Page 6 of It's Always Been You

“Can I get you anything, Ms. Kincaid?” Ms. Lopez inquired.

“The water is fine.” Caitlin nodded to the plastic tumbler beside her.

“How long have you been in Germany?”

“Five months.”

“And before that?”

“Provence for six months.”

“You move around a lot.” Ms. Lopez raised a brow.

“Yes,” Caitlin said. “Do I need to lawyer up?”

“What made you say you were a fugitive from the U.S. government?”

Caitlin pursed her lips. “I thought I was cleared. That there were no warrants for my arrest.”

“There aren’t. But around half an hour ago, the embassy received a call from a person belonging to an important branch of the government who wants to speak with you, and I’m trying to determine if I should protect you from him.”

Her heart lurched. “They don’t always do things legally, do they?”

“You’re smart, Ms. Kincaid. So, what is the supposed crime you’ve committed?” Ms. Lopez asked.

“I’ve been told that I’ve laundered money for organized crime. It was supposed to be a setup, but the operation derailed, agents undercover were compromised. We became an embarrassing liability, and we were disavowed.”

“We. Someone else worked with you? You worked for the government?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Ms. Kincaid, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything.”

“I don’t remember,” Caitlin repeated. “I was in an accident after everything went down. I . . . I have amnesia.”

Elena Lopez looked at her dubiously and shook her head. “Do you think this is funny, Ms. Kincaid? If I turn you over to this person, you’ll disappear forever and not in a good way.”

“Can you protect me?”

“Absolutely. But only if you give me sufficient reason to put the weight of our office behind you.”

There was a knock on the door. The same woman who led Caitlin to the room walked in and handed Ms. Lopez a piece of paper. Shock registered on the assistant consul’s face, which she quickly schooled to a bland mask.

“Do you know a Travis Blake?”

Caitlin shook her head.

“How about a Nathan Reece?”

“No. What’s this all about?” Caitlin asked. “Do they know me?”

Ms. Lopez stood up and looked at her. “I’ll try to get to the bottom of this. From no warrants to three people asking to see you, something tells me you’re in big trouble, lady. While I go sort this out, you better rethink your amnesia story.”

“Where the hell are you?”

“I’m getting into my rental,” Travis replied as he dumped his suitcase into the cargo area of his vehicle. His charter arrived forty-five minutes ago at the Berlin International Airport, and after clearing paperwork, he was glad the Mercedes SUV was already waiting for him. He tried to recall if Germany drove on the right or left side of the road. “You have any news?”

“Sarah showed up.”

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