Laura Scott - Christmas Amnesia

“I know.” The hood of the car was raised up at an angle, the back end submerged. She gasped in alarm as the car slid backward another inch. No doubt the trunk was filling with water, and she had no idea how much longer they had before the rest of the vehicle would sink silently beneath the inky surface.

Hurry! Hurry!

The restraint fell free and Noah grabbed the computer case that was nestled between her feet. He looped the case over his shoulder, accidentally knocking the police radio off his collar in the process. Using both hands, he pushed open the driver-side door, then reached down to grab the radio before jumping out of the car.

“This way,” he said, keeping his arm wedged beneath the heavy door. Maddy climbed over the console, sucking in a harsh breath when she cracked her elbow against the computer mounted on the dash. The space from the floor of the car to the ground was farther than she anticipated.

She lightly jumped down, but the uneven terrain caused her to stumble against Noah. He caught her up against him, holding her close and preventing her from hitting the ground. But she accidentally hit the radio draped over his arm, sending it down into a pile of slush. She knew water and electronics were a bad combination and Noah must have agreed because he didn’t bother attempting to retrieve it.

Headlights pierced the night, pointing directly at them. She averted her gaze from the blinding glare, searching for someplace to hide.

“Hold on to me,” Noah said, keeping his arm anchored around her. “See the rows and rows of boats stored up on blocks? That’s where we’re going.”

She didn’t answer, concentrating on following his lead as they quickly ran, slipping and sliding over to the closest row of boats.

The sound of a car door slamming shut caused her heart to leap into her throat and she imagined the driver of the car was already running after them. She clung to Noah, grateful for his support as she struggled to keep up. The boats were large and provided some cover from the bright headlights, but not enough that they wouldn’t be seen.

Fear tightened around her throat. Did Noah believe they could outrun the guy behind them? Maybe if he was alone, but she knew her being here was an added liability.

If only she was wearing her running shoes.

Did she have running shoes?

This wasn’t the time to worry about her lost memory. With the threat before them, the throbbing in her temple had lessened a bit, and she tried to ignore it. Pushing the ridiculous thoughts from her mind, she focused on following Noah as he moved from one boat to the next. He seemed to be checking them out, for what she had no idea. Plastic shrink-wrap covered most of the boats, protecting them from the harsh winter weather.

When they reached the middle of the sea of boats, Noah stopped. She leaned against a fiberglass frame, using the opportunity to catch her breath. Noah was doing something with the boat next to her, unlatching bungee cords holding a tarp in place, rather than the usual shrink-wrap. Peering through the darkness, she could see that two of the boats had tarps in lieu of plastic, and Noah worked on both of them.

She hoped he didn’t plan on using one of them as a hiding place. Considering most of the boats were covered, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that they’d take refuge in one of the two boats not shrink-wrapped in plastic.

Straining to listen, she attempted to pinpoint where the guy following them might be located. For a long moment she heard nothing but the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore. She was about to whisper to Noah that they should keep going when she heard the distinct sound of a muffled thump.

Noah froze, turning toward her. She stared at him, wondering if the noise was from the guy on their tail or from the squad car falling the rest of the way into the lake.

She reached for Noah’s hand, needing his reassuring strength. As if he knew what she was thinking, he pulled her close and lowered his head so that his mouth was next to her ear. “We’re going to be okay.”

The tightness around her chest eased, enabling her to take a deep breath. Noah gently tugged on her hand, indicating they needed to keep moving. When she passed the two boats he’d been fiddling with, she realized he’d unlatched several of the cords holding the tarp, leaving a slight gaping hole.

Why on earth? Then it occurred to her that Noah had done that to make it look as if they’d chosen to hide inside the empty boat. If the attacker believed they were inside, he might waste time searching for them inside the boats.

Good thing she was on the run with a smart cop. One she trusted to keep her safe, no matter how steeply adversity was stacked against them.

Dear Lord, thank You for bringing Noah Sinclair into my life when I needed him the most. Please continue guiding us and keeping us safe in Your care. Amen.

The whispered prayer formed in her mind without conscious thought and she immediately felt a sense of peace and hope wash over her.

Noah was right; they would be okay.

When they reached the edge of the boat storage area, she tightened her grip on Noah’s hand. Now what? This area of the marina was brightly lit, without offering many places to hide.

Surprisingly there was a boat still in the water, anchored to the pier. It looked as if the motor was running. The water around the engine was swirling. There was no sign of the boat’s owner, but that didn’t mean he—or she—wasn’t nearby.

But they didn’t have time to waste searching, either.

“See that boat?” Noah asked in a hushed tone. “That’s our target.”

She resisted when he tugged her forward. “We can’t,” she hissed. “That’s stealing!”

“Borrowing,” Noah corrected. He pulled his cell phone from his breast pocket, showing it to her. “I’ll call it in as soon as we’re safe.”

She didn’t like it, but then again, allowing the guy on their heels to capture them wasn’t a good option, either. “Okay, let’s go.”

Leaving the shadows to step into the light took a tremendous amount of courage. She hunched her shoulders, trying to make herself a smaller target as they approached the dock. Walking along the pier was just as treacherous, the moisture from the lake mixing with the snow to create a slick surface. She walked as fast as she dared, following Noah as he approached the boat.

She glanced around, expecting the owner to be somewhere close by. Why else would the motor be running? Then again, the guy could be on the boat, too.

The lapping waves caused the boat to rock against the buoy in a rhythmic pattern. Noah braced his palms on the edge of the boat, really more of a small yacht, and used the flashlight on his phone to peer inside.

“Hurry,” he urged, gesturing for her to come over. Maddy swallowed a wave of apprehension, putting her trust and her faith in Noah.

“You first,” he whispered. After slipping his phone back into his shirt pocket, he held the boat steady while assisting her aboard.

The rocking motion caused her to stumble, and she accidentally yanked on Noah’s hand, tugging him forward. She widened her stance, trying to find her balance. The fact that her head still ached didn’t help, although pain was the least of her worries.

Noah leaped into the boat, then leaned over to unleash the ties. The boat immediately drifted away from the pier, so she hurried over to assist. Her arms weren’t long enough, so she could only watch helplessly as he stretched out to unhook the second tether.

Leaning over the way he was, she shouldn’t have been surprised when his phone slipped from his pocket and landed in the lake with a soft ker-plop.

She closed her eyes against a stabbing frustration but there wasn’t time to worry about the submerged device now. The boat was loose in the water, so Noah quickly disappeared inside the pilothouse to take control.