Chapter 30
The SUV’s passenger door slammed before Lachlan put the vehicle in park. Britt strode along the curved sidewalk to the compound’s double steel door entrance, hands rifling through her purse as she looked for the one thing she needed to get inside.
Lachlan inhaled deeply and flipped the dark gray metal card etched with a stingray between his fingers.
He’d seen Britt like this many times—frustrated, impatient, and determined as hell to get what she wanted.
If he didn’t talk her off the ledge, she might implode, especially since, right now, he knew her better than she knew herself.
Lachlan cut the engine, exited the SUV, and jogged up the sidewalk to catch up with her. “Britt! Wait!”
“I don’t want to wait,” she snapped, almost dumping the sparse contents of her purse onto the sidewalk. “Where is that stupid card?”
Lachlan held it up. The sun glinted off the metal surface, sending a warm ray across Britt’s face.
She was more beautiful than he remembered and more feisty, too.
Or maybe he was rusty. Either way, the experience of watching her personality re-emerge at breakneck speed was surreal.
Especially since she still wasn’t quite convinced she was truly Britt Freeman.
“Give it to me,” Britt demanded.
Lachlan lowered the card and pushed it into his back pocket. He could see the exasperation rolling off her in waves.
“Lachlan, the answers we need are behind those doors. I need to know the truth about who I am,” Britt said, extending her palm toward him. “Now.”
She fully expected him to comply with her request. Years ago, he would’ve. There wasn’t a damn thing he wouldn’t do for this woman, even if every instinct within him screamed that he shouldn’t because nothing was more important to him than making Britt happy.
And he’d learned too late that Britt didn’t always know what would make her happy …
“Not until you calm down. Take a few breaths and relax,” Lachlan said, resisting the urge to hold her. Knowing that would piss her off more.
“Relax? Seriously?” Britt asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “How can I relax when everything hinges on this?” She shook the bag of sample swabs they’d taken from her and Paloma.
“We’ll put a rush on the DNA test, but it’s still going to take several days to get the results back,” Lachlan said, hoping his timeline wasn’t unrealistic.
“Look, spending the past twelve hours with Paloma and me was probably too much. I should have recognized that and returned you to the compound last night.”
“You think spending time with the little girl I pray is my daughter and the man I can’t stand to be without is too much for me? Are you crazy? It’s not nearly enough. I want more. I want that life.”
“That life isn’t going anywhere. It’ll be waiting for you. Always. There’s no rush or timetable that you need to fit this into.” Lachlan rested his hands on her neck, gently caressing her skin. “Britt, the DNA test is not … magic.”
“I know that,” she snapped.
“So you’re not thinking that getting a positive result will instantly bring back all the memories of your life with us? That’s not what’s got you so irritated?”
Britt looked away, staring toward the jungle. Her voice was low and small as she spoke, “How the hell do you know me so well?”
“You know how,” Lachlan said, lowering his voice. “What did Dr. Abrams tell you about your memories?”
“That pushing to remember could lock them away forever. Especially since I don’t know which of the many traumas I’ve been subjected to is causing me not to remember,” Britt said, resting a trembling hand on his arm. “I want to remember you.”
“You forgot about my tongue on your clit?” Lachlan asked with a sly smile.
“Lachlan!” Britt’s mouth fell open.
Her taste lingered on his lips, but that wasn’t the best part of what happened between them last night.
That had come later, when they’d joined Paloma on her tiny twin bed and watched the ending of Frozen, then piled into the kitchen to have their first dinner as a family.
Paloma’s excitement and joy had only been overshadowed by that of her mother.
“What? Those memories don’t count?” He asked, trying to get her to see his point.
He’d watched Britt fall in love with their daughter all over again.
She’d slid seamlessly into being her mother, listening intently to the latest Goat Scout camp gossip, admonishing Paloma for not finishing her little green peas, bathing her before bed, and reading her favorite story as their little girl had drifted off to sleep.
Lachlan watched the scenes play out in front of him like a movie that couldn’t possibly be real.
But it was.
How many nights had he laid in bed alone, thinking about Britt and wishing he had one more hour, one more minute, hell, one more second with her?
And here she was, alive and beautiful and very much the woman he’d fallen in love with all those years ago.
