by Jenn Hype
“Okay,” I drag out, trying to figure out where he’s going with this. “So far everything you’ve told me is already stuff I remembered. Which you knew, when I told you and you wrote it all down. Is that why you got weird?”
He winces again. Why is this so uncomfortable for him?
“Yes and no. I’ve hated keeping stuff from you, Brailey. And I knew once you started to get your memories back, I was going to have to come clean. It’s not that I didn’t want you to remember, I was just afraid of what the consequences would be once you found out I’d been lying to you.”
Reaching my hand over, I snag his and pull it into my lap. His eyes leave the road for a fraction in time to look at me, shock and relief flooding their blue depths.
“So why are you here, Wyatt? What does the FBI want with me? Do they suspect I had something to do with Bryce’s death or something?”
“No, nothing like that. After investigating, it turns out Bryce’s brake lines were cut. His accident was no accident at all, and attempted murder of a federal agent is serious business. Obviously someone really didn’t want you guys looking into Mayra’s disappearance, and they were trying to get Bryce out of the picture. I was sent here to look after you and wait to see if your memories came back. Right now, you’re our only lead, and it all hinges on you remembering where you put that evidence.”
“I actually do remember, I think.” Wyatt swerves a little, cursing himself under his breath once he gets the car driving steady again.
“You didn’t tell me that part,” he says, sounding way more aggravated than I appreciate.
“Well, I didn’t know you were digging for information and obviously at the time I felt it wasn’t relevant,” I snap.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. Can you tell me where it is or what you found?” He must sense my hesitancy, because he lets go of my hand and reaches into his back pocket, and pulling out his FBI identification. “I understand you not really trusting me right now. I can also give you the information to contact the bureau if you want to check into my credentials.”
I blow out a long breath, realizing that even with all the secrets and lying and hidden identities, I still trust Wyatt. Handing his ID back to him, I explain that I put the SD card in my safety deposit box, but don’t remember what was on it. Wyatt looks at the clock on the dashboard and slams his fist down on the steering wheel before pulling out his phone.
“We’re going to be delayed. Brailey remembered where the SD card is and it’s at a bank. We’ll have to stay somewhere overnight and head out first thing after the bank opens. No sir, she doesn’t remember what was on it. Yes, sir.”
“Hey, how long are we going to be gone?” Keegan chirps as soon as Wyatt ends the call. “I gotta call my work and hope they don’t fire my ass for taking an impromptu vacation.”
Crap, I hadn’t even thought about that.
“I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone. Until we figure out who’s behind all this, I can’t be sure you’re safe. We think the reason they didn’t come after Brailey again is because she lost her memory, but if they find out she’s starting to remember, they might come after her again. And since Brailey refused to go anywhere without you and insisted you come along, then you’re stuck with us.”
“Wait, you said come after me again,” I say as Wyatt pulls into the parking lot of a hotel.
“Yes, we assumed your house burning down wasn’t really an accident and the same people targeting Bryce were coming after you.”
“It wasn’t an accident, you’re right.”
“You remember that, too?”
“Kinda. I really thought it had to have just been a nightmare or something, but after the way Mark has been acting, I don’t know...I’m thinking it really was a memory.”
“Tell me after I get us checked in.”
Twenty minutes later we’re sitting inside a freezing cold, dark hotel room, Keegan on my right with Wyatt perched on the queen size bed across from ours. I relay everything I can remember from that dream, and by the end, Wyatt is so wound up, I’m worried he’s going to start throwing punches at the drywall.
“I knew that asshole was trouble. Nothing came up when we looked into him, but he has to have something to do with this. What the hell was he talking about, saying he’s the only reason you were alive? What the actual fuck is going on?”
A knock at the door interrupts Wyatt’s rant, and all three of us just stare at it like it might burst open at any second. Finally, Wyatt snaps out of his trance and barks at us to go hide in the bathroom while he checks the door.
“Holy shit, Brailey. It’s like we’re living out a movie plot right now. How messed up is your life?” She jokes as she drops trou and squats over the toilet.
“Are you seriously going to pee right now?”
“What else are we going to do in here? May as well.”
After the toilet finishes flushing we can hear voices talking - two male voices.
“I don’t care, Wyatt. You let me see her now. Don’t make me hurt you.”
“Ha, I’d like to see you try, asshole,” Wyatt warns mystery guy number two.
When I hear a loud thud followed by something crashing to the ground, I burst out of the bathroom to find Wyatt rolling around on the ground, losing his hold when the other guy connects his knee with Wyatt’s stomach.
His back is to me as he stands, towering over Wyatt who’s struggling a little to stand up. Keegan tugs on my sleeve, causing me to bump into the bedside table, and the noise draws both their attention. And that’s when I see him. See the face of the man who was insisting on seeing me, and who tried to take down Wyatt just to get to me. It’s like staring into the face of a ghost, and his name spills from my lips on a breath.
“Bryce.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Brailey.”
Bryce says my name reverently, a mix of relief and awe, but all I feel is nauseous.
“Did you know?” I bite out, putting all my focus on Wyatt’s guilty face. He doesn’t even have to answer. Another secret. How many more are there?
