Deadly Memories

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“It’s so unfair,” she murmured and turned away. She was talking about the boy, but he clearly thought she meant herself. She shoved the terrifying dream of Joseph as far back into her anxious mind as she could. She couldn’t think about what might be happening to the boy and not go crazy.

“Ella, I promise we’ll figure out what happened to you. If you have family somewhere, we’ll find them together.” His voice caught over those words and she glanced up at him curiously. He’d been so strong for her, and yet she sensed that he struggled with his own unsettled past. He’d lost someone. His grief had left an indelible mark on his life.

She glanced around the empty C-17. It was just the two of them on board. The unknown that lay ahead for her was nothing compared to the fear that gripped her heart every time she thought about what she’d left behind.

When Kyle first told her he was taking her to the United States, she’d fought him every step of the way. She couldn’t bear the thought of putting an ocean between herself and Joseph. She remembered overhearing Alhasan talking to the American about moving their operation to the United States. She believed Alhasan would want to be close to her to make sure she did as he requested. He’d bring Joseph with him as leverage. There was still a chance.

Outside her window, the ground beneath them approached at a rapid pace. The plane touched down hard and then taxied to a stop on a small airstrip in a rural area.

You have one week to fulfill your purpose or the boy dies. The man who’d attacked her had relayed Alhasan’s deadly message. Two days had passed already. The clock was ticking. Yet as hard as she tried to convince herself she could do what Alhasan asked, doubts and insecurities crowded in. She wasn’t a killer. Could she go against everything she believed in to save Joseph?

She realized Kyle had asked her something, but she’d been too caught up in her concerns to hear. He’d kept a watchful eye on her, never once leaving her side during her stay at Bagram.

When he’d first told her that after an extensive computer search, he’d found out she was from a small town in West Virginia called Mountain Song, where he would be taking her, she hadn’t been able to hide her terror. He had no way of knowing it was all because of the mistake she’d made. She should have tried to convince him to take her straight to Scorpion headquarters. Should have fulfilled the mission Alhasan asked her to do. But she’d failed and now she was terrified Joseph would pay the ultimate price.

“Ella?” There was real concern on his face as he continued to watch her.

She shook her head because she couldn’t seem to find the words to lie. Everything was far from all right.

“It’s this way,” Kyle said once they’d disembarked. He pointed to a light-colored SUV in the near-empty parking lot of the Darden County Airport. He headed that way and she followed.

She watched him retrieve the keys from the fender well and then unlocked the vehicle.

Kyle held the passenger door open for her. It was then that she noticed something for the first time, and it stopped her dead in her tracks. He wore a wedding band on his left hand. She couldn’t take her eyes off it. She...recognized it. A fragmented memory disappeared before she could claim it. She didn’t understand it. She absently touched her left ring finger and tried to hold on to the memory.

“Is something wrong?” he asked when he spotted her staring at the ring.

Stunned, Ella shook her head. How did she recognize his wedding ring?

Kyle searched for the truth in her eyes. Time lost its importance as something shifted between them. Right there in the middle of the parking lot, the moment turned intimate. She’d seen that same look...before.

Wait, how did she know that? As she struggled to untangle the truth, the color of his eyes turned to charcoal.

Suddenly it was hard to catch her breath, and Ella looked away. She couldn’t explain the confusing memories, but they didn’t matter. She had to keep her focus on saving Joseph’s life.

Once she was inside the SUV, he got behind the wheel and they left the airport.

Although he didn’t say as much, she could tell Kyle was concerned by the way he constantly checked the rearview mirror as if expecting trouble. Her uneasiness doubled. Had something happened?

She tried to let go of her fears as the rolling countryside passed her by. She put down her window. The air was crisp and fresh and carried just a hint of the winter to come. It was nothing like the dry desert breeze she’d left behind.

Soon, the scenic woods faded and the small, picturesque Southern town of Mountain Song spread out before them.

During the flight, Kyle had filled in some of the more personal details of her life. He’d told her she was a missionary, but she’d known that. Alhasan had said as much. What she hadn’t realized was that she’d been in the field for years.

According to Kyle, she’d met her fiancé, David, during one of her trips to Afghanistan. At the time she had been working with the homeless there, providing food and medicine. Kyle said her father had pastored one of the local churches in Mountain Song for most of Ella’s life. Both her father and mother as well as David and several other members of the church had gone on that fateful mission trip with Ella. None had returned alive.

Why did nothing about her life story make sense? Was it just because of the severity of the injury she’d suffered, or the years of torture and brainwashing?

Doubt churned inside her as they passed through town and Kyle pulled into the parking lot of a church from bygone days.