Her memories were held hostage in her mind, but her instincts and intuition about him and Paloma couldn’t keep her away.
On some level, she understood and knew the truth—she belonged here with them.
“What about falling asleep in my arms? Or making cereal for Paloma this morning, braiding her hair, and helping her get dressed for camp? Did you lose any of those memories?”
“Of course not.”
“We won’t stop making new memories to wait for your old ones to come. The only thing that matters is that Paloma and I want you with us.”
“And I want to be with both of you.” Britt inhaled deeply. “Thanks for that.”
“Anytime. Now, we can go inside,” he said, swiping the card against the pad.
Lachlan slipped his hand in hers and led Britt through the maze of hallways to the command center.
He steered Britt toward the massive conference table.
The mirrored surface reflected the series of high-definition monitors around the room.
Each monitor displayed a combination of maps, documents, and surveillance footage from their investigations.
Sebastian and Everett huddled around two large monitors, cycling through documents and photos, pointing and highlighting text.
Bobby and Kane crowded around a desk, placing documents onto a holographic case board, separated from the other two by the black granite coffee bar along the opposite wall.
A new edition to the space to accommodate the increase in time they’d all been spending at the compound.
It was outfitted with two espresso machines, a lineup of the best Hullabaloo coffee beans artfully arranged in glass canisters, and an array of mugs bearing the Stingray Security logo.
“Look who decided to finally join us,” Bobby said, pushing up from his seat. The other guys turned to look at them as they entered. The expressions on their faces told Lachlan they’d already figured out the shift in his relationship with Britt.
Lachlan pulled a chair for Britt to sit, then walked to the espresso machine.
“Before we get started on the intel.” Britt slid the samples across the table toward the opposite side where the men stood. “I want a DNA test to determine if I’m Brittany Freeman.”
Everett stepped away from the monitor, picking up the plastic bag. “Glad to hear it. That’s one thing to cross off the list.”
“How long will it take?” She leaned back in the chair, carefully studying the contents of each monitor.
Everett glanced at Lachlan, who meticulously stirred cream and sugar into Britt’s coffee. “A few days. As soon as we have results, I’ll let you know.”
Satisfied that Britt’s drink would be to her liking, Lachlan poured more coffee in a second mug for himself.
Kane and Bobby sidled up next to him.
“Have fun last night?” Bobby asked, keeping his voice low.
“We couldn’t help but notice Britt’s suite hadn’t been used,” Kane added.
“She was more comfortable in my bed,” Lachlan replied flatly, in no mood to have his decisions about Britt dissected or second-guessed.
Everett drifted over from the monitors. “You sure that’s wise?”
Sebastian abandoned his station at the screens to join their impromptu huddle, completing the semicircle of men surrounding Lachlan at the coffee bar. “Lachlan’s a big boy.” Sebastian rested a hand on Lachlan’s shoulder. “He’s not going to do anything he can’t handle.”
Lachlan was grateful at least one of his friends trusted his judgment and understood why keeping any distance from Britt was impossible.
Britt cleared her throat. “If you gentlemen are done gossiping about the intimate details of what happened between Lachlan and me last night,” she called out, tapping her fingers impatiently on the table, “can we get on with the latest in the investigation? I’m pretty anxious to figure out who The Visitor is and how to stop him from killing me. ”
“Damn, she doesn’t know how much she has not changed, does she?” Bobby quipped, then chuckled as he walked from the coffee bar and sat at the table. Kane, Everett, and Sebastian followed suit as Lachlan grabbed the two mugs and walked to the opposite side to sit next to Britt.
He placed a mug in front of her. “Made this how you used to like it.”
Britt took a sip, then exhaled a dreamy sigh. “It’s perfect.”
“Well, I’ll start by saying we know who hired The Visitor to hold you captive,” Sebastian said, glancing at Lachlan for agreement to go ahead with the plan they’d discussed while Britt was taking a shower this morning.
Lachlan gave a subtle nod.
Taking the cue, Bobby filled all the monitors with pictures of Alejandro Cerundolo.
Lachlan studied Britt’s face as she stared at each picture.
“Am I supposed to know this guy?” Britt asked.
Lachlan was disappointed.
“Who is he?” Britt asked.
“Better that we keep his name a secret for now,” Bobby said, removing the photos.