“Definitely not old enough.” Landon flicked his eyes to me. “You know this isn’t real, right?”
Even though the earlier girlfriends irritated me, I couldn’t help feeling for him in this instance. She did look really young, and Landon wasn’t the type to prey on vulnerable young women. “I know. I’m sorry. Aunt Tillie doesn’t care how she has her fun … as long as she has it.”
“I don’t understand how you can’t remember me,” the girl pressed. “It’s me, Jericho. It’s the love of your life … Sandy Shores.”
“Oh, Sandy Shores?” Thistle rolled her eyes as she barked out a laugh. “Aunt Tillie must’ve had a field day coming up with these names.”
Sandy was offended. “What’s wrong with my name?”
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Thistle replied. “When I can marvel at the stupidity of a name, though, you know something is wrong.”
“I was named after my grandmother,” Sandy announced. “She was a brilliant woman who served as the first female head of surgery at this very hospital.”
“Oh, well, that’s a nice legacy,” I offered.
Sandy ignored me. “She conducted the first conscious brain transplant in history.”
“A brain transplant, huh?” Landon didn’t look impressed. “Well, that’s something to be proud of, Sandy. I’m glad for your good memories about your grandmother. That’s probably a good thing – a good role model – for you to emulate.”
“Wait … did you say conscious?” Marcus interjected. “Does that mean the patient was conscious during the surgery?”
“It does.”
“See, that’s not possible,” Marcus complained.
“And a brain transplant when both parties are unconscious is possible?” Sam challenged. “I’m not a real brain surgeon, but even I know that’s not possible.”
“I think it would be neat,” Clove said. “Imagine having your brain moved to someone else’s body. I would want to be transported to Megan Fox’s body. I called it. No one else can have her.”
Even though I often found Clove’s ideas amusing, this time I couldn’t hide my disdain. “Then you’ll have to sleep with her husband … and she’s already had three kids.”
“I just want her body, not her kids.”
“Oh, well, at least you’ve figured it out,” I muttered.
“This is a stupid conversation,” Sam complained.
“We’ve had way worse,” Thistle pointed out. “Where have you been?”
Sam shot her a dark look. “You’re really on my last nerve.”
“Right back at you.”
“This is getting us nowhere,” I said, raising my hands to silence the others. “We need to find Aunt Tillie. She has the diamond and she’s obviously leading us to a particular place. As much as I hate that giggling she’s doing, I don’t see where we have many options.”
“I agree with Bay,” Landon said, doing his best to ignore the looks Sandy kept lobbing at him. She was making a big show of widening her eyes to saucer-like proportions while allowing the occasional strategic tear to drop. “We need to get moving.”
“But … what about me?” Sandy challenged, putting her hand on Landon’s arm to keep him from moving past her.
“I have a job to do,” Landon said gently. “I’m sure we’ll meet up later to talk about … how you should be dating boys your own age.”
“I don’t want to date boys my own age.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“But … I love you.” Sandy’s lower lip quivered to perfection. “There are times when I look at you while you’re sleeping – I film you sometimes when you don’t know it so I can re-watch the video when you’re undercover and fill my heart with the love I so desperately miss while you’re away – and I just know that our souls were meant to join.”
“I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit,” Thistle drawled.
She wasn’t the only one. “Sandy, I’m sure that your feelings for Jericho are … something to behold,” I started. “But we’re on an undercover assignment. He can’t get his memory back until we finish it.”
Sandy’s eyes were full of loathing when they locked with mine. “I know who you are.”
“Okay.”
“You’re Michael Ferrigno’s wife,” Sandy continued. “Jericho is investigating him. He’s going to bring him down. And, when he does, I’m going to get the love of my life back and you’re going to get nothing.”
“Okay, time out.” Landon made a tee with his hands. “What kind of undercover police officer tells everyone about the case he’s working on? That’s not how it works. Did I tell you I was an undercover police officer when we met, Bay?”
I shook my head. “No, but you did hit on me while undercover.”
“Barely.”
“You still did it.”
“Yeah, and look how that worked out,” Landon pressed. “We’re living together. We’re happy – when crap like this doesn’t pop up, I mean – and we’re in love. I don’t see where I did anything wrong during my first assignment.”
“You definitely didn’t do anything wrong,” I agreed. “You even got shot saving me.”
“Stop bringing that up,” Landon ordered. “I know it makes you feel guilty, but I’m over it. I don’t like hearing about it.”
“You were shot?” Sandy’s face twisted with anger. “Is that how you got amnesia?”
“What? Oh, sure.” Landon absently ran his hand through his hair. “We need to get moving. I want to find Aunt Tillie and that stupid diamond. This world gets stranger by the minute and I’m not sure I can take much more of it.”
“So you’re just leaving?” Sandy’s voice rose. “How can you walk away given everything we’ve meant to each other?”
“I’ve merely given it some thought.” Landon adopted a pragmatic tone. “I want to do the right thing by you. That means letting you go. Sometimes if you really, really … feel uncomfortable with a situation … it’s best to let the other person go so he or she can find true love.”
Sandy’s expression was hard to read. “And that’s what you want? To let me go?”
Landon nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” Sandy growled. “But you will be.”
I really should’ve seen the slap coming. It was becoming something of a theme, after all. Sandy hit Landon so hard she caused him to rock back on his heels. I instinctively stepped forward to protect him. “Hey!”
Sandy wasn’t about to be deterred. “I know you’re to blame for this. You took advantage of his amnesia and convinced him he loves you. Well, it’s not true. He loves me. We’re going to live happily ever after. Good always overcomes evil … and you’re evil.”
“Oh, whatever.”
Sandy took me by surprise when she slapped me for good measure. “Evil!”
I held my hand to my cheek as I widened my eyes and turned to Landon. “Did she just hit me?”
Landon looked as stunned as I felt. “Are you okay?” He moved closer, pulling my hand away so he could study my cheek. “Did that hurt?”
“I’ve been slapped before.”
Thistle raised her hand. “Trust me. I’ve slapped her much harder than that.”
“Okay, well, we’re done here.” Landon put his hand on the small of my back and pushed me so I wasn’t close enough for Sandy to strike a second time. “We have to go. I’m sorry for your heartbreak.”
Instead of issuing a threat, as I expected, Sandy dropped to her knees with an animalistic wail. “How can you do this to me? How can you abandon our love? How can you break my heart?”
“I can’t even deal with this,” Landon muttered.
“That’s what happens when you’re a heartbreaker,” Marcus teased.
“Don’t add to this insanity.”
Landon was almost at the end of the hallway when Sandy spoke again.
“What about our baby, Jericho?”
Landon’s body froze, the only movement coming from his hips as he slowly swiveled. “Excuse me?”
“I’m pregnant,” Sandy announced, getting to her feet. When she hit the ground she looked like a normal, if a bit big-breasted, teenager. This time, when she stood, she was very clearly pregnant. Like … nine months pregnant. “And you’re the father.”