Chapter Eight

Lori turned toward Coop in time to see the tightness around his mouth, the way his hands fisted at his sides. She was a burden to him. The thought didn’t sit well. Plus, she was attracted to him. In jeans and warm jacket he didn’t look like a PI or a dog trainer. He looked…yummy—like an outdoorsman, a man determined to uncover her past no matter how impossible it seemed.

Her hand went to her chest when her heartbeat accelerated. What was wrong with her? She was attracted to this man, but knew she shouldn’t be. Her heart wouldn’t settle down. All but running inside and to her room, she ignored Shorty’s call to dinner.

Was she married? Engaged? There were no rings on her fingers. Was she in love with a man she couldn’t remember?

No way. She didn’t feel in love—didn’t feel married. What she did feel was a huge attraction to the man who had saved her life.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she put her head in her hands, shaking it back and forth as tears leaked between her fingers. Her memory had to come back. Her life was on hold. She couldn’t make plans for a future, couldn’t be attracted to the man who made her feel special. Couldn’t do anything but sit and wait.

She was in so much trouble. There was no way she would complicate her life further. Taking a deep breath, she went to take a shower. Coop was just too damned good-looking. That must be it. There was nothing personal there, just female appreciation of a good-looking, hard-bodied man.

She was still telling herself that when she finished her shower and stepped back into her room. There was a soft knock on the door and Shorty walked in carrying a tray. “You look tired. As much as you like the dogs, I don’t think you should be working with them this soon.”

Lori felt tearful again. Shorty was way too nice. So was Coop. What would they think if she turned out to be a criminal? Something wasn’t right about her situation. It didn’t feel right, nor did it sit right. If she had been kidnapped or carjacked, it would be all over the news, but there was nothing. Which made her think the worst.

“You should eat something. Coop told me you worked hard tonight. If you’re going to work you have to eat.” Shorty put the tray on the bedside table.

The food smelled wonderful. “Thank you, Shorty. You’re too good to me.” This time, she couldn’t hold back the tears.

Shorty was there in an instant to put her arms around her and pat her back. “It’s going to be all right. You’ll see. Just give it time.”

Lori pulled a tissue out of a box on the table and wiped her eyes. “I’m feeling sorry for myself. I’ll hate myself later.” She tried to smile, but didn’t think she was very successful. “I’m grateful to be alive and here with people as nice as you and your sons.”

“Have you met Matt?”

“Not yet.”

“You’ll like him. All the boys are different. Which, of course, makes sense, but Matt is the stoic one. He’s dependable and loyal to the extreme. All the boys can be trusted in an emergency, but having Matt there calms them down.”

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

“You will. Saturday at the party.”

Party? How in the world could she attend a party? Just the thought of pretending to have fun made her nervous. She realized with sudden clarity that her life before now had been anything but fun.

“Eat before the food gets cold.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Doesn’t matter, you’re going to eat. Otherwise you’ll never get back to normal.”

Lori wanted to laugh. Did she want to get back to normal? She had no idea what normal was. Unfortunately, she had a strong feeling that being Lori was much better than whoever she once was.

Knowing Shorty wouldn’t give up until she ate, she picked up a fork and took a bite. “This is scrumptious. Chicken bits and gravy with mashed potatoes and a salad. I call this comfort food.”

Shorty smiled. “I added a piece of your cake. If not, I’m afraid Coop might eat the rest.”

“I could have come to the table.”

“You need to rest. Eat. I’ll be back later for the tray.”

Lori’s gaze followed Shorty’s petite figure as she hurried out of the room. She really liked this woman.

All of a sudden, she was hungry. By the time Shorty returned for the tray, the food was gone. Including the cake.

****

Coop had no idea why Lori had run into the house and disappeared in her room. He didn’t think he’d said anything to upset her. But she was holed up in there as if she was too frightened to come out. Maybe she was. If he had lost his memory, he’d be insane. He gave Lori credit for keeping it together.

He waylaid Shorty as she came out of Lori’s room with a tray of empty dishes. At least she’d eaten. “Is she all right? One minute we were having a normal conversation, the next she ran in here, and to her room. What’s up?”

He took the tray from Shorty as they went to the kitchen. “Sit and eat, Coop. The girl is frightened and confused. You would be, too. She just needs time.”

“I get that.” Was there anything he could do to ease her pain? He fought the urge to go to Lori’s room and hold her until her fear disappeared. He sank into a chair at the table. “This is the damnedest thing. We haven’t been able to find a missing person report on her. It’s as if she doesn’t exist.” Except she did, and in his guest room was the most intriguing woman he’d ever met. He wanted to know everything about her, but knew nothing except what he’d learned since he’d found her.

He had to admit he liked what he did know. Her soft East Texas accent, her perfect body, the way she volunteered to help with the dogs, how eager she was to do a good job, plus, she baked like a goddess.

What was not to like?

Funny, that arrogant country-club look was fading. Every day she seemed more approachable.

Not knowing her past was a big issue; the fact that no one had reported her missing was a bigger one.

How could he find who she was and who had shot her with nothing to go on?

