Page 95 of Lethal Threat
I was Jane Doe and I almost died in the bay.
A fresh sob tears from me as I bite my knuckle. It’s too much. I can’t take this.
Bryan. And Cole. Anger flashes in my head. Cole Strong came for me after my accident. I remember, with crystal clarity, the day he picked me up to take me home because someone had to help me.
Why did he think he had the right to sign for my release?
Sick anger washes over me. My lungs burn as my head pounds. My whole body is shaking with anger as I rise. It’s impossible to walk straight, so I swerve and sway on unsteady legs back to the kitchen.
Cole Strong.
I tear his flannel shirt off and throw it on the floor, sickened by the smell of him.
I can barely hold the temporary cell phone that Cole got me as I dial my brother’s number.
Thank god I can remember it.
The line doesn’t even ring. The recording picks up immediately.
My voice is quivering as I speak to his voicemail. “Bryan, call me.Call me!Something terrible happened.” I’m shaking all over as I cling to the edge of the counter and close my eyes.
Emotion chokes me. “I was with Evelyn and we were coming to look for you. She’d heard you were in a tent encampment on a small island. We took the boat there to talk with you, but someone chased us, and the boat sank. I got injured. I don’t know what happened to Evelyn. Please stay safe. I’m worried sick. Just call me as soon as you can.”
His girlfriend’s phone does the same. Not a single ring before voicemail picks up. “Evelyn, call me the second you can. I’m worried sick about you and Bryan. I was in the hospital, I’ve had amnesia since the boating accident. Please call me.”
I need to go.
But how can I get to Virginia?
Relief floods my body when I see my passport on the kitchen table. Thank god Cole took me to my apartment and we found it there. Inside the ID is my spare credit card, and fifty bucks in cash.
Now. The other problem.Should I call Cole?
I clench the phone as anger makes my vision waver. I can’t do this. How can I love him and hate him with every bit of my being?
Cole is the reason everything happened.
My rage fuels me. Gone is the nausea. I’m on fire inside. As I tear through the house, I argue with myself.
Dammit.
If Cole knows I’m leaving on my own free will, because I’m angry, he won’t come looking for me.
If he thinks I’m ill and I walk out, he’s going to hunt me down. That’s the last thing I want.
I have to call him.
Gritting my teeth, I dial the number he saved in the phone under his name. Nothing happens.
Come on.
I impatiently jab Send again. This time the voicemail picks up. His rumbly voice says, “Cole Strong here, leave a message.”
My eyes narrow. Just hearing his voice makes my skin tighten. “Cole. I’m leaving. I remembered everything.” My voice breaks with angry, hurt tears. “Look, I know you tried to help me, but I’m going to look for Bryan. Don’t bother looking for me. I don’t want to see you. I remember how we ended.”
The phone beeps, I pull it away from my face and look at the screen. The signal dropped.
Argh!
