I’ll find him when I get to Denver, she vowed. Andrew will just have to understand.
“Sure,” Oliver said in a tone that made her wonder if he was really taking any of it seriously. “We’ll do that.”
“Tell me about Andrew,” she said to her brother as they made their way out of the restaurant. Night had fallen during their time inside, and Lora blinked at the unexpected darkness, but Oliver steered her back toward the hotel.
“He’s really missing you,” Oliver sighed. “I should probably call and tell him that you’re not as eager to see him as he is to see you.”
Lora balked at the words.
“It’s not that…” she muttered. “I mean…I don’t even remember him.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Oliver replied. “I’m just not sure he will.”
He eyed her meaningfully as they walked through the lobby, and he hit the button going up.
“But if you need time, you need time, right?” Oliver continued. Shame shot through Lora as she thought about poor Andrew, worried about the woman he had fallen in love with and married.
Just because I don’t remember him doesn’t mean he doesn’t remember me. Maybe I should go back tonight. He’s been through enough—and that’s only what he knows about.
Bile rocked her gut as she realized the pain she must have put this stranger through.
“You’re right,” Lora said suddenly. Oliver cast her a sidelong look as the elevator doors opened.
“About what?” he asked when they stepped inside.
“We should get home. Andrew has been through hell already. There’s no point in making him suffer but…”
She paused and Oliver stared at her expectantly.
“But what?”
“Can you call and tell him that my memory is gone?” she begged, thinking of how she’d asked Tav to do the same for Oliver. Oliver chuckled.
“Of course. It’s not really easy to explain, especially to a stranger, right?”
Relief shot through Lora, and she nodded vehemently, grateful that he understood.
“I’ll call from my room. Why don’t you freshen up for the road, and I’ll come back and get you in about twenty minutes or so?” Oliver offered.
“Yes! Thank you,” Lora sighed, impulsively throwing her arms around his neck. “I appreciate your patience with me, Oliver. I know this isn’t easy.”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Oliver replied, holding the door open as she stepped onto her floor. “Now that I’ve found you, everything is fine.”
The elevator door closed with Oliver inside, and Lora moved toward her room. She exhaled shakily as she let herself inside and flopped down on the bed. Again, her mind traveled toward Tav and what he was doing. She wished she were with him in that moment, not trying to steel her nerves and prepare to meet her husband.
It wouldn’t matter who found me. I would have felt the same way about him, Lora told herself. It’s Florence Nightingale Syndrome.
But as she sat in the dark, replaying the events of the past day, she knew that wasn’t true. Even without the benefit of her memory, she knew that what she had felt for Tav was not something she could discount so easily. There had been a genuine connection there that extended gratitude and physical attraction, like she had known him before.
I don’t even feel that connected to my own brother and we’re related. There’s something deeper with me and Tav.
Someone knocked on the door, and Lora jumped, startled by the unexpected sound. She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and saw that she had only been lost in thought for a couple minutes.
“That was fast,” she sighed, opening the door. To her amazement, Tav pushed his way inside.
“Where is he?” Tav demanded, looking around the room wildly. “Where’s Oliver?”
The door closed behind Tav, and he started to search around like a madman, his behavior stunning Lora slightly.
“What’s going on, Tav? I thought you went home.”
She was happy to see him, but his mannerisms were odd and not like him, his actions making her nervous. She backed away.
“Where is he?” Tav insisted again. “Where did he go?”
“He went to his room,” Lora replied slowly. “What’s all this about?”
Tav looked temporarily placated by her answer, but he advanced toward her.
“You can’t go with him,” he told her. “In fact, you can’t even stay here tonight.”
Lora blinked.
“I’m not staying here,” she said slowly. “I’m going back to Denver with Oliver.”
Tav’s eyes widened in dismay.
“No,” he said flatly. “No way. You can’t.”
“I can’t?” she echoed, scoffing slightly. “Of course I can. That was the plan all along.”
“That’s before I found out what he was…or what he is.”
Lora gaped at him, uncertainty overcoming her as she gaped at him.
“You’re acting really strangely, Tav,” she said softly. “Are you drunk?”
He stopped his pacing and spun to face her, a scowl touching his face.
“Drunk?” he repeated. “I just left you, remember?”
“I know but…well, you’re not really making a lot of sense.”
“I’ll explain everything to you, but you need to come with me before he comes back, all right?”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. Lora struggled against him, but her movements were useless against his strength.
“Don’t make a scene,” he growled, yanking her toward the stairs. “You have to trust me, Lora. This is for your own good.”
Fear overtook her, but she did as he said, allowing him to pull her down the steps and into the parking lot, his fingers like a vice around her upper arm.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “I thought I could trust you, Tav.”
He spun her around, his eyes wild as he gaped at her.
“I’m doing this to protect you,” he snapped, shaking his head. “Oliver is a wolf. He can’t be your brother.”
He didn’t let her respond, instead dragging her back toward his Hummer which was parked in a remote corner of the lot. He unlocked the door with his key fob and pushed her unceremoniously into the passenger seat. Lora was too shocked to move, fear creeping in as she tried to find some semblance of the man she had just been pining for, moments earlier.
He was in the driver’s side, pulling out of the parking space before she could come to terms with what was going on.
“Please, Tav,” she begged him, peering into his face. “You’re not making any sense. Oliver is my brother. Remember? He was on TV looking for me.”
“No,” Tav replied flatly. “He is not your brother. I don’t know who he is, but he can’t be your brother. He’s a wolf.”
“A wolf? What does that mean? What did he do?”
“Let’s get you safely back to the cabin, and I’ll explain it all to you,” he promised. That wasn’t good enough for Lora.
“Oliver is going to be looking for me,” she insisted. “And my husband…”