Laura Scott - Forgotten Memories

FORGETTING THE PAST CAN BE DEADLY…

When Gabriella Fielding is kidnapped, she’s terrified…until she’s rescued by SWAT cop Shane Hawkins. Running for cover, Shane vows to protect the beautiful doctor who once saved his life. But can he really believe her claims that she has no knowledge about why her captors set their sights on her? Or is she hiding a dangerous secret? Somehow Shane has to help Gabby unlock her buried memories—before their mutual attraction breaks down the barriers around his heart. And before a desperate enemy determined to keep the past hidden strikes again and makes sure Gabby never remembers.

SWAT: Top Cops—Love in the Line of Duty

“Gabriella, are you all right?” Shane asked.

She rubbed her hand over her eyes and nodded.

“Let me help you,” he said, gingerly urging her upright. She leaned heavily against him as they continued moving through the woods.

“Maybe we can hide over there,” Gabriella murmured.

He turned to the left and saw what she meant. A huge tree had fallen, but instead of hugging the ground, it was propped up at thigh level by the massive branches at the far end.

Not the ideal place to hide, but it might work long enough that he could radio for help. He took Gabriella’s hand and silently led the way to the fallen tree.

“Right here,” he said, indicating the thickest area of the tree. Gabriella didn’t argue, collapsing to the ground and leaning against the rough bark.

Shane stayed right next to her, using his body as a shield as he took a few minutes to sweep his gaze across the area.

There was a part of him that wanted to keep moving, just in case, but at the same time, their backup was so close they only needed to hang on for a little while longer.

He crouched protectively over her and waited, hoping his teammates would arrive soon.

LAURA SCOTT is a nurse by day and an author by night. She has always loved romance, reading faith-based books by Grace Livingston Hill in her teenage years. She’s thrilled to have published over twelve books for Love Inspired Suspense. She has two adult children and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband of thirty years. Please visit Laura at laurascottbooks.com, as she loves to hear from her readers.

Forgotten Memories

Laura Scott

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

—Ephesians 2:10

This book is dedicated to my wonderful niece, Michaela Wanke,

who has grown into an awesome young lady. Michaela,

always remember you can do anything you want in life

as long as you follow your faith and your heart. I love you!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text FORGETTING THE PAST CAN BE DEADLY… When Gabriella Fielding is kidnapped, she’s terrified…until she’s rescued by SWAT cop Shane Hawkins. Running for cover, Shane vows to protect the beautiful doctor who once saved his life. But can he really believe her claims that she has no knowledge about why her captors set their sights on her? Or is she hiding a dangerous secret? Somehow Shane has to help Gabby unlock her buried memories—before their mutual attraction breaks down the barriers around his heart. And before a desperate enemy determined to keep the past hidden strikes again and makes sure Gabby never remembers. SWAT: Top Cops—Love in the Line of Duty

Introduction “Gabriella, are you all right?” Shane asked. She rubbed her hand over her eyes and nodded. “Let me help you,” he said, gingerly urging her upright. She leaned heavily against him as they continued moving through the woods. “Maybe we can hide over there,” Gabriella murmured. He turned to the left and saw what she meant. A huge tree had fallen, but instead of hugging the ground, it was propped up at thigh level by the massive branches at the far end. Not the ideal place to hide, but it might work long enough that he could radio for help. He took Gabriella’s hand and silently led the way to the fallen tree. “Right here,” he said, indicating the thickest area of the tree. Gabriella didn’t argue, collapsing to the ground and leaning against the rough bark. Shane stayed right next to her, using his body as a shield as he took a few minutes to sweep his gaze across the area. There was a part of him that wanted to keep moving, just in case, but at the same time, their backup was so close they only needed to hang on for a little while longer. He crouched protectively over her and waited, hoping his teammates would arrive soon.

About the Author LAURA SCOTT is a nurse by day and an author by night. She has always loved romance, reading faith-based books by Grace Livingston Hill in her teenage years. She’s thrilled to have published over twelve books for Love Inspired Suspense. She has two adult children and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband of thirty years. Please visit Laura at laurascottbooks.com , as she loves to hear from her readers.

Title Page Forgotten Memories Laura Scott www.millsandboon.co.uk

Bible Verse For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. —Ephesians 2:10

Dedication This book is dedicated to my wonderful niece, Michaela Wanke, who has grown into an awesome young lady. Michaela, always remember you can do anything you want in life as long as you follow your faith and your heart. I love you!

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EPILOGUE

DEAR READER

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Dr. Gabriella Fielding walked outside into the starry night, grateful to be leaving the busy ER behind. It took a minute for the chilly September air to penetrate the haze that clouded her mind.

Exhaustion didn’t come close to describing how she felt. Every muscle in her body ached, especially the soles of her feet. And the pounding in her temples matched the beat of her heart.

Even her eyelashes hurt.

She’d been up over twenty-four hours straight, running trauma resuscitations and performing surgery for what felt like forever. Summer had given way to fall, but Milwaukee’s trauma season wasn’t over yet. The injured patients had continued to roll in. This was what she’d trained for, what she was meant to do, healing people who were victims of violence. Yet right now, responsibility weighed heavily on her shoulders, and it was all she could do to make it through one day at a time.

She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, but she was too tired to be hungry. Her shift was finally over, should have been over several hours ago, except that the last surgical case had been a two-physician job, requiring her to stay. Her patients always came first, so she hadn’t complained. But now she wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl into bed. With any luck she’d be able to sleep for a good twelve hours.

Thankfully, the cold air was helping to wake her up a bit. She only lived a mile away, but decided it might be better to drive home with her windows open, using the cold air to help stay alert.

A brisk north breeze hit her in the face as she left the shelter of the hospital building. She shivered and wrapped the edges of her lab coat together, quickening her pace as she headed across the street toward the concrete parking structure. All she could think about was that every aching step took her closer to home.

Without warning, two men dressed in black appeared out of nowhere. One grabbed her right arm, his fingers biting deep into her flesh, while the other guy roughly clasped her left arm. Terror roiled through her, but her reaction time was sluggish, and by the time she opened her mouth to scream, one of them clamped his hand over her mouth while the other guy rammed what felt like a gun painfully into her side.