“Or maybebackto your new leader,” Everett said. “What if Alejandro was behind Britt’s captivity all along?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time Alejandro was behind kidnapping a woman and altering her memories,” Kane said, nodding.
Lachlan’s blood ran cold, remembering how Alejandro had clawed his way into Titus Freeman’s inner circle. Despite the differences in backgrounds of the Stingray team—some from theright side of the law and others not—they were all aware of the major activities of the cartels that existed on the islands.
“What the hell does that mean?” Rocco demanded. “I spent my entire career in the DEA hunting down Dominican cartels. I’m not as familiar with Quattro folklore.”
“Why don’t I do the honors,” Bobby said, clearing his throat. “Long before Lachlan stole Britt from Alejandro, or even knew who she was, her father, Titus, found himself in a tricky situation with a Dutch princess. He got caught up in a secret love affair with her and was sloppy enough to conduct some of his business when she was in his bed. The princess was scared to realize she’d fallen for a thug and took the information to the top law enforcement groups in The Netherlands.”
“No shit?” Rocco muttered, then whistled. “So Titus Freeman was about to get busted because he had loose lips while his dick was in some princess. Obviously he got out of the situation. How was Alejandro involved?”
Kane chimed in. “Alejandro has a connection with the infamous Dr. Rakestraw.”
“One of the founders of the Rakestraw Blake Center, the top medical facility in the entire Caribbean,” Rocco said, nodding.
Kane said, “And Dr. Rakestraw is well known for his experimental research in hypnotic memory repression?—”
“Wait. This doctor is a quack who helps criminals erase people’s memories?” Rocco asked.
Bobby nodded. “And he’s damn good at it too. Alejandro made a deal with Titus that if he could manipulate the princess’s memories and render her a useless witness for Interpol, then Titus would support an arranged marriage between Alejandro and Britt.”
“Manipulate? How?” Rocco asked.
“Erased certain memories and replaced them with ones advantageous to Titus. The princess ended up with an entirelydifferent recollection of the calls she overheard. Nothing related to his criminal activities.” Lachlan stifled his anger as he said, “Britt always knew Alejandro was in love with her, and he used her father’s predicament to trap her into an arranged marriage that would make him next in line to take over the cartel after her father.”
“This lines up perfectly with Alejandro and Rakestraw’s MOs,” Everett said.
Lachlan pushed up from his chair, his mind swimming with the speculation. “Perfect is an understatement. Alejandro used a bomb in that situation, too. The princess fled her country to the Aerie Islands after a thwarted bomb threat at a government building where she worked. Her family thought they were protecting her from a Quattro assassination attempt, not realizing they were playing right into Alejandro’s hands. He kidnapped her after she arrived in the Aerie Islands, giving Dr. Rakestraw plenty of time to reprogram her memories while her family expected her to be off the grid.”
Kane stood. “The car bomb was likely a decoy to kidnap Britt. Alejandro never meant for her to get hurt. Regardless of whether Britt remembered her life or had amnesia, it probably wouldn’t have changed his plans. He needed Rakestraw to reprogram her memories from the moment she broke off her engagement with him and make her remember,” he paused, motioning his fingers in air quotes, then continued, “being in love with him, too.”
“That fucker!” Lachlan thundered as the theory took root as a warped reality. “That explains why all the details of her life were from before she met me.”
“And why he’d do everything in his power to get her back,” Bobby said. “Being in control of Quattro was only half of what he wanted. He probably still wants Britt to be his wife. And the sick bastard is willing to brainwash her into making that happen.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Lachlan said through gritted teeth.
Everett raised a hand. “Britt’s description of The Visitor is definitely not Alejandro, but he could have someone else doing the dirty work of kidnapping her and manipulating her memories.”
“I see you’re all convinced Alejandro is behind this,” Rocco said. “But what if it’s something much simpler?”
“Like what?” Lachlan frowned.
“Maybe what the woman in the Oasis Room believes is true—she’s not Britt. She has a family and friends who are looking for her and hoping she comes home.” Rocco said.
“That fucking family is Paloma and me,” Lachlan snapped. Glancing around the room, he saw that the others agreed with him. He knew the woman in that room—he didn’t need a DNA test or a psychiatrist or anyone else to convince him.
Britt had come back to him.
And he would make Alejandro Cerundolo regret the day he took Britt away.
Chapter 17
The knock on the door startled Britt.
She looked down at the platter, which had been piled high with a six-piece serving of jerk goat meat, cabbage salad, and plantains. All of her favorites on one plate. A new memory that was real, true, and authentically hers, although she couldn’t pinpoint how or why she was so certain. She’d inhaled the food like a starved wild animal, leaving nothing but a pile of bones on a plate she’d debated lifting and licking clean.
After spending the past several hours at the Stingray Compound, she was even more convinced that texting the five digits on the back of the red metal card had been her best move. Her conversation with Lachlan had filled her with hope that she could get her life back and have a future, even though she had no clue what that would look like. Before he left to take care of some vague things, Lachlan had given her a tour of the facility. A maze of corridors and hidden doors that opened into different spaces—workout facility, restaurant-grade kitchen, game room, and living quarters that rivaled a five-star hotel.
