Chapter 30
Jada
Everything was underwater.
Sound. Movement. My thoughts. All of it muffled and far away, like I was stuck beneath the surface of a lake and the world above me had forgotten I was down here.
A voice became more intelligible. Sharp. Panicked. “You think we gave her too much?”
Another voice, lower, annoyed. “It was a full dose, not something that was measured. She was breathing before. Barely. Just—check again.”
Pressure against the side of my neck. “She’s got a pulse. It’s light, but there. God, I hope she’s not in a coma. I…”
The voices blurred back out as they talked, and I let them go. Whatever was waiting for me on the other side of this fog, I wasn’t ready to face it with my eyes open. Not yet. I just wanted to stay in this darkness. Nothing could hurt me here.
But then in my mind, I was running. Running through trees. Some sort of woods. It was nighttime, so it was hard to see. I kept trying to whisper something, but I couldn’t get the words to the surface.
Then finally, they broke through: Jada Banks.
Jada Banks. Jada Banks. Jada Banks.
My name.
And I wasn’t having a dream. It was a memory . The night I had met Hunter. He’d told me my name, and I’d whispered it to myself over and over as we’d run through the woods.
Once that memory opened up, the rest came crashing through. A wave that didn’t ask permission.
I remembered Hunter.
His face, his voice, his touch…all flooded my system. I remembered our picnic, the kittens, Pawsitive Connections, our lovemaking.
The memories expanded from there in a tsunami: coming face-to-face with Kenzie and what I’d done to her. Deja Brew. The cabin at Resting Warrior Ranch. Facing Copper. Jumping over rooftops.
I gathered them to me, thankful for them all.
I reached inward, careful, like walking barefoot across broken glass. Was anything else there? Any memories I hadn’t had before? Faces? My mother’s voice, the smell of my shampoo, the job I’d had before I lost my memory?
Nothing. Just blank space. Blank space, like the drug name. Tears pricked behind my eyelids, hot and sudden.
The antidote hadn’t worked. It hadn’t given me my memories back.
But it hadn’t stolen my other memories either. I wasn’t a vegetable, and I wasn’t dead. That had to count for something.
Now that my mind had snapped back into focus, I couldn’t block out Kelly and Johnson any longer.
“She’s been out too long,” Kelly muttered, his voice sharp with frustration.
“She’s breathing,” Johnson replied, but he didn’t sound confident. More like he was trying to convince himself.
“Barely,” Kelly shot back. “What if she’s in a coma?”
I stayed perfectly still, every muscle locked in place. My breathing was slow and shallow, just enough to keep them from thinking I was dead. They were standing over me—I could feel the weight of their presence, the tension vibrating off them in waves. Kelly’s tone was tight, agitated. Johnson sounded more cautious, but no less dangerous.
I knew this was my only chance. They thought I was unconscious, maybe even slipping away. As long as they believed that, I had time. Time to think. Time to plan. Because once they realized the truth—that I still had no memory of Alan giving me the five hundred thousand dollars, if he ever had at all—they’d stop asking questions and start digging a hole.
“She’s not in a coma.” Johnson let out a low breath. “She’ll wake up soon, and we’ll know if she can get us the money. If not, then we deal with it.”
Deal with it. I didn’t need to hear the rest to know what that meant.
I focused on keeping my body limp and my face slack, even as panic started to claw at the edges of my mind. I needed a way out. Staying in this cabin was a death sentence. If I could get them to take me somewhere else—anywhere with people—I might have a shot. A chance to run. Call for help. Do something other than wait for the end.
But where? A public place would set off alarm bells in their heads. They’d never agree to that. My apartment was useless. No key, no cover story that would hold up. I couldn’t even remember what street it was on.
I fought to stay calm, to push through the thick fog in my mind. There had to be something. Somewhere I could take them that sounded real.
Then it came to me. Clear. Sharp.
I had a place.
It wasn’t safe and it wasn’t guaranteed, but it was better than lying here waiting to die. I could make them believe it. I had to.
I stayed still a moment longer, listening to Kelly and Johnson argue above me, their words growing more impatient by the second. Then I gathered every ounce of courage I had, ready to open my eyes and sell the lie that I had my memory back. Pray I didn’t make any mistakes.
Because if they saw through it, I wouldn’t leave this cabin alive.
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking like the light hurt—because it did—and let out a soft groan.
Kelly was the first to notice. He stepped in fast, crouching down, face tight with suspicion. “Well, look who finally decided to wake up.”
Johnson hung back, arms crossed, like he was waiting to see which way the wind blew.
I dragged in a breath and forced my lips into a scowl. “Why the hell are you two shouting like morons? My head is pounding.”
Kelly blinked, caught off guard. I pushed myself up on one elbow, even though the motion made the room tilt.
“You’re lucky that damn antidote worked,” I muttered, like I hadn’t been lying on the floor faking unconsciousness and praying I didn’t die.
Their eyes lit up.
“Wait,” Johnson said, stepping forward. “You remember?”
I tilted my head toward him, letting a slow, smug smile pull at my mouth. “Yeah. I remember. Alan, that prick. The money.”
Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “Where is it?”
I rolled my shoulders and looked at them like I couldn’t believe they were this slow. “If you want what Alan gave me, you’d better start treating me a hell of a lot better.”
Kelly laughed, short and humorless. “We’re the ones with the guns, sweetheart. You don’t give the orders.”
I didn’t flinch. I couldn’t. I leaned back against the wall like I had all the time in the world. “Then shoot me. Go ahead. Kill me. Let’s see how far you get without me.”
Johnson shifted, eyes flicking toward Kelly.
I knew I was pushing it, but I had to hold the line. Had to be the woman they expected me to be. The version of Jada who’d done unforgivable things without blinking.
Johnson stepped in close, voice low. “We could just start hurting you. A few broken bones ought to soften you up a little. Get the location that way.”
I smiled. Not because I felt brave. I smiled because it was the only thing that kept me from shaking. “Sure. Try it. And when I’m half dead and can’t walk, who’s going to get your money? You think I’m dumb enough to keep it in a box under the bed?”
They didn’t respond, and that was good. That meant they were thinking.
“You need me alive,” I said, softer now, like it was a simple fact. “And not just alive. You need me healthy and unharmed to get your half million. I set it up that way. So, no more bruises. Treat me right, or you get nothing. Take it or leave it.”
Johnson exchanged a look with Kelly once more. I couldn’t read it, but they didn’t argue. Didn’t threaten again.
They wanted that money. Wanted it more than they wanted to prove they were in charge. That worked in my favor—or at least would until they realized I didn’t have it or my memories.
I kept my expression neutral, my posture loose. But inside, my mind was racing.
They believed me—for now. That was the only edge I had. I could feel it already slipping, like sand through my fingers. They’d play nice until they realized I wasn’t of any use to them. Then they’d kill me. The only question was whether I could get away before that happened.
“Okay, if you guys are done fucking around, let’s go,” I said, getting gingerly to my feet. “You can have your money, and I can get back to my life.”