I leave her to sit on the couch inside, staring out the large windows at the foliage behind the house. Something about it seems to calm her, which is exactly what she needs after whatever traumatic event she went through. I know there must be something, some sort of story behind what’s happened. I can feel it. I tend to be right about these things.
“What’s up, brother.” I shake my buddy’s hand and move back so he can step inside. “I appreciate you coming out here. I have a feeling you’ll be able to gauge her well-being much more accurately than I can. I’m worried she’s injured somehow and not telling me because she thinks it’s normal or some shit.”
“Don’t sweat it, man. I don’t mind the ride. It’s so fucking peaceful out here.”
“My castle in the hills.”
“Lucky bastard. I need to find a place somewhere in the middle of nowhere to call my own.”
I nod. “Aura’s in here. She’s nervous about being around other people. She doesn’t speak much, and you’ll have to pepper her with questions to get her to tell you anything.”
“I’ll go easy on her,” he promises.
I knew I was making the right decision by calling him. “Aura, beauty, this is my buddy, Briar,” I introduce them and assure her I’ll be in the kitchen if she needs me. I don’t want to distract them in any way since he may be able to get more information out of her than I can. He’s had a lot of medical and mental health training, which is one of the main reasons why I wanted him to help me out with my bounty-hunting business. You never know when someone may get shot or stabbed, and he’s the right guy to have on the job with you. He’s also one hell of a listener when you need to talk about anything.
I top off my coffee, adding in a bit of Baileys, and sit at the counter, wired from all the caffeine I’ve consumed today. It makes my hands feel a bit jittery with the need to be busy. I pull my phone out and do a basic search on those three names together. I may as well be staring off into space, as the only thing I’m concentrating on is quieting my heart and breath enough to pick apart whatever scraps of conversation from Aura and Briar I can manage to catch. His voice is easy to pick up, but Aura’s is the opposite—light and melodic.
I don’t pay attention to how long I sit, but it feels like a while by the time Briar makes his way into the kitchen with me. My brows raise, wanting whatever diagnosis he’s come up with. “Well?” I ask, picking away at a crack on the side of the countertop.
He heaves out a breath, moving to grab a bottled water off the counter. “Medically, she seems okay…”
“But? I can tell there’s a but in there.”
“Well, mentally, she’s struggling. There’s definitely some sort of trauma going on. I don’t know what it is exactly and if it’s the cause of her memory loss, but it’ll likely take some time. She has a small knot on her head as well. She must’ve banged it against something at some point, but she can’t recall when.”
“She told me she thinks she was on that island for a really long time. I have a feeling her idea of time is way different than ours.”
He nods. “I agree, based on the callouses on her hands and feet, she’s definitely been living a life of work and weather. If she was hiding out in those woods like you believe, then there’s no telling what she had to do to survive. Women like that appear weak, but it takes one helluva strong person to endure the elements, let alone whatever else she’s lived through.”
The theory makes my gut churn with unease. I despise the concept of her living through a life of struggle. She’s far too sweet and young to have experienced that sort of life already. At least now, I can somewhat take care of her. She’ll never have to go through whatever she did again as long as I’m by her side.
“I’m thinking she may have been kidnapped. At an early age, no less, her education seems almost nonexistent. She’s smart, but in a self-taught sort of way.”
I nod. “The thought had crossed my mind. I’m going to see what I can come up with on the kidnap end of things. It’d be a hell of a lot easier if I had a last name to go with, but I’ll see if I can discover anything else about her.”
“Keep me updated.”
“I will, man, thanks again,” I respond, already distracted by the search results pulled up on my phone with Aura’s name in the headlines. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but the twisted truth of the matter is, I’m not.
Chapter Five
AURA
With each passing day, I grow a little more used to my surroundings and miss my previous life less and less. I don’t know if it’s wrong or right to feel this way, but I do. Hunter tells me not to worry about it. He says I should only concentrate on getting better and remembering what happened to me before he found me.
For some reason I trust him almost immediately—there’s something about him that makes me feel safe. He’s the one who saved me, after all, but from what exactly? I still have no idea. Not to mention he’s beyond handsome and reminds me of the heroes in the books my father used to read to me. However, none of those heroes ever had any tattoos, scruff, or a voice that makes me clench with desire.
Eventually, I give in and begin to wear his clothes. They’re too big but soft and warm, perfect for when I’m outside exploring. The outdoors brings me peace in such a confusing time, so I stay outside as much as possible. Hunter doesn’t seem to mind either, as he’ll often come out to the table to watch me as I smell and tend to his roses.
I still don’t remember much of the events leading up to him and his brothers finding me, but I’ve managed to make some progress. For instance, now I can remember my three friends’ names. They were more than just friends to me, more like family. I was separated from my parents at a very young age, and those three looked after me, taught me what they knew, and kept me safe for as long as they could. I know I should tell Hunter about them, but I’ve held back, hoping I’ll remember details and more. I can’t stand to see the look of disappointment on his face when I tell him I don’t have all the answers. I know he wants to help me.
I’m grateful he stepped in and saved me but being so far away from my home is only making it harder for me to discover what I’m missing. I suppose I could panic over all of this, but that’s not the way I was brought up. Before coming here, it was just the four of us, and all we had was each other to confide in and rely upon. I know there were times we had to hide away and be quiet, but now that I look back, I have no idea what exactly we were hiding from. It was just the way we did things. It was our life.
Does this mean that my mother and father are still alive? Not that I could ever find them, I haven’t the faintest idea on where to even begin. Hunter is my best bet where finding and meeting people are concerned. He seems to be good at discovering information on just about anything. He’s been nothing but kind and patient with me since I’ve been here, and I wish there were a way to show him how grateful I truly am for his help. I try to stay out of his way and not bother him often for anything. I feel guilty enough that I’m here using his things and eating his food without earning my keep. He doesn’t seem to mind, but I’m used to working for everything. Nothing came easy on the island, and I don’t expect it to be simple here either.