Her Forgotten Betrayal(46)

So for now, that left the two of them to deal with this on their own. And it left Cole with an obvious but unpalatable next step to take. Shaw was close to getting back her memories, and she deserved that chance. She needed every second he could give her to do just that. But her instincts were working on overdrive, exhausting her, hindered by the information about her situation that he’d withheld. Would revealing the rest be the final trigger she needed? Or would knowing she was under suspicion of treason shut down her trust in him permanently, making it impossible for him to help her at all?

Either way, the next choice was hers. She might call Dawson again and pull the plug on the operation herself. But she deserved better than to remain the task force’s clueless pawn, and a sitting duck for whatever madman was toying with her. Even if she ended up hating Cole all over again, it was time she knew what his job had been on her mountain, and how much danger his and the government’s manipulation had put her in.

You’d never hurt me, she’d said. He could still feel her passion-filled admission rushing through his bloodstream, her body straining closer. He had his Shaw back—the woman who never would have believed her father’s lies. You were making it your job to save my life, even back then…

A part of her had kept wanting him all these years, defying the split her family had forced between them. Hopefully she would remember that when this was all over. Maybe not. But she needed an outside-the-box federal agent overseeing her case. Not a former lover, too worried about losing her again to make the tough call he knew he must. He packed up his tools, not allowing himself to think about how much of a risk he was taking, nor about how much trouble he was courting by blowing his own cover story.

Cole was going to close this case his way, the same as he had every other one. The consequences of failure were too high to play things by the book. The possible rewards if his reckless approach succeeded were too precious.

He returned the tools and the scrap wood to the storage room. Instinct told him, given the apparent technological sophistication of the unsub and what had happened to Shaw there and in the kitchen, that both locations were likely bugged and possibly wired for other types of surveillance—none of which he’d found evidence of during the casual inspection he’d allowed himself after realizing his scanner was useless. Every step he took was potentially being tracked. And he had to live with it for now, so the scum watching them wouldn’t know Cole was aware. He completed another circuit of the house, assuring himself that at least the windows and doors were secure. Another triage of the security system revealed no quick fix for repairing it. Whoever had disabled the thing knew exactly what he was doing.

Don’t try this at home, kids.

He retraced his steps to the downstairs bedroom where he’d checked on Shaw twice already. The door remained locked from the inside, his dubious attempt to help her feel safe enough to get an hour or two of rest. Like both other times, he pulled his kit from the duffel he’d reclaimed from the office. He inserted the pick and file and was turning the lock when the sound of crying reached him.

Shaw!

His gun in hand, he pushed into the room. The door swung wild and bounced off the wall. He swept the scene from one side to the other, his weapon tracking his sight line.

Nothing.

There was no one inside, except for the beautiful woman curled up on the bed like an exotic kitten taking a nap—if that kitten were trapped inside a hideous dream.

“No.” Shaw’s head thrashed on her pillow. “I won’t let you. I won’t let you hurt me again.”

Cole relocked the door behind him.

“Shh…” On any other case, he’d have sat across the room and waited for her to wake up. But this was Shaw.

He slid onto the bed, first removing his gun and shoulder holster and setting them on the nightstand so they wouldn’t disturb her when she woke. He touched her shoulder as gently as he’d caress spun glass. She flinched, then curled toward him, the fingers of her hand clenching in his shirt.

“Please don’t leave me again,” she said.

Cole should let the dream run its course and just listen. He needed details to report to Atlanta. He should keep his hands off her and do his job. But she was in pain. Trying to stop himself from comforting her was a useless waste of energy.

He pulled Shaw into his arms. Her soft weight was a healing blanket to the heart that had been numb to feeling anything since he’d lost her.

“I’m here,” he said against her temple, closing his eyes when she snuggled closer.

“Don’t let him open the door. Cole, please. I can’t take it. The flames. The shouting. They’ll kill me.”