Oliver (Project Arma Book 7)
Oliver: Chapter 21

The ringing of his phone cut through Oliver’s unconsciousness, snapping him from dead asleep to wide away.

Gently, so as to not wake Tori, Oliver slid his arm out from under her. Grabbing the phone from his bedside table, he left the room, noticing it was just after six in the morning.

He closed the bedroom door before speaking. “Jobs, what is it?”

“Grace Victoria Blake.”

Oliver scrubbed a hand over his face. Maybe he wasn’t as wide awake as he’d thought. Wyatt’s words made no sense. “Who’s that?”

“Tori.”

That had his body stilling. His eyes shooting to the bedroom door. “You found her.”

“Yep. After you mentioned Tori may be her middle name, I searched people with the middle name Tori, and variations of Tori, who lived in and around the area where she was found.”

“You’re sure it’s her?” Oliver almost didn’t want to believe it, in case they were wrong.

“Thirty years old, served two terms in the Army, mother died seven months ago from breast cancer and Grace inherited her house—which was located less than a mile from Gorman Falls, just outside the Colorado Bend State Park.”

He ran a hand through his hair as he tread slowly down the stairs. “And Gorman Falls feeds into the Colorado River…where she was found.” Oliver dropped onto the couch. “Can’t believe you found her. Anything else pop up?”

“Nothing yet. And couldn’t find anything on her friend Samantha.”

Oliver nodded. He’d suspected as much. “Thanks, Jobs.”

“You gonna tell her today?”

Definitely. It was her identity they’d just uncovered. She would want to know as soon as possible. “Yeah.” He paused while he considered his next words. “And I’ve decided to stop fighting it.”

“It?”

“My feelings for her. I’m done with trying to pretend they don’t exist. I can’t stay away from the woman. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. Tori’s mine. We fit together well.” Too damn well.

“You trust her?”

“Yes.” He was late to the party and should have trusted her earlier. But he was there now. “I can see and feel the goodness inside her.”

“Took your time.”

His friend wasn’t wrong. He’d lost precious days that they could have spent together. They were days he’d need to make up to her.

“I know. But I got there in the end.”

The subtle sound of the mattress dipping sounded from upstairs. Then light footsteps.

A few seconds later, Tori was downstairs. She was wearing his T-shirt, which drowned her.

One thought raced through his head.

Mine.

Lifting a hand toward her, he waited for her to come to him. When she moved closer, Oliver tugged her onto his lap and put his phone on speaker.

He pressed a kiss to her temple, enjoying the soft shiver that raced through her. “Jobs has some good news for you.”

Her brows lifted. “I like good news.”

Wyatt chuckled. “Well, then you’ll love this. I found you.”

“Found me?” A combination of confusion and hope crossed her face.

“Your name is Grace Victoria Blake, and you live near Gorman Falls in Texas.”

Recognition lit Tori’s expression. “Gorman Falls…” She rubbed her temple and her brows pulled together.

When she remained silent, Oliver tightened his hold on her waist. “What is it, honey?”

“I’m not sure…but I think that might be where I was shot. Near the top of the falls.” She shook her head. “I just had this sudden memory of falling. The water flowing around me.”

Oliver’s jaw tensed. Those falls were over sixty feet high. “It’s too high.”

“The water at the base of the falls is pretty deep.” Wyatt spoke through the line. “If she’d landed at the right angle, her body relaxed, she could’ve easily come out of the fall with no broken bones.”

Tension coiled in Oliver’s gut at the thought. It was Tori’s soft touch on his shoulder that had his bunched muscles releasing.

“Adrien was only at partial capacity,” Wyatt continued. “He may have assumed he either got the kill shot he needed or the drop into the water finished the job.”

Just like that, Oliver’s muscles bunched again. He was going to kill that asshole.

If what Wyatt suspected was true, then Adrien would have reported back to Hylar that she was dead. When had they found out she wasn’t? How had they found out?

Tori caressed Oliver’s cheek. “What is it?”

“How did they know you didn’t die? How did Hylar know to send a man here?”

Oliver already knew the answer to that, though. There was only one answer. Hylar had eyes on them. He had to. There were no cameras or listening devices in his house, the team did weekly sweeps. So was Hylar or one of his men close by? Watching from the shadows?

The idea had him holding Tori even tighter.

“We’ll find out,” Wyatt said with unrivaled certainty.

Tori nibbled her lip as she looked at the phone. “I want to go there.”

