Laura Scott - Forgotten Memories

“Don’t make us kill you,” the man with the weapon said in a low, gravelly voice.

She wanted to struggle, to fight, but she was outnumbered and didn’t have the strength to fight two big, muscular armed men. Besides, she knew, with far too much detail, how much damage a bullet could do to internal organs.

What did these thugs want with her? Gabby racked her brain, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. She didn’t have her purse, but she did have a little cash in her pocket. However, so far they hadn’t demanded money...

A huge four-door black truck suddenly came rolling out of the parking structure, stopping right at the curb. The guy with the gun yanked open the door to the backseat.

“Get in,” he said.

She began to balk, to search frantically for help, but the man with his hand over her mouth lifted her up as if she weighed nothing, and shoved her inside the vehicle.

Petrified, she attempted to cry out, but only managed to make grunting sounds over the hand he kept plastered over her mouth.

“Shut up,” he barked, following her inside. Despite the small space, he crawled over her so the guy with the gun could get in, too. Seconds later, the driver pulled away from the curb, taking her away from the hospital.

Gabby’s heart beat frantically in her chest. Somehow this didn’t seem like a random attack. But she still couldn’t imagine why she was a target. Unless...they knew she was a surgeon and were taking her somewhere because they needed her help.

Yes! That actually made a crazy sort of sense.

She’d done a house call once before, for the brother of one of the ER nurses. Shane Hawkins had been seriously injured while working undercover and couldn’t afford to go to the hospital, knowing that all gunshot wounds were immediately reported to the police. Since he didn’t know who within the force he could trust, she’d followed Leah’s directions, coming to the remote cabin where Shane was on the verge of succumbing to a serious infection.

Was this a similar case then? Someone driven to extremes because they needed a surgeon’s help? Kidnapping at gunpoint seemed a bit drastic, but she’d rather believe that than the alternative.

“Don’t hurt her too badly—Creighton wants to talk to her,” the driver said in a low voice.

Creighton? Who was Creighton? And why did he want her?

“I know the plan,” the man on her right responded in an irritated tone. The guy on her left unexpectedly took his hand away from her mouth and for a second she gasped, filling her lungs with badly needed oxygen.

If she screamed would anyone hear her?

Then her brief moment of relief vanished as he took what appeared like an old rag and jammed it hard against her mouth, forcing her jaws open. She thrashed her head from side to side, trying to evade the gag, but it was no use. He pulled the ends hard enough to cause pain before tying them together behind her head.

The rag tasted and smelled awful, a mixture of oil and gas, and her stomach lurched as she gagged. Feeling desperate, she fought back the urge to throw up, knowing she’d only choke to death on her own vomit. Thankfully her belly was empty.

There had to be some mistake. She didn’t know anyone named Creighton! Would they kill her outright if they found out they’d grabbed the wrong person?

“Here, use this,” the guy on her left said, holding out a length of rope. Before she could blink, the guy on the right had wrapped the rope tightly around her wrists.

Tears pricked her eyes as the truck took her farther and farther away from the medical center campus. So far, neither man had seemed interested in sexual assault, but maybe that was yet to come? Her gut knotted painfully at the thought. Her past experience with a guy she dated during her residency wasn’t reassuring. She’d managed to get away back then, but there were three guys this time around. No way would she beat those odds.

Panic welled in her chest and she had to concentrate on slowing down her breathing through her nose so she didn’t pass out. How long before anyone knew she was gone? She wasn’t due back at the hospital for the next two days, although she was on secondary call, which meant if trauma cases continued to come in, it was possible she’d be required to assist.

But she was afraid that by the time anyone realized she was missing, it would be too late.

* * *

Milwaukee county sheriff’s deputy Shane “Hawk” Hawkins was headed toward the ER entrance of Trinity Medical Center when he caught a glimpse of Dr. Gabriella Fielding hurrying along the sidewalk that paralleled the side of the hospital building. She was easily recognizable by her profile, her dainty features etched in his memory, not to mention her long curly red hair and slender frame. Despite the cool September night, she wasn’t wearing a jacket but held her white lab coat wrapped tightly around her as if to shield herself against the chill.

Shane scowled. Why on earth was Gabriella walking alone at midnight? Was this normally the time her trauma surgery shift ended? The medical center was located in a relatively safe neighborhood, but she should at least have a security escort taking her to her car.

Gabby had helped Shane six months ago when he’d been injured during an undercover operation. His sister, Leah, had called in a favor, asking Gabby to come to the isolated cabin where he’d been hiding to help out. The pretty trauma surgeon had been younger than he’d expected and had not only skillfully done surgery to remove the bullet from his shoulder, but provided fluids and antibiotics, too.

Gabriella had saved his life.

For which he owed her a huge debt of gratitude.

Shane was supposed to go inside Trinity Medical to obtain the bullet from their most recent shooting victim, but on impulse he quickly changed direction, bypassing the ER entrance to follow Gabby. He’d only seen her once since she’d saved his life, but she’d been busy during a trauma resuscitation and probably hadn’t noticed him standing off to the side. This time, he had the chance to actually talk to her.

He was driven by the need to thank her again for what she’d done for him. And, if he were honest, he’d admit that he’d thought of Gabby often over the past few months, even though he wasn’t interested in a relationship. Being burned by his former fiancée had taught him that he was better off alone. Linda had mistaken gratitude for love, and had found someone else even while they’d been engaged. A fact he’d discovered six months before the wedding.

He realized afterward that he should have known better. He’d helped Linda get rid of her abusive ex-boyfriend and she’d been the one who’d turned their friendship into something more. He’d fallen for her, but once the danger was over, she eventually discovered she hadn’t felt the same way.

Maybe he’d rushed into things because he’d wanted a family. He and Leah had bonded in the years since their mother died. They’d taken care of each other and he’d thought—well it didn’t matter. No way was he willing to go down that path of caring about someone again.

Shane would be content being the uncle to Leah’s son and any other children she and his buddy Isaac were blessed with.

Besides, would Gabriella even remember him after all this time? She took care of dozens of patients. Was he a fool to try and talk to her?

Probably, but even knowing that wasn’t enough to deter him. He’d thank her for saving his life, she’d accept his gratitude, and then they’d smile and go their separate ways.

As Gabriella approached the entryway of the parking structure, two men dressed in black suddenly surrounded her. Shane quickened his pace, watching in horror when a large black pickup truck pulled out of the parking structure in time for the two men to roughly shove Gabby inside.