28. Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Allie
J ax and I had a good conversation the night we talked after I confronted him with everything Laura said. Something still doesn't sit right with me when it comes to her. I know it was her who put the camera in Jax's bedroom. Was she doing this just to watch us to see if we were having sex? Or was it to get information? Both?
"Are you okay?" Jax asks, his hand in mine as we pull up outside of the bar.
We talked about having a get together in a public place with everyone I used to know to reintroduce me to them. All the people who were important to me, and as anxious as I am, it feels like something a new couple would do. Introduce each other to our friends.
"You promise they don't hate me?" I ask.
"Why would they hate you? They love you," he says with a small chuckle. "We all love you, Allie."
Sighing, I look at our hands. "I ruined your relationship with Laura. I kind of turned everything on its head. "
"No one wanted me to marry Laura. I didn't want me to marry Laura. It was just... It was a really weird time," he says and runs his thumb over my knuckles. "No one's mad. Everyone's been anxiously waiting to see you again. I was being selfish and monopolizing your time."
Nodding, I climb out of the truck and find his hand again as we walk into the bar where I recognize the faces I saw at the cookout days ago. I smile, but I hide slightly behind Jax as we approach the crowd.
"Allie, these are my parents, Lynn and Harry," he says.
"Hi, Allie," Lynn says and hugs me tightly. "We're so happy to have you back, and that you're okay. You've always been like a daughter to me."
Harry smiles at me and gently pats my cheek with his large hand. It oddly comforts me and feels very familiar. "We know you don't know who we are, but we remember you. And we love you, Allie. Anything you need, please, don't hesitate to ask."
I smile and nod, and someone who looks a lot like Jax steps forward. Jax punches his arm. "And this is my little brother, Seth."
"This is probably way inappropriate, but that's just kind of my way," Seth says with a cheeky smile, "but I had the biggest crush on you growing up."
"You did?" I ask and laugh.
Nodding, his eyes widen. "Oh, yeah. Totally. If Jax and I fought, which was pretty much always, you would take my side no matter what. Even if I was wrong. You were my redheaded angel."
The story warms my heart, and I accept a hug from him. Something else that feels like I've done it a million times before. The fear of his family being upset about my return disappears. They all seem genuinely happy to see me .
"And this conceited man is Benji," Jax says about a tall man with jet black hair and deep brown eyes. As I look around, I realize I’m by far the shortest of everyone around me by at least three inches. "And the crazy guy next to him is Drew."
I study the men. Drew has curly hair, green eyes, and darker skin while Benji looks to be of Asian descent. They're both extremely attractive, and I'm amused as they stare at me with what I assume to be mock speculation.
"I'm not positive this is our Allie," Drew says. "The Allie we knew was only dating Jax to make me insanely jealous."
"You're off your nut!" Benji says. "She was dating Jax to make me crazy with jealousy."
Rolling his eyes, Jax just shakes his head as both men get on one knee, each taking one of my hands. "Get up, you freaks," he barks at them.
"If you want to test the waters and see if you really want to be with Jax, I'm offering up my services, Allie," Benji says, kissing my hand.
Drew copies him before saying, "No, let me take you out. I'll show you how much you truly love me. You won't even remember Jax's name when we've gone to the one other place in this town that isn't this bar."
I laugh, and I instinctively know both of them are rarely, if ever, serious. My eyes land on Sage who just nods as though reading my mind, and I feel a little disappointment.
I want to do that. To know what someone thinks because I know them so well and can read their body language. Like how I supposedly used to so many years ago.
Drinks start flowing, and Jax stays near me, his hand in mine like he told me we always did in public. Other patrons in the bar filter in as the time passes, and I start to feel a little claustrophobic. Something also starts weighing on me, but I can't quite make out what it is .
"Remember that one time," Benji starts for the fifth time that I've been paying attention, and I suddenly feel like I want to crawl out of my skin.
Something causes a chill to run up and down my spine, and I look around the room for the reason. A cold feeling washes over me, and I can’t help but feel as though my captor is nearby. The person I haven’t been able to unmask since I left that basement. It’s almost overwhelming, and I need some air.
"Hey," I say to Sage, pulling my hand from Jax's. "Come outside with me?"
Nodding, she smiles. "Please. If I have to hear one more Benji story, I'm certain I’ll drink myself in to a blackout and make terrible life decisions."
I force a laugh and turn to Jax. "We're going to get some air."
"Do you want me to go with you? Or do you want to go home? I know this is kind of a lot, especially with the rest of the town in here," Jax asks.
"No, you stay and chat. I just need a little breather, but I'm good. This was good," I assure him even though I know I’ve paled at least two shades.
Sage takes my hand and leads me through the crowd of people, her added height giving her an advantage and a confidence I don't have. The moment we step outside, she turns to me. "Talk to me, babe. What's wrong?"
"I feel... I don't know," I say, and the frustration takes over at my lack of ability to communicate effectively.
