Chapter 26

chapter

twenty-six

Gage stared at the vast nothingness in front of him and contemplated what to say to Nia.

He couldn’t share too much. He was bound by contract to remain quiet about the intricacies of his job. About his past military career. Things were on a need-to-know basis.

Did Nia really need to know any of this?

Yet if he wanted to figure out what happened to his friend, he would need to explain something. To offer some hint of the truth, at least.

He blew out a long breath before saying, “I work for a private security group. And I honestly did come here to visit my friend after he called me. That’s all true.”

Nia narrowed her eyes as if not ready to believe him yet. “What kind of private security group is this that you work for? You seem to know what you’re doing when it comes to evading the gunmen. ”

“I’m former military—that’s how I know some of the things I do. I use that experience in my current job.”

“What kind of ‘jobs’ do you do usually? I feel like you’re beating around the bush.”

That was because he was. “Things other people don’t want to do. Things I can’t get caught doing. Things that require a high level of both expertise and innovative technologies.”

She smirked. “So you’re not just a computer repair guy?”

He shrugged. “I mean, I can work on computers. But I use that cover story because I can’t afford to go around telling everyone what I really do. It’s too risky.”

“But your name really is Gage?”

“It is.”

“And you’re really from Kansas?”

He didn’t say anything. Didn’t tell her he’d grown up in Michigan.

After a moment, Nia nodded with resignation. “Okay, I guess I can understand if you need to keep that quiet . . .”

“I’m not here to hurt you, Nia,” Gage said. “I’m here to help my friend. I need to find out what happened to him.”

She studied him another moment before nodding slowly, almost reluctantly. “I guess that makes sense. Thank you for sharing.”

“Of course.”

She scanned everything around them, and Gage followed her gaze. Even though it was growing darker by the moment, she could still see the reeds blowing gently with the wind. Shrubby trees rose from the otherwise flatness of the wetlands. Somewhere in the distance, the hum of an airboat could barely be heard.

“What now?” Nia crossed her arms, unmistakable tension surrounding her.

“I think we go back to the hotel and recalculate—after we ditch this car.”

“Is it safe to go back?”

Gage thought about it before nodding. “We’ll be careful.”

Nia slowly nodded before she drew in a breath and said, “Okay, then. Let’s go recalculate and figure out what’s really going on.”

Nia’s thoughts were still racing after she and Gage had ditched the car they’d “borrowed,” as Gage had said.

They stepped inside the Royal Oasis and waited for the elevator.

So far, so good. She hadn’t seen signs anyone was following them. Based on Gage’s body language, he hadn’t seen anyone either.

With any luck, they’d make it back to the room without any incidents.

She could hope, at least.

Gage was full of surprises .

She sensed he was telling the truth back in the Glades. His story . . . it was wild. She tried to imagine his past and how that had shaped him into the person he was today. She couldn’t begin to understand it.

Did he believe what Nia had told him? She wasn’t sure. But it had felt good to get it off her chest.

The elevator dinged, and they stepped inside.

No one else was with them.

Another good thing.

But she knew they were far from being out of trouble.

There was still so much they needed to figure out.

And at the top of her list? Uncovering what had happened to her memories.

She kept hoping something would resurface and give her a clue about last night.

But so far, her thoughts were blank. She still had no idea what had happened or why she’d forgotten.

Being drugged made the most sense. It just seemed strange that once the drugs had worn off, she still couldn’t remember.

It was unnerving, really.

But maybe—just maybe—she really could trust Gage. It would be nice to have someone on her side. To not go through this investigation alone.

The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and they padded down the expensive carpet toward their suite.

Gage unlocked the door and pushed it open.

But as soon as Nia stepped inside, she saw a man standing there .

A broad man with a hulking build and sharp eyes.

Eyes that stared at them without even a hint of fear.

She took a step back, her lungs tightening so quickly she could barely breathe.

Was this the man who’d chased her? If so, how had he found her here?