The voices came to her in the darkness, whispering different things. But one thing they hissed was the same. Lana . . . Lana . . . Lana.
Layla shot straight up in the bed as she heaved. She was hot and sticky. Damien snored loudly beside her. He didn’t snore unless he was really tired. Creeping out of bed to keep from waking him, she went to the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and splashed cool water on her face.
Lana. It could be a mistake like she thought when she first met the old couple. But considering that she couldn’t recall most of her life, she had to be sure. It would be the most radical thing she has done concerning her mission to discover her past, but she figured the worst that could happen was being cursed out.
&nbs
Layla couldn’t get back to sleep. So she had woken Damien around six a.m. suggesting that they check out early and visit Universal Studios on their way out of town. He thought Keisha might like it, so he agreed, to her relief. She didn’t want to run into Martha Peterson again. What Martha had to tell her was unreal. There was no way it was true. Layla threw herself into enjoying Universal, trying to push back the shocking story from last night. It was ten p.m. when they finally got home. The next morning, Layla was still exhausted. She felt physically and emotionally drained. It was so obvious to Damien that he told her not to worry about fixing breakfast. He said he would fix him and Keisha cereal, and he would stay until Izabella got there. Layla went back to bed without protest.&n
It was a quiet Tuesday morning until Lacey called. She was frantic that there were two break-ins three streets down from Sunset Boulevard. “I don’t care what Corey says. He has to leave overnight for business all the time, and I’m usually here alone. I’m getting a gun and getting instruction on how to use it.” “I know you’re concerned, but this is one of the best areas in Tampa. Surely, they were isolated incidents. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was someone that the victims knew,” Layla stated. “I’m not taking any chances. We got a lot of expensive things in here. Plus, I’m too cute to be a victim. I want you to come with me.&rd
Alec had gone to bed early, but he was just staring at the ceiling. Lucky was lying on the floor next to the open doorway. His cell phone rang. The phone said it was almost ten o’clock, and it was his parents. “Hello,” he answered. “Hi, honey. How are you?” she asked in a voice a little higher than her normal one. Uh oh. That was the voice his mother used when she was about to tell him something he wasn’t going to like. “I was okay,” he replied as he swung his legs out of bed and placed his feet on the floor.&nb
It was Thursday, late morning. Layla filled Victoria in on what had transpired since the last time she had seen her. “Goodness,” Victoria said. “You’ve had quite the weekend.” “And week. I have a whole new look,” Layla bragged. “I noticed the change in your makeup and clothes. What brought that on?” “Something strange happened to me at the gun store. It was like I faded away, and my body went into autopilot. I knew more about guns than I realized. When I left, I felt like a whole new person, but yet . . . familiar.”&nb
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, Victoria had scheduled her on a Monday morning in her St. Petersburg office. Layla hadn’t experienced any new memories in a week. She lay on Victoria’s couch in her office, letting herself slip into the state of relaxed hypnosis. She didn’t see anything for what felt like forever, and then the sound of glasses and dishes clinking filled her ears. Chattering could be heard as a vision appeared in her mind’s eye. She was sitting at a long dining room table with two black women and three black men. One of them was Hugo Mitchell. The others she didn’t recognize. The tablecloth was thick and white. Red china and crystal glasses were used for the place settings. A large, well-browned turkey was in the middle of the table. Dressing, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and mashed po
That morning’s therapy session left her drained, so with Damien at work, she asked Izabella to take Keisha to the park at the end of the cul-de-sac so she could nap. Layla woke fresh and full of determination. She decided to make a call that could trigger more memories for her. It was risky, but it was a call she had to make. “Hello,” the familiar, deep, sexy voice answered. “Carter, this is Layla Miles.” She fingered the necklace that Alec had given her long ago. “Hey,” he said with brightness. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, I was hoping we could chat for a minute. Are you b
Bruce was walking down the hall at the agency when his cell rang. The caller ID said it was Boon Nickels. Bruce and Alec had worked with Boon at the DC Headquarters before they transferred to Tampa. “Hey, Boon. What’s up? I haven’t heard from you in months,” Bruce greeted. “Yeah, I know I hadn’t called lately. I’ve been working sixty-hour weeks for what seemed like forever. But this isn’t a social call.” Bruce stopped walking and leaned against the wall. “What’s up?” “Carter Mitchell has been more discrete with his business dealings for the past four
The temperature had dropped to sixty degrees, which was freezing cold to Floridians. Alec had gotten back from Orlando an hour ago. He had gone there to spend the day with his parents. They had grilled out. Alec and Lucky had swum in his parents’ pool with the neighbors’ two kids. They had moved in across the street three months ago. When he had gotten home, Bruce had called him to see what he was doing. Alec invited him over for a drink if he didn’t have a date tonight. Bruce said he was free for the evening and accepted the invite. He told Alec that he’d be there in an hour.Alec was getting out of the shower. He toweled himself off, then wrapped the thick, red cloth around his waist. Then he used a small, black comb to tame his wet, brown hair. When he opened the bathroom door, someone knocked on the front door
