Page 86 of A Taste Of Darkness

All eight of his security guards were already waiting for me, but I just couldn’t take another step until I got my question answered.

So, I turned back around.

Milo stood there, arms crossed, and head cocked. “You good?”

“Why did you change your name to Milo?” I asked. “I understand you had to change it, but why Milo?”

He pushed the face shield up, allowing me to see his eyes. He looked confused, to say the least. “Why, did you remember something?”

My head shook. “No?”

“Is that an answer or a question?” He waited as I closed the few steps between us and then laid his hands on my shoulders. Not telling me he would this time.

“I… don’t know?”

There was this feeling in my stomach like I knew the answer to my question, but I couldn’t quite put my fingers on it. It was like there was a little puzzle piece missing, but I couldn’t explain it.

“Why are you asking?” Milo looked right into my soul as if that would bring back my memories.

“Maybe I can answer that question once you answer mine.”

He took off his helmet entirely and laid it down on the seat of his bike, then reached for my hand and entangled his back with mine. It was as if he believed it was the law for our hands to be intertwined before he pulled me toward the jewelry shop.

“I’ll answer your question if you don’t remember yourself, but we’ll try first,” he said. “Clearly something must’ve happened in that beautiful mind of yours. I wouldn’t want to take the chance of unlocking every memory you so desperately want by telling you.”

“I thought you didn’t want to come inside?”

“I was there when you came into the shop, so it’s only logical if I’m by your side for this.”

43

ECHOES OF THE PAST

Milo Marucci

I was holding onto Sterlie’s hand as if my life depended on it, and I was sure she could tell, but she didn’t comment on it.

The closer we got to the entrance of the building, the heavier something in my stomach felt.

By now I’d realized that I still held some kind of power over my family, but I wasn’t sure how much it truly was. Ordering my own brother around was different from potentially stopping more than five cousins from shooting me on the spot.

More than one worked at the shop, it’d always been that way, so technically, I knew what I was getting myself into. However, it’d been years, and things could’ve changed. I didn’t even know if my family still owned the place.

If I walked in there with a helmet on, they would’ve shot me right away simply because I could’ve been someone who tried to rob them. They took no chances at that.

Perhaps they wouldn’t even have recognized me.

I wasn’t sure if by now, all of them knew I was alive, or if it was still a secret. I lost track of what was going on, though Arlo promised he’d figure it out and let me know who knew I was alive so I’d be more prepared.

As we entered the shop, I already recognized two of my cousins. I could hear one of my aunts’ voices coming from the back, but no one paid us any attention yet.

Sterlie looked around, likely trying to find anything familiar about this place. While it didn’t look like she remembered anything, I sure did.

This place hadn’t changed in seven years. It still looked the very same, though some jewels were updated and modernized.

I kept my head down, but as Sterlie stopped in her tracks, so did I. My head lifted to figure out what caught her attention.

She was staring at my cousin at the register, but luckily his eyes were glued to his phone. He was probably playing some game. He used to do the same when we were younger.

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