Less than a minute after I heard that, I interrupted the manager and mumbled that I needed to check on whether I’d parked under a shade, turned on my heel, and walked rapidly down the hall and turned and headed out of the inn.

I pulled out of the parking area quickly and started to drive in the direction of where I thought I saw clouds of dust in the road.

Unfortunately, the clouds were a mirage, and I lost track of Mr. Guerrero.

I returned to the inn, ran to my room, and rang Brom up.

The same lady who’d been taking my calls and calling me with updates picked up again.

“I know that Brom said he was busy but this is really important. I need to talk to him. I just saw Guerrero.”

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In the end, Jack and SSA Black came to stay with me that night in the inn, occupying the room Matt had booked. I’d wanted to head to LA already to be with Aerin, but I’d gotten news that Aerin had woken and her prognosis had been good. Her shin had been wrapped in a cast after the doctor had fixed the closed fracture and aligned the bone, and her eye had been bandaged up after they’d treated the swelling and bruising around it. Her perfect nose also had to be attended to.

I sorely wanted to be with her and was torn about staying and discussed with Brom the advantages to the effort to get that man if I stayed in the inn. I thought aloud that, for one, I could help to maintain the cover I’d set (about the rooms being occupied). As we talked I began to lean more towards staying. I wanted to feel useful and help to make sure he would never be a threat to us again. So I stayed.

No one told me about the amnesia.

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Aerin

“So where is this chick I’m supposed to be in love with?” I asked Jules irritably for the 10^th time in the last half hour. It had been two days since I’d woken up in pain and found out I’d been taken, and had to be treated for injuries. Although Dr. Brooks had held out hope that my memories of the last week would return, even slowly, I was frustrated that they hadn’t.