Page 17 of Fracture
Lorelei let out a breath. “I wish I could say I know, or that’s why I hired her, but fuck, I don’t know a damn thing.” Lorelei pounded the countertop.
“Open up, cuz.”
Lorelei hesitated, but unlocked the door to let Karli in.
“You can’t be blamed for this. I know it sucks and you want to be yourself again, but you’re not there yet.”
“What if I never get there?” Lorelei whispered, meeting Karli’s gaze in the mirror. The question had been on her mind since she was told she had amnesia. She desperately wanted to know who she was, to remember her past, but what if she never did? What if everything before Vinnie woke her up was gone forever?
“Then you become whoever you want to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you start over. You choose who you want to be. You get to create your reality, your life, however you want.”
“Is that what you would do? You would reinvent yourself?”
Karli shrugged. “I don’t know. The idea has some appeal. We get tied down in the choices we made years ago. Careers, friends, home. We get to a point in life where we look around and say how did I get here? But you have a choice to go somewhere else. No one would blame you if you never came back to this apartment. If you left the FBI. If you made all different choices with your life. But only you can decide what’s right for you. And what’s right now might be different than what would have been right before.”
Lorelei drew a breath and nodded. She didn’t know what was right for her. Then or now. She was confused and overwhelmed. The only thing she did know was she did not need to be carrying a weapon.
“Will you and Cade take my guns?”
“Of course. Or Adam can. He’s probably more comfortable with guns.”
Lorelei nodded. “Okay. I just know I can’t risk shooting someone innocent because I don’t know who they are. Shit. I need to apologize to a woman I have no memory of and tell her I’m an asshole.”
Karli chuckled. “She won’t think that. She cleaned Adam’s apartment for years, too, from what he said. It sounds like she’s a very nice woman.”
“That’s good. Makes me happy I didn’t shoot her.”
“I bet she agrees.”
Lorelei snorted and shook her head. “Okay, let’s get the hell out of here. I can’t be in this apartment any longer.”
“Let’s go.”
Lorelei followed Karli out of the bathroom. All conversation stopped in the living room when they walked in.
“Ms. Sloane, I am so sorry I scared you. Are you okay?” Anabelle asked, rushing to Lorelei but stopping before she reached her.
“It’s my fault. I’m sorry I don’t know you. I wish I did, but I guess they all filled you in.”
“Yes, yes, and I am so sorry. If I’d known, I never would have just walked in.”
“If I’d known you existed, I would have called you, but, hell, I could have someone else who’s about to walk in and I wouldn’t know it. Not knowing who I am or who anyone else is sucks.”
“You will get your memory back, Ms. Sloane. You will be yourself again.”
“I hope so. Thank you for being so sweet, Anabelle. I am so sorry I panicked.”
Anabelle shook her head, then stopped when Lorelei moved forward and hugged her. Anabelle patted Lorelei on the back.
“I’ve never hugged you, have I?” Lorelei asked as she pulled back.
“No, Ms. Sloane. You aren’t very…” Anabelle looked around the room as though judging if she could say what she was thinking.
“Affectionate,” Adam provided.