Page 62 of Montana Memory

I shifted to put myself more fully between Jada and Beckett in case there was trouble. He squinted, staring at her, his forehead wrinkling in concentration.

“Do I know you?” His voice was raw, like he hadn’t used it much lately.

Jada hesitated. “I don’t think so.”

He stared at her harder, the shakes in his fingers growing worse. For a second, I thought he might actually recognize her. But then he blinked, muttering under his breath, something about how memory was a fickle thing.

I cut in. “We’re here about the memory-loss drug.”

That got his attention. His head jerked up, his unfocused eyes sharpening for the first time since he’d opened the door. For a second, I thought he’d slam it in our faces, but instead, he let out a rough, humorless laugh.

“Of course you are.” He stepped back, waving a shaky hand. “Come in.”

Every instinct screamed at me to keep Jada outside, but I knew we weren’t getting any answers that way. So I stepped through the doorway first, scanning the inside quickly before letting Jada follow.

The air inside was just as bad as Beckett’s appearance—stale sweat, old booze, something sour clinging to the walls. Papers and empty bottles littered the counters, and the blinds were drawn tight, shutting out what little daylight the trailer’s cracked windows would have allowed in.

Inside, Beckett moved like a man who had too much energy and no real direction for it. He paced, his steps uneven, one hand raking through his hair over and over. Every few seconds, he’d pause as if he’d just remembered something urgent, only to shake his head and keep moving.

Jada stayed close, her fingers brushing against my back. She wasn’t scared—I could tell from the steady way she watched Beckett—but she was cautious. That was smart on her part. I kept myself between them anyway.

Beckett’s fingers twitched, rubbing against his palm as he muttered, “You government?” His eyes flicked to mine, sharp and suspicious. “Because if you are, you can turn your asses right back around. I’m retired. Done.Finished.And I made damn sure I’m never going back to work.”

“We’re not government,” I said evenly.

He snorted, shaking his head as if he didn’t believe me. His pacing picked up, his bare feet moving soundlessly over the stained linoleum.

“We’re just here for information,” Jada added, her voice calm. “We need to know everything you can tell us about the memory-loss drug.Blank Space.”

Beckett’s whole body went rigid at the name. His eyes locked on Jada like she’d just struck him.

“That’s what they’re calling it?” His voice was quiet, almost thoughtful. Then his lips twisted into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Yeah. Yeah, that fits. Perfect, really. That’s what it does, isn’t it? Leaves you with nothing but a blank goddamn space where your life used to be.” He let out a dry,humorless chuckle before his face twisted again, as if he’d just remembered something awful. “That’s what they wanted, you know. Somethingclean.Something irreversible.”

His pacing stopped abruptly, and he turned toward us, his hands shaking harder now.

“I’m not making more,” he said sharply. “Not now, not ever. I don’t care how much money they throw at me. I don’t care what threats they make. Iwon’tdo it.” His voice rose with each word, his movements jerky, like he couldn’t quite control his own body.

They. Could be a company, could be the government. I wasn’t sure.

“We’re not asking you to make more,” I said, keeping my voice measured, steady. “We just need to know if there’s a way to reverse it. Some sort of antidote.”

Beckett’s breath hitched. His hands twitched like he was trying to shake something off. His gaze darted between me and Jada, suspicion creeping back in.

“You say that,” he muttered, his pacing growing more frantic. “They always say that. They want an antidote, then suddenly, they’re asking for another batch of the drug itself. A few vials. A test run. Just a small, controlled release.” His voice rose, thick with hysteria. “I know how this works! I know howtheywork!”

His hands shot to his hair, fingers digging into his scalp. He paced faster, jerking to a sudden stop before starting up again, like a wind-up toy with a broken mechanism.

I need to de-escalate this and fast. “Beckett?—”

“No!” His voice cracked as he pointed a shaking finger at me. “You can’t trick me! I’m not making more! I won’t go back there! Iwon’t!” His breath heaved, his chest rising and falling too fast. He was spiraling.

This was going nowhere. I was seconds away from pulling Jada back, getting her the hell out of here, when she did something that had my heart seizing in my chest.

She stepped out from behind me.

“Jada,” I warned, my arm twitching to stop her. But she ignored me.

She closed the small gap between them and laid a gentle hand on Beckett’s forearm. “We’re not government. We’re not a company or organization,” she said softly, her voice low, steady.Calm.“We’re not here to force you to do anything. I promise.”

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