosecutor on his case.”

She stared at Noah’s profile, straining to remember. Did the name Alexander Pietro sound familiar? Yes, it did, but she couldn’t picture what he looked like. Was she remembering him from the case? Or because of something she’d heard about in the news?

Why couldn’t she remember?

The deep sense of urgency returned with a vengeance. There was something important she needed to do. But what? The pain in her head intensified as she struggled to push past the haze in her mind.

“Don’t, Maddy,” Noah said in a low voice, reaching over to take her hand in his. “I don’t think you should try so hard. Dr. Hawkins mentioned you need to rest, and relax. She believes your memory will return on its own.”

“But when?” She couldn’t help feeling as if she were standing on the precipice of a cliff, where one strong breeze would blow her over. “If what you’re saying is right, that I’m working on a case, then I don’t have time to wait around to see if my memory returns. I need to get back to work. Or call my boss, whoever that is, so he or she can assign someone else to the case.” Then another thought hit her. “How do you know so much about this Alexander guy, anyway? Especially my involvement in the case?”

“I helped bring him down,” Noah said, his tone matter-of-fact. He pulled up in front of a large brick building, gesturing to it. “I don’t know if your roommate is home or not. Since your purse is gone, I’m assuming you don’t have your keys.”

Instinctively, she patted her coat pockets, surprised when she felt the distinct bulge. “I do have keys,” she said, pulling them out of her right-hand pocket with a frown. “That’s odd. I wonder why they weren’t in my purse. Isn’t that where I usually carry them?”

“I don’t know, but right now I’m glad they weren’t.” Noah took them from her fingers. “That makes things easier for us, especially if your roommate isn’t home.”

She stared at the building, searching for something, anything that looked familiar. There were a few Christmas decorations in some of the windows, but overall, the place looked impersonal, as if it could contain anything from offices to apartments, no different than any other building they’d passed along the way. Of course, it wasn’t easy to see clearly in the darkness. She couldn’t imagine living there, yet Noah had no reason to lie to her, either. Was she crazy to trust him, just because he knew her and her brother?

Who else could she trust?

“Are you ready?” he asked.

She ignored the sense of dread. “Of course.”

“Give me a minute,” Noah said. She couldn’t help but be impressed when he came around to open her door. Why was she so impressed with Noah? Was it possible the men she dated didn’t have these kinds of manners? “Here, take my hand.”

“Thank you.” His hand was warm and strong around hers, and she was struck again by how handsome he was. It was inappropriate to focus on something like that, considering she didn’t remember her own name, but still, she couldn’t deny she was grateful for his strong, reassuring presence.

The inside of the building was very modern and nicely decorated, but didn’t look at all familiar. Noah pushed the button on the elevator, and the doors instantly slid open. There were six floors and apparently she lived right in the middle on the third level.

She followed Noah down the hall to room 304. There weren’t many doors, indicating the dwellings were spacious in size rather than piled one on top of the other.

“Stay here,” he said, using her key to access the condo. He pushed open the door and flipped on the lights, looking around before gesturing for her to come inside.

She crossed the threshold, hoping, praying that the holes in her memory would begin to fill in enough to create a picture she could latch on to. But while the inside of the condo was nice and neat, it still didn’t seem familiar. And worse, it didn’t instill a sense of home.

There was a tiny Christmas tree in the corner, but it wasn’t lit up. A detail that also seemed wrong, somehow.

“You’re sure this is where I live?”

“You and Gretchen,” Noah said. “Although I’m assuming that since the doors to both bedrooms are open, Gretchen must be traveling. If I remember correctly when I helped you guys move in, you have the room on the right, Gretchen’s is on the left.”

Swallowing a pang of disappointment, she walked around the living room, searching for what? She had no idea. There was a laptop case on the counter, so she crossed over and peeked inside. The computer didn’t look familiar, but then again, why would it? Nothing personal about a machine. There was a paper file folder inside labeled Pietro. Hmm, that was interesting. Something to review in more detail later.

She turned away, searching for something personal. She headed toward the bedroom off to the right, thinking that she probably had family photographs since Noah had mentioned a brother. She’d only taken two steps when the soft dinging sound of the elevator door reached her ears.

“Wait,” Noah said in a hushed tone, plastering himself up against the wall near the door, quickly twisting the dead bolt into place and shutting off the lights. “Get down.”

When she saw the gun in his hand, Madison ducked behind the kitchen counter, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. He doused the lights, and for several long minutes they waited, the silence thick and oppressing.

The door handle rattled as someone tried to gain entry. Maddy found herself holding her breath, wondering if this was her roommate returning home from a late flight. But then she quickly dismissed the idea, knowing a roommate would simply use her key, the same way she and Noah had.

Another rattle of the doorknob caused the tiny hairs on the back of her neck to rise. Someone was trying to access the apartment.

To get to her?

More jiggling noises—what could the person in the hallway be doing? Picking the lock? She wished she could see Noah’s face.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the noise stopped. She didn’t move, waiting for some sort of signal from Noah.

