Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(17)

Ryan nodded and started to head out.

“Wait. I have to check the office first. I doubt Tony made it, but I still have to check. The walls are thick enough that I can’t hear him when he’s down there.”

Both Ryan and Major Wilks glanced around the bedroom with a frown, looking for the office they’d never find without my help.

“Office?” Major Wilks asked.

“I’ve heard it’s been referred to as ‘The Lair.’”

I finally cracked a smile Ryan’s way. It was the first time I’d let my guard down with him since I’d learned we had a past, and it completely disarmed him. He paused mid-stride to stand there and smile at me like a lovesick fool. His whole face lit up, as if I’d just given him the greatest gift in the universe. His eyes freaking twinkled. And that smile… The reaction made my heart melt a little toward the stranger, and that terrified me. “Um.” Clearing my throat, I stepped around Major Wilks and led them to the closet. “It’s this way.”

I pushed aside a wall of clothes hanging on a rack. It looked like any other wall, but when I twisted the pole that the clothes hung on, the wall slid back to reveal a steel door that could only be opened by handprint scan. Ryan’s jaw hit the floor as I scanned my palm. “No. Way. That is awesome.”

“Dude!” Tyson echoed.

I was startled to see that most of the ACEs had followed us. “This used to be a bomb shelter,” I explained, feeling like a tour guide as we descended the secret stairs down into Teddy’s office. “The Lair” was actually the perfect name for it. It definitely could have been used as a base of operations for someone looking to take over the world—not that that had been Teddy’s intention. At least, I didn’t think it was, but I guess who really knew what he was doing down here? Obviously not searching databases for missing persons fitting my description, like he said he was doing. Stupid liar. I was going to save him if only so I could kill him.

The door clicked open, releasing a soft whoosh of air. The shelter was, of course, airtight with its own filtration system. It always felt a little stale to me, but I usually adjusted quickly. I shoved the door wide and waved everyone through. They all took a moment to gaze around the room. The shelter was about the same size as the house resting on the ground above it. There was one large main room with a bathroom attached and a storage room that held enough supplies to live on lockdown for years.

Half of the main room was basically a geek’s paradise—computers, gadgets, and gigantic monitors galore. The other half felt much like a studio apartment with a kitchenette, living area, and a couple of military-style bunk beds off in the corner. I’d tried to add a little color to it with some throw pillows on the couch and some artwork on the walls, but it still felt very zombie-apocalypse-survival-camp-ish. “It’s like it was built to help you survive a nuclear winter,” Tyson muttered.

“Or a hostile alien takeover,” I corrected. “Tony said the man he bought the place from—the guy who built it—had been one of the soldiers involved with the Roswell Crash of 1947. The guy was paranoid out of his mind. A lot like Tony, actually. That’s probably why the guy agreed to leave the house to Tony. He was dying and would have taken the secret of this place with him to the grave, but Tony somehow tracked him down online and spent months corresponding with him, convincing him we were trapped in a secret lab being used as human test subjects.”

Reminded of Tony’s lies, I choked on a ball of sudden anger in my chest. When Tony’s computer and numerous different monitors clicked on, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I hadn’t been this out of control of my powers in months. I opened my eyes again and found myself staring at the textbox on the computer monitor asking for Tony’s password. I froze. It couldn’t be.

“Angel,” Major Wilks asked, “is something wrong?”

“What’s my last name?”

“Baker,” Ryan said. “Why?”

I sat down at the computer, feeling a sick satisfaction as I shook the mouse and clicked in the textbox. Tony almost never let me touch his computer. I had my own upstairs—the one I’m pretty sure he’d put restrictions on.

“Tony used to tease me that I was somehow the clue to his password. I tried everything I could think of—every word in my personality notebook, and then some—trying to figure it out. Not that I really cared to use his computer; I just wanted to see if I could figure out the big secret.”

Settling my hands on the keys, I glanced over my shoulder at Ryan. “How did I spell Jamie?”

“J-A-M-I-E.”

I typed in Jamie Baker and was surprisingly disappointed when the screen flashed “incorrect password.” I was sure that would be it.

“Try Jamielynn.”

“Jamielynn?”

“That’s your full name.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Ryan laughed. “It’s a family name. Your parents only call you Jamielynn when you’re in trouble, and Carter calls you that because he knows it annoys you.”

It was amazing how every time Ryan gave me another answer, I came up with a hundred more questions. Trying to focus on one thing at a time, I pushed my curiosity aside and typed Jamielynn Baker into the passcode box. Teddy’s desktop flared to life.

My hands fell from the keyboard as I sat back and blinked at the screen. “My real name was his password.” I suddenly wanted to put my fist through the stupid computer. What an unbelievable jerk. “All that time he told me he was looking for my family. He said he searched all the missing persons databases for anyone who fit my age. He held me while I cried about not knowing dumb things like my real name and birthday, and the whole time my name was his freaking password!”