Page 12 of Montana Freedom

It was quiet with everyone gone. Pulling one of the chairs from the kitchen table, I sat on it heavily. She was so still. Breathing, but no other signs of life. And she was pale. When I checked her pulse, it was better.

I thought about Noah’s smile, and I looked at her. She was beautiful. Younger than I remembered, but beautiful even in this state.

But even if that were in the cards for me, this wasn’t the time to think about it. If—when—she woke up, we didn’t know what we’d find or who she’d be. All I knew was the world had offered me a second chance to protect this woman, and I was going to giveeverythingI had to do it.

Chapter5

Emma

I’d had this dream before. Coming out of the cage and feeling his hand on mine.

“You’re okay.” His voice echoed in my head. “We’ve got you.”

Kind, dark eyes and a concerned smile. I wanted to curl up in that smile and the sound of his voice. This was where the dream usually shifted. He pulled away, just like he had that night. Handed me off to a man with a vest and a gun to take me to the ambulance.

But this time, he didn’t let go. I tripped over my own feet, and he caught me. “Can you hear me?”

I could hear him. Voice warm like butter and the gentle sun of a spring afternoon. It bathed me in gentle heat. But the heat didn’t stop, and it was too much.

There were other words, but I was dizzy. This dream no longer made any sense. Where was I? Where were we? Why did everything hurt, and why could I hear my pulse in my ears?

I didn’t know—I just wanted it all to stop.

It was forever and not long at all before I suddenly felt awake. Not fully, but I was in my body. This wasn’t a dream, andman,that hurt. I was still so hot I was sweating.

I was at the grocery store, and I’d been going to the car…

My eyes flew open, and I was in a dim room, andhewas sitting there. The man from my dream was sitting in a chair, looking at his phone. He was literally three feet away from me, and I didn’t know what to do. Where was I, and how the hell did I get here?

Did I misjudge him completely and I was captive once again? My mind felt fuzzy. “Where am I?”

He startled, looking up and realizing I was awake. I shrank back instinctually. Even now, sudden movements made me jumpy. “Why am I here?” My words came out in a voice that wasn’t fully focused.

There was an IV in my arm, and my stomach dropped. What were they doing to me? The logical part of my brain told me this was helping. I’d collapsed in the parking lot, and he’d somehow found me there. But the logical side of my brain wasn’t the one driving.

He held out his hands like he was surrendering. “It’s good to see you awake. My name is Daniel. What’s your name?”

Why did my heart sink at those words? I knew who he was, of course. You never forgot the face of the person who saved your life. But he didn’t know who I was. There was no recognition in the face I was looking at now.

Okay. This was a good thing. If he didn’t know who I was, he wouldn’t be worried about Simon or the rest of them. And the selfish part of me didn’t want him to know that side of me.

This could also be an opportunity to find out what he knew about Simon. I had no idea if he knew anything, but on the off chance he did and it could help me solve the mess of a puzzle back at the cabin…? I would take the chance.

“Can you tell me your name?” he asked again, and I loved the tone of his voice. It was soft, gentle, and felt like safety. But I couldn’t tell him anything.

“I—” I swallowed. Everything was still hazy. Pain throbbed in my side and in my head, and I was covered with a blanket. No wonder I was sweating. “I don’t know.”

I tried to sit, and the blanket slipped down, revealing the fact that my shirt was gone. I was in my pants and bra. “What? Why?”

Daniel held out a hand. “The doctor was here to see you, and she needed to reach your wound. That’s the only part of you we touched. I promise.”

I looked around too quickly. This didn’t look like what I thought a hospital room should look like, but this far out in the country, maybe it was different. “Is this a hospital? I’m not in a hospital, right?”

“No,” he said quickly. “You made it very clear you didn’t want to go. Nearly jumped out of my arms and straight onto the asphalt. You don’t remember your name?”

Shaking my head immediately made me dizzy and hurt. The room spun. “Whoa. Dizzy. Wow.” I let the question about my name pass by.

“So you don’t remember what happened to you?”

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