The minutes passed slowly. When her leg muscles began to cramp from crouching, Noah came over to stand beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?” he whispered.

No, she wasn’t all right. She couldn’t remember anything about her past, her job, her life—plus someone had tried to hurt her not just once, but twice. She swallowed hard and pushed past the wave of anxiety. “Yes.”

“We can’t stay here,” Noah continued in a hushed voice. “Whoever was out there might come back, or worse, hide someplace nearby to watch the place. I need to take you far away from here, someplace no one will know to look for you.”

Her condo wasn’t safe. The idea was terrifying, but then again, everything seemed surreal, as if this was happening to someone else, not her. Was that because she couldn’t remember her past?

“Okay,” she agreed, because really, what else could she say? She wasn’t in a position to argue. She had no idea where to go or who to turn to for help.

Only Noah Sinclair, her buoy in a rough sea.

“Is that your computer case?” Noah asked.

“I think so. There’s a file labeled Pietro inside. Although it’s odd that it would be here when I was supposedly working late. Wouldn’t I carry my computer with me?”

“I don’t know. You could have been doing prep work with a witness. Regardless, let’s take it with us,” Noah said, releasing her to snag the strap of the case off the counter. He swung it over his shoulder, then reached for her hand. The moonlight shining in through the windows provided enough illumination for her to see his dark frame now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. “Come on, we’ll need to take the back staircase down to the first floor.”

She wanted to ask how he knew about the back staircase, then realized he’d mentioned helping her move in. Ironic that he knew more about the place she lived in than she did. In fact, it was clear Noah knew everything about her, which once again made her wonder about their relationship. Were they friends? Something more? Had they dated at one point? Sneaking another glance at his handsome profile, she thought that if he’d asked her out, she’d have said yes.

Then again, maybe she already had a boyfriend. There were no rings on her fingers, which made her feel slightly better about being attracted to Noah.

Enough. Stay on track, she admonished herself. Her headache must be making her loopy. There were more serious issues facing her right now than wondering about her personal relationships or lack thereof. “Can I pack a suitcase?”

“No time. We need to get out of here right away.” His hand tightened around hers.

“Okay.” She closed her eyes for a moment, sending up a prayer for safety, before following Noah to the door. He cracked it open, peering in the hallway to make sure the coast was clear.

“Let’s go.” He slid through the opening, using his broad shoulders as a shield in front of her as they made their way to the exit sign at the end of the hallway.

The stairwell was brightly lit, causing her to screen her eyes with her hand, wincing at the pain ricocheting through her skull. She followed Noah down the stairs, trying to mimic his soft, stealthy movements.

The way he paused at each floor, opening the doorway and looking down the hallway as if searching for anything out of place, caused her muscles to knot with tension. What if the door-handle rattler came back and found them?

She trusted in Noah’s ability to protect them, but the thought of him putting his life on the line bothered her.

And as they made their way to ground level, Maddy couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever feel safe again.

* * *

The stark fear in Maddy’s blue eyes made Noah grit his teeth against a surge of anger. This wasn’t right. Maddy was a lawyer doing her job; she didn’t deserve to be stalked by Pietro’s goons.

Yeah, there was the remote possibility that it was someone else who held a grudge against the assistant district attorney. Maddy had assisted in putting other criminals away. Rumor had it she was one of the up-and-coming ADAs with an impressive conviction rate. Yet the timing of the assault against her was suspicious. Noah firmly believed that Alexander Pietro was the mastermind behind these recent attempts on Maddy’s life.

Pietro had the most to lose. Maddy was the ADA standing in the way of his ability to beat the charges against him. The idea that Pietro might actually succeed in getting away with his crimes was unbearable.

For a second, his younger sister Rose’s face flashed in Noah’s mind. He remembered the way he’d last seen her—pale and lifeless, lying on the floor of her bathroom, with a needle and syringe still embedded in her skinny arm.

Dead from a heroin overdose.

Then there had been Gina, the girlfriend he’d broken up with because of her relentless partying. She’d later died from alcohol poisoning.

He stopped so abruptly that Maddy bumped into him from behind. He automatically reached out to steady her. “Sorry.”

“What’s wrong?”

The way she gazed up at him, as if she actually cared about how he was feeling, made him cringe. He felt like a fraud. If Maddy’s memory was intact, there’s no way she’d be here with him right now. In fact, she’d likely demand Noah stay far away from her.

But she didn’t have her memory and the danger surrounding her was all too real. He told himself to focus on the immediate threat. They were on the ground floor and unfortunately, he had left his squad car on the street directly in front of the building.

Smart, Sinclair. If the guy inside the apartment building was the same one who tried to run her over, he knows you’re here. Idiot!

Too late to do anything about that decision now. He eased the door leading outside open a bit, looking out to be sure that no one was waiting there for them.

