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“As I said, someone is doing their best to ensure that I learn the truth. They’ve sent me threatening text mesAva s. Warnings. About you. About three men I care about. Everything is ready to explode in the open. Whatever happened the night I was injured is the reason.”
They exchanged another glance, and I sensed they both realized they’d been defeated.
“That’s why we didn’t want you in Chicago,” my mom said under her breath. She looked petrified.
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Very protected. However, I’m curious. Did you hire Emerald to follow me around?”
The look they shared was one of genuine surprise. “Who is Emerald?” Dad asked.
“My assistant.” So what Brett told me was true. Emerald had established the contact with the resort and arranged for the residency. No wonder she’d disappeared. She’d lied to me. Who was she working for? All the personal things I’d told her over the years. Had they gone directly to some unseen enemy?
“You need to leave Chicago and never return,” Dad added.
“While I know you want the best for me, that’s not going to happen. I need the truth. I can’t sleep at night because of the nightmares. I can’t breathe any longer because I feel like I’m living a lie. What happened to me ten years ago?” They shared another look, and I did what I could to be patient.
“You were hit by a speeding car. You almost died. You were in a coma for over two weeks. The doctors were worried you’d have brain damage. After brain activity was detected, you had several surgeries, including reconstructive surgery on your face. They were still uncertain how much damage had been done. You were a fighter, refusing to die. You had to relearn how to talk, walk, and almost everything else except for singing. Music pulled you through.”
No wonder the three men hadn’t recognized me.
I took a deep breath and studied my father. It was obvious the secret had worn him down over the years. “So you faked my death.”
Mother dropped her head into her hands. I could tell how upset she was.
My father nodded and took her hand into his, pulling her fingers to his lips. The gentle action was endearing, but I wasn’t in the mood for niceties.
“Was it a hit and run on purpose, or truly an accident?”
“An accident. It was dark and there was a significant storm. The police did a thorough investigation. The boy who hit you was sick about it. From what he told police, you ran out in front of him. Unfortunately, he was going too fast. The impact should have killed you.”
It had.
“Was the boy’s name Clinton Cross, Weston Augustine, or Christian Madrigal?”
The names struck a nerve with both of them even though they knew who owned the resort.
“No, but he was another member of a group called the Elite at the university that you attended,” Daddy continued.
“Crandall University where I studied music. The Elite are very special men who go on to Fortune 100 careers. That’s why I was there. Because of your job. It was secure and meant for people with fathers like mine.”
His eyes opened wide. “Yes. I could afford to send you to a facility I hoped would keep you safe.”
“Except you didn’t anticipate that one of your jobs would come back to haunt you. Did you?”
He blinked several times.
“You see, Daddy, my memory is starting to come back because I’ve been spending time with the three men I mentioned. For some crazy reason, we were all brought together again. Call it fate. Call it karma. I’m not certain. However, I’m performing in Clinton’s resort, but you already knew that. Didn’t you, Mother? You did try and keep me from accepting the contract. If only you’d been up front with me then. Suddenly, Weston and Clinton showed up, supposedly for business, but there’s foul play going on.”
My mom finally had the nerve to look me in the eye. There was so much pain in her gaze that I couldn’t be angry. They’d done their best to protect me. “I’m sorry, baby girl. I wanted to tell you.”
“As I said, I wouldn’t allow her to. There was too much danger. You need to leave them. They’re dangerous.”
“You didn’t want to tell me because you knew Clinton wanted revenge for the murder of his brother. Were you planning on killing him too? Is that why you were traveling again?” I was putting two and two together without the need for warped memories and ugly visions.
I could tell by the expression on his face that he’d thought about it. I was sick inside.
“I was there. In Chicago,” he said. “I didn’t want them touching you. You don’t know the men you seem enamored with.”
“Oh yes, I do. You didn’t raise me to be a stupid woman, Dad. I know what line of work they’re in. Do you honestly think what you’ve done for a living is any different?”
The sudden tension was disheartening. “I care about you, baby girl. It’s different when you have a child.”
