Free Anew: Book Three: Entwined by Josie Litton

least some inkling of my intentions but I’m not
about to spell them out.
    I stand and hold out my hand to
her. “Walk me to the boat?”
    I know I haven’t fooled her but she
nods all the same. “Of course.”
    We leave the terrace and take the
stairs down to the beach. It’s a perfect day, crystal clear and balmy. A tropical
breeze stirs the palm trees. A part of me wants to stay with Amelia, take her
off to a secluded cove that I think she’d really enjoy, and spend the day
making long, sweet love to her.
    In a perfect world, I would. In the
world we actually live in, I know that last night proved nothing. I’m sure of
that because I know how close I came to losing all control. My gut-wrenching
fear that I could hurt her is real and justified. She looks so damn happy that
I can’t bring myself to say anything of this to her but I can’t ignore it
either. It’s just as well that duty calls.
    As the boat draws up at the small
dock, I brush the back of my hand along her cheek gently. “Get some rest today,
all right?” I’m worried that she’s overdone, not just last night but all week. “Lie
in the sun, try out the bathhouse, maybe even go wild and take a nap.’
    She leans into my caress and turns
her head. The soft exhalation of her breath and the touch of her lips on my
fingers send a bolt of pleasure through me so intense that I almost miss what
she says next.
    “I’ll make you a deal.”
    I struggle to get a grip on myself,
staring down into eyes in which the sky and lagoon seem to merge. Eyes I can
drown in…or fly free.
    “What’s that?” I manage to ask.
    “I’ll rest and while I am, you’ll
tell the doctor that you have memory loss. You don’t remember what happened in
the tunnel right before you were wounded.”
    What the hell? How can she possibly
know that? I could swear that I didn’t say anything that would have clued her
in. Even when she revealed that I told her I’d been drugged, I played along as
though I already knew that.
    She rises up on her toes and
touches her lips to mine, sparing me any attempt to respond. “Just tell him,
all right? Davos isn’t going anywhere. He’ll still be wherever he is when
you’re truly well enough to go after him.”
    It’s a morning for revelations. She
knows about the gap in my memory. And that the monster may still be alive. And that I’m going after him. Is there anything that she hasn’t figured out?
    I nod, the only response that I’m
capable of. The boat is idling, waiting for me. Amelia smiles. With a backward
glance and a little wave, she climbs the steps and disappears into the house.
    I stay right where I am, rooted to
the spot, until she’s out of sight. When I finally get in the boat, I’m barely
aware of the trip across the lagoon. All I can think of is that whatever
happened in the tunnel, it matters. What did I tell her? What part of my dark
soul did I bare to her?
    And how does any of that fit with her
willingness to give me another chance?
    A sudden, urgent need to know
sweeps over me. As soon as we dock, I make for the medical center. Five minutes
later, I’m looking at a red-faced Rosen, who’s trying hard to control his
temper.
    “Traumatic memory loss is a
potentially serious condition, sir . It would have been better if you had
mentioned this sooner, sir .”
    I don’t mind the not-so-gentle
reminder of my authority--and the responsibility that goes with it. I just wait
him out. Finally, he takes a breath and says, “We need to do another scan.”
     “Do your worst. But I’m fine.”
    Half-an-hour later, after long
minutes in a scanning tube, Rosen grudgingly agrees with me. “There’s no sign
of any lingering brain trauma. If you like, we can see about recovering the
period of time you lost.”
    I know what that means, an ocular
probe into my cerebral cortex to locate the sites where memories are formed and
stored. I’ve been down that path before and don’t much relish a return trip.
    “What are the