It was as difficult as Christie’s case where he couldn’t find the Wong sisters nor find a clue to lead him to who had kidnapped the child.

Coop felt a headache coming on. “I’m going to my office, Shorty. See you tomorrow.”

“You didn’t eat half your food.”

“Not that hungry.” But he took the slice of cake and a cup of coffee with him as he went to his office and shut the door.

He had turned one of the bedrooms into an office/exercise room. On one side were his desk, computer, a file cabinet, and a large corkboard where he pinned photos of his current case. On the other side, a treadmill, weights, a bench, and a large ball. After downing the cake and coffee, he spent the next thirty minutes with the weights, another thirty on the treadmill. The sparse equipment came in handy when he didn’t have time to get to Matt’s to exercise.

From a small refrigerator in the corner he pulled out a bottle of water before he sat at his desk.

He was contemplating Christie’s case when there was a soft knock on the door. It was probably Shorty with more food. But when he said to come in, he was surprised to see Lori.

She’d changed into Shorty’s T-shirt; thrown his oversized shirt over it, and had on those too short—too tight sweat pants. She looked fabulous.

“Shorty said you were in here and it would be all right to knock.”

“It’s fine. He stood to pull up a folding chair. “Have a seat and tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I couldn’t sleep until I apologized for running to my room with no explanation.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I want you to know how much I appreciate what you and Shorty are doing for me. I don’t know if I would be alive if you hadn’t rescued me. For that I’m grateful.”

He leaned closer, inhaling the clean smell of soap and fruity shampoo. This woman moved him in ways that frightened him more than the crazies he’d encountered in Afghanistan. “I’m glad I was there.”

“Why were you? It was raining, not a good day for fishing. So what brought you to that place at that time?”

He sat back and relaxed, finding he wanted to talk to her about the case that had him stumped. “It was clear skies and sunshine when I left the homestead. I went there to think. The two lots on the lake belonged to my grandfather. He took my dad there to fish. Later, when my parents were killed, he took me. It was our special place. When Dirk came along, he came as well. He loved it, too. Still does. We don’t have time to fish anymore. Our time is taken up with our PI firm and the training, but I go there on occasion to think.

“That’s why I was there Sunday.” He turned to the corkboard. “The case I’m working now involves the daughter of a SEAL buddy who was kidnapped and went missing for three days. She showed up one day on a sidewalk not too far from the East Side Mall in Houston.” He got up to show the photos and Lori came to stand beside him.

He liked having her there. Then he told her Christie’s story; told her about Anie at Bill’s. “I can’t find the Wong sisters. So far, they’re my only clue.”

“What a sad story. Christie’s parents must be frantic. How is she now? Will she be all right?”

“Her parents believe she will. They have a stronger faith than I. According to the doctors, Christie could come out of the coma at any time or never.”

“They must be devastated.”

“They are, but they’re holding it in and hoping for the best.”

He pointed. “These are photos of the sisters from the surveillance camera.”

She examined all of the photos closely. “You’ll find them. I know you will.”

“My other brother Matt, who is with the FBI, suggested Christie could have been snatched by those running a child sex-slavery operation in Houston.”

She hissed out a breath. “I hope that’s not true.”

“So do I. I can’t imagine how a person could be so low. These are children taken from good homes and put in a horrible situation they’re too young and inexperienced to get away from. If that was Christie’s experience, she’s to be commended for breaking free. We won’t know until she wakes up.”

“You’ll find the answers.”

They sat back down. “I’m not so sure. It’s been more than two weeks and we have nothing.”

“Is this an unusual case? Do you solve others faster?”

He chuckled. “Mostly we do. If it’s a divorce or cheating spouse case, we have names, photos, times, and places to check. We’re in and out in a short time. This one has me stymied.” He paused. “Dirk’s case is as frustrating as mine.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

Coop found it easy talking to Lori. Strange. He’d never told anyone other than the crew at the firm, and Matt of course, about a case. Ever. Though he had mentioned to Shorty that one of his SEAL buddies had hired him to find the person who had kidnapped his daughter.

“Missing husband. The cops aren’t being very cooperative. Dirk says they’re not seriously looking for him. He couldn’t say no when the wife called for help. That was over a week ago and he still can’t find him.”

Her turquoise eyes widened. “Could the man be dead?”

“It’s a possibility. But no one has found a body.”

She pondered the statement for a moment. “They wouldn’t have found mine, at least not at first, if I had ended up in the lake.” She shivered.

Coop wanted to take her in his arms. Crazy. “But you didn’t. You’re alive, doing well, and will recover your memory. Until then, you’re perfectly safe.”

“For which I thank you. Again.”

She smiled and his heart turned over. He stood. It was time she went back to her room. If his feelings continued to grow, she wouldn’t be safe with him.

Lori came to her feet and went to the door. His throat went dry. Shorty’s clothes on Lori were intoxicating.

“Thanks for telling me about your cases. In a crazy way it helps to know I’m not the only one with serious problems.”

“Good night, Lori.”

“You, too. And good luck.”

