Forgotten Memories (SWAT: Top Cops Book 4) by Laura Scott Read Free Book Online

that she’d finished her chicken sandwich and her salad, while Shane was still eating his roast beef. Working in health care, she tended to eat at warp speed in case she was interrupted by a trauma call.
    “Did you come up for air?” Shane asked, flashing a wry grin. His smile transformed his rugged features and it occurred to her that this was the first time she’d seen him smile.
    “Probably not,” she admitted, hoping her fair skin didn’t betray her embarrassment. “I’ve learned to eat fast or skip meals.”
    “I understand—trust me, it’s the same thing for us. Seems that the minute we sit down to eat, we get called out for one thing or another.”
    She nodded, pushed her empty tray aside and leaned forward. “Okay, so tell me what happened last night,” she said in a hushed voice. “How do you know my house was broken into?”
    “I was there,” he said, his expression turning serious. “But I’d rather not talk here, it’s too crowded. Give me a few minutes to finish up and then we’ll head over to your place. I need to know what, if anything, is missing.”
    Patience wasn’t one of her strengths, but Gabby nodded and tried not to tap her fingers restlessly on the table while he finished eating. The thought of someone going through her personal things bothered her deeply.
    Had he stayed here at the hospital all night because of the break-in at her home? She was oddly touched that Shane had felt it necessary to sleep on the floor in front of her room. She couldn’t imagine what the staff had thought about that. He couldn’t have been very comfortable, and she hoped he wasn’t putting his job in jeopardy by spending so much time with her. After all, his boss, Lieutenant Vaughn, hadn’t seemed too happy with Shane last night.
    “Do you want anything else?” he asked, rising to his feet.
    “No, I’m fine, thanks.”
    He took her tray and stacked it on top of his before making his way over to the conveyor belt near the exit.
    “I’m parked in the structure,” he said as she led the way back to the ER.
    “Me, too,” she admitted. “I’ll meet you at my place.”
    “No, we’ll drive together,” Shane said, an underlying edge of steel lacing his tone. “You can’t stay there, Gabby.”
    She had to tamp down a flash of temper. Of course she knew that staying at her house wasn’t an option. “Thanks, I appreciate your advice.”
    “This isn’t advice, it’s nonnegotiable,” Shane said bluntly as he held the door open for her.
    She scowled but then ducked her head as they walked into the bright, blinding sunlight. She paused and blinked, giving her eyes a chance to adjust.
    Shane waited at her side, keeping pace as she began to walk. As they approached the parking structure, she remembered that her car keys, cell phone and driver’s license had been in the pocket of her lab coat, which was buried in the dirt and leaves somewhere in the middle of the woods. With a sigh, she acknowledged she couldn’t drive her car right now, even if she wanted to.
    “This way,” he said, lightly touching her arm to steer her to the right.
    The deputy-issue vehicle wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, and as they approached the car, she winced when one of her colleagues strode past them, acknowledging her with a brief yet curious nod.
    Personal news tended to ripple through the hospital grapevine at an alarming rate, and back when things had exploded between her and Damon, it seemed as if everyone had looked at her differently. In the years since, she’d tried to fade into the background, unwilling to jeopardize what she’d worked so hard to achieve. Healing patients was her calling. Her mission. Her life.
    Shane, with his dark brown hair, broad shoulders and strong jaw, was far too big, muscular and attractive for her peace of mind. The sooner she figured out what Creighton wanted, or who he was really after, the better.
    Because Deputy Shane Hawkins was a dangerous distraction she couldn’t