Dusk (Dangerous Web #1) - Aleatha Romig Page 0,59
stopped and turned to all of us, her blue eyes wide. “Don’t you see?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Laurel, I’m not connecting the dots.”
“Reid, think about it from a scientific viewpoint. Mason said he thinks this has to do with my research. You all,” she was talking to us, “said you were afraid the kidnappers were coming for me. I hate to admit it, but if this is connected to my formula, I agree. So for the sake of argument, let’s say all that has happened is about my research. I want to know the compound of whatever formula Araneae was given.”
“If not all memories were erased for the last three years, why didn’t she know us?” I asked.
Laurel moved her head from side to side. “You have to understand, I’m hypothesizing. I don’t have the clinical data. Considering the empirical evidence, we can assume that she’s coming out of a recent traumatic event—the kidnapping.”
I nodded.
“Whatever they gave her took her mind back to a calmer time.”
“When she was Kennedy,” Patrick said.
“Right.”
“Why then did she recognize Sparrow?” Mason asked.
Laurel’s smile grew. “That’s the truly amazing part. Whatever they gave her, if they did, didn’t block him. Because no matter how others see Sterling, Araneae sees him as her husband, the man she loves. Her mind doesn’t associate anything traumatic with him. Whatever is within the formula they probably gave her, they’re on to something.”
We all turned at the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the floor above. Hurriedly, Sparrow came around the corner. His expression was a conglomeration of emotions.
Laurel spoke first, “Is she okay? What about the baby?”
Reid
As the evening sun saturated the kitchen, we all stared, waiting for Sparrow’s response.
“The baby’s heartbeat is strong and there’s movement.”
Everyone in the room let out a collective breath.
“Araneae?” Laurel asked.
Sparrow’s expression cracked. A shimmer of light gleamed in his dark eyes as his lips turned upward. “Fucking amazing. So damn strong and resilient. She’s hooked up to a saline IV and asking for food.”
“What does she remember?”
The luster disappeared as his head shook. “Nothing.” He turned to me. “I’m sorry. Right now, that includes anything in the recent past with Lorna. Her last memories are in Chicago. She’s confused about everything, even why we’re here. The last two weeks are” —he shrugged— “gone.”
Laurel looked from Sparrow to Mason and back. “There’s no way to know yet if the amnesia is permanent. We all know that the loss of memories can be temporary.”
“I don’t know what happened to my wife,” Sparrow said, the tendons in his neck tightening as the vein in his forehead pulsated with building pressure. “I know I have her back and someone is going to die for what they did.” He let out a breath. “I also wonder if it might be better for her not to remember?”
I stood. “If she knows anything that could find Lorna—”
“Yes,” he interrupted. “I get that. I just don’t want her...” His words trailed away.
Laurel lifted her hands. “It’s not our decision anyway, even yours, Sterling. It’s up to Araneae. It’s up to her mind what and when she’ll remember. I’d be glad to talk with her. I might be able to prompt the return of memories.”
He shook his head. “First, she needs to heal. I’ve contacted Marianne. The plane is heading here and then back to Chicago tonight.”
“What the fuck?” My volume rose. “I’m not leaving without Lorna.”
“We don’t know where she is,” Sparrow answered.
“But we might,” Mason said, looking at me, his tone filled with optimism. “I’ve been thinking. Maybe we don’t know exactly, but we should be closer. Reid, you have the satellite images of the ranch recording?”
The fog of worry and sleeplessness began to dissipate with my brother-in-law’s question. “Yes.”
“So we have the last forty-eight hours of every acre?”
Energy similar to that brought on by much-needed nutrients surged through my bloodstream. “Fuck yes. We might be able to see the vehicle that brought Araneae onto the edge of the property. That information will get us closer to Lorna.”
“Reid, I’m not leaving Montana to leave Lorna,” Sparrow clarified. “I’m getting my wife and child back to Chicago. According to Garrett, the same minor incidents that prompted us to leave are still happening there, but here” —he motioned around— “is too far from medical treatment.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I’m not asking or even fucking suggesting you make a choice between Lorna and Sparrow. I did that once. I won’t do it again. I get it. I