Conroy opened the rear door. “This way.”
Neither Toni nor Jeff asked if this was really necessary. Jeff knew exactly why this was necessary. After all, he knew who she was.
Something he didn’t plan on telling her.
She stomped out of the car and kept going. Until someone snagged her sleeve. “Whoa.” She ignored him and pulled her arm away.
After the night she’d had? Someone better explain, and soon, or she was going to completely lose it. Fighting the urge to just explode and start yelling at everyone was hard, and she was so exhausted from that mega-crying jag in the woods, she had no reserves to draw from.
“Toni.”
She spun around. “What?”
Conroy’s lips actually twitched. As if there was anything funny about this. He pointed to the side. “It’s this way.”
“A woman is dead.” Two women, if she wanted to get technical.
She’d had a terrorizing man on top of her. Breathing his threat in her face.
Jeff said, “One sec.”
“Don’t be long.” Conroy moved out of earshot, but like he was protecting them, staying where he could see the scope of the room.
He’d driven them into a warehouse using a garage door he’d had a code for. A very long, complex code.
The inside looked like storage—and one of those places where they taught civilians how to breach a room. But those were fake. She had a sneaking suspicion this was definitely not fake. Was it the domain of this mysterious Zander? She wasn’t sure how to ask that without sounding like an idiot.
“Hey.”
She blinked back tears.
Jeff touched her cheek. “What is it?”
She wanted to grasp onto him again. But it was precisely because she’d done so before that she couldn’t now.
“Let’s get inside so we can talk.”
She figured that was a good idea, even if she didn’t know what this place was or why she was here. With Jeff. Her life was intertwined with his on yet another level. The address. His sister. This Zander guy. She could hardly keep it all straight.
He held out his hand. She stared for a moment, wondering if this was some sort of test. Or an offer she needed to accept.
Considering he hadn’t shoved her away when she’d been all over him having her emotional breakdown, she figured she could probably go with him. At the worst, he felt bad so he was indulging her fragility. At best, he actually wanted to be around her.
Either way, he would be there.
She took his hand, and Conroy ushered them into an elevator. Toni looked at Jeff.
He said, “I’ve never been here before. Though, I knew Zander had a warehouse.”
He’d already told her about the team of private security contractors working all over the world. “And he owns a bunker in Last Chance?”
Conroy nodded. “This whole thing is a little above my security clearance. However, he’s told me enough about the threat that I know what to watch for. I’ll have regular drive-bys of my officers happening on the street, and there’s a kid who lives in the house next door. That’s where Zander and his buddies live. When they’re here. He’s not really a kid, but we all call him that. He’s a computer genius, and the whole place is wired with extensive security. No one will get within a mile of the house without him knowing about it.”
“What Conroy’s saying is, you’ll be safe here.” Jeff shifted closer, but didn’t touch her as the elevator doors opened. “There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Considering I have no idea what I’m supposed to be worried about, that’s not going to be too difficult.”
Conroy said, “Come on. I’ll show you around, even though I’ve never been here either.”
Past the elevator doors wasn’t much space. It was essentially a studio apartment. In one corner was a set of bunk beds at right angles with another set so that it slept four, though there was seating in the living area for many more than that with the huge sectional couch. It made her want to flop down and close her eyes.
The kitchen in one corner was basic but seemed fully stocked. There was even an electric kettle. Jeff headed straight for it and filled it at the sink, which made her wonder if he already knew they had instant coffee here.
“The bathroom is through there.” Conroy waved at the single door.
“Is this safe?” She spoke aloud her most prominent thought. “If someone gets in and comes down the elevator, there’s nowhere to go. Right?”
“There’s a trapdoor in the shower. Behind the tiles. Enough space for one person to hide until help shows up.”
She turned to Jeff. “We’re supposed to choose which one of us lives, and which one dies?”
He shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”
She stared at him as the implication of his words dawned. He would die, and she would live. “An hour ago, I thought I was a murderer who’d disposed of a body in the woods.”
“Now we know you’re not.”
Conroy said, “I’ll keep you posted on the investigation. There’s a secure connection through the TV where you can video conference. And Ted said he can get you hooked up with Zander, but Z has to get to a secure location they’ve set up. He’ll ping you guys if, or when, that’s going to happen.”
Jeff held out his hand and Conroy shook it. “We appreciate it.”
Conroy said, “It’s weird, thinking you were dead the last couple of years. But it’s really good to see you, Jeff.”
“You, too.” They clasped hands a little longer than she would have. “It’s been a long time, but it’s nice to finally be seen.”
Toni imagined it would be that much harder if he had to go back to his solitary life after this.
Conroy said, “You’ll be good?”
