Chapter Eighteen

It was still dark when Coop crawled out of bed. It wasn’t even four o’clock. Since he hadn’t slept a wink, why not get up?

He couldn’t believe he’d been so caught up with the holiday spirit that he’d told Lori he loved her. He’d fought the idea all night. Did he mean it? Or was it because he was being mellow with good cheer? Did he really love her like a man loved a woman and wanted her in his life forever? Maybe he just loved the sex. Hell, yeah. He was a man, after all. But sex with Lori was beyond anything he’d ever experienced.

Did that mean he was ready for the forever thing? Was he ready to forget his years-long vow to stay a bachelor?

Did he love Lori or just want her? Did he want to think about a future with a woman who had no idea who she was? Were words spoken that shouldn’t have been?

He looked at her photo where he’d placed it by his bed. One glance at her smiling face and his heart turned over. I’m afraid this is the real deal.

Today she would find out if there was a physical reason for her amnesia. If not, her memory could return at any time. Would she want to go back to her former life? Why would she if there was someone in it who wanted her dead? Though he couldn’t think of a single reason for no missing person’s report, maybe there was one.

His mind had struggled with the seriousness of her predicament all night. It was still there.

No one lived in a vacuum. Someone knew her.

Dirk met him at the dog pens.

Coop muttered a greeting. “You’re early.”

“I plan on being at the Internet Coffee shop when they open. Why are you up and about at this hour?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Dreaming of Lori?”

“Why would you say that?”

Dirk just grinned.

Coop took all of the dogs except the one Dirk was going to train to the exercise area. They could wait their turn. Each would sit until told otherwise.

He took them back one at a time until finished. Dirk was giving short lessons.

Just as Coop penned the last dog his cell phone pealed. “I’ll take your shift, don’t worry about it. Just take care of her.”

“What was that about?” Dirk lifted a brow.

“Stan. His wife has a swollen jaw from a toothache. She suffered through the holiday, but can’t handle the pain any longer. He has to drive her to the dentist.”

“Then Ajax is going to miss his lesson. I have to get to the Internet café. Who’s going to cover for Stan?”

“I will. His schedule doesn’t start until ten when Bill’s opens, so I have plenty of time to take care of Ajax.”

“See you later.”

“Keep me posted,” Coop called out, as Dirk headed for his pickup.

Coop finished with the dogs and spent the ride into town wondering what Lori was doing. Were her tests over? No. She’d promised to call him. He called the office and found that everyone was out searching for Dirk’s missing person. The only one on duty was Buster, and his hands were full with computer work.

Coop opted to go straight to Bill’s. He’d be early, but what the hell? If today was like all the others, it would be a wasted one. Not so. He could spend the time thinking of Lori.

It was nine-thirty when he parked across the street from Bill’s. He walked over to tell Jackson, who was on surveillance, to go home. If the sisters showed up, maybe he could get this case off the list. It was past time.

****

Lori may have been floating on the drive to Doc’s house last night, but right now she was firmly planted in reality. The CT scan she was about to take would show if there was something wrong in her head. What if it was serious? What if she had a tumor?

They walked into the clinic. Nice. Clean. It had a large waiting room with colorful Monet reproductions on the wall.

“I’ll show you my office.” Doc sailed down the hall, opened a door, and went in.

There was a mahogany desk, a couple of comfortable leather chairs, a computer, and a credenza. A man came to the door and knocked.

“This is Leonard,” Doc introduced the thirty-something young man. “He was kind enough to take part of his holiday to run the test. This is Lori.” She pointed. “And this is Thor, her shadow.”

Leonard laughed and bent to pet Thor. “I had a German Shepherd once. Don’t forget that I owe you more than a couple hours of my time, Doc.”

“He’s not a German Shepherd, he’s a Belgian Malinois. Isn’t he beautiful?”

“He is indeed.”

Doc waved him away. “After today, we’ll call it even. Get set up and let me know when you’re ready.”

“How do you feel?” she asked Lori when Leonard disappeared down the hall.

“A little nervous. Anxious.”

“Understandable.”

Doc shuffled a handful of papers. “I know you can’t fill these out since you don’t know the answers, but there are a couple of questions I have to ask.”

“Okay.”

“This is the important one. Could you be pregnant?”

“I can’t have babies.”

Doc gave her a sharp look. “Really? Who told you that?”

Lori shrugged. How did she know? “It’s another one of the things I know about myself. I have no idea how I know some things and not others.”

“You don’t remember if a doctor told you?”

“No.”

Doc let out a long breath. “Do you want to have children?”

