Page 7 of Forget Me Not
“Alright, alright. Geez. You and grandma need to stop ganging up on me.”
Once he was buckled, I pulled out of the parking lot. I couldn’t help the smile filling my face. For the first time in a long time, I felt a twinge of happiness that wasn’t from being a mom. My heart hummed with the possibility of something new, and that scared me. I would never forget Danny. I couldn’t. His mini-me was a constant reminder of what I had and what I had lost. Danny would want me to start over—I just wasn’t sure if I was really ready.
Drake
“Are you kidding me?”
I stared at the file in front of me. For the last three years I had emersed myself into uncovering who had been supplying prescription drugs to the mob, and finally, I had a break. Only it was out of a town I never planned on returning to. I had sworn the day I signed the papers with the Guardians of America, I would never go home. Yet, it was exactly where I was going.
“What’s up, Drake? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“You could say that. The suspect is in Barclay, Nevada.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously.”
Alex knew my trepidation about returning to Nevada, specifically Barclay. I had given up my life, literally, to be a member of the Guardians. Guardians of America were an off-record team that worked for the government. There was no record of the organization and members were hand selected. I hadn’t been back to Barclay since the moment I slipped into the back of an unmarked car and left town.
“Are you going to be able to handle this?”
“Of course. This case means more than dealing with my past. This motherfucker is in the mafia's pocket and has cost too many lives peddling prescriptions. We’ve worked our asses off trying to find a link, and now we have one. Besides, I’ve changed. No one will recognize me.”
Part of the agreement to work for the elite team known as the Guardians of America was, I had to change my identity, including my looks. If I were going to be undercover, no one could recognize me. I spent countless hours in the gym bulking up. But that was just part of the transformation. My face was buried under a thick black beard that I kept dyed and trimmed. I had even died my hair to match and started tanning. But the biggest change was my eyes. My clear blue eyes were altered with the use of brown contact lenses. Even though I hadn’t changed biologically, the alterations to my appearance made me seem like someone else.
Gathering the files, I stood. “Be ready to go in the morning. We’re going to embed ourselves in the community and try to flush this motherfucker out.”
Alex nodded and headed out, leaving me alone with my thoughts. In my head, when I accepted this position, I thought I would go back in a few years and explain why I had left so abruptly. But days turned into weeks and weeks into years. Joining the GOA had been life changing for sure, but it cost me my heart. Leaving my parents behind had been hard, but walking away from her had been nearly crippling. Alex saved me from quitting more times than I could remember. He reminded me I hadn’t just walked away; I had blown my existence completely apart and giving up GOA would not bring that part of my life back.
A few strokes of my fingers and I had the case file pulled up on my screen. A few clicks and I was looking at our prime suspect. This motherfucker had just moved to Barclay, most likely because of its proximity to Vegas. The mob he was working for was based out of Vegas and had likely set him up at his current practice. We had gathered plenty of evidence that showed this was our man. Now we just needed to prove it. The plan was for Alex and me to plant ourselves in the community and watch him closely to gather intel. The GOA had purchased an old building in Barclay and converted it into our new business—P & D Securities. We would act as a new private investigation company, allowing us access to the town without raising suspicion.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my past life. Had giving it up for this been the right decision? I didn’t know, and I wondered if I was about to learn the hard way. Never looking back had made forgetting easy. Now, I was about to thrust myself back into a life I wanted but couldn’t have. It was the sacrifice I had made without really understanding the consequences and hurt it left behind.
At thirty-one, having a normal life wasn’t possible. I was always on the move, bouncing from state-to-state closing cases assigned to me. The only constant was Alex, my best friend. Hell, I hadn’t been in a relationship since college. A few meaningless hookups here and there left me feeling hollow. A feeling I deserved since I had buried my heart all those years ago. I had been naïve thinking once I got the job under my belt I would go home and explain everything to my family, and they would forgive me. But that never happened. One case turned into another and before I had realized it, too much time had passed to fix what I had done.
Gathering the files, I slammed my laptop closed and stood. I needed to get home and pack up my shit if Alex and I were going to be in Barclay by tomorrow. I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the fact I was likely going to run into people of my past, a reality I wasn’t ready for.
Mackenzie
My stomach churned with unease as I readied myself for my date. A date. Holy shit. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I was actually going through with this. Catherine had clapped her hands in glee when I told her what I was doing. She and David had happily taken Danny for the night, giving me time to soak in the fact I was taking the plunge to start over. As I smoothed the front of my black dress down, my eyes fell on the last photo Danny and I had taken. We had been out with friends at a local bar. His arms were wrapped around me and we were both laughing at something. I ran my finger down his image and closed my eyes.
“What am I doing, Danny? This wasn’t how this was supposed to be. You promised me forever and always—remember?”
The sound of the doorbell pulled me away from my grief, reminding me that a new beginning was just on the other side of the door. Inhaling a deep breath, I made my way to the door. My fingers shook as I opened it and greeted Austin. He was a sight to behold. I was used to seeing him in his white coat and business casual clothes, I was not prepared for the man that stood outside. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans that hugged his muscular thighs. His black V-neck shirt stretched across his chest, accentuating his powerful arms and chest.
“Wow. You look amazing.” He leaned back, his eyes roaming the entire length of my body.
I couldn’t hide the blush that filled my cheeks. “Thank you. You look good, too.”
I stepped outside and pulled my door closed. Austin reached out and laced his fingers with mine. “Is this okay?” He held our joined hands up.
“Yes.” I grinned. “Where are we going?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure If you had a curfew or not, so I made reservations at this little place in town.”
“Curfew?” I cocked my head at him.
“Because of Danny.”
