Page 31 of Forget Me Not
“Austin isn’t who he says he is.” Maximus stepped in and squatted beside me. “Austin owes me his life. After all, he let my sister die.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Austin was married to my sister. He killed her in a car accident. That bastard should have died, but instead, it was Allesandra. My father was furious. They should have never married, but she did it behind our family’s back. Now she’s dead, and he is in servitude for life. You see, Austin gets us Dilaudid, and we sell it. It’s a big business for us. But now…” he clicked his tongue in disgust. “Your boyfriend is fucking that up.”
“And what do I have to do with any of this? I just started dating Drake.”
“Oh… sweet girl. How naïve.”
“Don’t call me that.”
He stared at me, his face a mask of shock and amusement. “You have no idea, do you?”
“About what?”
“Who Drake Powell really is.”
I blinked, unsure how to react. What did he mean, who he really was? I searched my brain for any signs that he had been lying to me but came up empty handed.
“Drake Powell works for the Guardians of America. They’re a private security organization that recruits men and women straight out of college. The catch, though, is that they must leave everything behind and assume new identities. And Drake Powell… is not who he says he is.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No matter. The truth will be revealed once that motherfucker gets here—because he will come for you, that much I am sure of.”
Maximus slammed the door as he walked out. Leaving me in darkness and confusion. Drake was some kind of undercover agent. Was that the secret? I closed my eyes and conjured his face into my mind. Did I know him? Maximus had said they have to leave everything behind when they join. Had I known him from the past? I always said he felt familiar, but how?
I managed to stand and hobble my way towards the opposite wall. Maybe someone would hear me banging on the outside. It was a risk I was willing to take—I needed to get back to Danny. Thinking of him made me smile. He was my life, I had to get out of here for him. I closed my eyes and pictured him. Like a lightning bolt, it hit me. Drake. He and Danny favored each other. How had I not noticed it before?
“No.” I hissed into the tiny cell. “It’s not possible. Is it?”
I slid to my butt and let out a sob. Drake was Danny. That’s what Maximus was trying to tell me. A range of emotions skittered across my heart. Rage. Sadness. Fear. Danny hadn’t died in the car accident all those years ago. Instead, he had willingly walked away from me—from us. I wanted to scream. My heart had been ripped out and tossed aside the day I got the call he was dead. It was all starting to make sense. Now I understood why we hadn’t found his body. Because he wasn’t dead. He had just left.
I curled up into a tiny ball on the floor and let my tears come. The hurt and anger all washed out of me. I didn’t know what was worse, thinking he was dead—or knowing he was alive and left on his own. My heart was fracturing into tiny shards of nothing as I laid there on the dirty floor. I didn’t know how I would come back from this. How was I going to look at him again? Could I forgive him? It wouldn’t matter if I died or worse, he did—for real this time.
For the first time in a long time, I closed my eyes and prayed.
Drake
“You sure this is the place?”
I looked over at my partner. He had gotten intel she was being held at this abandoned warehouse just south of town. Our other agents were keeping eyes on Giuliani, to ensure he didn’t join the fray and ambush us. For now, it was just Maximus we had to worry about. If everything went according to plan, we would take Austin and Maximus into custody. The FBI had been alerted and were in route to our location. But I would not wait. I had to get Mackenzie out now.
“Yes. This is it. Are you sure you don’t want to wait for the Feds?”
“No. I want her out of there and this over.”
“And then what?” Alex held my gaze.
“Then I tell her the truth. I’m done running from her. I have a son, Alex. I can’t walk away again. I shouldn’t have done it in the first place. Look at the hurt I caused. All for what? An empty life?”
“I hear you. But the higher-ups will not like it. You know the risk.”
“I do.” I pushed open the door and stepped out. “You don’t have to do this with me. Wait on the others.”
“Are you stupid? No way am I letting you do this by yourself. Let’s go.” He adjusted his tactical vest and stepped forward.
I grinned and nodded. There was always a chance one or both of us would die trying to save her, but it was a risk I would take. He was my best friend; it didn’t surprise me he was willing to take the risk too. As quietly as we could, we made our way to the building. Our surveillance showed it was just Maximus and one other man. We had to assume he was armed, and the other was Austin. I waved Alex forward and eased inside the back door. The silence was deafening and not a good sign. I knew he was here, but not hearing anything made me nervous.
