Page 15 of Chasing the Past

“What if I’m not her, Eli,” she asked gently.

What if she was? With her memories all but gone, how could he bear finding her again only to lose her to an erased past.

He had to tell her what he’d done. “I have some of Sashi’s things. She left them with me for safe keeping.” He glanced up and found her watching him with uncertainty. “I took the water bottle you drank from earlier today and sent all the things to Gavin. He’s with the CIA now. I’ve asked him to compare the DNA on it to the hair from Sashi’s hairbrush.”

Her reaction was clear. “You had no right to do that without my permission.” She rose and put distance between them.

He stood as well. “I realize. I’m sorry, but I had to know.”

She continuously shook her head. “And what happens when you find out I’m not her? What happens to me?”

Eli closed the space between them. “Sa—Asal, I’m not going to leave you unprotected. I can protect you. I can help you find your place in the world again without Omar.” He tugged her into his arms and held her close marveling at how much she felt like Sashi. But he couldn’t let himself believe she was. He couldn’t go through that again.

She slowly pulled away. “I’m sorry for your loss. I want to know if I’m Sashi, believe me I do. I’ve lived in limbo since I woke up in the hospital. I’ve always believed there were things Omar didn’t tell me. I have to know who I am.”

He admired her strength. None of this could be easy for her either. “Gavin is coming to the island tomorrow. I asked him to assist with this case because he was there in Kunduz when Sashi was taken and the building exploded. He can help.”

She slowly agreed.

“I’d like to dig deeper into the owner of the building that exploded. All we know so far is it was owned by an Egyptian businessman and was vacant at the time of the explosion.”

“An Egyptian businessman. That can’t be a coincidence.”

Eli nodded. “I agree. I’d like to have one of our team do a deep dive into him before we get together tomorrow.”

“Of course. Omar told me his family lived in Cairo and he grew up there.”

“Good, I’ll check into it.” He pulled out his phone and typed a message. “Declan is one of the best I know at ferreting out the truth.”

She bit her bottom lip. “Do you think he’s planning a terrorist attack here?”

Eli hated the possibility. “We can’t afford to dismiss it. Until we know for certain who Omar is and who he’s working with, we can’t overlook the possibility.”

Asal clutched the bar. She appeared ready to drop.

“It’s late and you’ve had a trying day. I have some sweats you can sleep in. I’ll get them.” He went to his room and retrieved the clothes. She accepted them from him.

“There’s a guest bedroom at the end of the hall. Bathroom is attached.”

She forced a smile. “Thank you, Eli.” With those simple words sounding so much like Sashi that they broke his heart, she left him.

Declan’s number popped up on the screen and Eli answered the call.

“Is this about the woman you and Janine saw earlier?” Declan asked.

“It is.” Eli gathered his thoughts and told Declan what had happened.

Declan blew out a long whistle. “That’s unbelievable. I’ll get started on this right away and we can meet to go over everything.”

Eli walked over to the living room window and looked out. The street was quiet yet he couldn’t dismiss the feeling that Omar would find out everything about him just as he would Omar.

“I’ll reach out to JT and call a meeting in the morning.” Eli remembered about Gavin and told his friend about looping Gavin in.

“Good thinking. Gavin will have access to a lot more information than we’re going to be able to pull together.”

“My thoughts exactly. Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

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