Hide My Memories: A Romantic Suspense Thriller Series (Hide Me Series Book 1) (12 page)

Bent over, laying on the seat, glass grinding into his jeans, West threw the truck into drive and stepped awkwardly on the gas pedal. The truck lurched forward, and he began to swing it around. The sound of bullets hitting metal assaulted his ears again.
Please don't let him hit the gas tank.
The truck lurched suddenly sideways, and West knew immediately that one of their tires had blown. No matter. He didn't care about the tire and rim. He would drive until it caught on fire, if he had to.

Finally turned around, he floored the gas pedal and felt the truck try to respond. The truck rocked again and West wondered if he had lost another tire. They lurched forward and West heard the meaty sound of metal parting metal on the side of the truck move, then decrease into a faint pinging at the back of the truck. Daring only to lift his head an inch above the dash - just high enough to see with one eye - he steered them back onto the dirt road and felt the truck gain traction, spitting dirt and rocks behind them as they quickly sped up.

“You OK?” West yelled to Katerina.

“Yeah, I think so. Can I get up yet?” she answered shakily.

“Not yet. Soon. Let’s be sure to be out of the reach of that gun or rifle or whatever it was. I think some of them can fire almost a mile.”

Katerina peeked up at him and West was relieved to see she looked unhurt. He couldn’t believe they had both gotten out of that unscathed. For now. West’s mind churned. Katerina was in more danger than he had thought. And now, because of him, this killer knew who she was. West grimaced and swore to himself that he would protect her. He had gotten her into this. He would have to keep her safe. No matter what the cost.

Katerina held on tightly as the truck bounced over the dirt road. The sounds of bullets hitting metal had stopped. She watched as West spun the steering wheel hard to the right. He lifted his head and looked behind them. She tentatively crawled up onto the seat and peeked out the back window. They had turned onto the main road and the dirt road where all the shooting had happened was quickly disappearing behind them. The formerly quiet truck was making a horrible thunking and flapping sound.

Taking her cue from West, she turned around on the seat and put her seatbelt on. She sat totally still and tried to process what had just happened. She’d been shot at.
Someone was trying to kill her.
 

Her mind felt dead and wooden. She should be freaking out, but instead she could barely hold onto a thought. The muscles in her neck and shoulders felt tight and rigid, like they would snap. She tried to relax but instead she started shaking until every muscle in her body convulsed uncontrollably, and even her teeth chattered.

West reached over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it too hard and she winced. She looked down and examined herself for blood. She couldn't believe that neither one of them had been shot.

The shaking of her muscles finally subsided and Katerina tried to gather her thoughts. Now that the danger had passed, they needed a plan.

"What is that noise?" she asked.

"We have a flat tire." West said. "Maybe two."

"Should we stop and change it?"

"No way." West shook his head. "We have no idea who this guy is. What happens if we pull over on the side of the road and change our tire, and someone stops to help us – and then he pulls a gun and shoots us both in the head?"

Katerina winced at the imagery, but she knew West was right. Her mind started to play horrible scenario after horrible scenario. She had been right this morning when she had been scared to leave her apartment. A determined person could lie in wait for her anywhere, and pick her off as she got out of her car to go to work, or the grocery store, or even as she got out of the ambulance to go to a call.

West squeezed her hand again. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I promise."

Katerina bit back her response. A dozen thoughts fell through her brain.
No it's not. How do you know? That's not possible. It's never going to be okay again.

She willed herself to calm down and try to think of something a little more positive to say. "So what do we do now? Go to the police?”

West pulled his hand back to the steering wheel and struggled with the big truck. Driving seemed to be becoming more difficult. "Yeah, but not here. I say we just drive and try to make it back to your place. Then we can call Blaise."

Katerina looked out the window. They were coming close to the border between Westwood Harbor and Tetam County, but she didn't see how they were going to make it all the way to her apartment on one or two flat tires. Even now, the thunking sound was getting louder. Katerina prayed they would at least make it out of Tetam County.

***

“Blaise is not answering,” West said, dropping his phone, irritation in his voice.