New Year’s Eve . . . When Alec had informed his parents of their status change to Grandma and Grandpa over the phone a few days ago they had been overjoyed. His mother had admitted that she had found Keisha special when she met her in Orlando all those months ago, but she couldn’t pinpoint why at the time. They were so eager to spend time with Keisha that they had drove from Orlando the same day that Alec had called them and they have been in Tampa since. His parents were currently at Lana’s house with Keisha and Izabella, freeing Lana to come over to his apartment for New Year’s Eve.Alec had gone through a lot of trouble arranging the surprise for Lana. She had Izabella stay with Keisha so she could come to his apartment an hour before midnight. It was too late to rent a fancy venue, and h
Christmas Day . . . Lana was back home on Sunset Boulevard. Since she was still Damien’s wife, the house and the rest of his assets with the exception of a small trust set aside for Keisha had been left to her in his will. The official reading of the will hadn’t happened yet, but Lana knew what was in it since they had drawn up wills together a year prior. Damien’s mother had been mortified and heartbroken when the FBI called and told her what had happened. She had requested for Damien’s body to be sent back to DC to be buried next to his father. Mrs. Miles had also made it a point to call Lana and tell her that she had no idea what her son had done to her. She had revealed that Damien had talked about a woman he was in love
Everyone had made their way back to the front of Sam’s Fishing House. Carter’s goons had been caught and rounded up. The FBI had taken Lana’s gun that she had shot Hugo with and the one that he had taken from her earlier. Alec told Lana that Keisha had been recovered and was waiting for her at the FBI office while the EMTs were attending to him. She had never been so relieved in her life. “Are you sure you’re all right?” Lana asked. “Yeah, just a little woozy,” Alec said. “He lost a lot of blood in the water,” an EMT stated. “We really should get him to th
The agents had split up into pairs to search the dock. The conversation with Blanchette had played in his mind as he and Bruce handcuffed Carter’s goons to a pole outside. “You boys got your marching orders,” Blanchette said. “Let’s do it.” They started breaking out of the huddle. “Peterson, let me talk to you for a second,” Blanchette said. Bruce had backed up and waited. Blanchette leaned against a black SUV. “I overheard two of the guys whispering while we we
Alec and Bruce were sitting in the van with Earl and two other guys. Most of the agents that were there were part of their division. Bruce had whispered to a few of the guys that Keisha was his daughter. They were surprised, but they were discrete. The last thing any of them wanted was Blanchette getting wind of it. He would bench Alec in a heartbeat. “This is agent Roch. I lost sight of Lana Murphy,” the radio in the van sounded. “Shit,” Alec sneered. “How the fuck did that happen?” Blanchette said over the airwaves. “She went to the bathroom. I was watching the door when Ms. Smith st
Lana had gone to the hospital. She had Damien paged twice to the front desk. He never showed up. She had gone to the OR and said she was his wife and asked if he was in surgery. They told her that he had never shown up for his shift, and they had to call in another doctor for an emergency spinal cord surgery. That was what made her think something was wrong. It wasn’t like Damien to shun his responsibilities at the hospital. Thinking that he could have been in an accident or had some sort of health emergency, Lana called the main phone number of the hospital and asked if Damien had been admitted as a patient. No one was listed under that name. She had walked the halls asking nurses if they had seen him. They hadn’t. “Where the hell is he?” she mumbled as the elevator descended down to the ER lobby. She had parked in the
It had been a little over an hour since Lana had texted him. When Alec’s doorbell rang thirty minutes earlier, he had thought it was her, but it turned out to be Bruce. Alec had told his buddy that he was expecting Lana. Instead of Bruce leaving, he had pushed past Alec and said he would go when she showed up. Alec was drinking rum and Coke while Bruce sipped on a beer. “It looks like she stood you up. Good thing I came by. You’d have been yanking your dry crank with Lucky watching you like you had lost your mind if I hadn’t,” Bruce goaded with a smirk. “You are the constant comedian,” he said sarcastically. “She probably got stuck in traffic, or maybe
Lana had decided to stop by Tampa Guns and Range before picking up Izabella. She had gone to the locker rooms to get her gun and the extra magazines she had for it. She had her two revolvers in the car, but considering her situation, she didn’t think she could have too much firepower. Besides, the only agents she was willing to trust with hers and Keisha’s safety were Alec and Bruce because of what happened last time. Once she had alerted the FBI that she had total recall, they would reopen the case against Carter and his goons.Keisha had just quietly watched her put the gun and bullets in her bag. Then they had gone back upstairs to leave, but Lana was distracted by the bulletproof vests.She asked Lou if he had vests small enough for children. He did and grabbed the smallest one he had for Keisha to try on. It was a little big for her, but she seemed comfortable in it, and it would do the
Damien had been able to come home for a quick bite to eat with his family before going to the hospital for a few hours. When he had walked through the door and saw the word Memrose spray painted on the living room wall, he had never been so shocked in his life.Somehow, someway, Layla had gotten her memory back. If that wasn’t bad enough, she knew that he had used Memrose on her. He had groaned with agony when he discovered half of Keisha and Layla’s clothes were gone. “Damn it!” Damien roared with anger and frustration. He didn’t know whether to pack his own bags and head for the airport or try to find them. He knew what he did was illegal, and his medical licenses would definitely be revoked. However, he loved his family, and he wanted them back.