Sudden Recall (12 page)

“I'm sure it was a bad movie, but I haven't watched it recently.”

Parker turned to her. “Look closely at the date and time. And the movie theater.”

TWELVE

A
n hour later Sienna was still staring at the movie ticket stub in her fingers. She glanced out the window of the SUV at the same number, the highway they were on. Dawn had barely broken. Her stomach rumbled. Bad gas station coffee didn't really cut it, but finding the flash drive was more important.

“It's coming up on the left.”

The second number on the ticket stub had been painted on the mile marker. The number zero-two came after it. The digits repeated through the time, the highway and the mile marker. What the number two related to, Sienna couldn't figure out.

Parker pulled to the side of the road and she turned to him. “You really think this is for real?” He'd seemed convinced in her room, and he'd driven here like a man on a mission.

“You like puzzles.” He paused. “Actually, you said ‘treasure hunts.' You're a spy, and you hid something.” He shifted in his seat to face her. “I don't think one thing in that shoebox was put there by accident. I think you were intentional with every piece of it, even the photos. Why keep mementos of a life that didn't want you? That's how you described them...your family. The only ones you had left—your parents—are the ones who want nothing to do with you.”

It didn't hurt, not when she didn't even remember them or the pain of losing her brother.

Sienna didn't think like most people; that had become plainly obvious to her in the past year. Her closest ally for months had been Karen, who felt more now like an enemy. Those who'd kept themselves apart from her had become close. She hadn't even seen Nina yet, and her friend was the most important person to her right now.

If Sienna had known something was happening, it was reasonable she'd have left clues. Probably for Nina to figure out. Sienna must have been worried she would get caught, and she might not have known she would get amnesia but she had apparently prepared for any eventuality. Now all she could do was thank the Lord that she had left herself a way to find the flash drive, even if it did feel like a wild-goose chase.

“It didn't take that long to get here, and we haven't lost much in trying.” Parker's voice was soft, gentle. “It might even save Nina's life. I'm not saying I'm right, but we have to approach this from every angle. Follow every lead.”

She didn't argue; she just got out of the car. He shouldn't feel guilty for telling her the truth she'd sought for so long.

Sienna slipped the ticket stub into her pocket and stood by the mile marker. A white post in the ground, it was maybe three feet high with an orange reflective pole that stuck up another four feet—for the snow season. It looked like every other marker on this highway and any other highway.

The ground around it was grass. She knelt and tried to remember if she'd been here before. If she'd buried something here.

None of this felt familiar.

Parker handed her a gardening trowel he'd left the bed-and-breakfast woman a five-dollar bill for.

Sienna didn't think; she just stuck it in the ground behind the wood post and dug. The earth was stiff and hard, but she hacked at it. Parker knelt beside her and used his hands to scoop dirt from the hole.

She sat back on her heels. “How do we know this isn't pointless?”

Parker took the trowel and began to dig.

“We could dig up this whole mountain and we probably still wouldn't...”

The trowel hit something metal.

“Of course, right when I
say
that is the minute you're going to find it.” Sienna rolled her eyes.

Parker chuckled as he dug up what she'd buried.

“I don't even remember putting this here. What if it's not ours? What if it's something horrible, and now that we've found it, we're going to be strong-armed by a crusty FBI agent into participating in the hunt for some sicko.” Sienna shook her head. “This could be anything.”

Parker's chuckle switched to full-blown laughter. “I think you've been watching too many late-night crime shows.”

Sienna pouted. “What else am I supposed to do when I can't sleep? At least I can try and figure out who the killer is before the innocent gets captured and the police have to battle to save them before whoever it is becomes his latest victim.”

Parker's smile lit up his whole face.

“Okay, so I'm stalling.” She blew out a breath. “Open the box.”

She wanted to know if this was the end of their search. If they found the flash drive now, Parker would be free to go back to his real life while Sienna kept on trying to remember everything she'd forgotten. Like none of this had happened, and everything she knew hadn't changed in the space of two days.

