Christmas Amnesia. Laura Scott

Noah said in a hushed tone, plastering himself up against the wall near the door, quickly twisting the dead bolt into place and shutting off the lights. “Get down.”

      When she saw the gun in his hand, Madison ducked behind the kitchen counter, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. He doused the lights, and for several long minutes they waited, the silence thick and oppressing.

      The door handle rattled as someone tried to gain entry. Maddy found herself holding her breath, wondering if this was her roommate returning home from a late flight. But then she quickly dismissed the idea, knowing a roommate would simply use her key, the same way she and Noah had.

      Another rattle of the doorknob caused the tiny hairs on the back of her neck to rise. Someone was trying to access the apartment.

      To get to her?

      More jiggling noises—what could the person in the hallway be doing? Picking the lock? She wished she could see Noah’s face.

      After what seemed like a lifetime, the noise stopped. She didn’t move, waiting for some sort of signal from Noah.

      The minutes passed slowly. When her leg muscles began to cramp from crouching, Noah came over to stand beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?” he whispered.

      No, she wasn’t all right. She couldn’t remember anything about her past, her job, her life—plus someone had tried to hurt her not just once, but twice. She swallowed hard and pushed past the wave of anxiety. “Yes.”

      “We can’t stay here,” Noah continued in a hushed voice. “Whoever was out there might come back, or worse, hide someplace nearby to watch the place. I need to take you far away from here, someplace no one will know to look for you.”

      Her condo wasn’t safe. The idea was terrifying, but then again, everything seemed surreal, as if this was happening to someone else, not her. Was that because she couldn’t remember her past?

      “Okay,” she agreed, because really, what else could she say? She wasn’t in a position to argue. She had no idea where to go or who to turn to for help.

      Only Noah Sinclair, her buoy in a rough sea.

      “Is that your computer case?” Noah asked.

      “I think so. There’s a file labeled Pietro inside. Although it’s odd that it would be here when I was supposedly working late. Wouldn’t I carry my computer with me?”

      “I don’t know. You could have been doing prep work with a witness. Regardless, let’s take it with us,” Noah said, releasing her to snag the strap of the case off the counter. He swung it over his shoulder, then reached for her hand. The moonlight shining in through the windows provided enough illumination for her to see his dark frame now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. “Come on, we’ll need to take the back staircase down to the first floor.”

      She wanted to ask how he knew about the back staircase, then realized he’d mentioned helping her move in. Ironic that he knew more about the place she lived in than she did. In fact, it was clear Noah knew everything about her, which once again made her wonder about their relationship. Were they friends? Something more? Had they dated at one point? Sneaking another glance at his handsome profile, she thought that if he’d asked her out, she’d have said yes.

      Then again, maybe she already had a boyfriend. There were no rings on her fingers, which made her feel slightly better about being attracted to Noah.

      Enough. Stay on track, she admonished herself. Her headache must be making her loopy. There were more serious issues facing her right now than wondering about her personal relationships or lack thereof. “Can I pack a suitcase?”

      “No time. We need to get out of here right away.” His hand tightened around hers.

      “Okay.” She closed her eyes for a moment, sending up a prayer for safety, before following Noah to the door. He cracked it open, peering in the hallway to make sure the coast was clear.

      “Let’s go.” He slid through the opening, using his broad shoulders as a shield in front of her as they made their way to the exit sign at the end of the hallway.

      The stairwell was brightly lit, causing her to screen her eyes with her hand, wincing at the pain ricocheting through her skull. She followed Noah down the stairs, trying to mimic his soft, stealthy movements.

      The way he paused at each floor, opening the doorway and looking down the hallway as if searching for anything out of place, caused her muscles to knot with tension. What if the door-handle rattler came back and found them?

      She trusted in Noah’s ability to protect them, but the thought of him putting his life on the line bothered her.

      And as they made their way to ground level, Maddy couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever feel safe again.

      * * *

      The stark fear in Maddy’s blue eyes made Noah grit his teeth against a surge of anger. This wasn’t right. Maddy was a lawyer doing her job; she didn’t deserve to be stalked by Pietro’s goons.

      Yeah, there was the remote possibility that it was someone else who held a grudge against the assistant district attorney. Maddy had assisted in putting other criminals away. Rumor had it she was one of the up-and-coming ADAs with an impressive conviction rate. Yet the timing of the assault against her was suspicious. Noah firmly believed that Alexander Pietro was the mastermind behind these recent attempts on Maddy’s life.

      Pietro had the most to lose. Maddy was the ADA standing in the way of his ability to beat the charges against him. The idea that Pietro might actually succeed in getting away with his crimes was unbearable.

      For a second, his younger sister Rose’s face flashed in Noah’s mind. He remembered the way he’d last seen her—pale and lifeless, lying on the floor of her bathroom, with a needle and syringe still embedded in her skinny arm.

      Dead from a heroin overdose.

      Then there had been Gina, the girlfriend he’d broken up with because of her relentless partying. She’d later died from alcohol poisoning.

      He stopped so abruptly that Maddy bumped into him from behind. He automatically reached out to steady her. “Sorry.”

      “What’s wrong?”

      The way she gazed up at him, as if she actually cared about how he was feeling, made him cringe. He felt like a fraud. If Maddy’s memory was intact, there’s no way she’d be here with him right now. In fact, she’d likely demand Noah stay far away from her.

      But she didn’t have her memory and the danger surrounding her was all too real. He told himself to focus on the immediate threat. They were on the ground floor and unfortunately, he had left his squad car on the street directly in front of the building.

      Smart, Sinclair. If the guy inside the apartment building was the same one who tried to run her over, he knows you’re here. Idiot!

      Too late to do anything about that decision now. He eased the door leading outside open a bit, looking out to be sure that no one was waiting there for them.

      He didn’t see anyone, but hesitated, unwilling to make another mistake, especially with another Callahan’s life hanging in the balance.

      If anything happened to Maddy, her twin brother, Matt, would never forgive him.

      Noah wouldn’t be able to forgive himself, either.

      “What are we waiting for?” Maddy whispered.

      Good question. Was he overreacting? Maybe the person outside Maddy’s door wasn’t trying to hurt her at all, but simply had the wrong apartment.

      Then again, that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. He could call for backup, too, but he didn’t like the idea of anyone with a police scanner knowing where they were. For all he knew, the guys working for Pietro could be listening in. “Stay behind me. I need to be sure that the