“Maybe I’ll agree with you one day. They’re good man underneath the dangerous façade, just like you are daddy. I love them. I think I did all those years ago. I may never get my entire memory back, and that’s fine. I know enough to be able to let go of the past. That’s what I intend on doing.”
“At some point, they will hurt you. That’s their nature.” my mother said, although I could tell in her eyes she was resigned to my choice.
“No, Mama. It’s not. They want to protect me. They have protected me. They allow me to feel alive again. I love them. Maybe it’s crazy, but I know what I want.” I could see their faces. They’d come to my defense on a dark night in another lifetime. I touched my lips, remembering the way each one of them had kissed me. “Some other boy hurt me that night. Something terrible happened that forced me to run into the road. I know it. Did anyone mention that I was attacked?”
While I couldn’t tell if anyone had by the way they were looking at each other, my instinct told me I was right. What I wasn’t certain of was whether it was one of the three men I’d thought about spending the rest of my life with.
“No, nothing like that. Ava , we did the best we could do at the time. I still have several enemies, not just Clinton Cross. We’ve had to be very careful.”
“You thought it was a hit based on your work.”
He nodded. “What else could we think?”
“Because of killing Clinton’s brother.” There was no doubt I’d been invited to the party because the three men knew who my father was. I glanced at his hand. “How did you get that scar?”
I’d asked him about it one time and he’d told me he’d been burned by scalding water. I’d bought it. Of course I was ten or eleven at the time.
He lifted and rubbed his hand. “During one of my assignments.”
“That’s how Clinton made the connection.”
My dad seemed even more exhausted, ready for retirement. “That’s what I believe.”
“Promise me that you won’t touch the men I’ve fallen in love with.”
When neither one said anything, my patience was shot.
“Promise me!”
“As I said. I’m retiring once and for all. I understand Clinton’s pain. I was a different man back then. When you see your child suffering, you begin to realize that playing God will eventually catch up with you. They won’t be touched unless they hurt you.”
What was he trying to tell me?
I watched as my father’s grip on the envelope tightened before he slid it across the table. “You’ll find almost everything you need to regain the identity you were born with inside this envelope. At this point, your mother and I are going to disappear. I knew this day would come for both of us, Ava . It’s very hard, but necessary. You’ll also find information on two bank accounts that have been established in your name. Plus, there’s the name of an attorney you can trust. He’ll know where we are, but no one else. It’s too dangerous.”
“You’re leaving now?” I was sick to my stomach. I’d thought I had more time.
“For now. There’s too much danger, and at this point, the only way you’re going to have a normal life is if we disappear. It’s best that you not know where we end up. I’d ask you to come with us, but that’s not fair to you.”
“You won’t tell me because your enemies will use me to get to you.”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s past time for the assassin to retire permanently. If what you’re saying is true, then there’s a focus on hunting me down.”
“Because you killed Clinton Cross’s brother.”
He took a deep breath. “It was business. I was hired to do a job.”
“Who hired you?”
“As I said. Almost every answer you’re seeking is inside the envelope. However, what we didn’t learn was why you were at a party at the Elite’s estate that night.”
“Who is Kennedy?”
“You are remembering.” My mother allowed herself to smile. “She was your dormmate. She worried about you quite a bit. She even called my old number a few years ago. Of course, I just listened to her mesAva .”
“What did she say?”
“That she wished she could talk to you, and that she was sorry.”
Sorry. The girl lured me to the party. I was certain of it. I took the envelope and wasn’t ready to rip into it. I needed time to say goodbye to my parents. I needed time to adjust to whatever was inside, to the fact that my name wasn’t what I’d thought it was.
And I needed a lot of time to reflect on how I felt about the three men. Did they know who I was? No. I didn’t think so, but at this point, nothing made any sense. I felt like I was on a merry-go-round that I might never be able to stop.
But running wasn’t an option. I’d lost too much time already.
Besides, I’d fallen hopelessly, deliriously in love with them.