When the door shut softly behind her, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

For the next three days they fell into a routine. Lori was up and ready to exercise the dogs every morning and evening. Each day she came up with something luscious from the oven. Finding that Dirk’s sweet tooth exceeded everyone else’s, she always made enough for him and sat his on a bench by his back door.

Dirk was delighted. The previous day, while eating apple dumplings Lori had brought him, there had been a look of pure pleasure on his face. “I think I’m in love.”

Instead of laughing, as he normally would, Coop had frowned. The sensation that swept through him was one he’d never felt before. He didn’t know where it came from, but found his fists clenched. Dirk was known for his love-em and leave-em history with women. Coop wouldn’t have Lori hurt.

Later, he realized how foolish he’d been. Dirk loved anything with sugar, so it was natural he’d love anyone who made such delicious treats. Coop had seen him kiss Shorty on the cheek hundreds of times for doing that very thing. It was Dirk’s normal behavior. But for a short while there, Coop had felt something alien.

And didn’t like it.

During those three days there had been no break in either his or Dirk’s case.

And no missing person report showed up on Lori.

Matt had come through and put a tap on Bill’s phone at the restaurant, but the sisters never called. Coop had hired extra men to put eyes on Anie 24/7 to no avail. He was beyond frustrated. The case was at a standstill.

Dirk wasn’t doing any better. Since he and Carrie weren’t getting anywhere pounding the streets, they added two more operatives. No one had seen the missing husband. Dirk was close to pulling the plug.

Their foot soldiers were good. All were retired military. Some were in their thirties, others older. All were good at their jobs and all needed the extra money.

Bills were piling up. The few divorce cases Marshall and Buster were taking care of didn’t bring in enough to cover expenses.

Both Dirk and Coop had stopped taking paychecks.

At this point, there was no way he could bill Christie’s parents for the amount of money they were spending. Surveillance costs alone were staggering. Coop had no idea the financial situation with Dirk’s clients. But his case had mounting expenses as well.

Something had to give.

Soon.

Today was Saturday. The team was gathered in the office with coffee and kolaches, doing their best to come up with a plan that would give them a break.

“I promise the meeting will be short.” Coop looked around the table. Dirk looked tired, as did everyone else. They were working hard and getting nowhere.

“Has anyone come up with a missing person report on Lori?”

“None,” Buster said. “I called my guy at HPD on the QT and found they didn’t have one either.”

No more than he expected.

“Carrie, let’s start with you. Any luck?” Coop knew the question was unnecessary, as she would have shouted out any new information if she had any.

Carrie shook her head. Her long, red hair swung back and forth as she glared. “Not a damned thing. It’s as if the sisters have disappeared. Maybe Matt’s right—they’ve left Houston for a safer area.” She paused. “And taken Allen Harper with them.”

There were a few chuckles.

Matt had told them from the beginning that the Wong sisters were long gone, and they’d never find them.

Coop disagreed. “They’re here. I’ll bet on it. Finding Anie only confirms my conviction.”

“Do we have that tap?” Carrie asked.

“Yep. Matt came through big time on that one. But so far nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Marshall. What do you have on Mr. Bill?”

“Wasn’t hard to find. His dad was injured in a large-scale exercise in Vietnam during the war. A rice farmer found him, took him to his home, and hid him from the Viet Cong. The farmer did his best to save the soldier, but Bill’s dad was too far-gone. After the war, Bill went to Vietnam and talked at length with the farmer. You’d think he’d hate the country, but didn’t. He wrote a short book on the war, his dad’s courage and faith, and the brave farmer who risked his life to help him. He included letters his dad wrote to the family during that time. It took a while to find, but I ordered a copy.”

“That explains a lot.” Coop looked around at his tired operatives. “Anything else?”

“Something curious. I’m not sure if it’s important.”

“At this point, everything is important, Marshall.”

Marshall cleared his throat. “After making a copy, I gave your flash drive to Matt. The FBI has techniques we can’t compete with. He told me this morning, it was the code to an encrypted letter, file, book, something. Until he has the missing item, they can’t decipher it.”

“Great! That doesn’t help in the least. Anything else?” The way they were going, they would spend a fortune to solve nothing.

“This is what’s curious. I searched every client’s name Dirk gave me that his missing man was working on at the law office. A couple of names popped up that matched Coop’s case. It could be totally irrelevant.”

Coop and Dirk leaned closer. “Spill it.”

“I had to dig deep to discover the mall the Wong sisters worked at is owned by The Natane Corporation out of Dallas.”

“So?”

Marshall turned to Dirk. “Your missing guy had two of Natane Corp’s subsidiaries as a client.”

Silence.

“Are you serious?” Coop whispered. “This is huge. Have you checked out this corporation? Found who they are—what they own?

“This all came together late yesterday. No time. But I will.”

Coop was jubilant. He stood. “Monday morning, first thing. Tonight we’ll celebrate our first clue on both cases.”

“Could they be connected?” Carrie asked.

Dirk shrugged. “We’ll find out.”

They left in higher spirits.

They would see each other later that night and though they wouldn’t discuss the case, which was one of the ground-rules for the get-together; the fact that they had a small break would be with each of them.