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Chapter 9
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Layla’s weekend was filled with more social obligations than what she was used to, but she and Damien enjoyed it. Keisha seemed to like having playmates. The Ladies Sunday Brunch at Valerie Young’s mansion had been delightful. Layla had never been in a room with so many important men’s wives in her life. If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn she could smell the money in that place. Valerie had served a seven-course meal. The hostess also made it a point to introduce her to everyone there, like she was bragging that the new and upcoming social setter came to her brunch.
What really surprised Layla was Katelyn Austin being there. She knew Katelyn was well connected and popular, but she didn’t know she was so popular that she was a regular attendee of Valerie’s infamous brunches. Katelyn was just a
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Layla hadn’t had any episodes since Monday. When she had returned home, she sat Izabella down and told her about seeing a therapist, and she was hiding it from her husband because he wouldn’t understand her need for her memories. The Latina had understood and empathized with her. She swore she would not tell anyone and offered to help if she could. “You’ve been good to me. You’re nice. The last people I worked for weren’t that nice. That’s why I started working for you. Let me take care of you and the little señorita.” Layla had thanked Izabella for her loyalty. It was Wednesday afternoon, and Layla was at the Tampa Palms Country Club. She was meeting Lacey for lunch. They usually ate out together once a week. This time, Layla suggested the country club since she was makin
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It was five o’clock that evening, and Carter was enjoying a glass of Hennessey on the rocks. Hugo had been gone since eleven thirty. Carter didn’t text him, though. He was a grown man and could go and stay where he pleased. Back in the old days, Carter would get worried when Hugo was gone too long because the rival gangs were relentless against the Mitchells. After the Mitchells had finally prevailed and took over the neighborhood fifteen years ago, Carter didn’t worry about anyone taking out his family members anymore. The suite had a beautiful view. Too bad Lana didn’t come up to see it. She would have loved the white plush carpeting and the tasteful art on the wall. Carter sat down in an armchair. The pillows felt good on his back. He took another swig from his glass. Lana was more beautiful now than she was four year
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Layla was sitting in Dr. Victoria Samuelson’s office telling her what had transpired during the last twenty-four hours. She was reluctant to mention the sex stuff to her, but she did. Layla wanted to be as transparent as possible with Victoria so she could get the help she needed. “Goodness. You had a packed few days.” “Yeah. I guess my hormones went out of control,” Layla admitted sheepishly. “Tell me more about your feelings on this” — she stopped to look at her notes — “Carter Mitchell.” “I admit that I find him very attractive. He is so . . . so intrig
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Per Victoria’s suggestion, Layla had started keeping a journal. She wrote down the new memories she gained at her session that day. Then she wrote down a list of what and who she wanted to research. She wasn’t sure if she would have time to do it tomorrow, but she was going to try.She filled Izabella in on her new memories. The nanny was so happy for her that she clapped her hands together like Keisha did when she was pleased about something.Layla had two hours to get ready for her and Damien’s hot sex night. After she left her session, she had gone to the mall and bought new makeup and lingerie. Then she had gone to the grocery store to purchase some edible items. Pulling out the new piece of lingerie made her feel like a virgin who was about to lose her cherry.Virgin. The word replayed in her mind as a naughty thought emerged.Carter Mitchell wore a smoking jacket in a luxurious . . . hotel room. He sat down next to her
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It was their second day in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Swan Resort, and they were having a wonderful time. Keisha couldn’t have been happier or more excited. She had wanted to ride and see everything as soon as they had arrived at the hotel. Of course, they couldn’t get to everything in one day, but they did what they could. All three of them had been exhausted when they got settled in last night.Damien was able to get first-board tickets so they wouldn’t have to wait in line. They rode several rides with Keisha and then went back to the hotel for lunch. Layla carried Keisha off the elevator. Damien had to check his messages from Friday. He was going to meet them in the lobby.Layla was carrying Keisha to the sitting area when a wide-eyed white woman stopped in front of her. “My God . . . Lana?” she said loudly.Layla looked at the older woman. “I’m sorry, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
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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
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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
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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
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Blank Slate (A Series of Secrets 1) Epilogue
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
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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
Blank Slate (A Series of Secrets 1) Chapter 47
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
Blank Slate (A Series of Secrets 1) Chapter 46
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
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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
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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
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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
Blank Slate (A Series of Secrets 1) Chapter 42
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
Blank Slate (A Series of Secrets 1) Chapter 41
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.
