Jordyn Redwood - Fractured Memory

“Leave it on, Julia.” Eli again. “You’re in the back of an ambulance.”

Blinking several times, she tried to clear her blurred vision. She tried to sit up, only to be stopped by the strap around her chest. She was covered by a rough, well-used cotton blanket.

Julia shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. “What happened?”

Eli gripped her hand tighter. “They think it was carbon monoxide poisoning.”

At first, it didn’t mean anything to her. Even her medical mind couldn’t process the information. Everything was so jumbled. Fuzzy.

Then a stranger’s voice. “My name’s Russell. I’m a paramedic. Glad to see that you’re waking up.”

Her eyes finally focused. Eli’s blue eyes softened. A faint smile came to his lips. Her heart ticked up a notch.

“How did it happen?” Julia asked.

“What?” Eli said.

“Julia, are you allergic to anything?” Russell asked.

She shook her head. “Accident or on purpose?”

Confusion clouded Eli’s face. How could she make him understand what she really wanted to know? Had this been an attempt on her life?

Russell interrupted before Eli could respond. “Do you have any chronic illnesses? Do you take any medications?”

Julia shook her head again. “Did they try to—”

Russell’s head loomed into her field of vision. “Julia, I think it’s best if you rest. Your confusion is normal. Once we get the poison out of your system, you’ll start to feel a lot better.” He patted her shoulder and sat back down.

“Kill me?”

Eli gripped her hand in both of his and bent his head, resting his forehead against her fingers. Her heart sank as tears fell down her face, collecting in her ear wells.

He didn’t know. He couldn’t answer her. But his posture spoke of defeat. Eli was strong. Smart. Maybe even the kind of man she dreamed might someday take an interest in her. He was trained to prevent crime—to pick up on circumstances that were suspicious. She could tell he felt responsible for what had happened.

When he looked up, his blue eyes held hers. Fierce. Determined. “I don’t know if this was deliberate yet, but I’m going to find out.”

If Eli Cayne couldn’t keep her safe...could anyone?

FOUR

Eli was relieved that after six hours of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Ben and Julia were fully awake and seemed back to themselves, though bored at being cooped up. Ben was medically cleared and officially discharged from the emergency department. Eli ordered him to go home and rest for the remainder of the day. He found Julia in the next room flipping channels on the small screen mounted in the corner of her room. She had dodged a bullet again. At least figuratively this time. Eli had made a quick trip back to the town house to get her a change of clothes and her Bible. Anything he could do to provide her comfort he was willing to do. In the short twenty-four hours since they had been reconnected, there was one attempt on her life...now two?

He and Will stood in the hall outside Julia’s room. Will looked better than Eli felt after Eli insisted he head home and grab a few hours’ sleep. Since they were a man down on Julia’s detail, Eli needed him back sooner than later. Will sidled up next to him and looked in through the window. “She looks good. Are you going in or just hovering?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Will asked.

Eli adjusted the grocery sack in his hand that contained the items he’d collected for Julia. That was always a loaded question as far as Eli was concerned. “Good news first.”

“There was a crack in the furnace. That town house was built in the eighties. Who knows if the furnace was ever replaced? According to Quentin, that safe house hasn’t been used in years.”

“That’s the good news?” Eli adjusted the bag in his hands. “I can’t wait to hear the bad news.”

“FBI Forensics thinks it may have been tampered with. They’re not hanging their hats on it yet, but they are dusting for prints and having some other analysis done to see if they can prove it out.”

Eli turned to Will. “How are we supposed to get Julia to trust us? The first night she’s in our care she nearly dies.”

Will smirked. “Come on, Eli. That might be a little bit of an overstatement. Look at her now—she’s perfectly fine. I overhead one of the nurses say she could be discharged home today like Ben.”

Eli shook his head. “No, not today. I want her here until we can thoroughly check out the next safe house. Two agents—one inside her hospital room and one outside.”

“If you insist.”

“I do. I’ll be having a discussion with Quentin. It’s his responsibility to ensure that these locations are thoroughly vetted before the witness arrives. Having a witness die while under the protection of the U.S. Marshals would bring horrific embarrassment to the agency.”

Will held a hand up. “Eli, I get it. I know this is bad. But are you sure there’s nothing more? Even though it’s not the FBI’s main focus, witness protection is not a walk in the park. The very nature of protecting people is rife with problems.”

“Your point?” Eli asked.

Will stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You don’t seem to be handling this well. I’ll admit—it doesn’t help her trust us. It makes us look bad, but she’s okay and we’ll do better next time. In reality, I’m not sure how we could have prevented the furnace issue.” He paused and rocked back onto his heels.

Or how could we have kept someone from tampering with it? Isn’t that the more appropriate question?

Eli felt it in himself—the tight tension he didn’t know how to dispel without lashing out. What was really going on? On the surface, Will was partially right. Protecting a witness was a mine field and he should manage these issues with a calmer head, and he usually was very levelheaded. With Julia, his protective instincts were in overdrive. Was it more than preventing her death? Was it that he had this strong emotional attachment that tethered his mood to her level of safety? The more her life was at risk, the more unsettled and angry he became? That wasn’t the most rational response for someone just doing his job. If the FBI proved tampering, that would mean her killer had discovered the location of the safe house and accessed it before their arrival.

That changed everything.

It would indicate someone paid a lot of money to track Julia down even in protective custody. Or someone involved with inside knowledge leaked where she was going to be.

Simply pulling Julia from her normal routine might not be enough. A mole put her life significantly more at risk. Was it even possible?

The truth was, seeing Julia limp and lifeless this morning had been too close for him. Too close to the moment when he’d held her the last time and she barely clung to life. If he didn’t get these feelings that had simmered for over a year stuffed back into containment, he wouldn’t be able to do his job.

Eli shook his head to dispel these thoughts.

Eli—pull yourself together. Don’t let your feelings for her put her at risk.

He cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology.”

“It’s all right.”

Eli squared his body to face Will’s. “No, it’s not. You’re right. I haven’t acted in a professional manner.”

“I’ve talked to Quentin myself on this matter and he gave me the location of the next safe house. I agree with you she’s safer in the hospital overnight. They’re getting ready to release Ben as we speak. I’ll go to the next location with a maintenance man and make sure all utilities are working properly as well as the security systems. Furnace check. Fire alarms. Carbon monoxide detectors in place.”