Hide My Memories: A Romantic Suspense Thriller Series (Hide Me Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

walked faster and ducked behind a couple, hoping to get away from him.
    She was going to cry, and soon, and she didn't want him to see it. If only she hadn't given him her number already. She never wanted to see him again. There were a few things she was sensitive about. Her complete lack of money was one of them. Being rejected was another. Her day had put her on such edge that she had even less ability than normal to deal with it. Desperation clotted her brain. Where was Jordan?
    Finally, she recognized Jordan's blonde curls, pressed against a man in a corner. She rushed over, interrupting them.
    "Jordan, please can you take me home right now."
    "Katerina, what is going on? What did that guy do?"
    "Nothing. I don’t feel good. I want to get out of here right now."
    Jordan threw a glance at the man she’d been all over. He raised his chin. "I'll drive you both."
    Katerina tugged on Jordan's hands. "No, Jordan, please. I don't feel good and I want to be alone. Just drop me off at home and then you can come back."
    "Okay."
    Jordan turned to the man and whispered something in his ear, then followed Katerina outside. Once the door closed behind them, Katerina breathed a sigh of relief, happy that West hadn't found her before she got out of the bar. She never wanted to see him again in her life. She wanted to forget this night and day had ever happened.
    Liquid brown eyes. Blonde ponytail. Red lipstick.

Chapter 7
     
     
     
    West took one last trip around the bar, then finally admitted to himself that Katerina was no longer inside it. He hurried out the door to look for her. He quickly threw a glance in both directions, but the sidewalk was empty. Disappointment exploded in his chest. What happened?
    He grimaced and called himself a dozen different names. He knew what had happened. She had correctly interpreted the look in his eyes that said he didn’t want to take her home. She probably thought he was married. And if he had taken her home, she definitely would've thought he was married. His house was still exactly the same way it had been on the day that Stephanie died. It was almost a shrine. Stephanie’s pillow was still on the bed, her clothes were still in the closets, even her car was still in the garage. In fact, if he were to admit the absolute truth to himself, she was the reason he had gotten rid of his dirt bike. When she was alive, she had always hated the thing. She never said so, and never had asked him to get rid of it, but he could tell that she was scared it was dangerous and reckless and juvenile. And after she died, regret about ignoring her unspoken wishes consumed him, so he sold it.
    He looked to the dark sky and wondered how he ever had been such an idiot. Of course Blaise had been right. He had been stuck in the past. But now he was ready.
    He pulled out his phone and texted Blaise. Sorry, B. I'm heading home. Call you tomorrow.
    He walked two blocks to the parking lot where his truck was and then drove home on autopilot, making his plans.
    Once home, he pulled the moving boxes out of the garage where they'd been neatly flattened and stacked since they moved in. He set them up in the living room and started tossing things in. He picked his favorite picture of them on their honeymoon and left it up on the wall, but everything else went either into a box marked storage , or a box marked giveaway . His long-haired tabby cat, Nina, meowed piteously and wound around his legs while he worked. He ignored her. Normally, he could not resist her attempts at attention, but this evening, he barely noticed her. He had work to do.
    West emptied the closets. He took Stephanie's pillow off the bed. He went through every item in her office and decided what to do with it. Some of it needed to go to her sister.
    He could barely stand it. Tears flowed down his face most of the night. He felt like he was killing her all over again. And now he knew why he had never been able to do this before. She was really gone. Gone