Endless

Inconveniences | Aleria

I sipped at the water Ryan held to my mouth, eyeing him nervously. His face showed me very little of his thoughts, which worried me. I glimpsed the scar on his hand as he set the glass aside.

"I know this is difficult for you," he said softly, "but you really need to trust me. You can't tell them anything."

Them. The FBI. I was pretty sure lying to them was a serious offence. At the same time, I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the first time I lied about who—or what—I was. Not remembering anything was a disaster in the making. How would I know if I made a misstep?

"I know," I said, briefly closing my eyes. "I do trust you." That much was true. I just didn't know if it was wise to do so.

He leaned over and rewarded me with a smile, which completely transformed his face. His eyes lightened to the same green as the ocean. And...well...he seemed much less intimidating. "Good. I'll be right here, okay?"

I nodded. A short while later, the curtains swished open and two men entered. I instinctively knew both were packing. Other than that, they had nothing in common when it came to looks. One was swarthy, Italian looking. His black hair was cropped close, making his features seem sharper. His dark eyes flicked to Ryan. "Doctor, I'm sure you have work to do."

His blond partner's piercing blue gaze shot to Ryan as well. His step faltered before a shocked look came my way. A thrill of recognition buzzed through me. I knew this man. Somewhere. Somehow. I wanted to reach out and touch his cheek. I wanted to ask why he looked so tired and unkempt. He cleared his throat and glanced away.

I frowned. "I prefer Dr. Ryan to stay here, if that's okay. I–it's been disorienting."

The swarthy one came towards my bedside. "Of course. I'm Agent Dean Romano. This is my partner, Agent Nick Parker." I glanced Agent Parker's way, but he was busy staring at Ryan, who leaned back against the only wall in my cubicle. Something about this was off. Ryan's studied nonchalance didn't ring true and Nick Parker's name only rang a vague bell. Nothing like the reaction I'd felt when he came in.

Romano's glance followed mine. "You two know each other?"

The other two men broke eye-contact to meet Romano's gaze.

"Yeah." Parker half-smiled. "We went to the same school."

Ryan occupied himself by studying my stats, which I was convinced he knew by heart. After all, he'd forged them. "It's been a long time."

So they knew each other. And I knew Parker, the one who just wouldn't meet my gaze. Wait. School? What school? How did Ryan really know Parker? Was he immortal too?

Yes. The answer came to me as instinctively as breathing, but for some reason, I didn't feel even remotely threatened by him. Instead, I wanted to know why I knew Parker and why he seemed so...tired. I wanted like hell to know why I longed to reach out and soothe him.

Romano opened a notebook and took out a pen. "I know this will be difficult for you, but we need to talk about the plane crash."

"I...can't."

My words drew Parker's attention. "Can't?"

Damn, if only I could nod, but Ryan had insisted I keep the stupid neck brace on. The casts were still on too. As were the bandages to cover burn wounds I no longer had. "Sorry."

Parker frowned. "Why?"

This time it was my turn to avert my eyes. "I forgot."

"Forgot?" He moved into my field of vision. It triggered something. A bright flash of music and laughter and me panicking. I winced and closed my eyes.

"She has retrograde amnesia," Ryan said. "She only knows about the crash because I told her it happened. Nothing else. We're hoping it was the concussion she got, but it could be psychological. Please don't feed her details, she needs to remember on her own."

"Amnesia," Parker repeated dully, then he laughed. "I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble believing this."

It felt like someone pressed a hot bar behind my eyes. "Why?" I demanded. "Because it's inconvenient?"

Parker squinted at me, but Ryan forestalled him. "Ali, they need to ask."

"Ali?" Nick mouthed, frowning.

I scowled at him. "Fine." I purposefully focused my attention on Romano. "I'm sorry, but I just can't remember anything."

"Nothing?"

Ryan passed him the real results from the psyche evaluation I went through yesterday. "Here. She can't even remember the year. She only knows her name because you linked her to the passenger manifest."

Romano paged through the file. "We were really hoping you could remember what the terrorists looked like. Two hundred people died and we want to bring those responsible to justice."

I shook my head. "I wish I could help."

"Hey." Romano gave me a gentle smile. "Maybe you'll remember something later. If you do, call me, okay?" He took a business card from his breast pocket and placed it on my table.

"Okay," I said, glancing at Nick as he placed his card on top of Romano's. If his frown went any deeper, it'd be carved into his face permanently.

"Ryan, can I talk to you alone?" he asked. As casual as his voice sounded, I didn't buy it. From the tension in Ryan's posture, neither did he. Ryan left the cubicle anyway. 

Ooh! Something is definitely up between Nick and Ryan. Any guesses as to what their history is like? 

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