Fatal Obsession (Black Widow Book 2) (17 page)

“Honey,” the woman spoke, drawing back her attention, “You know who Damien is?”

She was going to say no until she caught the hopeful look in the man’s eyes again. She didn’t want to hurt him but how could she lie. She shook her head, rolling her lips into her mouth.

“That’s okay, you’ll remember. It’s this guy right behind me looking at you with lovesick eyes. And I’m Elaine, your big sister.”

“And I’m Ellie, your twin.”

She jumped at that voice, at that name. In her nightmare, she dreamed of a woman named Ellie, who was—she rubbed her head. Her mind was so foggy. Why couldn’t she remember something that happened just a few minutes ago?

“El—Tasha, how are you feeling?” Ellie—her twin took slow tentative steps towards her and she tensed.

She didn’t say a word, just stared at her as she approached. She sat on the coffee table right in front of her.
Twin sister… that face is my face?

“Could I see? In a mirror, could I see?” she asked Elaine.

“You will after you get some rest.”

She wanted to argue, but she had a feeling it would be useless so she nodded and turned to look at her twin. She was playing nervously with her fingers and a light caught her eye. She looked down at the womans hands. Her left ring finger had two rings, both sparkling.

“That’s pretty,” she commented with a failing smile.

Ellie smiled, “Thank you. My husband, Dale,” she pointed behind her to the intimidating man, “he spoils me.”

She forced another smile, “That’s nice.” Then a thought struck, “Tasha… that’s my name?”

Ellie’s eyes filled with tears and yet she managed to glare at Elaine who answered, “Yes.”

“Why—why does my name start with a T?”

“Don’t you think you have enough similar already?”

She nodded, accepting the explanation, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Tasha didn’t fit.

“Babe, what’s wrong?”

She stared at the man—Damien. He looked so worried. She wanted to take it all away. Why?

“Husband or boyfriend?”

His lips lifted in a lopsided smile, but the worry remained in his eyes, “Current boyfriend and soon to be husband.”

She smiled, her cheeks heating, “You love me.” It wasn’t a question, more of a statement. For some reason, out of everything else she’d just found out, that felt irrevocably true.

“More than my life,” he confessed seriously.

That warmed her all over. “And I—I love you?”

He snorted, “Love? You adore me; worship the ground I walk on.”

She chuckled, “Aren’t you so sure of yourself.”

“Oh, I am, I have a lot going for me. My fabulous physique,” he flexed his arm muscles for effect, making her laugh, “My rugged good looks, my talent in the sack,” he waggled his brows suggestively and she was ready to sink into the couch, “And of course, our son.”

Her heart stopped,
son?

Damien squeezed her calf and went on, “His name is DJ, five years old and a genius. He makes you proud every time you see him.”

Son?
She didn’t remember a son. Even as she tried now she couldn’t remember a thing about him. Not his face or his smile or his laugh; all she got was a migraine for her troubles. Her eyes blurred with tears. What kind of mother forgot her son?

She shook her head vehemently, “I can’t see him, I just can’t!”

“From what I hear this isn’t the first time this happened. I’m sure he’s used to it by now,” Dale offered with a callous shrug to go with his equally callous remarks.

“Again? I forgot my son again?” her tears ran down unchecked.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ellie turned on him and he took a cautious step back.

“How many times?” Tasha demanded, “How many times has my son gone through the effects of his mother’s weak mind? How often do I hurt him like this?”

Damien quickly stood Elaine up then took her place. Without a word of warning he scooped Tasha up and placed her on his lap. She curled into his chest, seeking comfort, but mostly forgiveness.

“Hush this time it’s different. We are not going to leave here until your memories come back. This only happens when you’ve had a real shock and once you’ve calmed down, everything falls back to place. He doesn’t need to know.”

She nodded against his neck, her body wracking with sobs. She needed to believe him.

****

Damien cradled Tasha in his arms and rocked her gently as he glared at the agents in the room. They all wanted to be here to see her wake up, see if his story was true. He hadn’t experienced one of her amnesia episodes before and now that he had he wished that he never did. The pain that seared through his chest when she stared at him blankly, like one would a stranger, wasn’t one he cared to have ever experienced. And to think DJ had gone through the same pain more than once.

His heart beat a staccato when he felt how warm she’d gotten against his exposed skin at his collar bone. She was sweaty too.
Oh, please don’t let this happen again.

