half wall, separating the living room from the kitchen. “She’s not Elise, and I think you know that. Elise was street smart, savvy…”
Jesse cut him off with a grunt. “Elise hopped in and out of the back of cars with any guy who’d offer her a free ride. Then she’d empty their wallets. She was a player. She’d steal anything she could flip for money. She planned to go into a store to take. She had no morals. Did you forget her first abortion at fifteen, a second at seventeen? And you, you dumbass, took her and paid for each. And it wasn’t even yours.”
Sam’s eyes glazed with a frosty distant hurt. He gritted his teeth, shook his head. “Why are you doing this? Why now?”
Jesse shuffled closer to Sam. “Don’t you think it tore my heart out to watch you twisted around her finger? You couldn’t see what she was doing. She went from one guy to the next, and you were always sitting by the sidelines. What’d you promise her, so she’d marry you?”
Grief and anger waged an ugly war inside of Sam. He glared at Jesse. Then snapped. “I dared her because I knew it was the only way she would. Are you happy now?”
Jesse didn’t touch him, but his gruff voice softened. “I was never happy watching from the back forty the way you were ripped apart. I knew you loved her. And maybe she loved you too for what she could. But she was never honest with you. And that I can’t forgive her for.”
The floor squeaked behind Sam. “Good God woman, you scared me. How long you been standing there?”
“Long enough. Jesse, I hope to God I’m not dishonest. Just the thought…”
“Marcie, Jesse isn’t saying that.”
She stepped closer to Sam. “Well actually Sam, Jesse’s trying to protect you from being hurt and deceived by another woman. He’s watching your back. Friends don’t come any better than that.”
Marcie crossed her arms. “I’m thinking I did something. I don’t know what’s going on, but I seem to be picking up on feelings and stuff…” Her hand shook when she paused . “I have a feeling I may be listed under a different name.”
“And what name might that be?” Jesse responded.
Sam ran his hand up and down the back of his head, pacing in a circle over by the balcony.
Marcie shrugged and appeared like a frightened child . “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have.”
“Jesse, you should be able to find out from security at Sea-Tac airport.”
“That’ll take time, time my boss ain’t gonna give me. This morning he told me to wrap it up, no chance of catching the thug who robbed her. And he don’t give a rat’s ass about her lost memory.” Jesse firmed his thick lips and looked down with a mix of distant concern, maybe to decide whether Marcie could be trusted. “I’ll ask Dev in airport security to contact them for me. He can find out.”
“Actually Jesse I’d like to see the security video. Any chance you could get me in to watch it?”
“Why?” Jesse puffed out his chest and crossed his arms
“Just a hunch I want to follow up on. Humor me, please.”
Jesse merely grunted while keeping his hard, dark eyes focused on Sam. “And let me guess, you’re not about to share this hunch.”
Sam paused before a faint boyish grin lit up his striking face. He slowly shook his head.
Jesse threw his hands up in the air. “Let me see what I can do.”
“Last night, I had a hard time sleeping. At one point, I fell into a dream. Except I think it was a memory of something I did or was part of.” Marcie faced Sam.
Jesse wandered out of the kitchen and leaned against Sam’s cluttered desk.
“It was real, Sam. I swear, and this will sound crazy, but it was a cover-up of something. I was staying on this large rural property in a trailer. There were two guys there I knew, Richard and Dan.” Her eyes widened. “I don’t know where that came from. I don’t remember anything about them.”
“But you know their names?”
She shrugged and glanced at Sam and
Jesse cut him off with a grunt. “Elise hopped in and out of the back of cars with any guy who’d offer her a free ride. Then she’d empty their wallets. She was a player. She’d steal anything she could flip for money. She planned to go into a store to take. She had no morals. Did you forget her first abortion at fifteen, a second at seventeen? And you, you dumbass, took her and paid for each. And it wasn’t even yours.”
Sam’s eyes glazed with a frosty distant hurt. He gritted his teeth, shook his head. “Why are you doing this? Why now?”
Jesse shuffled closer to Sam. “Don’t you think it tore my heart out to watch you twisted around her finger? You couldn’t see what she was doing. She went from one guy to the next, and you were always sitting by the sidelines. What’d you promise her, so she’d marry you?”
Grief and anger waged an ugly war inside of Sam. He glared at Jesse. Then snapped. “I dared her because I knew it was the only way she would. Are you happy now?”
Jesse didn’t touch him, but his gruff voice softened. “I was never happy watching from the back forty the way you were ripped apart. I knew you loved her. And maybe she loved you too for what she could. But she was never honest with you. And that I can’t forgive her for.”
The floor squeaked behind Sam. “Good God woman, you scared me. How long you been standing there?”
“Long enough. Jesse, I hope to God I’m not dishonest. Just the thought…”
“Marcie, Jesse isn’t saying that.”
She stepped closer to Sam. “Well actually Sam, Jesse’s trying to protect you from being hurt and deceived by another woman. He’s watching your back. Friends don’t come any better than that.”
Marcie crossed her arms. “I’m thinking I did something. I don’t know what’s going on, but I seem to be picking up on feelings and stuff…” Her hand shook when she paused . “I have a feeling I may be listed under a different name.”
“And what name might that be?” Jesse responded.
Sam ran his hand up and down the back of his head, pacing in a circle over by the balcony.
Marcie shrugged and appeared like a frightened child . “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have.”
“Jesse, you should be able to find out from security at Sea-Tac airport.”
“That’ll take time, time my boss ain’t gonna give me. This morning he told me to wrap it up, no chance of catching the thug who robbed her. And he don’t give a rat’s ass about her lost memory.” Jesse firmed his thick lips and looked down with a mix of distant concern, maybe to decide whether Marcie could be trusted. “I’ll ask Dev in airport security to contact them for me. He can find out.”
“Actually Jesse I’d like to see the security video. Any chance you could get me in to watch it?”
“Why?” Jesse puffed out his chest and crossed his arms
“Just a hunch I want to follow up on. Humor me, please.”
Jesse merely grunted while keeping his hard, dark eyes focused on Sam. “And let me guess, you’re not about to share this hunch.”
Sam paused before a faint boyish grin lit up his striking face. He slowly shook his head.
Jesse threw his hands up in the air. “Let me see what I can do.”
“Last night, I had a hard time sleeping. At one point, I fell into a dream. Except I think it was a memory of something I did or was part of.” Marcie faced Sam.
Jesse wandered out of the kitchen and leaned against Sam’s cluttered desk.
“It was real, Sam. I swear, and this will sound crazy, but it was a cover-up of something. I was staying on this large rural property in a trailer. There were two guys there I knew, Richard and Dan.” Her eyes widened. “I don’t know where that came from. I don’t remember anything about them.”
“But you know their names?”
She shrugged and glanced at Sam and
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