Mr. Harrison himself was a portly man of about fifty; at a glance he looked like a Pillsbury Doughboy dressed in a suit. Light hair. Pink cheeks. He wasn’t the kind of man people would take seriously, even though he seemed to be trying hard to make himself to be one.
He waved to Ms. Flores, dismissing her from the room. He cleared his throat. “Ms. Smith.” He shot her a nasty look. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember. Would it be too crazy if I told you that I bumped my head and now I have amnesia?”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t remember anything. I was hoping you could help me jog my memory. Where do I live? What is my job?”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I swear I’m not.”
Mr. Harrison rose from his seat. Anger made his cheeks flush red. “That explains everything. You shouldn’t have come here. I really don’t want to do this.”
She didn’t see it coming. Mr. Harrison hit her on the head with a vase. One second she was fine. Seconds later she saw only blackness engulf her vision…
* * *
Her head hurt. Slowly, her consciousness swam back to the surface. What the hell happened? She moaned quietly. She found herself bound by the wrists and ankles. She was still in Harrison‘s office. Only Harrison wasn’t alone. He had two guests. Two tall men in crisp suits. Men with tattoos. vory v zakone.
She remembered everything.
She was supposed to be dead. These men had shot her and dumped her body into the river. She didn’t know how the hell she even survived.
Liam, the man with the dragon wings.
The man who had fed her his own blood.
The man who claimed to be her husband.
Thinking about him made heat rush to her head. But, hell, he also lied to her.
“Great, now she’s started coming out of it. Get rid of her from my office.” Mr. Harrison was frothing. “This should be the last I hear from you. I’m cooperating. You have to leave my family alone from now on. I gave you what you want.”
Eva’s head spun processing this information. Harrison was the one who had sold her out to the vor. That bastard. Harrison knew her arrangement with the State office and he promised her sanctuary. How could he betray her like this?
One of the vor yanked her from the chair she was sitting in. She dropped onto the floor like a sack of potatoes. Unceremoniously, the vor hoisted her into an open trunk on the floor. Eva tried to protest. The other vor gagged her with a rag. With her head still spinning and her muscles weak, she was helpless. They crammed her into the trunk, forcing her into a fetal position, and locked it. A claustrophobic panic seized her. Her lungs didn’t seem to hold enough oxygen. She tried to scream for help; nothing but a muffled grunt came out of her throat. She squirmed against her bonds. Even then, she barely had enough strength to make a noise to let people know she was trapped in the trunk.
In the pitch blackness, she felt the trunk being wheeled out of Harrison’s office, into the maze of the Arcana Foundation and finally into the back of the car. No. Van? SUV? She heard the door slam shut and the vehicle drove away.
Eva wanted to cry. She had cheated death once and because of her curiosity, she had landed into the hands of her killers. Again. She didn’t see a way out of it this time.
It would be the end of her.
*
Liam drove like a maniac to downtown Chicago, speeding through red lights and intersections. Luckily, he didn’t get caught by cops and given tickets. A thousand emotions boiled in his chest, a thousand questions filled his mind. He wanted to kick himself for leaving Eva’s diary and photos out in the open. Naturally, she would be curious after she saw all that. He hadn’t calculated she would be bold enough to go out sleuthing about her past.
Damn it. What if the people who wanted her dead got wind that she wasn’t really dead? Her safety was compromised. A sudden headache slammed his head. He worried about what might happen to her. A woman without memory strolling down the loop without any identification or money. That was a recipe for disaster.
He found the Arcana Foundation’s address with his smart phone and drove to the place. He parked illegally and swarmed out like an angry bee ready to sting. He took an elevator to the second floor and inquired for Eva’s supervisor. He remembered Eva’s diary had given her name as Magda Flores. Ten minutes later, the woman came down the reception area.
“Hello, I’m Liam Caderyn. I’m looking for a woman named Eva Smith. I believe she came here earlier.”
“Yes, she did. She met our boss, Mr. Harrison. But she has since left.”
“Left?”
“I assume so. I just came from Mr. Harrison’s office and I didn’t see her.”
“Can I see Mr. Harrison?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. Mr. Harrison had a half day today. Personal matters.”
“Did they leave together?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Do you have any idea where Eva could have gone?”
“No. I wish I saw her. I have something to discuss. Apparently, she just took off. If I may ask, who are you to Eva?”
“I’m her guardian. Eva isn’t well. She has amnesia.”
Magda Flores widened her eyes. “So she wasn’t lying. She was asking me before where she lived. I thought she was pulling some kind of prank.”
“No, she wasn’t. She’s just confused. Think she might try to go her apartment?”
“I don’t know. I wish I could help you.”
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Flores.”
Liam headed to the parking lot, more brooding than ever. To his surprise, his SUV was still where he had parked it, not towed or anything. A sight of a taxi waiting at the curb caught his attention. Rosa said Eva left in a taxi. Could it be hers? He decided to find out.
He tapped the driver’s side. The window rolled down. “You didn’t happen to carry a passenger from Whistler Park do you? A woman, about late twenties, this tall, red hair, and pale skin?”
The taxi driver frowned. “Yeah. I’ve been waiting for her for an hour. Said she’s going in fast and then she wanted me to take her back home.”
“You didn’t see her come out, I presume?”
“No. What’s going on?”
“She’s left.”
“Shit. Who’s going to pay the tab?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care it of it.” Liam pulled out his wallet and extracted a wad of cash. “Hope this will cover it.”