Silent Run

waist as he nuzzled her neck with his lips. She could feel his warm mouth on her skin, his hard body behind hers. She looked for his face in the glass, but it remained maddeningly out of reach .
    It had to have been Jake. They’d been lovers, obviously. They’d had a child together. But had he been the only man in her life? She was twenty-eight years old, according to Jake. They’d been together two years. That left her early twenties up for grabs. She had to have been somewhere before she arrived in San Francisco. She had to have had friends, relatives. Why was her past so elusive? Had she told so many lies that she didn’t know what the truth was anymore?
    Lies implied secrets, danger -- had she done something horrific? Or had she seen someone else do it? Was she a victim or a villain?
    She stared at her face in the mirror, determined to find something there that jarred her memory. But eventually her features turned into one unrecognizable blur. She didn’t know who she was. But someone knew the truth about her. And they wanted to kill her. There had to be a reason why.
    * * *
    â€œYou’re sure Sarah isn’t faking this amnesia?” Dylan asked as he dug his hands into the pockets of his slacks and paced around one side of the small hospital room.
    Jake sighed. He didn’t need his younger brother’s overwhelming cynicism to make this any more difficult. “She’s pretty good if she’s acting,” he prevaricated.
    â€œWell, you already know she’s good,” Dylan reminded him.
    â€œIt’s not just me. The doctor is convinced as well."
    â€œYeah, well, Sarah has a way of distracting men from the truth."
    â€œJust say you told me so; then we can get it over with.” Jake knew his brother had been biting back the words for the past seven months.
    â€œI told you so,” Dylan replied, meeting his gaze. “I knew Sarah was lying, but you wouldn’t believe me, and you should have. I’m your brother. I have your back. And you know women are natural-born liars. But still you ignored all the warning signs."
    Jake knew his brother wasn’t just talking about Sarah. “She’s not Mom."
    â€œShe’s the same,” Dylan said with a shrug. “She left, didn’t she?"
    Jake didn’t want to go down that path. His brother’s bitter feelings about their mother ran extremely deep. “Let’s stay focused on the present, shall we?"
    â€œFine. Maybe something will come of the newscast. Although Sarah certainly doesn’t want to do it -- not exactly the actions of a woman desperate to find her child."
    â€œShe’s scared,” Jake admitted. “She’s had a rough twenty-four hours. Someone has tried to kill her twice.” He’d filled his brother in on the events of the past two days, and while Dylan still believed Sarah was no innocent bystander, he was at least beginning to believe that whatever she was involved in was bigger than her.
    â€œWhich is why going public is a good idea. We need to find out who has Caitlyn. And if Sarah is in danger, so is your daughter."
    â€œI know,” Jake murmured, his gut clenching at the thought. “I can’t stand not knowing where she is."
    â€œHow are you handling being with Sarah again?"
    Jake couldn’t even begin to answer that question. His conflict must have shown on his face, because Dylan’s mouth was already turning down at the corners.
    â€œShe’s getting to you, isn’t she? I knew it,” Dylan said.
    â€œDon’t be an ass. She’s not getting to me."
    â€œI saw the way you looked at her when she got out of bed and stumbled. You almost reached for her. You wanted to help her."
    â€œReflex action,” Jake said, avoiding his brother’s piercing gaze. Dylan had a way of seeing through people’s walls. That was why he’d been able to see through Sarah. But right now Jake didn’t want his brother analyzing him or his reactions to Sarah.
    â€œYou have a bad habit of wanting to rescue people,” Dylan said. “You spent half our childhood rescuing me, remember?"
    â€œYeah, well, someone had to. Look, she’s not playing me, all right? I haven’t forgotten what she did. But the situation is more complicated now. It’s not just about Sarah walking out on me. There’s a lot more at stake. Right before Sarah was attacked earlier, she told me that she dreamed she saw