“Where? Gorman Falls?”

“Yes. To my house,” Tori answered.

He shook his head. “We can’t guarantee it’s safe—”

“There’s no guarantee anywhere is safe. I’ll be as safe as possible because you’ll be with me. Please, Oliver! I need to see my home.”

Christ, he hated the way her eyes pleaded with him.

Then she lowered her voice a fraction. “Also…Charlie would still be there. I need to bury him.”

Goddammit. How the hell was he supposed to say no to that? “Okay. But I go in and check the place first. And if I say it’s not safe, we leave. Period.”

She sank into him, her arms going around his waist. A kiss pressed to his shoulder. God, the woman shattered him.

“I’ll come,” Wyatt said from across the line. “I’ll give Kye a buzz and ask him to come too.”

That was better. There was safety in numbers.

Oliver didn’t think Hylar would be there waiting for her. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

He wasn’t risking Tori. Not after accepting she was his.

From his peripheral vision, Oliver caught Tori wringing her fingers together in her lap. They weren’t even halfway to her house, and she looked nervous as hell.

Taking a hand off the wheel, he covered both her hands with his own. “Why are you nervous, honey?”

One hand slipped out from below his to cover his hand. “I’m nervous about finding Charlie. And about not remembering anything.”

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Your mind will remember everything in due course.”

She nodded but remained silent.

“Do you remember why you go by Tori rather than Grace?”

When he looked across, he caught her small frown. “I’m almost certain Samantha came up with the nickname. I can’t quite remember why though.”

“You can ask her when we find her.” He squeezed the hand that remained below his. “Would you prefer me to call you Grace?”

She chuckled, some of the tension releasing from her shoulders. “No. I think that would be strange now. Tori feels right coming from you.”

Good. He’d call her whatever she wanted, but Tori felt right to him too.

“I remember meeting you.”

Oliver raised his brows, surprised. “Tell me about it.”

“I was shocked by how good-looking you were. Shocked by how attracted I was to a felon.” Oliver chuckled. “I remember noticing the crinkles beside your eyes when you laughed and thinking, ‘What kind of bad guy has laugh lines?’” She dipped her head. “I even remember waiting for you to slip up. To drop the alluring smile. Say something that would expose your true nature.”

Interesting. “But I never did?”

“You never did.”

“What was the tipping point?” The point where she went from suspecting he might be good, to knowing.

“I could say it was a million small things. That would be the truth, because everything factored in. But there was something particular that stood out.”

She paused. Oliver didn’t say anything, knowing she’d speak when she was ready.

“At dinner, you asked about my mom. I was trying not to reveal any personal information, while also being careful not to lie.”

Oliver frowned, remembering their conversation like it was yesterday. “You said your mom was a long way away. Unreachable.”

“I did. And you reached across the table, touched my hand, similar to how you’re touching it right now, and told me you were sorry. That a mother’s love can’t be replaced.” Tori bit her bottom lip. “There was real emotion in your expression. Genuine empathy. I felt it on such a deep level.”

After a quiet moment, she lifted a shoulder. “When I was putting the sedative into your wine, I couldn’t shake your words. I remember the phone feeling heavy in my pocket. I was supposed to call Hylar once you were down. Let his men in to take you away.”

His skin chilled at the thought of what might have happened. “But you didn’t.”

“But I didn’t.”

Oliver stopped at a red light. He turned his head and watched Tori, loving the way her face was so expressive.

When she turned her head to look at him, she smiled. “Why are you staring at me?”

Wasn’t it obvious? “Just thinking about how beautiful you look.”

A rosy-pink color entered her cheeks. Adorable.

“If I stared every time I was thinking about how good-looking you are, I wouldn’t be taking my eyes off you.”

Oh, that would be just fine with him. “I don’t see a problem with that.” In fact, he would probably prefer it. He didn’t like her eyes on other guys, anyway.

Her smile grew. “Imagine how many doors I’d walk into. The milk I’d pour outside the cup.”

Oliver shook his head. “Nope. I wouldn’t let either of those things happen. I’d be your eyes, honey. And to make your life that much easier, I would carry you everywhere.” Yeah, he was liking that idea.

Tori threw her head back and laughed, showcasing her long, delicate neck. “Okay. You can carry me everywhere and I’ll stare at you all day. That won’t be weird at all.”

He scoffed. “I’d give up normalcy for you.”

He’d give up a lot for the woman.

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