“There’s nothing. I just don’t want anyone deciding what I do or don’t do because of this threat.”
He chewed on the inside of his mouth as if he was fighting saying something. He cleared his expression. “Sorry. I should’ve asked.”
She sighed and shifted in her bed, the clean smell of bleach emanating from her sheets. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just being touchy. Not remembering things is awful. I have a tendency to control things, and this is out of my control. And I don’t much like this headache either. It’s all making me cranky so I want something I can control. Where I go from here is something I can decide on.”
“Hey, I get it. Trust me. Put me in your shoes and I’d be far more cranky.” He smiled.
She ignored the smile before she let it draw her further under his spell and thought about the transport instead. Deputy U.S. Marshals managed the witness-protection program, so they were experts at transporting vulnerable people.
She would be safe under Mack’s direction. “I suppose you’re going to run one of those crazy car drills where you have several of them leaving every which way at once so Razo doesn’t know which vehicle I’m in. You were always a master at that and loved, loved, loved running them.”
His mouth fell open, but she had no idea why.
She eyed him. “What’s so shocking?”
“You remembered something.”
“I did? I...” She rehashed what she’d just said and tried to recall a transport situation that he’d shared with her, but she came up blank. “It sounds like I did, except I can’t think of any particular incident. Still, I knew that about you, didn’t I? Maybe my memory’s starting to come back. I’ll have to ask the doctor about it tomorrow.”
“Sounds promising.” He looked so hopeful.
She hadn’t really thought about how difficult her inabilityto remember him had to be on him. She was too busy protecting her own emotions. That selfishness stopped now. She needed to be more sensitive to him. Not in a way that led her to fall in love with him, but in the way a fellow Christian might behave out of Christian love. She offered a quick prayer for him. For her memory. For their past and God’s will in their future.
Mack cleared his throat, maybe trying to gain her attention. She wasn’t going to share her thoughts, but she could tell him more about her doctor’s visit.
“Speaking of promising,” she said, putting them on a more neutral footing. “The doctor also suggested I try hypnosis. He said using relaxation coupled with a method called age regression might bring back those memories. He gave me the card for a doctor here for after I’m discharged, and I want to try it as soon as possible. I’m hoping the doctor will come to the safe house.”
“We’d have to be very careful about that.”
“I know, but if he won’t do a house call, I’ll have to find a way to return to the hospital.”
Mack nodded, but his grimace said he didn’t like it. “FYI, I’m not planning to use a car drill. Too many pedestrians around here. We’ll first do a drone flyover of the immediate area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Sean and Kiley will also run a detailed surveillance. Then we’ll bring in a linen delivery truck. I’ll ride with you in the back. Sean will drive. Kiley will ride shotgun.”
“Sounds like an adventure.” She smiled to reassure Mack that she was on board with his plan.
“The administrator has also agreed not to officially discharge you and leave the room under your name, so if anyone checks to see if you’re still here, they’ll be told you are.”
“What about the nurses? They’ll know I’ve left.”
“The administrator will inform them of the situation. Andwe’ll leave an agent at the door who will turn everyone else away.”
Addy gave the plan some thought. “It could work.”
“I’m confident it will.” Mack’s tone sounded convincing. “Our team will be paying for the room at full price, so the administrator has motivation to keep the sham going. She’ll make more money per day, and her staff won’t have to lift a finger. It’s a win-win situation.”
“Then she’ll likely do her best.” Addy considered the logistics. “And I’m good with it as long as it doesn’t screw up my insurance paperwork. I can’t even imagine how much my bill is going to be.”
“I’ll personally make sure it doesn’t.” His vehemence took her aback.
He planted his boots firmly on the floor again. “You’ll have to wear a delivery uniform in case you’re spotted on the loading dock. A wig too. Your hair color isn’t exactly subtle.”
“I can handle that.”
He looked down and stabbed his toe into the floor. “I was wondering if I could spend the night in your recliner.”
“Here?” She eyed him. “But why?”
“Cam’s report on Razo.” Mack clamped his mouth closed as if he didn’t want to say more, then gave his head a slight shake. “Guy’s implicated in the murder of twenty-five people.”
