Maybe.
Either way, since she’d tossed her phone several counties to the south, she wasn’t calling anybody. So she kept her eyes shut and breathed deep, using the exercises one of her many doctors had taught her. Soon, she drifted into sleep, her body relaxing completely and her mind going dark.
Until light flashed in, jolting her system and flooding her with energy. She slept deeper, turning on her side.
The night came into focus, and she stood in her kitchen in Denver, cookies cooling on the rack and photographs spread across the island. The smells of chocolate and something different, something metallic, filled her nostrils.
Almost in slow motion, she turned to see red dripping down the cupboards. Red against white, a spectacular combination. Where was her camera?
Pain flashed in her head, and glass cut into her back when she rolled over shards, somehow on the floor all of a sudden. Fight. She had to fight. More red dripped down. Was that her blood? Her vision clouded, and she hit back, fighting with everything she had. Blows rained down, one after another, and a voice tried to cut through the pain.
The pain was excruciating, and blood dripped into her ears, partially deafening her.
“You need to stop fighting.” The voice was garbled and angry. She didn’t recognize it. The hands hitting her were strong and bigger than hers. “Just stop. We must go.”
Go? She wasn’t going anywhere. She punched up hard and screamed, her body arching with the effort of her lungs.
He punched her square in the mouth, and she went silent, the hazy room swirling around and darkness trying to take her down. She blinked several times, and saw purplish red eyes. She screamed again, and another punch took her into nothingness.
She gasped and sat up in the bed, her muscles tightening with panic. Coughing, she pressed her hand against her diaphragm, her heartbeat galloping dangerously, her ears ringing. Okay. She was safe. It was just a dream.
Or was it?
Shit. Was it a memory or just a nightmare after the fight with the Kurjans the other night? If it was a memory, they’d found her before she’d even known about immortals.
She shuddered, chilled from head to toe.
Closing her eyes, she breathed deep to calm herself. Was that just a dream? She truly didn’t know. If the Kurjans had found her seven years ago, how had she survived an attack all by herself?
God, she hated not remembering what had happened.
The land line beside the bed rang, and she jumped, yelping. She swung toward the phone, her body trembling. Only two people knew she was in this motel. Still, her hand shook when she answered, and she lowered her voice in a lame attempt to disguise it. “Hello?”
“Oh, shoot. I woke you up. I’m sorry,” Bobbi said, her voice cheerful despite the early hour. “Rosy wakes up early, and sometimes I forget the rest of the world might want sleep and that dawn isn’t a normal time to call. I gave sleep up two years ago.” She laughed.
Grace relaxed, although her heart still beat so hard her chest ached. “I’m up. Had a weird nightmare, but I’m thinking that’s probably a good thing.”
“About the night you were attacked?” The baby giggled in the background.
“Yeah. Well, maybe. It’s pretty fuzzy.” Grace pushed hair away from her face.
There was a muffled sound and then Bobbi came back on. “Sorry about that. Rose wanted down. You probably don’t remember this about me, but I’m a planner. I came up with a list last night of everywhere you and I used to hang out, and then I made Brian do the same. He’s young. He can sleep when we’re in our fifties.”
Apparently Grace had made good friends before disappearing. “So the three of us didn’t do a lot together? I mean, you have different lists?”
Bobbi was quiet for a moment. “Well, yeah. It’s kind of weird, but Bri and I met through you. We didn’t really know each other until you disappeared, and well, this is awkward. You’re being really cool about it, though.”
Considering she didn’t remember either one of them, it was easy to be cool. “That was seven years ago.” Anticipation rippled through her, although she’d need to be mindful of surveillance. Cameras were everywhere. “What’s this great plan you’ve come up with?”
Bobbi laughed. “You used to say that before. That I had great plans, and you said it with just a hint of humor, just like that. I’ve missed you.”
The words meant something. Grace bit her lip. If she was in danger, everyone she brought into her world would also be in danger. She’d take this day, this one day, and try to rediscover her life. If she failed, she’d move on before any harm could come to the little family that she’d helped to bring together. “I wish I remembered.”
“You will. The plan is for you to grab lattes on the way here, and then we’ll go step by step. My sister is coming to babysit Rose, so we’ll have all day. Don’t worry. By the end of it, you’ll surely remember something, right?” Bobbi asked.
“Yeah.” If not, Grace would leave. The feeling of time counting down weighed on her, and not just because of her illness. If Adare knew she was gone, he’d be hunting.
Hopefully he had no clue.
