“Astor College,” Amy tells me.
Astor College? That’s only a few minutes from my office. “How is that possible? We were monitoring student applications, weren’t we?”
Amy nods. “We were, but she didn’t show up in any of our systems. Boss… the only reason we found her is because she applied for a job at Sinclair Security. She specifically applied to join the Ψ division. We were able to use her job application details to figure out her location.”
“What is her current exact location?” I ask. I just need to see her. The rest can wait.
Amy glances at her watch. “Her lecture is finishing in about ten minutes, after which she’ll head to the coffee shop on campus where she’s currently working part time. I will email you the exact location.”
I nod and rush out of the office, impatience dictating my every move. I’ve waited five years to see her again. I can’t wait a second longer. I don’t care where she’s been or why she’s stayed away, so long as I get her back in my life. I need some answers, but more importantly, I need to see for myself that she’s safe.
I walk into the small coffee shop on campus in a rush, nerves thrumming through my veins. Alanna is nowhere to be seen as I pick a seat in the back, and I glance at my watch impatiently.
Nostalgia washes over me as I listen to the chatter around me while I wait. How many times did I politely refuse to come here with my classmates because I couldn’t afford the coffee here? I studied at Astor College for four years and today is the first day I’ll be having a drink here. This is the college Alanna always wanted to attend, so I shouldn’t be surprised she ended up here. What I don’t understand is why she never even called. Why did she walk away from me without a word? What happened after that accident to make her stay away?
A shiver runs down my spine all of a sudden, and Iknow. I just know Alanna walked in. My lips tip up into a smile as I turn toward the entrance, my heart in full fucking disarray when I see her. Long dark hair, the same hazel eyes I’ve always loved. Five years, and there she is.
Alanna pauses halfway toward the barista counter, her eyes finding mine, and everything fades away.Fuck. It’s been so long since I looked into those beautiful eyes of hers, and every feeling I thought had dimmed comes rushing back in full force. She still looks the same, except a little older, a little more mature, a little morebeautiful.
She smiles tightly, not a single hint of recognition in her gaze as she walks past me. It isn’t until she disappears into the staff room that I realize the only reason I caught her attention is because I stood up in the middle of a crowded room, staring at her. She didn’t seem to recognize me at all. What the fuck?
My heart twists painfully as I sit back down, my thoughts reeling. How could this be? She looked at me as though I’m a complete stranger. Something isn’t right. That wasn’t just her ignoring an ex. She didn’trecognizeme.
I bite down on my lip harshly as I dial Amy’s number. “Please double check Alanna’s medical files,” I tell her the moment she picks up. “Something isn’t right. She doesn’t seem to recognize me at all, Amy. Her reports mentioned a bad concussion but I never read anything about amnesia. Check if Alanna was ever referred to anyone else, other than her main doctor. If so, have him brought to our interrogation room. Something is wrong with her.”
I end the call when Alanna walks up to the counter, switching places with her colleague. I’m nervous as hell as I approach her, unsure what I’m even hoping for. It’s been five years, so it’s not as though I expected to pick back up where we left off, but I’m feeling oddly unsettled.
“Hi,” she says as I walk up to the counter, a friendly smile on her face. My lips drop to her mouth, a memory of her kissing my neck coming to mind. Does she truly not remember me? How could that be possible?
“Hey,” I mutter awkwardly. “Can I have a long black, please?”
She looks into my eyes, and for a split second, I see something flicker in her eyes, but then she shakes it off and tears her gaze away. “Of course,” she says, ringing me up.
My hopes are thoroughly dashed when she hands me the receipt and moves away to make my drink, not even remotely hesitating or lingering. I’m just another customer to her. I’ve been looking for her for years, not a day going by without me thinking of her, and here she is… staring at me as though I’m no one to her.
Alanna’s colleague leans into her, a smile on her face. “Hey,” she says. “Is your boyfriend picking you up again later? Your shift ends pretty late today.”
Alanna nods, and my stomach lurches. The pain that sears through me has me placing a steadying hand on the counter. Boyfriend? What fucking boyfriend? What the fuck is going on?
Alanna’s colleague takes my drink from her and walks over to the end of the counter I’m standing at, a flirtatious smile on her face. “I haven’t seen you before,” she murmurs. “Are you a new professor?”
I shake my head and take the cup from her with trembling hands. All I can think about as I walk back to my little table are the words I just overheard. Not only does the love of my fucking life not remember me… she’s also dating someone else. Out of all the scenarios I imagined when I finally found her again, this never even occurred to me.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Silas
“What is the meaning of this?” the doctor asks, his eyes wide with panic that he’s trying his hardest to contain. “Don’t think I won’t report you. This iskidnapping. It’s, it’sillegal!”
I sigh and push Alanna’s file toward him. “Five years ago you treated Alanna Jones. She was referred to you because she was in a car accident. She seems to have suffered from long-term amnesia as a result. Alanna still hasn’t regained her memory, it appears. What are her chances of recovery?”
The tension in his shoulders eases just a fraction, and he glances at the folder. “Who are you?”
“Someone who cares a great deal about her wellbeing.”
He looks back up at me, his gaze accessing. “I cannot discuss my patients with you, whoever you may be.”
I nod. “I understand, Dr. Jameson.” I clasp my hands and lean forward. “Let’s, for a moment, just assume that this is a hypothetical case. Let’s say it’s about your daughter, Cindy. She’s fourteen, isn’t she? Goes to Astor High School? Such a sweet little girl, isn’t she? Let’s just assume it’s Cindy who got into that car accident and lost her memories. What would the chances be of her recovering her memory?”