Page 19 of Hard to Hold
“Thanks,” Lynx offered, getting to his feet.
“Keep your damn truck locked,” I ordered.
“Right.” He waved over his head as he disappeared down the hall.
Some days I loved my job.
With the office once again quiet, I pulled out my keyboard drawer and brought my computer to life. I typed in my password, then brought up my Internet browser.
Amy Smith. Texas.
I typed in the words and waited to see what the search would reveal. Just as I'd suspected, the list of people was vast.
Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the screen.
No one knew one single thing about the woman, which meant my search was pointless. I didn’t even know where she came from. If I had the name of a city, I would have a place to start. Unfortunately, the little bit of asking around I'd done today had resulted in zilch. The woman had managed to be in Embers Ridge for three months and keep every detail about herself under wraps.
I had an overwhelming desire to find out what the woman was running from. Maybe it was my protective nature that had piqued my curiosity, or possibly something else entirely. Whatever it was, I hated the fear I saw in her eyes, hated knowing that someone had put it there.
Shit, even the fact that she would be working for Wolfe made me feel significantly better. At least that way, I knew someone would be able to watch over her, keep her safe from whatever demons were haunting her.
“Hey, Sheriff? We’ve got a loose cow out on No Name Road.”
Locking my computer, I got to my feet and grabbed my hat and my keys.
Time to do some real work.
Chapter Four
Three days later
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Amy
Pain.
It was all-consuming, taking over my entire body. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. If I had to guess, I'd say everywhere.
God, please make it go away.
“Jane? Talk to me, hun. I need you to keep your eyes open.”
Jane? Who was Jane? Was that me?
I felt the lightest of touches against my hand, but even that hurt. I tried to flinch, but nothing happened. I couldn’t move.
“No, Jane. Don’t close your eyes. I need you to stay with me. You’re safe here.”
Safe?
Was there any such thing as safe? Did this woman honestly believe that?
“Jane, how old are you?”
Since the woman seemed to be talking to me, I assumed I was Jane.
How old was I? I didn’t even know. Nothing made sense.