“Brailey, let me explain,” Bryce says reaching out for me, but I jerk back, avoiding his touch.
“I can’t. Just...no one touch me,” I jerk back again when Wyatt reaches out this time. “I...just give me a minute to process this.”
When I back up a little more and the backs of my legs hit the bed, my body automatically sits. Nothing, absolutely nothing, makes sense anymore. And the worst part of this situation? I’m literally stuck in this hotel room, because my freaking life is on the line, and who knows what might be waiting outside that door for me.
I can feel myself breaking down. I finally get it - how all those patients I used to take care of must have felt. Hell, who knows? Maybe I’ll end up right back at Mayford as a patient again, because I’m on the verge of a mental breakdown that I seriously may never recover from.
“I know this might be a lot to ask, but is there any way you guys could give me some privacy for a little bit?” When neither of them responds, I resort to begging. “Please.”
They exchange a look I can’t read before walking towards the door. Wyatt turns around just before the door closes, his face so forlorn and vulnerable I have to remind myself I’m angry just so I don’t run to him and try to kiss away that worry line that only appears when he furrows his brow.
“We’ll be right outside this door. You just yell and we’ll be right in, okay?”
Emotion is clogging my throat, but I manage a small nod.
After a couple hours of just sobbing in Keegan’s arms, the guys finally come back in. My tears have dried up, but my eyes are swollen and burning. I can’t even imagine how awful I look – I am not cute when I cry. I get all splotchy and snotty and it’s just not attractive.
Keegan brings me a wet washcloth for my face; the tension in the room growing more awkward by the second.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I guess everything just kind of
hit me at once. Don’t worry I’m all cried out for a while,” I say on a laugh. No one even cracks a smile.
“So, uh, I hate to make an already incredibly awkward situation even more awkward, but what’s the plan for sleeping arrangements?” Everyone looks at the beds at the same time Keegan asks the question, and she was right – things feel more awkward.
“I can get a second room and stay in there for the night, give you and Bryce a chance to catch up if- “
“No!” I practically throw myself at Wyatt, not liking the idea of him leaving at all. It’s not until my face is buried in his chest and his arms are wrapped tightly around me that I feel calm enough to realize just how incredibly insensitive that was to Bryce.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t,” I start to apologize, but Bryce stops me by holding his hand up.
“It’s completely fine, Brailey.”
“Well, I’m not going to let either of you sleep on the floor since we need you in tip-top shape so you can protect us from the bad guys, and I’m going to assume you aren’t going to want to bunk with each other, so Bryce you’re with me, Brailey you’re with Wyatt.”
No one moves for a minute after Keegan gives her orders; not until she claps her hands and yells, “chop chop!”
I silently mouth ‘thank you’ when Keegan winks at me. The number of my IOUs to Keegan is exponential.
The room stays quiet except for the sounds of us shuffling around each other, taking turns in the bathroom to get changed and ready for bed. By the time I crawl into bed next to Wyatt, my exhaustion goes all the way to my bones.
He’s lied to me more times than I can count at this point, and finding out Bryce is alive was definitely a massive one, but we’ll have time to talk later. My long cry with Keegan may have blurred my vision with tears, but internally they cleansed me and gave me clarity. This situation isn’t easy on anyone, and to focus solely on how it’s affecting me and disregard the ramifications to everyone else would be selfish.
Wyatt didn’t mean to develop feelings for me as much as I didn’t for him. The timing is horrible, but you don’t get to choose when you fall for someone. There are aspects of life that are beyond your control, and you can either roll with it or run from it. I’m not a runner.
I snuggle up closer to Wyatt, needing to convey to him without words that everything is okay. We are okay. When I nuzzle his chest, he understands and his tentative hold on me tightens.
I may have loved Bryce, but my heart belongs to Wyatt now.
~
“So what’s the plan this morning?” Keegan asks with a mouth full of muffin.
“We need to get to the bank as soon as they open and then head straight back to our headquarters. It’s about three hours from here. Once we get there, you two can call your employers and let them know you won’t be returning to work for a while.”
Keegan’s muffin sprays from her mouth to the floor. She’s unconcerned with the mess, too busy aiming her wrath at Bryce.
“Hell, no! I have bills to pay and a life to live. It’s one thing to ask for a few days off, but I’ll lose my job if it’s more than that.” Bryce shrugs, completely unaware of the beast he’s riling up in Keegan with his nonchalant response. “Hey buddy.” Keegan pokes Bryce hard in the back, seemingly somewhere painful because Bryce flinches and yells at her for it. “You may not care that I have bills to pay, but the least you can do is fake it and not act like a prick.”
An argument ensues, and I turn my back to them, not wanting to get sucked into their early morning bickering.
“Hey Brailey, can I talk to you for a second?”
I hate how unsure Wyatt sounds. It’s completely opposite of the man I met that first day he moved in. It would be easier to be angry and just put all the blame on him for my emotional turmoil, but I can see it in his eyes; he’s suffering just like I am. Maybe even worse, since Bryce is here and he has no idea how I really feel.
