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“They haven’t.” She continues to look forward as we drive out of the airport with one SUV in front of us, the other behind. I blow out a silent breath of relief. “But to be honest, he hid you for twenty-four years, so I doubt they’ll ever be able to find him.”
Staring out at empty fields passing by in a blur, I wonder where he disappeared to. And if he was able to get treatment for his gunshot wound. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
“I’m sure the last thing you need from me is to sugarcoat things.”
I chuckle to myself. No, I have enough sugarcoated things in my life. And then my mind switches to Ryker and his look of concern as I left Max’s house. “Does Ryker Dallas know I’m okay?”
Her solid tight lips, crack a smirk. “They informed him.” I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. At least he knows I’m safe.
The drive is quick and as we pull into the ranch; we drive through two black metal gates. Cows and horses graze in pastures on both sides of us. The dirt road jerks us around and we both end up laughing as we’re tossed inside the cab like a salad. A puff of dirt leads us up road.
“Wow, this is rural,” she says in a lighter tone than before, gripping the steering wheel.
“Where do you live?” I ask, holding on to the handle above my head for dear life.
“I travel a lot, but my home base is Washington, D.C.”
As soon as we hit a cement driveway attached to a sprawling one-story red brick house with white columns, we park and I’m instructed to stay in the car until given the okay. The men in the front vehicle step out and disperse around the property, one goes into the home. Once she gives the go-ahead and turns the car off, I hop out. A warm hushed breeze whips around me with a moooo off in the distance. It’s very peaceful.
I wonder how long they plan on keeping me here. The front door opens and a man and woman step out. They head toward us, hand in hand.
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith, thank you for having us,” Agent Hughes asserts, taking charge and shaking their hands.
“You can call us Ted and Amy,” Amy says, smiling at me. Tears pooling in her eyes confuse me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to be this emotional.” She holds her hand over her heart. I lift a brow in the agent’s direction wondering why this stranger is taking me being here so personal.
“Amy, why don’t you show these guys where their rooms are,” Ted says, slapping her ass. She playfully twists her lips, but it pulls her out of the lull she’s in, directed at me.
Once everyone is inside except me and Agent Hughes, I ask, “Why are we here?” No one knows about me, so this seems a little extreme.
“It’s not one of our normal places, so it’s off the grid. We can control things here. We also hoped it would be easier to integrate you where it’s not so busy.”
I stare at the woman. Her blond hair is tight in a bun, and she stands with confidence. I catch myself straightening my back when I’m next to her.
“Integrate? I wasn’t raised with animals. I might be from the jungle, but my father taught me American ways to do stuff. I mean, not my father.” I sigh in frustration, not knowing what they expect me to say when I talk about the man who raised me.
She cocks her brow. “Integrate was probably the wrong word. More like introduce you to our world. But Aspen, this is your life. No one will question what you decide. We don’t think you’ll fall back into your real parents’ life like you’re a child who just went away to college. This is why we’re here.” She stretches her arms out, the countryside behind her. “Everything that happens here is up to you. At your own pace.”
“Thank you.”
We walk in silence toward the brick house. The warm air is humid without the hint of salt. Not like home. I clench my eyes shut, squeezing the bridge of my nose. Not my home anymore.
“Agent Hughes, do they know?” I whisper the one question that gnaws away any positive thoughts I’m having. She glances over with a confused expression. “That I’m alive?”
“First thing, please call me Halli. Second, they’re being briefed tomorrow.” She stops walking and rotates her body to face me. Her expression turns more serious. “Aspen, this situation is unprecedented. But like I said, I’ll be honest with you. You need to ready yourself for a shitstorm. You are about to change history books. Not only did your parents mourn you, but so did the country.”
That explains Amy’s reaction. The panic buzzing morphs to solid stone, weighing on my chest, suffocating me. “Whoa, breathe Aspen,” she blurts, wrapping her arms around my waist. I pull in quick shallow breaths, fighting to not fall into the tunnel of blackness as my vision hazes. I hold myself up with my hands on my knees. “That’s it. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so honest.”
I puff out a laugh and stand when the lightheadedness eases. “No, I need honest. My entire life has been one colossal lie.”
“You have life experiences that are yours. Tell me about Aspen. What do you like to do? What was it like growing up on a beautiful island? What are your dreams?”
She’s right. Nobody can take away my memories. Those things are mine. We both lean against columns, facing each other, and I tell her a few stories about growing up and my life.
“You owned a business?”
Owned is the keyword. My smile drops thinking about how I’m disappointing all the hotels. They depend on me to provide them cookies.
“I did. Not anymore.”