“This is where your father pastored,” he said quietly, and Ella turned to look at the simple white steeple shooting up into a cloudy afternoon sky, hoping something would ring a bell but not finding it.

The building itself held the quiet majesty of another time period. She noticed a historical marker on the front of the sanctuary and wondered how many troubled souls had passed through those doors to seek redemption. Kyle mentioned the original sanctuary had been standing for several hundred years.

He turned off the ignition and angled toward her. “Are you ready for this?” She knew he was only trying to help her regain her past, but all she could think about was the boy she’d left behind in Afghanistan. His life was now measured in days.

The nervousness in her stomach assured her she wasn’t anywhere close to being ready. She was terrified. Nothing about what she’d seen so far of the town where she’d grown up sparked any recollection. Why couldn’t she remember her hometown? Her family? Her life?

Kyle had told her he’d found someone from her past by the name of Tracy Cartwright. The church’s secretary had been good friends with her parents and worked with her father. Tracy was waiting inside for her now. Uncertainty crept in. What if she wasn’t Ella Weiss at all but really a cold-blooded killer?

She prayed for strength and found it. She’d get through this meeting, find a way to convince Kyle to take her to the Scorpions’ headquarters, and then it would be up to her to save Joseph.

Ella slowly looked at Kyle. She’d only known him for a short period of time, and yet he made her feel safe. Protected. Cared for.

She watched him swallow noticeably and then touch her cheek. For the first time she didn’t want to pull away. Was it just because of she was afraid of what waited for her inside and needed his strength? Her breath quickened in the warmth of his gaze and her thoughts drifted to things she couldn’t remember. What did it feel like to be kissed? To be touched by someone who wasn’t intent on hurting her.

Somewhere a horn blasted and the spell was broken. Heat crept up her neck and she moved away. For a moment...well, she’d let emotions get in the way. She couldn’t afford to do that ever again. Being in control was all that kept her alive.

A handful of awkward seconds passed before Kyle got out of the vehicle and came round to open her door.

They walked side by side into the sanctuary and Ella couldn’t think of a single thing to say to fill the void.

The moment she stepped inside and looked around, she realized nothing about the quiet old southern church felt like the home she longed for. Ella struggled to keep her disappointment from showing. She’d foolishly hoped everything would just instantly fall into place and her memory would return.

“Why don’t we wait for them up front? It looks peaceful there,” Kyle said to her silence. “After everything that’s happened recently, I think we both could use a little peace.”

They headed down the center aisle lined with dark wooden pews that smelled of polish. There were hymnals in the seats. Up in front stood an altar with the carved words do this in remembrance of me.

The podium where the minister delivered his message captured her attention. Her father would have stood in that very spot each week. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine him, but she couldn’t even bring up his face.

She was aware of Kyle standing beside her, watching her carefully. Was he expecting some flicker of recognition? They both realized that at some point the pieces of her life should start to fall into place if she really was who he thought she was.

A side door opened and two people, one a mid-thirties-looking man and the other a woman who appeared to be in her forties, entered the sanctuary.

The man stepped forward, smiled and introduced himself. “James Montgomery, I’m the pastor. And this is Tracy Cartwright, our church clerk.” The pastor turned to the woman by his side.

Tracy barely acknowledged the introductions. She appeared to have suffered a terrible shock. She covered her trembling mouth with her hand.

The pastor squeezed the woman’s shoulder then spoke to Ella. “Tracy and your mother were good friends. Losing her was hard. This is hard.”

Tracy came over to Ella and stared at her for the longest time, then she took her into her arms and squeezed her tight. “I can’t believe it’s you. Oh, Ella, you’re alive. You’re alive. I’m so glad.”

Ella stiffened and fought back the usual revulsion whenever anyone got too close.

While Tracy continued to hug her close and weep in earnest, Ella wondered why she couldn’t remember her. She was clearly a family friend.

Slowly, she untangled herself from Tracy’s grasp.

The woman had tears streaming down her face. “Do you remember me at all?” she asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Ella shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t.” She turned to Kyle for the assurances he was quick to give.

“It’s okay,” Kyle assured her. “With everything you’ve been through, it may take some time for your memory to return in full. You just have to be patient.”

“Oh, I can’t believe it,” Tracy exclaimed and touched the ring that Ella still wore around her neck. “Your engagement ring survived. You were so proud of that ring when David gave it to you. And your mother and father were thrilled when you and David announced you two were getting married. Your mother said you were the perfect couple, with you both being missionaries and all.” Tracy leaned over and kissed her cheek.