shakes his head. “Nothing. Come on.”
He takes a step back, allowing me to step out. Taking a peek up at him, we lock eyes. I search his, wondering what he’s thinking.
Already, I’m forgetting my list. He is a means to an end. As long as I’m here, I need someone to… what do I need John for?
Comfort.
I clench my teeth. Comfort is for people that don’t have to watch their back. I may not remember where I’m from or who I am, but I’ve had this feeling for the longest that I need to watch my back.
Nope, comfort is not for me. You slip up when you’re comfortable. I have nothing to be comfortable about.
“Roni.”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not with my brothers or my parents, I hardly ever let my guard down.”
With that, he turns and starts down the hall. I stare at his back as he goes. Slowly a smile comes to my face.
Twin flames.
I gasp as the memory hits me hard. I sat in a kitchen with a plate sitting on the table before me. The cinnamon-colored face across from me wore a smile.
“One day you will find the mirror to your soul, Roni. You will know it from the spark that carries between you. Almost like a light goes off. When you find that flame, hold on. Don’t be afraid of it. See where it will take you.”
“Yes, Abuelita,” I said and smile.
I hold onto that memory as I move to catch up with John. I don’t want to dig too deeply into what it all means. For tonight, I’m getting out of here.
Chapter 17
Temptation
John
“You sure you don’t want to move to a table?” I ask as I stare at the profile of Roni’s face.
I thought she was beautiful before, but tonight those jeans and that top give away her personality. The more I look at her, the more I want to know about her. This side of Roni is sassy and sexy.
I sit back on the barstool beside hers with my gaze still glued on her. She’s been nursing her third beer for the last hour. I get the feeling she’s holding back to keep from loosening her tongue.
“I’m fine here,” she replies, not looking at me, which I’m starting to think is on purpose.
She has her back to the bar, tapping her foot to the pulsing beat of the music. This place is pretty laid back, but it’s not some dive either. There’s a mix of college students, the after-work crowd, and a few couples.
“Tell me something about you,” I say, drawing her attention from people watching.
She turns to me. “What?”
“Tell me something about you.”
“Nothing to tell,” she says and turns back to look over the small crowd.
I grin. “Okay, how about this? I’ll tell you something about me,” I say. I’ve caught her attention with that. She holds my gaze.
Not waiting for a reply, I continue. “I have six brothers. I’m the third oldest. My mother is Irish, and my father is a Scot. My family is huge outside of my immediate family as well.”
“Okay.”
I snort. “Okay, now it’s your turn.”
She tips her head to the side as she looks at me. “I thought they told you everything about me. I guess I was wrong.”
“I was told you haven’t given over anything that will help with the search for your past life. You do know they’re trying to help. If you talk, they can see if you have a safe life to return to. You are not obligated to stay here if you have a family to return to.”
She searches my face, her eyes growing sad as her thoughts race across her features. I lean into her, feeling protective. I can see something is off.
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you about me. There’s nothing to tell because…” She pauses and licks her lips. “I can’t remember.”
“As in you have amnesia?” She nods. I crease my brows. “Nothing?”
She looks down at the floor and shrugs. There’s a long pause. At first, I think she’s shutting down on me already.
“I can’t remember anything before waking with those people. I’ve been having these dreams. I think they’re memories, but I’m much younger. A girl. Nothing that will help me figure anything out. I figured my family may have been killed like some of the others,” she says.
I clench my hand holding my beer. I have to tell myself to reel in my anger. There’s nothing I can do about all of that at the moment anyway.
“Wait,