Free Remember Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram

trying to gain control of my sobs. I was emotional, but I hated that about myself.
    The soldiers must have left the bunker door open when they went upstairs because I could hear them as they left the house and climbed in the truck, leaving Ryan and the major to their conversation. One of the men made his way into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards.
    “What is it, Romeo?”
    There was some more rustling and the clank of a cup, and then the faucet turned on. “Sir, I think you should take the team back to Las Vegas and let me stay behind with Jamie for a little while.”
    I was as shocked by the request as Major Wilks was. “Absolutely not. This location is compromised, and she is the most important asset our agency has ever come across. She’s too valuable to leave unprotected like that. I want you both on that truck as quickly as possible.”
    His statement made me see red, but before I had time to barge upstairs and give him a piece of my mind, Ryan said, “With all due respect, sir, she’s not an asset, and treating her as if she were one would be a huge mistake.”
    I could have kissed him. Not that I was ready to even consider the possibility of getting into a relationship with him, but I had to hand it to my pre-amnesiac self. I had excellent taste in guys. I waited for the major to blow a gasket at the defiance, but he didn’t. “Explain.”
    Ryan let out a loud puff of air that somehow sounded tired. “Jamie is…delicate.”
    I wanted to scoff. I was hardly a fragile little girl in need of a big, strong man to take care of me. But, then again, I had just fallen apart in front of them all, so maybe he had a point—a small one—as much as I hated to admit it.
    “She’s emotional. She’s so tough, but she needs a lot of TLC at the same time. She needs a while to freak out over everything she’s been through today, and she should be able to do that without the guys seeing it. Not to mention she’s still a civilian, sir. She’s independent, untrusting, and has always had a problem with authority. She won’t like it if you try to force any rules on her, even if it’s for her own safety. Offer her protection and she’ll come to you, but try to force it on her, and you’ll lose her.”
    Who needed a personality notebook when I had a living Jamie Baker encyclopedia? Man, he was scarily accurate with his assessment of me. Dead on.
    There was silence for a minute, and then the major grumbled. “That is…inconvenient.”
    Ryan chuckled. “Jamie is anything but convenient. But she’s worth the trouble, sir, I promise. Trust me, if you want her to work with you, you’ll have to give her plenty of freedom, and time to be a girl when she needs it. Right now, she needs it.”
    The major paused again and then reluctantly said, “What do you propose?”
    “Leave, and give her the option to follow you. Prove to her that you really aren’t trying to simply take her. Respect her freedom. Give her time to settle down and process everything privately. She’ll come to you when she’s ready.”
    The microwave beeped again, informing the world that its contents were nice and hot. “And if she doesn’t?”
    I held my breath for Ryan’s answer. “Then that’s her choice. No one can force Jamie to do anything she doesn’t want to do. You’d only make an enemy of her if you tried.”
    “And you?” Major Wilks asked. “What would you do in that case? If she takes off, do I lose you as well?”
    “That would be up to Jamie. She’s got a strong head on her shoulders. She’s temperamental, but she always thinks long and hard about her decisions. If she tells me she needs time away, then I’ll trust that. If she asks me to leave, I’ll give her my number and pray she calls. But if she lets me stay with her… Sir, you’ve always known my position there. I respect your organization very much, but Jamie comes first. Always.”
    His loyalty and devotion confused me. It was flattering, but