Oliver (Project Arma Book 7)

Was the woman trying to be funny? Only Oliver’s teammates called him Ax, and she knew that. They’d had a long conversation about it less than a month ago.

He studied her face, trying to find signs that she was messing with him. But she didn’t look like she was joking. She looked…nervous. Unsure.

What the hell was going on here?

He’d only spent a day with Tori, but throughout that day, she’d been flirtatious and confident. The Tori in front of him looked as far from those two things as possible.

“Why’d you call me Ax?”

Tori’s mouth opened and shut multiple times before she spoke. “That’s…I mean, that’s your name.”

“That’s my nickname. My name is Oliver.”

There was the slightest widening of her sky-blue eyes. “Oliver.” She breathed his name.

Even though he was confused as hell about what was happening, his body reacted to his name on her lips. It was like that the first time they’d met too. Immediate attraction.

Still, he was lost for words. Did the woman not remember his name?

It didn’t seem possible. He wasn’t so arrogant as to think that every single woman he’d spent time with remembered him, but it had only been a few weeks. He couldn’t believe he was that forgettable.

Oliver stood silent for a moment, trying to figure her out. Trying and failing. He caught the multiple expressions flashing over her face. It was almost like she was seeing him for the first time.

Oliver tried for a smile. “I tried the number you gave me, but it was disconnected. I didn’t think I was going to see you again.”

She paused, clearly scrambling to think of a response. “I, um, lost my phone.”

Oliver could sense a lie anywhere. An accelerated heart rate, the hitching of one’s breath, pupils dilating…all were signs of deceit.

Most people wouldn’t be able to hear the heart beating in someone’s chest. With Oliver’s altered DNA, he could.

What she’d just said was the truth.

Oliver wasn’t sure if it was because of the vulnerability she was showing, or because he hadn’t seen her in weeks, but his hand twitched to reach out and touch her. Tug her body into his, test if she’d forgotten his touch as well as his name.

A hand clamped on his shoulder, drawing him from his thoughts. “Ax, want to introduce me to your friend?”

Not really. He wanted answers. “Red, this is Tori. Tori, this is Red, but most people call him Bodie.”

Bodie’s smile was broad. Oliver had mentioned Tori before. Told his friend about the woman he’d spent a night with. Obviously Bodie hadn’t forgotten. He reached out a hand.

“Nice to meet you.” When Tori slipped her hand into his, an unfamiliar pang of jealousy shot through Oliver’s chest.

Jealousy because his friend touched Tori first?

God, he really was living in the twilight zone right now.

“Nice to meet you, Tori.” Bodie glanced at Oliver. “Next class starts in ten.”

Oliver nodded before turning back to her. “I’m scheduled to run the next class and a couple more this afternoon.” He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly frustrated by his lack of spare time. He’d rather get to the bottom of her unexpected visit.

He scanned the hall, wondering if any of his team was available to replace him.

“Oh, that’s okay. Maya told me there’s another class on Thursday. I can see you then. I don’t want to be a hassle.”

Thursday was only a couple of days away. But still… “How long are you in town for?”

“I haven’t decided.” Truth. “We could go for a coffee after Thursday’s class?”

“Or we could go now?” Screw the class. This was more important. Asher was still around, he could take Oliver’s place.

Tori eyed the exit. Now she wanted to escape? Why? She’d said she was here to see him.

“Honestly, it’s okay. I’m not in any rush. Thursday’s fine.”

From his peripheral vision, Oliver noticed Bodie looking his way. Even from across the room, his friend could hear their conversation.

“I can at least walk you back to your hotel.” He was assuming she was staying at a local hotel, anyway.

She was already shaking her head. “That’s okay. I mean, thank you for offering. I’ll see you Thursday for the next class, Oliver.”

Tori offered a quick smile that didn’t come close to reaching her eyes before heading out the door. He noticed that she took nothing with her. Not a bag, not even a new phone.

When Tori stepped outside, Oliver considered following. He could easily do so undetected. But she clearly didn’t want his company.

“She’s back.”

Oliver finally took his eyes off the door to look at Bodie. His friend was standing beside him again. “I don’t think she remembers me.”

It sounded even stranger out loud than it had in his head.

Bodie’s brows pulled together. “Wasn’t it only a few weeks ago that you were together?”

“Less than a month ago.” Twenty-two days, to be exact.

Bodie was silent for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. “Maybe you just aren’t that memorable.”

Oliver didn’t laugh. He couldn’t even muster a smile. Because he knew there was something else going on. He watched as Tori disappeared down the street.

There’d been something about the look on her face that had him pausing.

Uncertainty.

It looked out of place. She’d been so damn self-assured the last time he’d seen her. She’d worn her confidence like a badge of honor.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Of course you will,” Bodie muttered under his breath as Oliver ran outside.

Tori wrapped her arms around her middle as she made her way back to the motel.

He’d been right there. The only person she knew who may have any answers. Less than a foot away. Yet she hadn’t asked a single question.

Why?

Because something in her gut had screamed for her to be careful. It wasn’t just the suspicion in his eyes or the air of danger that surrounded him. It was something else. Something in the back of her mind that had kept her lips sealed and made her walk away.

It wasn’t that she thought he was the person who’d aimed a gun at her head and sent her into the river. Figuring him out a bit more before she spilled her guts felt smart, though.

“Tori.”

The sound of Oliver’s voice had Tori almost tripping over her own feet. She came to a quick stop but didn’t turn around straight away. Nervous tension gripped her spine.

It’s okay, Tori. Be confident.

Forcing a smile to her lips, she turned. “Miss me already?”

Good. She sounded a million times more poised than she had in Marble Protection.

Just like he had inside, Oliver stepped close. So much closer than a stranger would stand. Taking up all her personal space. Then his hand went to her arm, and for the first time that morning, he touched her.

Awareness shot through her limbs.

“Are you okay?”

She frowned at his gentle words. “Of course.” She fixed her gaze on his, trying to focus on anything but his touch on her arm because it was doing strange things to her insides. “I’ve had a long couple of weeks.”

It didn’t get any truer than that.

“Anything I can help with?”

Yes. I just wish I trusted you. “I’m okay. But I’m looking forward to our coffee date on Thursday.”

Hopefully, by then, she’d be more prepared. Maybe the word “danger” wouldn’t be flashing through her mind.

Oliver was silent for a moment. His hand still on her arm. Then he nodded. “Done.”

“Great. I’ll, ah, see you then, Oliver.”

His thumb brushed over the bare skin of her arm, sending goose bumps to the surface. “See you then, Tori.”

When his hand dropped, she swore she could still feel him.

He turned, heading back to Marble Protection. She stood there for a good twenty seconds before finally heading back to the motel.

Rest. That’s what she needed. To sleep off this strange morning. To figure out what the hell she was going to do and whether she was going to take a chance on this stranger and trust him.

She needed her memories back. She’d lost every single one of them, bar a couple from her childhood. And in doing so, she didn’t know who the hell she was. She’d lost her identity.

It was scary. To lose yourself. To not know how she’d ended up floating down the Colorado River or who’d shot her.

A shiver coursed down Tori’s spine as she turned a corner.

The only reason she had the means to be here, to stay in a motel, was the cash that had been in her pocket. Ten thousand dollars. Who the hell put ten thousand dollars in their pocket?

Tori already knew the answer. Someone who was in trouble. Someone who was running.

Ten minutes later, she arrived at the motel. Her room was on the bottom floor at the end of the walkway. She moved inside quickly before locking the door and leaning against it.

She needed answers, and she needed them soon. Even if it meant trusting a man who could pose a huge threat.