The Firefighter's Secret Baby

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How long had she been unconscious?

How long had it taken her protection detail to find her?

“What’s going on?” she asked for the third time.

“You’re clear,” Max Dean reassured her, still giving no real answers. “Take it easy so your mind can sort the rest out. The doctors don’t want you to push it right away.”

Push it?

There was something she should be remembering. Something terrible. Life or death.

“I’m clear? Of Luca?” Luca she could remember. No one was ever clear of him. Sam laughed, and her head nearly exploded. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

The doctor who’d been there when Sam regained consciousness a few minutes ago had said she’d be sore for several days, but none of her injuries were life-threatening. It was a miracle, he’d added, after her blood pressure had bottomed out. They almost hadn’t gotten her back. But there was no reason to worry about the short-term memory loss. If she took it easy, the concussion would ease and she’d recover everything before long.

Sam rubbed her temple, careful to avoid the gash that had been stitched back together. The few sketchy details her marshal had given her weren’t enough. Not nearly enough.

“Your death ends this,” Max explained. “Whoever looks will find evidence that your injuries were fatal. It’s a fact. All you have to do now is relax until you’re ready to remember the rest.”

“The rest?”

Max was always there to clean up whatever mess she made of her protection. He even looked a little relieved to see her alive—and maybe not just because losing her would have damaged his spotless record at the U.S. Marshals Service. But he was also watching her as if he expected her to fall apart at any second.

If she was “clear” and his team had taken care of everything, why was he so worried still?

“It’s only been an hour since they treated you,” he hedged. “Give it time.”

“But I’m…You’re telling everyone I’m dead. How…”

“The O.R. staff was interviewed. The hospital powers that be are on board. Robyn Nobles is dead. Catastrophic injuries incurred during a fatal hit-and-run. Any record to the contrary, here or with the fire and rescue team, will be dealt with. My team’s already on it. Stop worrying. Stop running. Let me and my team do our jobs, Sam.”

Running…

Sam had been driving. Someone had been chasing her. And…she’d been in pain, even before she crashed into the guardrail, then into another car. And in the O.R…. She’d been screaming in pain that hadn’t been from her injuries. There’d been…

A delivery nurse?

Sam’s hands flew to her now-soft belly.

“My baby!” A nurse had told Sam everything would be okay. And Sam had said…What? “I had my baby? But…Where is she? Why can’t I remember?”

“You will,” Max assured her. “All that’s important now is that you’re okay, and so is the baby. I asked the doctor not to tell you anything—”

“You what!”

“Worrying you until you were ready wasn’t going to accomplish anything. You need to rest and recover, Sam, so we can get you moving. My people are taking care of your daughter’s cover story. The records will show that she died, too. There will be another report that an unnamed child was left outside the E.R. tonight. She’ll be admitted to the pediatric unit, once she’s released from ICU.”

“ICU!” Sam’s thoughts wouldn’t stay focused. They kept tangling all over themselves and Max’s half truths and the huge hole still in her memory.

How could she have forgotten she’d delivered her daughter? She couldn’t remember having her. Holding her. Making sure she was okay.

“You said she’s fine,” Sam said. “Then why is she in ICU? What’s wrong?”

“She’s a little premature, and they’re taking precautions because of the accident, nothing more. For all I know, they’ve already moved her. One of my deputies is keeping an eye on the situation, but there’s no reason to think anyone will be looking for your child. There’s nothing to trace her to you. She’ll be safe in foster care until—”

“Until someone who saw me deliver her says the wrong thing to the wrong people and…”

And what?

There was more, but her mind wouldn’t grab hold of it.

Sam closed her eyes. Tried to think. Warning bells clamored over everything. What wasn’t Max telling her? What hadn’t she told him?

“We’ve explained to the trauma and O.R. staffs that they’re under a federal gag order. They’ll be arrested if the truth leaks. If Luca is behind your accident, and—”

“It was Luca.” The man the federal government was supposed to be protecting her from was closer than ever.

“Then when he investigates what happened tonight, he won’t find anything more than your and your baby’s death certificates. It’s actually a good development. Now he’ll call off his dogs.”

“You don’t know him.”

The memories were rushing back, at least the ones from before she’d run. Luca had found her in Macon the same day the travel channel had shown pictures of her. The same day! Only hours after she’d called Gabby.

Which meant he’d already had men close.

Too close.

“He won’t stop until he sees my dead body for himself.”

“The records show your body was cremated, due to a mix-up in paperwork. We’re covering all the bases, Sam. Stop fighting me. This latest stunt of yours means you’ll have around-the-clock protection from now on. The grand jury’s convening soon. Calm down enough to heal, so you can testify the way the federal prosecutor needs you. Then I’ll place you and your daughter in a permanent identity thousands of miles from here. We’ll get Gabby to you, too. You’ll all be free. But you have to stick to the plan. Stop panicking and screwing up and making it impossible for me to keep you safe.”

“Free?” The word felt empty. It felt like fear, because something was still terribly wrong.

“You’ve been self-destructing from day one.” Max sat in the only chair in her stark room. “Let’s just call this what it is, Sam. Rock bottom. Having pictures of yourself plastered all over basic cable. Calling Gabby before I could get to you. Running, thinking you could evade your brother’s men on your own? You’ve done just about everything you can to ruin your chances to stay alive long enough to get custody of your sister. But somehow, you’re still here. This is your last chance. Don’t throw it away like you have all the others.”