Parker flipped the box on its side and hit the lock with the trowel until it busted open. The lid hit the grass and a PIN-coded flash drive tumbled onto it.

Sienna didn't move. “Two-six-two-four-six-nine.”

“So you do remember.”

Sienna stumbled to her feet at the man's voice. He was in front of Parker's SUV. Parker pulled her behind him.

Thomas Loughton stood with his loafers in the dirt pointing a gun at them. He looked like he'd been walking these hills for hours, red-faced and grubby.

“Put the gun down.” Parker had his weapon out, pointed back at Thomas.

Sienna reached to the back of her waistband for the gun Parker had loaned her. She came up empty. It was in the truck. She could have kicked herself for leaving it. How was she supposed to help now?

Loughton lifted his chin. “Give me the flash drives.”

* * *

Parker didn't move, though his brain spun. Flash
drives
? As in...more than one?

Parker glanced down the barrel of his gun at Thomas Loughton and felt Sienna's fingers curl into the back of his belt. He said to Loughton, “Put the gun down and we'll talk about it. Figure out some way we can both get what we want.”

Loughton's eyes shifted aside, but Parker wanted the man's attention on him and not on Sienna. The man looked every inch the computer nerd in his khaki pants and light blue button-down shirt, and yet he had strength. He wasn't the unfit, untrained office worker anyone would assume just by looking at him.

“Come on, Loughton. You don't have to shoot us. We have what you want, so let's make a deal.”

Loughton narrowed his eyes. “Those flash drives belong to me. Both of them are my property. Give them to me now, or I shoot you. No discussion, no deal.”

Like Parker wasn't pointing a gun at Loughton, as well? Apparently the man still figured he had the upper hand.

Parker said, “Put your gun down and I won't have to shoot you when you fire. Neither of us walks out of this if you insist on firing at us.”

There was no way he would let Loughton leave. If he got his hands on the flash drive, Loughton would probably shoot them, anyway, for insurance. This battle was going to be mental, at least until Loughton faced the fact Parker was going to do whatever he could to keep himself and Sienna safe.

“Give me the flash drives, and I'll let you leave.”

Parker studied him, trying to ascertain if the man was serious or bluffing.

“No. No way!” Sienna's opinion was plain in her voice. She swung around to Parker. “You can't think of giving it to him. We need the flash drive to get Nina back.”

That's what she thought of his hesitation? Parker couldn't answer right now. He had to focus on both weapons, even if Sienna's feelings got hurt in the process.

Loughton frowned. “You only have one?”

“How many are there?” Sienna looked baffled.

Loughton stepped forward, which was exactly what Parker wanted him to do. “Then you're coming with me...”

Parker knew what he had planned. The man was going to kill him and take Sienna to find the second flash drive.

“...and we'll find the other one.”

Parker launched forward. He sideswiped Loughton's gun away from both him and Sienna, using his left hand. The man dropped the weapon and cried out. Parker followed that with a punch to the diaphragm. Loughton bent forward and gasped for breath.

Parker kicked the gun into the bushes and grabbed the man's hands. He pulled cuffs from the back of his belt and circled the bracelets around both Loughton's wrists while Thomas pulled and struggled. “Enough.”

“No!” Loughton fought. “You can't take me in. This isn't an arrest.”

“You pulled a gun on a federal agent and you think I'm
not
arresting you?”

“This isn't official business!”

Like that mattered. Still, the question remained unspoken. They were miles—and a state away—from the town where Parker worked, where he knew local law enforcement and could explain what happened.

They were in Nevada now, not Oregon. Where would they take Loughton? Local police wouldn't have a clue as to the caliber of who they were dealing with. Parker and Sienna had one of two flash drives—a fact he almost couldn't believe. Was this really a race to find more than one storage device?

“You can't arrest me. You think some county lockup is going to hold me?” Loughton tried to twist around to face Parker, but he held the man away from him.

“I'll call Karen.” Sienna stepped away. “The CIA must have some way of holding him.”

