Erin Kern - Along Came Trouble

She remembered her family and her childhood. What she didn’t remember was where she worked, where she lived, and her fiancé.

When questioned, the doctor told them that Court suffered from posttraumatic amnesia, caused by the damage to her brain. Carol had gasped when she heard the term. The doctor had tried to reassure them by saying that she could spontaneously recover her memory at any time. He’d also cautioned them against filling in the blanks for her. Simply telling her the missing information wouldn’t cure her. She needed to remember it on her own.

The best thing for her at the moment was to be with her. Surrounding her with people she knew was the best way to make her comfortable. To the chagrin of the fiancé, who turned out to be named Grant, Courtney not only didn’t remember him, but something about him made her uncomfortable. Just seeing him sent her into a panic, like some dark memory had imprinted itself on her damaged brain. Martin had asked Grant to leave and not come back. He’d left, but Brody had thought he’d heard the man mutter, “Like hell.” Brody had a feeling they hadn’t seen the last of Grant no-last-name.

All in all, Courtney wasn’t in a good situation. She’d need months of extensive physical therapy just to regain use of her left leg again. That wasn’t including the fact that she couldn’t digest solid foods.

“I guess all things considered, she’s not bad,” he answered. “She ate some Jell-O and we had a nice conversation.”

Lacy’s green eyes widened. “About what?”

“Stuff she already knows.” He’d been hoping against all hope that even the slightest sliver of memory would come back to her. It had been so hard not to tell her about her house or how she’d finally landed the job of her dreams not long ago. But doctor’s orders were doctor’s orders.

Lacy shifted on the couch again and moved Jackson to her other breast. “I just wish there was something I could do to help her.”

“I’d like to find the guy who did this to her and throw his ass in a dark pit somewhere.” White-hot anger coursed through Brody’s veins every time he thought about his sister being left for dead in the middle of the street. What kind of person could do that to another human being?

“You and me both,” Lacy muttered. “So what did you do to piss off Elisa? Chase said you’ve been moping around for several weeks now,” she said when Brody lifted a brow in an attempt to look confused, even though he wasn’t. He knew damn well what she meant.

He sighed because he knew it was pointless to lie to Lacy. She’d always been immune to his bullshit. “I was a stubborn ass and now she’s gone.” Just saying the words made him sick to his stomach.

“What kind of gone are we talking about here? The fixable kind?”

If only he could answer with confidence. In fact, he was pretty confident there was no mending the damage he’d done. “I don’t know about fixing it. As for gone, she’s in South America visiting her brother for a short while, then she’s flying to South Africa for a photo job that came up at the last minute.”

Now, finding that information out had been an adventure, and not a fun one. The already open wound in his heart had bled even more when Elisa had been nowhere to be found. For several days, he’d called her and gone to her house. Only after seeing all the drapes pulled closed for a week straight did he realize she’d left town. What he hadn’t known was where she’d gone or how long she’d be away.

One person had come to mind to answer his questions. Kelly hadn’t wanted to tell him shit—because “Elisa had made me promise not to tell you,” Kelly had told him. The groveling he’d resorted to hadn’t been one of his finer moments. His ex had probably felt sorry for him after he’d all but begged her to help him out.

“Right now she’s in South America visiting her brother, and from there she’s flying to South Africa for a last-minute job she was offered. The offer came from a former teacher who needed her to fill in for a sick team member. Or something like that,” Kelly had said on a weary sigh. “Before she left, she asked me to water her flowers and bring in her mail. She also asked me not to tell you.” She’d crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a disapproving look. “Apparently she had reason to think you’d come asking about her. I can’t imagine why,” she had said, a little glib.

At that point, he’d been ready to bust through his own skin in frustration. Damn women and their cryptic ways. “When will she be back?” he’d asked through clenched teeth.

“She didn’t say,” Kelly had replied.

The narrow-eyed look he’d given her finally convinced her to spill the whole story.

“She’ll be in Brazil until the end of the week, and she flies to South Africa on Saturday. She’ll be home three weeks from tomorrow.” She’d stepped back and started to close the door. “And the only reason why I’m telling you this is because I know you love her and will do the right thing.”

He swore he’d seen a hint of a smile before closing the door in his face. After hours of deliberating, he’d approached Kelly again and coaxed her into telling him Elisa’s itinerary and lodging situation. Kelly really hadn’t wanted to give up that information, but she’d relented after Brody told her what he had planned.

“Brody?” Lacy pressed when he’d been ignoring her. “Did you hear what I said?”

“No, sorry.”

Lacy pulled Jackson out from under the nursing blanket and cradled the baby against her shoulder. The boy was fast asleep. “I said pull your head out of your ass and go after her.”

Her blunt statement had him laughing. Then he sobered. “Doesn’t matter because when she gets back from South Africa, she’s leaving again. This time for good.”

“She’s moving away?” Lacy asked with surprise.

“She took a job in Mongolia and doesn’t plan on coming back.” It killed him to just say the words. “Before she left, she asked me to give her a reason to stay. And like an idiot, I didn’t say anything.”

Lacy placed a hand on his knee. “If you really want to keep this woman, you’ll find a way. If you have to follow her to South Africa or even Mongolia, then do it. She needs to know how serious you are about her, and following her halfway around the world might be the only way to do it.”

Augrabies Falls was considered one of the natural wonders of South Africa. “The place of Great Noise” was part of the Orange River in the Northern Cape of the country. The falls had a dramatic drop of 184 feet and were surrounded by rocky gorges that no sane person would dare tackle. The only living things brave enough to venture there were the occasional antelope and deadly predators such as leopards.

Luckily for Elisa and other members of the photography team, the falls was a very famous tourist area. They had more than enough places to gather and get the shots they needed for National Geographic. They were profiling places in Africa inhabited by endangered species, which in the falls was the black rhino. The animal had yet to show itself, but for the time being, they were shooting the falls. They were expected to find and photograph the rare animal during their last two weeks there.

Helping them was a guide, a local man who knew the indigenous animals and where to find them. The guy was a local, a Nama, who lived in a dome hut called a matjieshuise, or mat house. He didn’t speak a word of English, but a skilled translator had moved things along nicely.

This part of the world was just as beautiful as Elisa remembered. Today marked their sixth day of nonstop walking, crouching, waiting and shooting. When she’d first arrived, Professor Harper had greeted her with a wide grin and said, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”