Katerina looked around nervously. They had made it out of Tetam County without being pulled over, but in only ten minutes they had been forced to pull into this gas station. People on the street had kept flashing their lights and honking their horns and even pulling in front of them, trying to tell them about the flat tires they already knew they had.

"We could call a tow truck." West said.

Katerina felt fear spike through her. She knew she was being ridiculous, but what if the tow truck driver was the guy who was after them? Or what if he were listening to the CB radio for tow truck dispatches. Did people even do that anymore?

"I'll try my friend Jordan," she said.

Katerina picked up her phone and flipped through the text messages. Jordan had been messaging her for days, but she had forgotten to ever send her that innocuous message. There'd been too much going on. Katerina groaned. Jordan's latest message made it clear that she had read about Katerina in the newspaper. In trying to protect Jordan, all she had done was worry her. She sent back a quick message.

I'm so sorry Jordan. Things have been crazy. I'm in a lot of trouble. Can you come pick me up and take me home?

Jordan texted back almost immediately.
Of course, where are you?

Katerina texted the address of the gas station to Jordan, then told West, "She'll be here in ten minutes."

When Jordan arrived, Katerina hurried over to talk to her, while West stayed at his truck and pulled out things that he would need.

"Oh my God, Katerina, that's the guy from the bar," Jordan said.

Katerina shook her head. "Did I seriously not message you since then?"

Jordan pinched her on the arm. "No you didn't! I have been going out of my mind. I kept wanting to go to your house, but you are always at work when I get done with work and you are always asleep in the mornings before I go."

Katerina gave her a hug and apologized, then climbed in the passenger seat. "Okay, let me tell you everything that's been going on. You're not going to believe any of it, but try."

As Katerina spoke, Jordan's eyes got wider and wider. When Katerina told her that they had just been shot at, Jordan grabbed her by the shirt and shook her slightly, then pulled her in close and hugged her - hard.

"Oh my God, you could've died!"

Katerina laughed. "Don't I know it." She watched West do a final walk around his truck and then start towards them. "It looks like West is done. Can you take us to my apartment?"

“Jordan’s taxi service at your … uh, service, Ma’am. But I’m sticking around once we get there. You can invite me for dinner. I haven’t seen you all week.”

Katerina shook her head and smiled. She knew what Jordan really wanted now. To find out what was up with her and West. She leaned over and whispered, “We haven’t done anything. He’s my boss.”

Jordan watched West walk towards them. “Your boss, huh? I bet you can’t wait to get under him every day…”

Katerina stifled a giggle and elbowed Jordan in the ribs. She felt a bit of the horror of the last hour lift off of her. Jordan always brought smiles and laughter into her life.

West opened the back door to Jordan’s car and climbed inside. Katerina quickly introduced them.

"Nice to meet you, Jordan. Thanks for coming to get us."

“Nice to meet you too,” Jordan said. “And you’re welcome.” She raised her eyebrows and mouthed something West couldn’t see. Katerina couldn’t tell what it was either, but she was sure it was something inappropriate. She shot Jordan a warning glance.

"I invited Jordan to stay for dinner," Katerina said to West, her mind suddenly spinning with the realization that West might not want to stick around. Her being psychic hadn't scared him off, and finding dead bodies hadn't scared him off, but her being shot at had to finally do it, right?

Instead West grinned, his two dimples putting in an appearance. "Great! I think we have enough meat left for taco salad."

Katerina gave him a grateful smile. Apparently he wasn't scared off after all.

West's phone beeped as Jordan pulled out of the gas station. He looked at it, typed a few words in and then looked back up at Katerina.

"Blaise has news for us. Maybe I can invite him over too?"

Katerina nodded. "What kind of news?"

"He didn't say. But it sounds like it's about the case." He typed on his phone. "He says he'll meet us there in twenty minutes."

***

"So who is Blaise?" Jordan asked, gunning her tiny car through a yellow light.

Katerina laughed, forgetting for a second that she was in the grip of her own pathetic murder mystery where she was the next one slated to be murdered. "Blaise is West’s best friend, and you are really going to like ..." Katerina trailed off. Jordan probably
was
going to like Blaise. He was exactly her type. First, he was a cop, second he had the tall, dark, and handsome routine completely down, and third, he was quiet, mature, and hard-working. For a second, she wondered why she had never tried to get Blaise and Jordan together. Then sanity reasserted itself.
Oh that's right, duh, I've just been busy dealing with being suddenly psychic and trying not to get killed.