“Of course I do.” The answer came swift and sure. When she thought of Coop, she realized she’d gladly have a dozen of his.

“Can you tell me if you’ve had relations in the last two months?”

Ohmygod! Did she have to answer? She had to tell Doc how she went to Coop’s room Christmas Eve and he came to hers a week earlier? How could she do that?

“Lori, you look a little pale. Want to tell me why?”

She tried to talk. Couldn’t. Cleared her throat. “I…”

“It’s okay, Lori. I’m a doctor. You can tell me anything and it stays right here.”

“I’m sorry. It’s embarrassing.” She knew her face was flaming red, but couldn’t help it. “The answer is yes.” She didn’t have to give details, did she?

If so, how could she tell this wonderful friend she’d never had an orgasm until Coop? That she’d never made love with anyone until Coop?

But Doc said nothing. She stood, left for a few minutes, and came back. “You’ll have to take a pregnancy test. You can’t have a CT scan if you’re expecting.”

“I told you I couldn’t have babies. Isn’t that enough?”

“No. It’s not. I have to have proof.” Doc handed her a box and pointed to the restroom. “Follow the instructions. If you have questions, give a yell. When you’ve finished bring it to me.”

“It’s a waste of time, but you’re the doctor.”

“That’s what I keep telling you.” Smiling, she walked down the hall.

Lori went into the overly large restroom. Besides the usual, it had a closet with a large lock, which probably meant it held drugs. The lock was open; maybe Doc had just unlocked it.

Less than five minutes later, Lori held the stick in her hand and blinked her eyes. She was seeing things. She blinked again. Opened them.

This can’t possibly be right.

She had been so sure. Sinking to the floor, the stick in her hand, her head whirled in disbelief. Maybe she wasn’t reading it right.

She fumbled until she found the directions. Read them again. Looked again.

The line hadn’t changed.

She stood, only to sink back to the floor when the room tilted.

Lori struggled to her feet and held onto the cabinet until the room settled around her. She willed herself to be calm. Think!

It couldn’t be right, the test strip had to be compromised. She’d take another test and prove it.

Opening the closet, she saw rows of samples. It took a minute to find another pregnancy test. She ripped it open and repeated the procedure.

Her hands shook so hard she couldn’t hold the strip and had to set it on the counter.

When it showed positive again, her knees went weak. At the same time she felt joy. It rocked through her in a wave of love so deep she could barely think.

She was pregnant!

She splashed water on her face, willed the room, and her nerves, to settle.

Coop hadn’t used protection. She’d told him she couldn’t have babies.

Why had she thought that? Who had told her?

It didn’t matter. She was going to have Coop’s baby.

Nothing in the world would ever sound as great.

She reached for her cell phone. She had to talk to Coop.

****

Coop had his hands full. Twenty minutes after he drove up at Bill’s he had been shocked to see the Wong sisters about to enter the restaurant. He’d started after them only to see an SUV swing to the curb. Two men, who were as big as prizefighters, got out. Each of them picked up one of the women and threw them in the back of the SUV before taking off.

Coop ran back to his truck and was now right behind them, his mind going a hundred miles a minute. This was the break they’d been waiting for. Staying close, he reminded himself that he couldn’t lose them now.

When they pulled into the drive of a two-story mansion in a fairly new section for the newly rich area off Memorial, he dialed Matt. Coop thought the place a little too much. Too many curlicues on the iron fence and gates, and too many columns on the house, made it look gaudy. “I found the sisters. They were picked up by a couple of gorillas and taken to this address.” He gave it to his brother. “Get the owner’s name to me ASAP.” With that, he hung up.

He had to get in there. If he was any judge of what was going to happen, the sisters were about to be killed.

His phone rang. “The house is listed under the name of The Natane Corporation. Donald Shafer pays the taxes. I’ll get info on him to you as soon as I can. I’m on my way.”

“Bring the army. I don’t know what’s going down.”

“Stay put until I get there.”

Coop had opened the door to his truck when his phone rang again. He was about to turn it off when he saw it was from Lori. She had the test results. He sat back down.

“I have something to tell you, Coop.”

“About your tests? What did you find out?”

“I haven’t taken the test.”

“Look, honey. I found the women I told you about. I’m sitting in front of the house of a man by the name of Donald Shafer. I don’t know what the hell he has to do with all of this, but I’m going in there to find out. We’ll talk when I’m finished.”

He shut his phone off. Less than a minute later, he walked through the gates and up to the house where he turned the doorknob and walked inside.

The sound of voices led him to the back.