Silent Run

important lesson years earlier. Give them what they want, and then they’ll want you.
    Sarah woke up with a start, not sure how long she’d been asleep, but the room was filled with dark, late afternoon shadows. Blinking rapidly, she took in the now-familiar surroundings of her hospital room. The clock read five thirty. She’d been asleep for about an hour. She’d been dreaming again -- about a man. He’d been wearing a tuxedo. But his face remained vague, in the shadows of her mind. Was it Jake she’d dreamed about? Was it one of their early dates, when she’d first told him the lies about herself?
    For some reason she didn’t think so. Was it possible there was another man in her past? Someone else she had lied to? She frowned at that disturbing thought. What kind of a woman lied again and again? The only answer was that she had something to hide. And now she wasn’t just hiding the past from others; she was also hiding it from herself.
    Sitting up, she put a tentative hand to her head. The swelling had gone down, and her temple was much less painful. The dizziness also seemed to have eased. As she stretched her stiff limbs, she wondered where Jake was and, more important, what he was doing.
    The door to her room opened, and she turned her head, expecting to see Jake, but it was another man. He was taller than Jake and thinner, dressed in a navy blue suit with a light blue tie that hung loose about his neck. His hair was brown but spiked and streaked with blond highlights, giving him a bit of a surfer look that didn’t quite match his conservative attire. His eyes were a light brown, flecked with the same gold as his hair.
    As he approached the bed, she tensed. Her first thought was that he was one of the doctors who had been called in to consult on her case, but there was something about the look in his eyes that bothered her. Her heart sped up.
    â€œWho are you?” she demanded. “How did you get in here?"
    Sarah reached for the call button as the man moved closer to her bed.
    â€œReady to call in the cavalry so soon?” he drawled. “I’m hurt. We haven’t even talked yet, Sarah."
    â€œI asked who you are,” she repeated, unsure of what to make of his cynical, sarcastic tone.
    â€œThat’s right. Jake says you don’t remember anything or anyone. Very convenient."
    â€œNot for me. How do you know Jake?"
    â€œI’m his brother, Dylan,” he replied, his gaze never wavering from her face. “Sound familiar, Princess?"
    â€œOnly in that Jake told me he had a brother,” she replied. Now that she knew who he was, she threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin. She might have to answer to Jake, but she didn’t have to answer to his brother. “And don’t call me princess."
    â€œWhat should I call you? I doubt Sarah is your real name, since I’ve spent the past seven months looking for you. My gut tells me you’ve been a number of people over the years, depending on whatever scam you were running. Otherwise we would have been able to track you down. But you were playing a game, a very good game -- I’ll give you that. You seemed so sweet and innocent, Jake’s perfect blond angel, but that was just an illusion, wasn’t it? Underneath that eager-to-please exterior was a woman who knew exactly what she was doing. You figured out everything Jake wanted, and then you gave it to him. You were smarter than I thought. But finally you made a mistake. You drove your car off the road and ended up where we could find you. So, game over.” His gaze hardened. “Why don’t you come clean, Sarah? Give Caitlyn back to Jake. Let him raise her. I’m sure a baby must be cramping your style."
    â€œI don’t know what you’re talking about. What you say means nothing to me, and frankly, the person you’re describing doesn’t feel like me."
    He shook his head, his eyes glittering in disbelief. “Doesn’t feel like you -- well, isn’t that informative? Fine, you don’t know anything about the past, so I’ll fill you in. I walked away before. I kept my mouth shut, because Jake was stupidly in love with you, but I will not stand by and let you hurt my brother again. I will do whatever it takes to get Caitlyn back for Jake. And you won’t stand in my way. Got it?"
    There was no doubt about the threat in Dylan’s voice. Sarah had one more enemy to add to