Chapter 9: Oliver: Chapter 9

“So the guys are trailing us?” Tori shot a look over her shoulder.

Maya had told her they were, but they’d been running for a good ten minutes and Tori hadn’t spotted them once.

“Yep,” Maya said, not sounding the least bit short of breath. “The guys are good at staying hidden. No doubt a skill they picked up during their time as SEALs.”

Tori nodded. Oliver had mentioned that him and his friends had been in a SEAL team together. There were probably hundreds of things those guys could do that normal people couldn’t.

The thought of normal men doing extraordinary things brought Tori an unwelcome reminder of last night’s dream. Well, less a dream and more a nightmare.

Deadlier than any other species on Earth.

Ice cooled her insides. The strength he’d possessed to hold her up against the wall, to choke her, had been unreal. Almost inhuman.

As much as she’d like to believe that her mind had made up that part of the dream, she knew it hadn’t. It was a memory. Now that she’d recaptured it, she remembered it clearly.

Tori hadn’t mentioned any of that to Oliver. The oversight hadn’t been intentional. She’d been focused on everything else…the memory of Charlie. Of running for her life…

“You okay?”

Tori started at Maya’s question. “Yes. Sorry, was I frowning?” Or looking terrified or angry? All were very likely. “I had a coffee right before I left and it’s not sitting well in my stomach.”

Which wasn’t a lie. The coffee was rolling around in her gut, making her feel uncomfortable. It just wasn’t the main thing on her mind.

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t realize. We can walk the rest of the way if you like?”

Tori shook her head. “No, no. I’m okay. I’ll let you know if it gets worse.”

Tori shot another quick glance over her shoulder. Again, no sight of Oliver or Bodie.

“I had a nightmare last night.” Tori wasn’t sure why she’d just confessed to Maya. Maybe because she could use an ear to listen. “A memory, actually.”

Maya’s brows rose. “A memory that was a nightmare? Oh, that wouldn’t have been nice. Want to talk about it?”

Yes. She really did. Oliver tried to hide his distrust, but Tori still saw it. Maya, on the other hand, looked at her with nothing but genuine concern.

“I was packing a bag to leave when a man entered my house. He…” Pain sliced through her chest at the memory. “He threw, Charlie, my dog, against the wall. I’m pretty sure he didn’t survive. Then he tried to kill me.”

Maya came to an abrupt stop, grabbing Tori’s arm as she did. “Oh my god! Are you okay? I mean, I know you survived because you’re standing here, but are you okay after recapturing the memory?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I relived the fear like it was yesterday. The heartache. I can still see the guy’s eyes in my head. Feel his fingers around my neck…” Unease coursed through Tori.

Maya stepped closer, placing a hand to her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Did you talk to Oliver? Is he taking care of you?”

His arms around her when she’d woken had made her feel safe. But this morning, he’d been distant. “I told Oliver.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “He thinks it all happened on the same day I left his house a month ago.”

Maya’s eyes widened. “You don’t think they’re connected?”

Tori rubbed her eyes. She wasn’t sure what she thought.

There was also something else she hadn’t told Oliver. A comment that her attacker had made.

You left a job incomplete.

Had Oliver been a job to her? The idea made her feel sick. How was she supposed to tell him something like that when he already didn’t trust her?

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything. Who I am, the life I led. It’s…confusing.”

So unbelievably confusing.

Maya’s eyes softened. “It’s temporary. The not knowing, the confusion. At some point, you will remember. And if, on the slim chance you don’t remember everything, you’ll remember enough that you won’t feel this way forever.”

Temporary. That made it sound a little more bearable. She could live with temporary confusion. Temporary frustration.

What if she didn’t like what she learned though?

She pushed that thought down. She didn’t have the energy to pay it the attention it deserved right now.

“Thank you, Maya. I think that’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

An easy smile slid across Maya’s lips. “You’re welcome. I’m happy to be an ear to listen anytime you need to talk to someone. I know what it’s like to be new in town and not know many people.”

“Thank you,” she said again. And she meant it. She was so thankful for the easy friendship. And even though they hadn’t known each other for long, it did feel like a friendship. “Now how far until we reach this amazing bakery?”

Maya chuckled. “Mrs. Potter’s Bakehouse is just around the corner. You’re doing really well on this run.”

Tori was surprising herself. She didn’t feel too out of breath. Hell, if she could hold a conversation as they ran, she was doing miles better than she’d thought.

They started jogging again.

“I’m not quite at your level, but I’m not at a dying-hedgehog level either.”

Maya chuckled. “A dying hedgehog?”

“Yeah. Hedgehogs are already slow and unfit, so a dying hedgehog would be record-breaking slow and unfit.”

“You’re definitely not a dying hedgehog.” Maya’s expression became thoughtful. “Maybe a deer.”

This time, it was Tori who laughed. “I’ll take that. And you can be a cheetah.”

“Oh, god. I wish I was that fit. Bodie’s the cheetah. They all are.”

Yeah, the guys at Marble Protection looked all kinds of fit. They had the builds, anyway.

