Page 12 of Silos and Sabotage

Gage leaned forward on the bed, gripping the foot rail with both hands. Nobody was supposed to know that. Mick had sworn he would never tell anybody. Of the two people who knew what Gage had done that night, one was now dead and the identity of the other remained a mystery. All he knew was that the organ donor had met them at a private airstrip in Heart Lake. Mick had flown them from there to Corpus Christi.

Though it was obvious to Gage that Mick had known the woman, it was equally obvious that his friend had wanted to keep her name a secret. So had she. She’d worn one of those masquerade ball-type masks the whole time he’d been in the air with them.

Because he’d technically gone AWOL to perform such a last-minute favor for his friend, Gage had hightailed it to the bus station the moment the woman was in surgery. It was a decision he’d lived to regret. Since then, not a day had gone by that he didn’t ask himself if Mick would still be alive if he’d made a different decision. If he’d at least spent the rest of the night at the hospital.

“I never got to thank you for making sure my donor made it safely to Corpus Christi, whoever she is,” the lovely daughter of his beloved former company commander continued in the same lilting musical alto, “so I’m doing it now. What you did that night, well…it’s the only reason I’m still alive.” Her voice hitched with emotion. “And now you’ve done it again. According to the doctor, you saved my life today.”

He had to clear the lump of emotion from his throat before he could speak. “I’m just thankful I was there to lend a hand.” As the executor of Mick Lawton’s will, he would also be the one to distribute her inheritance. He’d almost given up hope that this day would ever come.

“So, you believe me?” The hope infusing Ella’s features nearly brought him to his knees.

“I do.” He cleared his throat again. “I figured it out before you woke up.” He straightened and tapped a finger against his right temple. “I saw your scars.”

Her eyes widened. “From the kidney transplant?”

“No.” He could understand her confusion, though. He probably wasn’t being very clear. “I was referring to the facelift you had, and um…” He ran a hand over his neck. “I’m guessing a chin tuck?”

“A chin tuck?” She gave a breathy expulsion of laughter. “Is that actually a thing?”

“You tell me.” He gestured at her with both hands, feeling awkward. “I’m no medical professional. Maybe the official name for the procedure is something else.”

She blinked at him. “The only procedure I know about is the kidney transplant I had a few days ago.” Her hands crept to her midsection. “I honestly can’t believe they took the bandages off so soon.”

“A few days ago?” He scowled in puzzlement at her. “More like five years ago!”

“Five years?” She squeaked out the words, palpating her belly with more fervor. “No! That’s not possible!” Whatever she felt beneath her fingertips, or didn’t feel, made her grow deathly pale. Her breathing disintegrated into short pants.

Feeling out of his element, Gage moved around the foot of her bed to sink back into the vinyl chair beside her. “Just breathe,” he commanded quietly.

“I’m trying,” she protested piteously. “It’ll help if you’ll tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m not sure.” It was possible she was experiencing some sort of amnesia related to the trauma of losing her father. Mick had been murdered in his daughter’s hospital room. According to the brief news release about it, the physician on duty claimed she’d been heavily sedated at the time. He further claimed it was unlikely she’d witnessed the horrific murder.

But what if she had?

“Just tell me what you’re thinking,” she pleaded.

“Okay.” Unsure how to proceed, he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I’m not sure how to say this.”

“Say it anyway.” Her voice shook.

“So, uh…your surgery took place five years ago.” There. He’d said it. “You’ve been missing ever since.”

“Missing?” Ella looked so confused that his heart ached for her. “For five years? Isn’t that an awfully long time for someone to be missing?” She didn’t look convinced, and he didn’t blame her. It was a lot to absorb.

“Yeah, it’s a long time.” He was still absorbing it himself. He’d been expecting her to share some wild tale of where she’d spent the last five years and the lengths she’d gone to remain in hiding. Instead, it appeared that the last five years of her life were a blank to her.

“Why don’t I remember it?” She looked two snaps away from passing out again. “Any of it?”

“I don’t know.” She looked so lost and forlorn that he moved from the chair to the side of her bed, perching gingerly on the edge of her mattress. “But I intend to find out.” Almost without thinking, he reached for her hand.

To his relief, she didn’t act like he’d done anything weird. She gripped his hand like a lifeline, blinking rapidly and looking like she was trying not to dissolve into tears.

He cradled her hand between his, massaging the pressure points with his thumbs.

She watched him dazedly. “Guess that’s why my dad told me to find you. He must’ve known you would help me.” The tears she’d been struggling to hold back came gushing out from beneath her lashes. They rolled in rivulets down her cheeks.

“When did he tell you that?” Gage continued pressing his thumbs against each pressure point, grateful that she hadn’t passed out on him again. He could handle tears. He just needed her eyes open so they could keep talking.

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