"Benji's stories, especially once he's started drinking, can get really annoying. They all start exactly the same. Remember that one time . I swear, it's like a variation of American Pie ."
Shaking my head, I sigh. "It's not him."
"Stop pressuring yourself so much to remember. It's probably like that whole thing with people trying to get pregnant. The moment they stop, it happens," Sage says and rubs my arm. "It'll come back."
"This is going to sound crazy."
"I like crazy. And I love crazy Allie," she says with a smile.
"It feels like the person who did this is somewhere nearby. I can’t really explain it, but more than that, I feel like I'm going to remember."
She frowns and crinkles her nose. "I thought you already felt like you would."
"No, more like something tonight is going to bring it back. And maybe I can finally settle this nagging feeling in my mind."
"Be careful, Al. Remember the last time you were certain something would bring your memory back? The sex was great, but you were devastated afterwards. I don't want you to be let down," she says. "It was hard enough hearing you talk about it the next day."
My hypervigilance begins to fade, but it’s quickly replaced with a buzzed feeling in my mind. The way alcohol hits before becoming drunk. Except I’m not drunk. In fact, the blurry images that won’t go away seem to be clearing.
I shake my head. "No, it's different. It's like the veil is thinning. I just... I have to figure out what it is that's going to make it disappear."
"How can I help?"
"Walk me through what we know about that night," I say. "Where was I?"
"The last thing we knew was that you were at work. You were supposed to walk here from the bank, and I was going to meet you outside for the surprise. I waited, but you never showed up," she says .
Looking around, I feel a strange pull to walk down the street. "I worked down here?"
"Yeah, at the bank," she says and points at the building at the end of the road. "There."
I walk towards it quickly, and Sage catches up with long strides. I don't say anything, pushing forward to let my instincts tell me what I need to do.
"Allie, I'm not opposed to this, but what are we doing? Where are we going?"
"Nothing else is working, but I feel like I need to be here. Let's do what we can to retrace my steps. I feel like I have to."
She shrugs as we stop in front of the bank. It doesn't feel familiar, and I can't get inside because it's locked. "What do you feel now? I don't know that we should break into a bank, though. Unless we're taking money. At least make it worth it."
"You'd rob a bank with me?" I ask and smile as I look at her.
"Babe, I'd do anything for you. I keep reminding Jax that you were my girlfriend before you were his. Plus, there are a few memories we share that Jax doesn't know, and it earns you my undying loyalty."
I look at the ground as something feels like it bobs in my brain. An image of something crazy. "Were you pregnant?"
"What?"
"I have a... flash? We went to a clinic together. You were scared, and I held your hand."
"Allie, what do you feel like you need to do now?" Sage asks, her tone serious and all joking disappears.
I look at her. "You did, didn't you?"
"Yes. You're the only person who knows. I've never told another soul, and I know you didn't, either. What do you need to do now? "
"I'd drive here, right? There must be a parking lot?"
"Around back," Sage says, leading me around the back of the building. "We planned to get your car to your house the next day because you’d obviously want to leave with Jax after getting engaged."
Following her into the parking lot, I look around at the empty spots. "Okay, so someone either moved my Jeep, or I drove it and was taken somewhere else."
"Those are the only rational options, yes."
"The cameras outside the bank were broken, right?"
Sage nods as I look around. "Yeah, which is why Danny Tomlin seemed like such a likely suspect. He worked in the IT department and would know. He could have also turned them off in anticipation of doing something."
"If something happened out front of the bank, it likely would have been seen by others, even though it was raining that night, right? That's what the reports said. It was raining?"
"Yes, it was. You think you came to the back?"
"It makes the most sense. Would I have driven to the bar instead of walking because it was raining? Is that something I would have done?"
Shaking her head, she crosses her arms under her chest, and I feel guilty for not grabbing jackets. I hadn't planned to be out here this long.
"So, I came to my Jeep for something. Was I getting something from it or going somewhere?"
"Well, you were notorious for forgetting things, which usually accounted for you being late most of the time," Sage says with a laugh. "I could see both. You could've left something in your car, or you could have wanted to drive home to get something you forgot before going to the bar."
"I was forgetful?"
"You'd forget your head if it wasn't attached some days. It's one of the only flaws you seem to have besides not being able to sing to save your life. Oh, and being nice to stalkers of your boyfriend, but I don't know if that's a flaw as much as a blind spot."
It's no secret Sage never liked Laura, but from what I've learned, it's not unfounded. "Okay, so let's make the logical conclusion I forgot something. I feel like I parked in the same spot every day. Did we have assigned spots?"
"I think so, but I don't remember which one was yours. They were just numbered, and I think you got to choose to move up into a closer spot based on tenure and turnover. You mentioned once that you thought a few people were waiting for you to switch jobs just to get your spot," Sage says.
Moving towards the spot with the number six on it, I notice a chip on the parking curb. I bend down to touch it, and I stagger, my vision blacking as I fall to the ground.
"Allie?" Sage cries out. "Allie?"