Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(45)

The response caught me off guard. I should have been offended, but for some reason the insult made me smile. “Yeah, well, I’m on the run after almost being murdered by three psychotic superthugs yesterday. What’s your excuse, old man?”

Carter blinked and then slapped his thigh as he burst into laughter. “It’s good to see you alive, Jamie.” He shocked me by pulling me in for a hug. Looking to Major Wilks or Ryan for help, I gave the stranger an awkward pat and pulled away from him. He looked me over again, as if he still couldn’t believe his eyes. “Where the hell have you been? Not even a phone call?”

Before I could reply, Ryan jumped up from his bench and joined us. He slipped my notebook back in my purse and hugged me tightly to his side. “She has amnesia. She doesn’t remember anything before the explosion. She didn’t know who she was until we found her yesterday.” He sounded almost proud of the fact, or maybe excited, which was slightly disturbing. But I guess it must have been a relief to him considering the alternatives—that I was either dead, or alive, and had just never bothered to contact him.

Carter threw me a startled look. “Amnesia?”

I shrugged.

He digested this, then nodded. “Huh. Interesting.” With one last disbelieving shake of his head, he glanced curiously at Major Wilks and asked, “So what brings the three of you to my doorstep?”

Getting right to the point. I liked that, and returned the favor. “We’ve got a plan to find Donovan, and we need your help.”

Carter sighed. “Of course you do. What else is new?”

He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of helping me, but then Ryan said the magic words. “We need you to break a story.”

Carter stiffened as he bounced his eyes back and forth between Ryan and me. He tried to stifle both shock and eagerness, but there was no hiding the hungry gleam in his eyes. I wasn’t really surprised. He was a reporter, after all. “Well.” He glanced at his watch while a giant, smarmy smile bloomed across his face. “What do you say we talk over lunch?” He winked at me and added, “I owe you a Coney dog.”

. . . . .

A Coney dog is apparently a large all-beef hot dog topped with chili, onions, and mustard. I was skeptical at first because it looked like the kind of nasty food Teddy always tried to feed me, but I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was. I’m not sure what the difference is between a Coney dog and a regular hot dog, but there definitely is one. Maybe New York has a few perks.

As I packed in two Coney dogs, Major Wilks hashed out all the details with Carter, and then the three of us were escorted to a small studio in Carter’s building where Carter would sit with us for an interview. Major Wilks and Carter were given chairs to sit in, but they’d found a small sofa for Ryan and me. They were really milking this relationship thing.

“Just to be clear,” Major Wilks warned Carter in a whisper as we were all outfitted with microphones and seated in front of the camera, “this is about Miss Baker and her abduction. Nothing else.”

Carter rolled his eyes. “As if I’d break that story. I’ve been keeping that secret a lot longer than you have, Major. A little trust would be nice.”

Major Wilks scowled but sat down, apparently trusting Carter enough to go ahead with this crazy scheme. I must have been the one who looked like I still needed convincing, because Ryan sighed and put his arm around me. “It’ll be okay, Jamie. I promise. Carter’s pushy and insensitive, but you can trust him with the important stuff.”

Carter scoffed, and Ryan answered him with a smirk. I couldn’t decide if Ryan actually liked Carter or not. I was leaning toward not, but he trusted the guy or he wouldn’t have brought me here. “He’s going to annoy you,” Ryan added in a whisper. “He always does. Try not to fry him.”

I’d already gathered that much. “No promises.”

Ryan laughed. “At least use your low setting.”

I frowned at him. “Killjoy.”

Carter cleared his throat, shooting both Ryan and me a look so dry I was sure he’d overheard us. I didn’t feel bad about that, and neither did Ryan, because he grinned at Carter. “I think we’re ready.”

Carter shook his head. “I know this is asking a lot of you two, but try to keep things professional. This is national news, and it’s live.”

“Live?” I screeched. My heart leapt into my throat. “No one ever said it was going to be live. I have parents out there somewhere. I haven’t contacted them yet. They can’t find out I’m alive on the news!”

Ryan patted my hand. “Jamie, it’s okay. I spoke to your parents this morning while you were sleeping off your concussion.”

I blinked at him. “You called my parents?”

Ryan chuckled. “I call them all the time. Your family is my family, babe. Of course I called to let them know I found you. And don’t worry. I explained all about your amnesia. They know you’re having a hard time right now. They understand why you haven’t called. They also know it wasn’t safe for you to go home, and that you’re helping us try to find Donovan.”

“And the ACEs contacted them the moment we left for New York to explain our plan,” Major Wilks added. “They have all the details.”

“Fifteen seconds!” someone called out from a sound booth.