Jeff nodded. “We will.”
“Toni? Are you good with this?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Conroy’s expression softened. “I’ll make sure this is as quick and painless as possible.”
“Great.”
“This guy is dangerous and desperate right now. But he’s also losing his grip. He’ll make a mistake, and we’ll catch him.” He squeezed her shoulder on the way out. “And you’ll be safe from any and all other threats in the meantime.”
As soon as the elevator doors closed, she turned to Jeff. “He seems like a good guy.”
Jeff said nothing.
“I thought he was there to arrest me.”
“Because you thought you were the kind of person to kill a woman and drag her body up a mountain.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“I was in the shower. You didn’t wait around and ask me about what you’d remembered. You just rushed halfway across town so we had to chase you, and the killer caught up to you. He could’ve killed you before I got there.”
Yep. He was mad.
“I didn’t want to tell you! I thought I was a murderer!”
He ignored her outburst. “And now we know you’re not.”
“I’m not a horrible person. Great.” She lifted her hands and let them fall back to her sides.
The electric kettle beeped, steam pouring from the spout at the top. The drink he brought her looked different than the last tea he’d made her. She took it, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Try it.” He looked pleased with himself.
Toni studied him while she sipped. Milky. Slightly sugary. Tea. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” She groaned and took another sip. Too much. It was warm enough it burned her tongue, but she didn’t care.
She moved to the couch and toed off her shoes before she lifted her feet onto the seat, her legs curled up in front of her. She took another sip and sighed. “Why is this so good?”
Jeff had a mug of his own and sat on the opposite corner with his body angled toward hers. “You’re welcome.” He held the mug on his knee. “I understand why you ran out. I do. I just don’t think I’m ever going to be okay with it.”
“I don’t know you.”
Hurt flashed across his face.
“I may trust you, but you are still mostly a stranger.”
He nodded. “It’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t. I can tell by your expression. Look, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings.”
“You’ve been on your own a long time. Going solo is instinctive.”
“That’s true, I think.” Of course, he knew for certain. But she had to discover these things for herself, and not ask him for confirmation every time she had an idea about who she was. “This is weird. You know who I am, but I don’t.”
“Being here gives us the time for you to remember. It’s safe.”
“But you can’t tell me what the threat is, because I should remember it myself?” She wasn’t willing to back down. “Only, you’re here too. So are you under the same threat? Because that would mean we’re connected more than just these past few days. Our histories are intertwined.” She took a breath. “It’s why I was looking for your sister, right?”
“When you remember, I dearly want to know why you were doing that.” The hurt was still there in his expression.
“And then I decided to put Kristine’s body in the same spot.”
Jeff looked at his mug. “Conroy is going to refocus the K9 officer and his dog to that area. See if they can find her. If she’s even still there.”
“Did I think they’d find Kristine when they were out looking for Annabelle?”
He shrugged.
“All because I didn’t want my face posted anywhere, and I couldn’t be part of the investigation to find the killer.” She shivered again, remembering that man and his weight on her. His breath on her face.
She still felt as though she was covered in dirt. Jeff wasn’t much cleaner. Both of them had been put through the wringer tonight, adding to the bumps and bruises—and other injuries—they already had. Her bandage was a mud-stained mess.
“Your need for anonymity isn’t far from mine. In reasoning and intensity.”
“Wow, that’s a great way to tell me absolutely nothing.”
“What do you want me to say? We’re more alike than you think, only that’s probably the last thing you want to hear. No one would want to know they can’t show their face anywhere they’ll be recognized. Or that they can’t get photographed and wind up posted on social media. I never go anywhere in daylight. Or I didn’t up until yesterday. It’s been two years, Toni. Two years.”
“But I had a job at the gym.”
“Paid under the table. No employment record, no paperwork, no photo ID. You rely on strangers to ensure your safety. Kristine. Ruby. They could blow your cover at any time.”
“But they would end up dead because of it.”
“And you’d be on the run again.”
“You think that’s dangerous.”
Jeff took a sip of his drink. “I can’t put anyone in danger like that.”
“Kristine’s death wasn’t my fault. I tried to do the right thing.” At least, that was what the note had said.
“No one can say which way is right. I made the only choice I can, and you can do whatever you want.”
“Not anymore. The choices I made led me here, and I don’t remember what they were. Not even if I wanted to try and learn from them so I can do better next time. If there even is a next time.” She didn’t want to contemplate her reaction to thinking she was a murderer, but had to face it. “Every time I learn something new, it scares me. Why am I a coward? It’s my life. I survived it.”
“You’re not alone.” He set his mug aside and reached over to cover her hand with his. “No matter what, you aren’t going to be alone in this.”