Page 49 of In Another Lifetime

“Died in the ambulance, a minute out. They couldn’t bring you back. Too much damage.”

“Yeah. And the forces were pulling me harder and harder. I was going to lose my grip, then here was this girl there… She said, put her in my body. My best friend is dead. My fiancé was murdered. There’s too much. I don’t want to stay. Let her stay in my place. And then it was done. She was gone, and I was Vale. Ask Kale or any of the guys, and they’ll tell you, I can’t remember anything from Before-Vale.”

“The amnesia?”

“Yeah. I mean there are public record things I could find out, but Kale is glad I can’t remember the fiancé. I guess he was part of the team before.”

“And you came back to me,” Dayton whispered. “You came back.” He grasped my chin and pulled my mouth up to his, and I sank into the first kiss with no secret between us. I lost myself in him, finally feeling one with my soul mate again, and letting that be all that mattered in that moment.

Twenty-Seven

Vale

Kale called church when Day and I finally emerged from my suite near noon, all of the guys smirking at us. It was obvious they’d all been waiting for us to show up—all but Planny who was occupied with Brennan, the two of them still playing the game they’d been on since last night.

“Did they sleep?” I asked Wrecker.

He shook his head. “Threw some caffeine and protein bars at them a little while ago. They barely noticed. Planny’s loving it. It’s rare he runs into someone who challenges him.”

Then Biter came from Kale’s office, shouting about church. Day took a fortifying breath, knowing what that meant, and I knew it would be a giant leap for him, a cop participating in what was perceived to be a sacred MC ritual. I didn’t expect to be invited, but Biter had pointed at Day and me. “Cop and Cookie, you, too.”

“Cop and Cookie?” Day asked.

Biter shrugged. “Ask Prick. You don’t get to pick your club name.”

“You’re making that up,” I challenged. That sounded like something Biter would do.

“Hmph, you’ll see.”

We all filed into the meeting room where Kale waited and immediately called things to order. That’s when Day learned they’d grabbed two of Dutch’s men yesterday. Kale’s team had gotten no usable information from them and had handed them over to another team and now the full focus was on Dutch.

Worried, I glanced over to check Dayton’s reaction.

“It’s fine,” he murmured to me, squeezing my hand. “They wanted to hurt you. Or Bren.”

With a nod, I leaned into him, cuddling closer, then turned my full attention back to my brother.

“Biter and I have gone over things,” he said. “And we have a plan. Listen up…”

* * * *

Butterflies bombarded my middle, occasionally closing my throat while I tried to be calm. My hands shaking, I folded a shirt and placed it in my suitcase before going back to my dresser for more.

Dayton and I had had a very public and loud argument in my driveway about me being foolish before he’d stormed off. He didn’t agree with any of this. So here I was, packing to head back to the club. While he was God knew where. His house, maybe.

My throat was dry from fear. I needed a drink—a stiff drink—but not knowing Dutch’s next move, I’d settle for a cold water from the fridge.

I’d just cleared the hallway when I froze, a thousand darts of deja vu slamming into me and taking me back to that moment near the copy center. Me alone with Dutch leering at me.

“What are you doing here?” I’d asked that back then, too. And just like back then, he pulled a gun and I gasped.

“Dutch!”

“Oh, so you know who I am, now? Then you should know that your security is worthless against me, too.”

“What?” Keep him talking. Keep him talking. “All I know is, you used to be Dayton’s partner. That’s all,” I said, taking a step backward.

“Don’t move. You make me chase you, and it’ll be worse for you, nosy little bitch. It’s your fucking fault the police are after me.”

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