Page 85 of Help Me Remember

“You know it’s not.”

She smiled. “We’ll talk about that a bit later. I’m still ironing out a few details, and you may not remember this, but I’m not a woman to reveal my plans until I’m sure of them.”

I disliked not knowing what she was up to, but on some level, I could respect her attitude. If she was half as good as she made herself out to be, I could appreciate her not speaking until she was confident.

“Fine, last question…do I get to see him?”

“You’re being treated as a criminal so everyone in this precinct will think we’re treating you as one. Tragically, you’ll manage to break free when we transport you and will be killed during your attempt to escape.”

The corner of my mouth twitched. “You’re killing Riley?”

“There’s too much mess around the name now. Too many questions would be asked. Dmitri’s son is dead, and he’s going to start digging, and we can’t risk him digging in the wrong direction. Even if that wasn’t the case, in your current state…you’re not fit to continue the operation, so yes, Riley is dead.”

“Was there a point to telling me that, other than just information? Because that didn’t answer my question.”

Ivy leaned forward, ducking her head a little as she smiled. “It means you’re not a criminal. So yes, with some provisos, and after you and I have talked about what’s happened this past week, I’ll arrange for you to be able to see him.”

Which marked the second time in our conversation I felt elation. “Alright, then I suppose you should start asking your questions.”

“Good,” she said, drawing out a notebook and pen. “Then we’ll start from the top, the first thing you remember.”

“Other than the massive headache and feeling like someone beat me with a bat?” I asked wryly.

“Right, start from there.”

“Okay,” I said, leaning back in my seat and taking a deep breath. “I can’t explain what it’s like to slowly realize you have no idea who you are, let alone where you are, but that’s where it started.”

THIRTEEN FOURTEEN

To my absolute lack of surprise, it took the rest of the day and well into the next before Ivy was finally satisfied with my version of events. She handed me plenty of questions and liked to come back to details I thought we’d already covered. I suspected she was trying to catch me in inconsistencies, but that was the least of my concerns. I had already decided to turn myself in and speak the truth, save for how much Eric had involved himself. It turned out it was an even easier decision to make now I’d learned I wouldn’t be shipped off to prison.

That didn’t change the fact that I was intensely suspicious the entire time I was stuck in that room. Even when they provided me with a private room to sleep in overnight, one with a comfortable cot, and fed me decent food. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was naturally suspicious or if too much had happened for me to trust easily. I simply couldn’t shake the suspicion that I was being tricked into telling the whole truth under the guise of being a federal agent so I would speak openly and honestly without fear of reprisal.

To my surprise, however, Ivy concluded that she was satisfied for the moment, though, of course, there would be more interviews in the future. I took the opportunity to ask her when I’d be able to see Eric. She gave me a small, pleased smile and told me she would arrange for it to happen within the next hour.

It had taken two, and even when they slipped me out of the building in cuffs to keep up appearances for the cops, I still wondered if I was being arrested for real. Yet the moment I was placed in the back seat, the agent who slid in with me removed the cuffs.

Only when the hospital came into view and we parked near the back did I finally believe it was real. I didn’t even care that the two agents who had traveled with me were also escorting me into the hospital and up to the floor where Eric was supposedly recovering.

“Is there a time limit?” I asked when we stepped out of the elevator.

“No,” Agent Harkins told me, his mouth a thin line. “At least not a short one. You have the night, but come morning we’ll need to leave and get you out of the city.”

“Do you mind not following me into his room?” I asked when I realized they’d stayed close on my heels.

Agent Harkins’ mouth somehow managed to grow even thinner, practically disappearing. “We’ll stay outside the room, but that’s the best you’re getting.”

“How gracious of you, Agent Harkins,” I said dryly. “I’m starting to understand why the old me enjoyed pissing you off, you officious prick.”

I heard a soft exhale from the other agent, who looked serious and attentive when Harkins snapped his head around to glare. I wasn’t sorry in the slightest. Harkins hadn’t exactly been an outright bastard to me, but neither had he bothered to hide his dislike. His ‘gracious’ offer had probably come directly from Ivy, so I wasn’t going to pretend to be grateful for a bit of privacy.

“We’ll wait here,” the other agent intoned a couple of yards from the door at the end of the hall. “Take whatever time you need. There’s plenty to keep us occupied.”

I nodded, stepping into the dark room lit only by a thin strip of lights lining the bottom of the walls. It was enough that I could make out everything clearly, but wouldn’t disturb someone trying to sleep.

Approaching the bed, I felt my chest squeeze as I found Eric lying on his back. His chest rose and fell gently. He almost looked peaceful, as though nothing was wrong with him, save for the large bandage on his neck. At the side of the bed, I reached out, and rather than touch his wound, I lay my hand over his arm.

“Oh, Eric,” I said, my voice tight. He was alive, but that did nothing to alleviate my guilt. If it hadn’t been for me, he’d still be happily working at his clinic, none the wiser, whole and healthy. “I’m so sorry.”

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