Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(47)

“She means amazingly persistent,” Ryan said. “And romantic.”

I rolled my eyes again. “That’s everything I know in the entire world. If you want any more answers, you’ll have to ask them.”

This time I pointed at both Ryan and Major Wilks. To my relief, Carter nodded and focused his attention on the major. Then began a long string of questions I didn’t care about, and watered-down vague answers.





The interview with Carter was not going well. Forgetting the fact that I’d lost my temper and called Carter an idiot, once the questions were directed at Major Wilks both he and Carter turned into five-year-olds, each trying to act like the bigger tough guy.

Before long, I’d zoned out completely and Ryan had given up paying attention for playing with my hand in his. I didn’t start listening again until voices were raised. “Major, give the people more credit than that,” Carter said in response to some brush-off answer Major Wilks had fed him for some question I hadn’t heard. “We know there is more to the story than you’re telling us. Kidnappings fall under the FBI’s jurisdiction. Not the military.”

Major Wilks ground his teeth so loudly I cringed. “Miss Baker’s attackers were detained, but the people who took her and held her hostage for six months are still out there. We have reason to believe they will try to take her back. She’s in protective custody.”

Sounded good to me, but Carter gave Major Wilks a flat look. “Also generally the job of the FBI, Major. What is the military’s true involvement in this case?”

I wanted to kill Carter. And from the looks of it, so did Major Wilks. We’d talked about this. Carter was supposed to focus on my tragic memory loss and love story so that the nation wouldn’t think to ask the very questions Carter was now demanding answers to.

The two of them got locked in a staredown that wouldn’t have shattered if World War III busted out in the room around us. The temperature dropped a good ten degrees. Major Wilks broke first, and as annoyed as I was with Carter for deviating from the plan, I had to hand it to the guy. He had some serious nerve going up against the major.

Major Wilks’s face turned purple, and when he spoke it was in a clipped tone. “Very well.” He grunted. “We have reason to believe that the people who abducted Miss Baker were part of a secret organization that poses a threat to national security. They are highly sophisticated, well funded, and well armed.”

Carter, for his part, looked genuinely surprised. “A terrorist group?”

Wilks’s eyes burned now. He did not like that word being thrown around. “Of sorts,” he said, glaring at Carter for all he was worth. “Miss Baker is a key witness and could be the piece to the puzzle we’ve been missing. The information she has locked away in her head could be what we need to take down the entire organization.”

Carter frowned. “But as Jamielynn so graciously pointed out earlier, she has amnesia. She says she doesn’t remember anything.”

Was he seriously calling me a liar? “I don’t remember anything,” I growled. “And I don’t appreciate your tone, jerk. You think I would make this up? I’ve been missing for six months. I’ve had my entire life stolen from me. I want to find the people that did this to me a lot more than you. If I had any information, I would tell Major Wilks everything I knew in a heartbeat.”

When I glared at Carter, ready to fry him and not just his precious camera, he gave me a subtle playful wink, as if this were all just part of the plan. My eyes narrowed, and the lights flickered again. I was so going to kill this man.

“Miss Baker doesn’t remember any of the information,” Major Wilks said, clearing his throat to regain Carter’s attention. “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have it locked away in her head somewhere. She has quite graciously agreed to undergo some special medical testing to see if we can restore her memories.”

“Special medical testing? You don’t mean experimental? That could be dangerous.” Carter, looking surprised again, sounded legitimately concerned for me. The guy was apparently so used to shoveling bull that he’d mastered the art of acting. He deserved an Oscar. “After you’ve just been found?” he asked me. “Wouldn’t you rather go home and meet your family? Rest and recover from this traumatic experience? Maybe get to know your fiancé again?”

I took a breath. And then I took five more. He was pushing my limits. “Of course I want that,” I hissed.

“Me too,” Ryan chimed in cheerfully. “Especially that getting-to-know-her-fiancé-again part.”

Carter chuckled, but I had to take another breath. Ryan had warned me that Carter would annoy me, but he hadn’t said a word about himself driving me crazy. “I want more than anything to put all of this behind me,” I said, doing my best to ignore Ryan’s stupid, charming, beautiful smile. “But I can’t. It’s bad enough those people stole my past from me, but right now they control my future, too. They’re still after me. I’m not safe. I can’t just go home. I’ll never be able to let any of this go until we stop the people responsible for this. So yes, I’ll take all the tests I have to in order to get my memories back—experimental or otherwise.”

“That’s very brave of you, Jamielynn,” Carter said softly. “I wish you luck, and I think it’s safe to say that you’ll have the whole nation praying for you.”