“Of course,” I assure him quietly. We don’t really have a lot of privacy in the cramped hotel room, but Keegan and Bryce are still arguing so it gives us a few minutes to talk without voyeurs.
Wyatt awkwardly shoves a long, velvet box at me, shifting his feet uncomfortably.
Clearly it is a piece of jewelry. No one has ever given me jewelry before – and yes, I remember that now – but the box is easily recognizable. Biting back a smile, I slowly open the box to reveal a simple gold chain, and on it is a delicate charm.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, fingering the necklace that holds an antique looking compass and a peach colored jewel.
“I’m about to do something completely out of character for me, so forgive me, but I’m just going to lay it all out there. I’m so sorry for everything I had to keep from you. I hated every second of it. I hated myself for pulling away from you after we had sex, but I never should have let it get that far. Knowing Bryce was alive and there was a chance that after all of this, you would go back to him or hate me for all the secrets…I should have been stronger. A part of me thought it might be the only chance I’d get to be with you…like that…and I don’t know, I selfishly wanted the memory.”
He cuts me off before I can assure him that I understand.
“I’m not going to ask you to make a choice or to even forgive me right now. Now is not the time and you’re still figuring out who you are and what you want. After you’re safe, and when you’re ready, I want you to know that I’ll be here. Even as a friend, though it would kill me, but I’ll do it for you. This compass charm…I saw it and thought of you. Of what giving it to you would mean. You’ve been lost since losing your memory, and I can’t even pretend to fathom how hard that must be. This compass symbolizes that you’ll never be lost again, Brailey. You are strong and smart and stubborn and capable. You can overcome anything; I truly believe that. What I needed you to know is that if you decide you want me, you have me, and I’ll make sure you don’t ever have to overcome anything alone.”
He shrugs like he didn’t just say the sweetest damn thing in the entire world.
Hot tears burn the back of my eyes, and one escapes, slowly sliding down my cheek. “Put it on me?” His eyes light up just before I turn around and lift up my hair, and his fingers linger a few seconds after he clasps the necklace, sending chills down my spine.
“Thank you for this. You…” I have to take a second to compose myself, not wanting to get too emotional right before we part ways. “You have no idea what this means to me. After I get the SD card from the bank and we’re somewhere safe, somewhere we can spend more than five minutes talking privately, then we need to talk about this. Us. Right now, though, I need to ride with Bryce to the bank. Before anything else can happen between us, before I can move forward, I need clarification on some details. Details only Bryce can give me.”
Wyatt nods solemnly but doesn’t argue, and after placing a kiss to my forehead, he calls out for Keegan. I watch them both leave before turning back to the ghost who just walked back into my life.
“Well, guess it’s you and me.”
~
“Brailey, I want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. I know you’re still figuring things out, and I know things will probably be very different from how they were before, but I’d like to remain a part of your life.”
I feel like a weighted object that’s been stuck under the water, until someone finally comes and frees me, letting me rise to the surface at dangerous speeds. Only when I reach the top and try to take my first breath of fresh air, it’s not relieving. Instead my lungs feel waterlogged, and I can’t get rid of the phantom choking that makes me want to cough and spurt up water.
“Why aren’t you dead?” I ask once I finally feel like I can speak without throwing up.
“I almost did die. I made it out of the car before it caught fire, and luckily my cell phone was still in my pocket. Instead of dialing 911, I called my boss. I knew something wasn’t right, that my brakes had been tampered with. It had to have happened whe
n I was inside the hospital with Shaun, because they were fine before that.
“Anyway, the FBI orchestrated the story of my dying, thinking it would be safer for me if whoever was trying to kill me thought I was dead. I didn’t know about you being in the hospital until it was too late for us to get to you. Mayford had already transferred you there for your care, and considering the circumstances of everything, we figured it wasn’t safe to go storming in there and yank you out. So instead we sent someone inside to keep an eye on you, make sure nothing happened to you. You have no idea how hard that was for me, not being able to make sure you were safe.”
Bryce’s hands grip the steering wheel so hard they turn white, his jaw clenched so tightly I wouldn’t be surprised if he broke a tooth. Even with only his profile to go off of, I can see the anguish, the truth behind his words.
“He reported back that you lost your memory. The agency was more concerned with the information you got on Mayra than getting you out of there, and you have to know that everything they did - everything Wyatt did - I had nothing to do with that. I fought them tooth and nail, to the point they had to lock me up for a few days to keep me from coming to you.”
“Wait - what? What do you mean what Wyatt did?”
Bryce’s eyes go wide, and I realize he’s just told me something that apparently I wasn’t supposed to know.
“Tell me, Bryce. You want to help me? Then I need the truth. Right now.”
“Brailey, I just don’t think...this probably isn’t the right time. I thought you already knew. This is a lot to take in at once, and I don’t want to add-”
“Dammit, Bryce, just fucking tell me!” My hand slams down on the dash hard enough to make my hurt myself, but the seething anger pouring out of me dims the stinging in my palm. “You tell me right now or I’m not giving you that damn SD card. You can get yourself a warrant and deal with all this shit you’ve gotten me into yourself.”