Page 51 of Lethal Threat

Finally he speaks. “When you are ready, we are going to find out what happened, and I’m going to kill whoever hurt you.”

I freeze as my breath screeches to a halt.

“Cole—”

He cuts me off. “Serious as fuck, Sierra. No one is getting away with this.”

A ripple of awareness shoots through me. Something dark unfurls in my mind, but I can’t tell what it is. “Do you think someone attacked me?”

The veins on his neck rise. His jaw hardens, but it’s the dark, cold glimmer in his eyes that makes me quickly swallow.

“I don’t think it was an accident.”

I whisper. “What then?”

“It’s winter, Sierra. I’ve never known you to go boatingon the bay when the weather is cold and windy. Too many things are not adding up.”

With each second of silence that follows, my body gets tighter and tighter. “What do you know?”

Instead of answering, he asks, “Have you remembered anything else?”

“No.”

His lips press together. I now recognize his body language. Stubborn has set in. “Cole, what else?”

“You’re a daring woman, Sierra, but you’re also smart. I know you have friends with boats, but I’ve only ever heard you talk about warm-weather leisure activities on the water.”

“What if I wasn’t boating?”

He shakes his head. “Fuck.”

Desperation has me reaching for his arm. “Cole. Please, tell me anything you know.”

For a long time he stares at me. His exhale is rough and long, but his eyes soften when he looks down at my hand.

“The area where they found you can’t be accessed by foot. You didn’t swim there.”

My blood starts to run cold. I shiver. My fingers reflexively tighten on his arm. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s a remote area. There’s no pedestrian access. The military police patrol the area because it’s near a base. But that’s all I know. There are too many unanswered questions. We’re not figuring this out right now. Not unless you remember something.”

I press my fingers to my forehead. “Maybe today I will. Maybe something will change.”

He straightens my night shirt and stands. “I’ll tend to those wounds after breakfast.”

After a beat, I recover, momentarily, at least. “I needsome coffee. Would you mind fixing some while I get dressed?”

I can’t look at him. Ducking into the bathroom, I close him out. And I lose my grip.

Tears burst out of me like a river. They stream down my face as I stare at a woman I barely recognize in the mirror.

Something is very wrong. Everything to be more specific. Everything is wrong.

Why would I have been on the bay and why is Cole holding back about our relationship?

AND last but definitely not least, he wants to do bodily harm to someone as retaliation for my injuries, when I can’t even remember him.

It’s half an hour later when I finally get my act together. Somewhat, at least. The rich scent of coffee greets me as I descend the stairs. As I approach the kitchen, the delicious aromas of bacon and eggs join to form a delicious medley. There’s a single place setting. A note with one word scrawled on it. “Eat.”