They turned a corner and made it about halfway down the street when Maya came to a stop in front of a door. She pushed into the shop.

Tori hadn’t even stepped inside before she was greeted with the most delicious smells. It was a mixture of dough and sugar and cinnamon that had Tori salivating.

The woman behind the counter smiled. “Maya, my favorite person. And you brought a friend to try my amazing coffee.”

Maya returned the smile as they stepped up to the counter. “Tori, this is Quinn. She’s dating Wyatt. She’s also Mason’s sister. Quinn, this is Tori. She’s staying with Oliver for a while.”

Quinn perked up at that news. “So, you’re the woman who’s bagged one of the final two bachelors.”

Ah…no. She was not. “I’m just staying with Oliver while he helps me figure out some stuff.”

“Yeah, I know. He’s going to help you remember your life, recapture your memories, yada yada yada. But, girl, come on, you two will end up together.”

As much as she was drawn to the guy like a moth to a flame, there was a bit of a barrier between them. That barrier being her memory. Or lack thereof. “Maybe.”

Being noncommittal felt like the safest option.

Quinn chuckled. “Can I make you ladies two of the best coffees in Marble Falls?”

Maya nodded.

The thought of coffee had Tori’s stomach turning again. She wasn’t a huge fan to begin with. “Actually, I already had a coffee today. Could I grab a juice?”

Quinn’s mouth fell open. Wide open—like she’d just heard something unbelievable. It took a moment for her to turn to Maya. “Is she serious?”

“Not everyone has the same coffee addiction as you.” Maya laughed, glancing at Tori. “Quinn could drink ten coffees a day—”

“Could, do, have,” Quinn interjected.

Maya shook her head. “So she struggles to understand when others don’t share that same compulsion.”

Quinn leaned over the counter. “I make a good coffee. Used to be terrible, now it’s pretty much the best in Marble Falls. But if you would like something else, the coffee can wait until another day.”

“It will give me a reason to come in tomorrow,” Tori replied, really not wanting to force another coffee into her stomach. “I’ll just grab a juice today, if that’s okay.”

“One OJ, coming up.”

A short older woman popped her head out of the door behind the counter. “All okay out here, Quinn?”

“All is great, Mrs. Potter.”

Mrs. Potter scanned the area, smiling at both Maya and Tori before closing the door again.

“Sit.” Quinn shooed them with her hands. “I’ll get the drinks ready.”

Tori headed to the table by the window with a smile on her face, grateful that the town she’d landed in had so many kind people in it.

Oliver could feel the nervous energy bouncing off Tori. They sat in the office of Marble Protection, waiting for Wyatt and Evie.

“Relax.” He whispered the word in her ear. He hated seeing her so tense and anxious. He couldn’t help but want to do more to ease it.

Tori looked like she wanted to say something but snapped her mouth shut when the door opened and Wyatt and Evie walked in.

They both took seats opposite them. Wyatt nodded. “Hey, guys.”

Evie smiled at Oliver before flicking her attention across to Tori. “Hi, Tori. I’m Evie.”

“Hi.” Tori pulled at a piece of string on her pants. He placed a hand over hers, stilling her nervous movement.

Wyatt opened his laptop. “Oliver told us about your dream. We have some pictures of people connected to our team. Enemies who might try to hurt those around us as a way to hurt us. We would love for you to take a look and tell us if any of them are the man you remembered attacking you.”

She nodded. “I can do that.”

Her hand tensed below his. He gave the back a stroke with the pad of his thumb.

Wyatt clicked a few buttons before flicking the laptop around. The picture on the screen was of their former commander, Hylar.

A muscle ticked in Oliver’s jaw at the sight of him. Hylar was not only the man who’d signed them up for Project Arma, he was also the project creator. The person who sat at the top of their list of people to bring down in order to stop Project Arma.

Tori studied the picture for a moment, her brows creasing.

Was it him? Had he been the man she’d shot, then run from? Who’d shot her?

She shook her head. “No.”

Wyatt clicked to the second image. It was of Carter, the leader of the other SEAL team who had been part of the project. His team had gone underground with Hylar when the project was shut down. He’d lost two of his men so far—Troy, who was killed by Luca, and Alistair, who died by Mason’s hand. His team was down to six.

Tori shook her head. “No.”

Wyatt flicked through three more images, Pete, Kip, Daniel, and Anthony. Tori said no to all of them. Oliver was beginning to wonder if maybe it wasn’t one of Carter’s men.

Then Wyatt flicked to the last image.

The change in Tori was immediate. Her body tensed. Her breaths shortened.

It was him.

“That’s the man who was in my house.”

Oliver shared a look with Wyatt.

Adrien. He was just as much of an asshole and killer as Carter. But then, they all were.

Oliver didn’t know how to feel about this revelation. It was confirmed. The man who had tried to kill Tori was connected to them.

Unfortunately, that brought up even more questions. Had he tried to kill her because she’d met Oliver? Spent the night with him? Or was there another reason? A reason that, even if she remembered, she might not want to share?