“No. Have you?”
“No, but I’m closer.” He’d become a U.S. marshal for the sole purpose of finding one little witness who couldn’t be found. Matt swung out of bed, reaching for his jeans. The soft Seattle rain pattered against the window. He’d had a tickle at the base of his neck for almost a week now, warning him something was coming. “What’s going on?”
“It’s bad,” Nathan drawled, the sounds of his hands working a keyboard clacking over the line. “My alarms lit up last night with someone conducting an Internet search on you, Shane, me, and, uh, Jory, as well as military academies for kids.”
Who would be so fucking obvious? Matt yanked on his jeans, sliding open the nightstand for his gun. He ignored the pain that slammed into his gut at the mention of Jory’s name.
Nathan cleared his throat. “I think it was Shane.”
Matt paused. “Shane? Not a chance.” Shane was a genius. No way would he piss Matt off like this. “Where is he?”
“He broke cover a month ago apparently.”
“A month ago?” Why? Where the hell was his brother? Shane wouldn’t break cover. No way. “Where has he been?”
“I’m working on finding out. So far I’ve discovered he broke cover without alerting any of us—he wasn’t due to check in until next week. Instead, Shane headed to Snowville for some reason.”
“He’s in Snowville now?”
“According to the BOLO out on him, he’s in Snowville.”
Matt dropped back onto the bed. “BOLO?”
“Well, out on Shane Dean, anyway. For now, that’s him.” Nate cleared his throat. “Hospital records show a Shane Dean was admitted to Mercy Hospital with head injuries on Saturday, resulting in temporary amnesia.”
Dread ricocheted through Matt’s gut. “You’re telling me someone got close enough to injure Shane?” Shane had eyes in the back of his head. “And now, without a memory, he’s trying to find out who the hell he is?” This was beyond bad. “He’ll lead the commander right to him.”
“Without question,” Nathan said. “Shane kidnapped Josie Dean, which explains the BOLO.”
“Josie?” Oh, this was getting worse by the minute. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
Nathan’s Southern drawl deepened. “I warned you he wasn’t finished with her. No way. No how.”
Matt shoved the anger down past the concern. He needed to think. “You’re flying to Snowville. Text me your flight information, and I’ll meet you at the airport—I’ll drive so we have transportation.” Matt grabbed a shirt to yank over his shoulders. His brothers. A ticking bomb hung over their heads, and time was counting down. “Ah, bring an identity as a lawyer, in case we need one.”
“Matt.” Nathan’s usually humorous voice turned serious. “Can you leave? We’ve had you in place for less than a year.”
“I have time. I’ll make up an emergency.” Which this fucking was. “You have your orders.”
He clicked off the phone. Anger and determination swirled in his gut until his breath caught. Would he get to Shane before the commander did?
He couldn’t lose another brother.
*
A wolf bayed in the far distance. Rain and wind clattered against the single-ply glass of the window. Josie snuggled farther beneath the threadbare covers in the cheap motel room. Heat enshrouded her from Shane’s body. For the love of everything holy, what had she been thinking? Sleeping with him again.
Sleeping? Make that fucking. Hard-core, balls to her ass, fucking. The man did it well. His mind may still be playing catch-up, but his body remembered her. Exactly what to do to her.
Good thing she was on the pill to deal with menstrual cramps.
They’d always used protection. Neither had wanted a baby during their brief marriage. Sure, someday she figured they’d have kids. But he’d left. No kids.
The idea of having a baby sent her into a spiral. She’d always planned on creating a large family… lots to love. But deep down, fear lived. What if she died? Leaving her babies alone in life scared the crap out of her. What if they ended up in foster care, too?
She wasn’t ready to make that decision.
The red numbers of the bedside clock illuminated the files sitting on the cheap table. Maybe she should get up and work.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Shane rumbled in her ear, running a hand down her arm. Goose bumps rose in reaction.
“I’m a thinker, Shane.” Yet another thing he didn’t remember about her.
He nodded. “No kidding. I have to ask… I shouldn’t because we’ve been separated, but I need to know.”
“Know what?”
“Did you sleep with Marsh?”
The question should’ve surprised her. But she remembered Shane’s possessiveness well. He’d need to know the truth.
Of course she hadn’t slept with anyone else while still married to him. “No, I haven’t slept with Tom.” Shane had been the one and only for her.
His body relaxed behind her. “That pleases me.”