Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(13)

Unbelievable. Tony had been right. He’d warned me a million times over never to go to a doctor. All this time, I’d just thought he was crazy paranoid. But it had only taken them hours to find me. “I gave Dr. Rajeet permission to share my test results, but he swore he’d keep my identity confidential. How did Donovan know where to find me?”

“Someone broke into Rajeet’s office,” Tyson said. “They ripped doors right off of hinges to get inside, and moved so fast the security tapes couldn’t catch more than a blurred image here and there. The only thing they took was your file.”

It was easy to put the pieces together. “The superthugs.” I frowned as another problem occurred to me. “But the address I gave the doctor’s office was a fake.”

“The address was,” Ryan agreed, “but the phone number was accurate. And the address attached to your phone number was a PO box here in Las Vegas. We came here instead of going to Boston to see Dr. Rajeet, knowing how fast you travel and hoping the PO box was closer to where you were actually living.”

“And that PO box led you to the motel I was at…how?”

Tyson grinned. “We tracked your cell phone and had people watching for the alias you used at Dr. Rajeet’s office. You used your credit card to check into the motel. We were already almost there when you turned on your cell phone. It’s the only reason we were able to get there so soon after Donovan’s supersoldiers.”

Aside from the disturbing idea of how easy it was for the government to stalk people, something still didn’t add up. “How did any of you even know it was me in the first place? Obviously April O’Neil is not my real name.”

Ryan snorted softly. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I should have known.”

I loved that he knew the reference without me needing to explain. Before I could mention as much, Tyson answered my original question. “They knew it was you because your records mentioned green hair and yellow eyes. It was sort of a dead giveaway.”

My eyebrows hit the ceiling. “You mean I’ve always had green hair?” I pulled some of my hair into my hand and stared at it. “This isn’t a side effect from the explosion?”

“Not the Visticorp one,” Ryan said. “The hair and eyes came in the accident that gave you your superpowers.”

Now I was so confused I thought I’d never be able to catch up. “There was another explosion?”

“A toxic waste thing. Very Alex Mack of you.”

“Alex who? Toxic waste? Another explosion?” My head was going to have an explosion of its own if I put much more strain on it. I reached up to rub it. “I’m so lost,” I whined. “How do you know so much about me?”

Ryan did that staring-with-crazy-intensity thing again. Slowly, his mouth lifted into a soft smile. “Well now, that’s the question of the hour, isn’t it, Sunshine?”

My hand went to my neck and the little sun-shaped charm that hung there. That was the second time he’d called me Sunshine, and he said it as if it were more than a generic term of endearment. He said it with meaning. As if it were a personal nickname. And then it hit me. This guy knew who I was. Who I really was. My eyes bugged open, and Ryan’s smirk morphed into a deliriously happy grin. “That’s right, Jamie. You and I go way back.”





I sat there, frozen in utter shock. I couldn’t believe what I’d heard. All the air left my lungs, and my heart hammered in my chest. He’d said a word—one word—that had just changed my life. “Jamie,” I echoed in a whisper.

I had a name. It was so simple, kind of plain even, but it was mine. Me. The real me. It was so overwhelming to finally know it that my eyes glossed over. Ryan’s anxiety shot into overdrive at the sight of my tears. “Jamie? What is it? What’s wrong?”

I felt a thrill at being called by that name, even if it didn’t spark any recognition. Just the way it rolled off his tongue so naturally made it feel right to me. “I have a name,” I whispered. “A real one. You have no idea how horrible it’s been not knowing who I am.”

My tears evaporated, and my heart burst with excitement as I realized he could probably tell me a lot more than just my name. I grabbed his hands. “What else do you know about me? Where am I from? Do I have a family? How did I end up at Visticorp? How do I know you? Tell me everything!”

Ryan laughed and grimaced at the same time. “Easy there, Angel. I don’t have your superstrength. Let’s not break the hands.”

With a startled squeak, I pulled my hands back to my own lap, where I couldn’t hurt him anymore. I hadn’t even realized I’d been squeezing him. “I’m sorry.”

Ryan laughed again. “It’s okay. No permanent damage.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “It’s just, the thought of finally getting some answers…” I shook my head, still in a state of disbelief. “I thought I had a few of the pieces, but nothing makes any sense anymore. My boyfriend has been lying to me for some reason. I think he was hiding information from me to keep me safe. But what he told me isn’t possible if I was really this Chelsea’s Angel person. But I am her, right? That’s why you guys keep calling me Angel, isn’t it?”

I’d been so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t notice how shocked Ryan was until he didn’t answer my question. He was staring at me, wide-eyed and completely frozen. “What?” I asked.