Loughton bristled.

Parker yanked on Loughton's cuffed hands as hard as he'd pop a dog leash. He didn't want the man becoming verbally combative with Sienna. He wanted him to ignore her altogether. “I'm the only one you need to worry about right now.”

“Until the CIA kills me,” Loughton said. “I know that ‘Karen.' Don't bother trying to tough it up for me. You're not a bigger threat than that woman. When she finds me, I'll be as good as dead before breakfast.”

“Do a deal with me and I'll keep you safe.” Parker glanced at Sienna, who had her phone out. She hadn't dialed yet and her attention was on him. He held up one finger and motioned for her to wait. Parker pulled Loughton around. “Karen doesn't have to find you. In return for all the info on the flash drives, on Sienna and on who you were planning on selling them to, I will keep you out of Karen's reach.”

Loughton glanced at Sienna then. “You
still
don't remember?” His voice rose in anger. “I risked exposure trying to scare you into remembering, not to mention the money I spent on that rifle.” His voice rose, even as his face reddened. “That would have funded me for a week!”

* * *

Sienna stared at Thomas Loughton. They'd been right. He hadn't been trying to kill her when he'd fired all those bullets into her bedroom, scaring the life out of her. “You shot at me so I would remember.”

She squared her shoulders, completely out of her element but ready for the performance of her life. “Sounds to me like I should call Karen on the person who nearly killed me.”

Behind Loughton, Parker's lips curled up. He gave her a tiny nod of encouragement. It was the only threat she could come up with, given the only thing Loughton seemed afraid of was the CIA coming after him.

“I'm going to take my flash drive and go find the other one.” She had no idea where it was but prayed the answer would come to her along the way. “Why should I care what happens to someone who very nearly killed me?”

Aside from Parker's help, all Sienna cared about was getting Nina back. She'd never even met the woman, but the connection of their friendship was deeper than her amnesia.
Lord, keep her safe until I can figure this out.

Loughton opened his mouth, hesitated and then said, “Don't call Karen.”

“Tell me who you were planning on selling the flash drives to.”

Parker's face made her wonder if she'd rushed too far into it, too soon. He was obviously going to be better at this. US Marshals—especially ones who dealt with dangerous fugitives all the time, as he'd told her in the car the day before—were probably trained for this kind of negotiation.

He had so many skills, and she had...no clue. Why did he even want to stick around? She wasn't dumb enough to think it was because she had so much to offer. She believed that they'd had something between them. She felt it. Probably it was morbid curiosity over how everything would turn out that kept him here.

Loughton scoffed. “There's no way I'm going to tell you the buyer's identity.”

Sienna pulled the flash drive from her pocket and held it up. “I guess I'll just—” she tossed it beside her foot and lifted her left shoe as though she were going to smash it “—get rid of it.”

“No!”

“Once and for all.”

“Don't!” Loughton fought against Parker's hold.

“Give me one good reason.” She paused. “Other than the fact that you'll lose money.”

“If you remembered, you'd know why,” Loughton yelled. “It's not my fault you lost your memory.”

Sienna pointed to a pinpoint scar on her neck. “Oh, so this isn't from your knife, pressed to my throat while you threatened to kill me and Nina?”

“You do remember!” Loughton renewed his struggles against Parker's grip on his cuffed hands. “Where is the other flash drive? I thought for sure it was at the ranch when you went there, but those mercenaries showed up and everything went wrong.” He glanced aside. “You must have been faking us all out. Where is it?” He twisted to look at Parker. “The two of you are going to get the flash drives and sell them on the black market. I knew it!”

Sienna unlocked her phone as she spoke. “I'm calling Karen. We'll be gone before she gets here, but you'll be secure in their custody. A nice care package for the CIA.”

Loughton scowled.

Sienna found “Aunt Karen” in her contact list and put it to her ear as though she was listening to it ring.

“She won't let you keep it,” Loughton pleaded. “Not even to save your friend.”