Page 28 of Green Beret Bodyguard

Lola wrapped her arms around her legs, still sitting on the floor. "Can you tell me what you remembered?"

Was she afraid to sit next to him on the bed? He patted the tousled sheets beside him. "Come off the floor. I promise I'll keep the towel on."

She rolled her eyes and landed on the bed...a foot away from him. "So what did you recall?"

"Prospero is the name of a covert ops team. I was the leader of that team and came up with the name."

"Did you remember actual scenes, see faces, places?"

"I heard voices. Voices and names--Riley and Buzz."

"This is great." She bounced on the mattress, which brought her a little closer to him. "Anything else?"

"Not much. Sounds like Riley was a Navy SEAL and Buzz flies airplanes. There was another voice, but I didn't hear the third name."

"That's it. I'm taking you to see my friend the psychiatrist. You can't sit around waiting for some beastly headache to overcome you to recover your memories. Will you go?"

"As long as he's discreet. I don't know what any of this means yet, Lola. Don't forget, the U.S. government has labeled me persona non grata. I want to know why before I step into the light."

Lola's smile wilted and she clasped her hands between her knees. "I need to tell you something, Jack. I wasn't sure if I should tell you. I wasn't sure of you, until I saw you in the shower."

His brows shot up. "You weren't sure of me? You didn't trust me?"

"I found out something while you were sleeping."

"Something about me?"

Lola nodded and Jack's gut coiled into a knot. Did he have a wife and ten kids stashed away somewhere?

The knuckles of her clenched hands turned white. "I called a friend in the CIA."

Hot blood pounded in his veins and propelled him to his feet. She didn't trust him? Looked like he was the one who should've been more careful. "You ratted me out? How much time do I have?"

"Oh, no, no." Her hands fluttered and her face became as white as her knuckles. "I didn't report you or anything like that. I'd met an agent on a kidnapping case. I called him directly and he gave me his word he wouldn't tell anyone I was asking about you."

"And you believed him?" Jack fisted his hands. Would he have to worry about the CIA coming after him now?

"I do believe him, Jack. Besides, anyone in the know would realize I'm the sister of the man you were sent to rescue. It would make sense for me to call about you, but I really don't think Nate's going make a stink."

Jack prowled to the window and hunched over as he wedged his hand on the sill. "What did this friend tell you?"

"He said you're a traitor."

THE MUSCLES ALONG JACK'S BACK tensed and hardened. He didn't turn, and Lola couldn't see his face, which his long, black hair obscured.

He hated her--hated her for the betrayal and the mistrust. That mistrust had evaporated when she'd found him debilitated in the shower. Nobody could fake that agony.

"I don't believe it, Jack."

He turned slowly and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms across his sculpted chest. His dark eyes turned black...and cold. "But you did believe it until you saw me in the shower."

She rose from the bed, trailing her hand along the bedspread as she approached him at the window. "I--I wasn't sure. After all, what do I really know about you? You broke into my car and held me at gunpoint."

Jack dug his fingers into his damp hair, clutching his head on either side. The towel around his waist slipped lower on his narrow hips.

That had been a low blow, but she wanted to appeal to his common sense, make him see her position.

"When I witnessed your torment in the shower, I knew you'd been telling the truth. But even before that, I knew in my gut you were no traitor." She thumped her chest with a clenched hand. "I knew here, Jack."

He dropped his hands, shaking his head. The ends of his hair skimmed his broad shoulders, flinging drops of water onto his chest. "You're right to be wary, Lola. God knows what I am or who I am."

"I know, Jack. You're an honorable man trapped in a nightmare." She stretched a slightly trembling hand out to him. "And I'm going to do everything in my power to help you."

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