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She climbs back into the vehicle. “Come on, there is someone I am dying for you to meet.”
I glance around the quiet street. Am I making the right decision? Do I have any other choice when my memories could be the only thing that can help Rogue? At this point, my only other option is giving Nicole what she wants. My life in exchange for his.
I promised him I would fight for us. I plan on promising him forever.
I take a deep breath and follow Dizzy.
In the limo I come face to face with a man. He takes up most of one seat, his arms stretched along the back. Dizzy takes a seat beside him and he moves one arm across her lap, almost like a seatbelt, while his cold blue eyes assess me.
I study him right back. I couldn’t look away if I tried. He looks like a model. The kind with tattoos peeking out the collar of his shirt. His hair is dark and cropped close at the sides, but longer on top.
“You look…” It blows me away how much he looks like Rogue and Rebel. “Have we met?”
“We have,” he says, tapping his fingers on the leather seat. “We had a therapy session.”
“We did?” I gape at him. Surely I should remember meeting a dangerously-handsome man who looks like he could be a long lost Maddox.
“You didn’t tell me that.” Dizzy frowns at him.
“I wanted to see what made her tick. You’re important to me, and I don’t trust just anyone,” he tells her before turning to me. “Sunshine is captured with you, and I like to be aware of who she’s spending her time with. I had an opportunity to find out more about you, and I took it. I’m sure you can understand when I say that I still haven’t made up my mind about you.”
"Uh…” I don’t actually know how to respond to that.
"It’s not that you’re untrustworthy,” he says. “But you seem timid, and my girl here, is anything but. I find it hard to believe that the two of you can make a friendship work.”
“I told you my brother was an asshole.” She punches him in the chest.
He captures her hand and kisses her knuckles. “I wish you would stop calling me that in front of other people.”
“Asshole?”
“Brother,” he growls.
“But…” She laughs. “I like the way you hate it.”
My eyes are probably popping out of my head. “You’re not her brother?”
“I was adopted,” West tells me. “And Dizzy’s mom was already pregnant with her when she met our dad. We’re not…related.”
It doesn’t feel like my place to ask questions about their relationship. Even if I have a lot of them. I’d rather focus on the real reason I’m here. “Dizzy thinks you can help me?”
“I’ve read your file,” he says. “You’re suffering from a trauma dissociation.”
“You’re going to help me with therapy?”
“Ideally.” He pushes Dizzy off his lap so that he can lean closer. “But I think we’re after immediate results, aren’t we?”
“Yes.”
“There are scientific experiments…” He starts talking about studies that have been done; about how memories are encoded. Experiments with mice. How recreating brain chemistry with the aid of different substances can help with recalling traumatic memories.
All I can do is try to keep up.
“It’s a lot of information,” West finishes. “Most of which you don’t need to understand. But yes, I can most likely bring your memories back. I have to warn you, the recall will be brutal. There’s a reason why your brain has hidden a chunk of your past from you. But we’ll monitor you physically the entire time. And I’ll be there to talk you through every step. What do you think? How far are you willing to go to get what you want?”
I lock gazes with Dizzy. She smiles encouragingly. “It’s okay.”
If I can finally be done with the Hawthorne name… bring Rogue home… “I’ll do anything.”