He didn’t see anyone, but hesitated, unwilling to make another mistake, especially with another Callahan’s life hanging in the balance.

If anything happened to Maddy, her twin brother, Matt, would never forgive him.

Noah wouldn’t be able to forgive himself, either.

“What are we waiting for?” Maddy whispered.

Good question. Was he overreacting? Maybe the person outside Maddy’s door wasn’t trying to hurt her at all, but simply had the wrong apartment.

Then again, that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. He could call for backup, too, but he didn’t like the idea of anyone with a police scanner knowing where they were. For all he knew, the guys working for Pietro could be listening in. “Stay behind me. I need to be sure that the coast is clear before we return to the squad car.”

He could feel Maddy’s fingers grabbing on to his belt and her simple trust had him deepening his resolve to protect her no matter what. “Whatever you say,” she whispered.

The icy wind greeted him as he pushed the door open. Moving outside, he stayed close to the wall, grateful they were both wearing dark clothing that would help them blend into the night. He swept his gaze over the area, seeing nothing out of place as Maddy let the door close softly behind her.

They were on the south side of the building, and the street where he’d left his squad car was in the front facing west, so he edged closer to the back side of the building.

There was a narrow alley there, the darkness impenetrable. Noah considered their options. They could circle the building, making sure it was clear before making a run for the squad car. Or they could leave the car, making their way on foot until they could flag a taxi or car service for a ride.

He’d rather have his own set of wheels. While taxi and service drivers needed to pass criminal background checks, he knew the checks weren’t foolproof. Decision made, he crept through the narrow alley between buildings until he reached the north side of the condo.

Peeking around the corner, he still didn’t see anything out of place. Feeling better, he made his way up to the street where he’d left his vehicle.

“Ready?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at Maddy.

“Yes.”

“Here’s the plan. I want you to stay behind me. I’ll protect you until you’re safely inside the car.”

“I don’t think—” she began, but he shook his head.

“Not open for discussion. I’m wearing a vest beneath my uniform.”

“Fine.” She didn’t look happy but kept her hand on his belt. “Let’s go.”

Noah held his weapon ready as he cleared the corner of the building. The squad car wasn’t as far away as he’d anticipated, so it didn’t take long to reach the passenger door. Yanking it open, he swept his gaze over the area as Maddy ducked into the passenger seat. He shut the door, then quickly jogged around to the driver side.

He jammed his gun into the holster and then cranked the key, bringing the engine roaring to life. Pulling away from the curb, he made a quick right-hand turn and headed east toward the lakefront.

“We made it,” Maddy said softly.

He didn’t say anything, keeping a keen eye on the rearview mirror for a possible tail. The hour was approaching one thirty in the morning and he was grateful traffic was light this time on a Monday night.

“Thank you, Noah.”

He wanted to tell Maddy not to thank him, that if she knew who he was and how many people he’d let down, she’d never thank him for anything ever again, but he held back. For one thing, her memory loss was hardly her fault. And for another, it was easier to keep her safe when she was cooperating with him.

Headlights flashed behind him, the high beams blindingly bright. He was on Lake Drive now, following the shoreline of Lake Michigan, when the headlights grew closer and impossibly brighter.

“Who is that?” Maddy asked, grabbing for the door handle as Noah took the curve faster than the speed limit recommended.

“Hang on,” he warned, pressing the accelerator.

There was a loud bang as the car behind them rammed into the back of his squad car. Noah wrestled with the steering wheel, straining to keep the car on the road.

He reached for his radio to call for backup when the car rear-ended them again.

This time, his police cruiser skidded sideways off the road, heading straight for the icy waters of Lake Michigan.

He hit the brakes, but the car didn’t slow down. He tried again, desperate to avoid the freezing cold lake. If they went under, they’d surely die.

THREE

“No!” Maddy screamed as Noah yanked on the steering wheel, doing his best to keep the car from going into the water. They spun, but then hit something hard, bringing the vehicle to a stop.

She was thankful Noah had gotten things under control, but then the vehicle abruptly tipped backward, the rear tires dropping over the edge of the embankment lining the shore. There was a hiss as something hot, maybe the muffler, sizzled, the back end of the car sliding into the freezing cold water.

She fumbled with her seat belt, the car teetering precariously on the ledge. She knew that if she and Noah ended up in the lake, they risked severe hypothermia and possible death.

“Maddy!” Noah must have already unlatched his seat belt, reaching over to help her. “Hurry! We have to get out of here.”

“I know.” The hood of the car was raised up at an angle, the back end submerged. She gasped in alarm as the car slid backward another inch. No doubt the trunk was filling with water, and she had no idea how much longer they had before the rest of the vehicle would sink silently beneath the inky surface.

Hurry! Hurry!

The restraint fell free and Noah grabbed the computer case that was nestled between her feet. He looped the case over his shoulder, accidentally knocking the police radio off his collar in the process. Using both hands, he pushed open the driver-side door, then reached down to grab the radio before jumping out of the car.