Page 7 of Montana Memory

“Jensen and Kenzie are en route to the hospital,” Lucas said, arms crossed over his chest. “They’re both banged up pretty good. Jensen took a knife to the neck and shoulder, but Kenzie saved his ass. Knocked Alan out cold before he could finish the job.”

Daniel shook his head. “Damn. She’s tougher than she looks. Alan is tied up on the south side of the cabin. He isn’t going anywhere. The cops will be here soon to take him back where he belongs.”

Lucas scrubbed a hand down his face. “Two of Alan’s men are dead.”

My kills.

“Two more beaten unconscious,” Daniel added, glancing toward the door like he expected someone to walk in and confess. “Hunter did that.”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah. My cousin doesn’t pull his punches. I’m worried about him.”

Daniel didn’t argue. “We all are.”

I clenched my jaw. They thought this would weigh on me. That I’d regret it. But I never did. Dead enemies couldn’t come back to haunt you.

Daniel let out a breath. “Where is Hunter now?”

“I don’t know.” Lucas shook his head. “You know him. He doesn’t stay in one place for long. He did what we needed him to do, and now, who knows when we’ll see him again.”

“No home, no address, no roots,” Daniel murmured. “I don’t know how he lives like that.”

“He gets by. Takes jobs when he needs to. Stays off-grid. I’ve tried getting him to settle at the ranch, but he won’t.” Lucas sounded resigned, like he’d had this conversation before.

I knew how they saw me. A ghost. A shadow. And they weren’t wrong. I existed in the margins, slipping between places without leaving a mark. It was safer that way. No attachments.No expectations. No chance of losing something I couldn’t afford to lose again.

Lucas sighed. “We’ll take responsibility for the bodies when the cops get here. Given the circumstances, it won’t be a problem. That way, Hunter doesn’t have to be mentioned at all.”

Daniel nodded. “Good. Last thing we need is him being charged with fleeing the scene.”

I wasn’t worried about that. If it came down to it, I knew how to disappear permanently. But I appreciated that Lucas had my back. He always had, even when I didn’t make it easy. Because we were blood. Daniel didn’t know me nearly as well, so his willingness to stick up for me mattered even more.

“Our only loose end seems to be Jada. The car she drove here is still outside. No sign of her anywhere, though.” Lucas’s tone turned grim. “Kenzie said Alan beat the shit out of Jada, tasered her, and injected her with some kind of memory drug. She’s worried that Jada may have some permanent damage—if she’s out wandering these woods, it could be dangerous.”

Daniel stiffened. “Jesus. But honestly, I’m surprised Kenzie cares at all about what happens to Jada, given that the woman had been stalking her and kidnapped her.”

Lucas shrugged. “Evidently, Jada stopped Alan from killing Kenzie, and that changed her thinking. Kenzie says Jada’s not the villain here. She was manipulated and used.”

Silence stretched between them. I could almost hear the gears turning in Daniel’s head. He was a strategist, a man who liked to see the whole board before making a move. “And what about that memory-loss drug? So now Jada has no memories? None at all?”

Lucas nodded. “Apparently, nothing. That’s how it works. Kenzie said Alan injected Jada after he knocked her out cold. That’s when Kenzie ran. She didn’t stick around to see what happened when Jada woke up. Alan and his goons immediatelytook off after Kenzie. So, there’s no way to know what Jada did or didn’t know before she disappeared.”

This made so much sense now. Why Jada was so confused, didn’t know her own name. Hadn’t been able to answer any of the questions that thug had been asking her—because she legitimately hadn’t known the answers.

Daniel cursed under his breath. “Fuck. Permanent?”

“Kenzie thinks so.”

“Jesus. No wonder Kenzie is willing to let it go. Sounds like Jada will be paying a bigger price than Alan. Hell, I’d rather go to prison than lose every memory I’ve ever had.”

The distant wail of police sirens cut through the night, shattering the uneasy quiet. Time to go. I had to get back to that motel and figure out what the hell I was going to do with the woman I’d stashed inside.

I slipped away from the cabin’s perimeter, moving fast, my steps silent against the forest floor. No one saw me or even suspected I was there. Like Lucas and Daniel knew, I was a ghost.

And for me, Jada was the problem now. Not Alan. Not the bodies. Not the aftermath of what had gone down here tonight.

She wasn’t innocent. But neither was I. I should walk away, let the cops find her, let someone else deal with whatever mess she’d made before she’d forgotten who she was.

But somehow, I felt responsible for her. Protective. It wasn’t something I was used to, and it didn’t sit well in my system. It was like emotional indigestion.

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