Jordan poked her. "I'm really going to like what?" Katerina grinned and mimed zipping her lips shut. "You'll see."

Jordan eyed her appraisingly. "You been holding out on me Kat? Keeping the two best friends for yourself?"

Katerina gasped and shot Jordan another warning look.
West can hear you
, she tried to telegraph with her eyes, adding daggers at the end.

Jordan giggled and made a show of concentrating on her driving.

Katerina felt herself blush and wondered if Jordan was going to be like this all night. If she was, Katerina might have to kick her out. She really didn't want to contemplate the potential romantic side of her relationship with West right now. She knew he had to be thinking that she was more trouble than she was worth. If he still wanted to be with her or date her in any way, it would be a miracle.

They made it to Katerina's apartment without anymore salacious remarks by Jordan. As they were walking up the outside stairs, Katerina remembered something. "West, don't you have a cat?"

"I do, but I asked Mrs. Lowell to feed her. That's my neighbor. She has two cats of her own and Nina likes to go see her. She always feeds Nina for me when I go on vacation or am at a wildfire or doing something that keeps me overnight."

Jordan made a skeptical face at the word overnight and Katerina hoped she wouldn't say anything. Jordan didn't know about West’s wife and Katerina didn't want Jordan to offend him.

When they got inside West headed straight for the kitchen, saying he was going to start the meal. Katerina pulled Jordan into the bedroom and filled her in. "Just don't say anything tasteless or anything that could remind him of his wife or hurt his feelings, okay?"

Jordan nodded. "I didn't know. I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

Katerina nodded, hoping it would be good enough. Sometimes Jordan's mouth was quicker than her brain.

Out in the living room, Katerina heard a knock on the front door and heard West answer it, then two male voices.

"Is this the mysterious Blaise?" Jordan asked.

"Let's go see.”

In the living room, West and Blaise were talking intensely. Blaise was still in his police uniform, gun belt and all. Katerina could almost hear Jordan drooling.

West noticed them and let Katerina and Blaise say hi and then he introduced Blaise to Jordan. Blaise smiled politely at Jordan but Katerina was immediately disappointed to see that he seemed to take no interest in her whatsoever. She wondered if Blaise was involved with someone, or maybe he was just all business while at work.

"I’m on my dinner break," Blaise said. "I actually was hoping to talk to the two of you alone. The reports have come in on the first two bodies And there’s some things that I think you need to know. The detective in charge of the case has cleared me to tell you about them, but no one else.” He looked pointedly at Jordan. Jordan seemed flustered and embarrassed and Katerina felt bad for her friend.

"Jordan isn’t going to say anything," she said to Blaise. "And besides, whatever you tell me, I'm just going to tell her anyway. Can't you just pretend she's not here?"

Blaise nodded. "Fair enough."

"You have to let us feed you, Blaise," West said. "Just give me five minutes and we’ll be ready to eat."

West retreated into the kitchen and Katerina followed him, hoping maybe Blaise and Jordan would get some time to talk. Katerina chopped the lettuce and onions while West checked his ground beef and gathered the condiments. Katerina cocked an ear to the living room, but she didn't hear any talking. Then Blaise strolled in, alone.

They brought dinner to the table and Katerina called in Jordan so they could all sit down to eat.

“Smells heavenly,” Jordan told West. He smiled at her and offered her the first pass at the food.

Blaise assembled his first taco, took a bite, and then pulled out his notebook. He glanced over a few of his notes and then looked at Katerina. "This is definitely a serial killer we are dealing with. There was almost no evidence on either body, but traces of the same paralytic were found in both women."

Katerina leaned forward, her own food forgotten. "A paralytic?" Visions of a needle rippled through her mind.

"Yes, a paralytic that no one can identify. The Medical Examiner says it most closely resembles something called Saxitoxin, which is a chemical found in shellfish. He’s got his assistant trying to identify it now.”

"He synthesized it himself," Katerina breathed, her mind suddenly filled with new images and connections that hadn’t been there a moment ago.