“Elaine, these episodes, do they follow each other?” he asked with as much control as he could.

She looked at him questioningly, “No. Why?”

Damien swallowed hard, the back of his eyes already burning with tears, “Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure,” she responded harshly.

“She just went out again.” His voice broke as he felt Tasha’s body go limp against his again. The fists she’d had pressed against his chest just a few seconds ago fell lifelessly on her lap. Damien held her tighter, afraid she would completely slip away from him if he didn’t.

Elaine pressed her fingers against Tasha’s pulse and cursed. She pressed those same fingers over her eyes, “I had hoped… she’s usually out for hours, but this time it was less than one. I thought this time she’d wake up with her memories and DJ wouldn’t… We need to call Tom.”

“No! He’ll make sure this stays permanent. I’m not letting that asshole anywhere near her.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

Damien settled himself better against the couch and drew Tasha more against his chest, “We wait, but Ellie, you can’t be here when she wakes up again.”

Before Ellie could protest, Elaine spoke, “No, I’d rather she stays. Get her, as a trigger, out of the way. And anyway, time for hiding is over. It’s time to fight,” Elaine stared at him and Damien could see the question in her eyes, “Damien, are you ready for the fight of your life?”

He looked down at the beautiful woman asleep—he chose to believe—in his arms and thought of their son, who sat in Dale’s office unsuspecting of his mother’s episode. He wasn’t about to lose them to some deranged man.

“What do I need to know about Vladimir?”

She nodded, “His name was the first thing on this list. The fact that he is crazy obsessed with
Ellsa
is the second.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not going to be content with the little housewife Tasha; he’s going to want the dangerous, sexy vixen Ellsa back. He won’t want to understand she doesn’t exist anymore.”

“What are you saying?”

Elaine sighed and sat down, pulling her phone out of her pocket, “It’s going to take Mike and me to explain this and I’d rather not do it here. Richard, call your superior, mention the Black Widows and then release us.”

“Why should the Black Widows mean anything? Why would that get Ellsa out of here, she’s still under arrest as an escaped fugitive.” Richard countered.

“Giving you time to call your superior is just a courtesy. Actually, us staying here as long as we have was just being polite. We’ll leave now and there would be nothing you could do about it.”

“We could stop you.” Dale challenged.

“And earn another bullet, this time in your ass,” she stood and faced him, “If Ellsa wanted you dead, you would be. She doesn’t miss, with a gun or a knife.” She turned to Richard, “You going to make that call or should we call it a day right now?”

****

“What?” Dale exploded, banging his fists on Richard’s desk, “What do you mean he said to let her go?”

“And pretend to have never known she existed,” Richard added calmly, “All I did was mention ‘Black Widows’ and for a moment I thought I’d threatened to kill him the way he went off on the phone. It’s my job if I mention those two words again.”

Dale paced, running his hands over his face, “This can’t be happening. I finally found her and now I’m supposed to let her go free, just like that?”

“Why don’t you take them to your house and find out what Black Widows is? I’ll go with you, take the kids to my place if you want me too.”

Dale shook his head, “No need. My parents have them for the weekend. Disneyland.”

“Good, go and do your job, investigate. I can tell you one thing, I’ve heard of Vladimir and if it’s the same man Elaine was talking about... things aren’t going to end pretty.”

“Thing are already going to shit with how cold Ellie has been treating me this month. I’m scared if I say one wrong word to Ellsa she’ll serve me with divorce papers.”

Richard nodded with understanding, “Tough, that one. Do you think that was an act, how she woke up?”

“No,” Dale admitted grudgingly, “I have a feeling if Elaine weren't there, she would have been hysterical. And I didn’t help with the crack about her son. That got me in the dog house.”

“And caused another episode, don’t forget that.”

He rolled his eyes, “Kick a dog when he’s down, why don’t you?” he turned to leave and stopped, “Richard, why didn’t you react when Elaine snapped that man’s neck right in front of us?”

Somberly Richard asked, “Why didn’t you?”

Shock, then sudden fear and then shock again at how nonchalant she was about ending a man’s life in front of a room full of witnesses—FBI agents witnesses. He didn’t even feel an iota in control, or safer when he drew his gun, which said a lot. But he wasn’t going to confess to that.

“It seemed above my pay grade and after your call; it looks like I’m right.”

Richard snorted, “Yeah, let’s go with that.”

****

Damien carried Tasha into the guest room he used to sleep in at Dale’s house. He stood and watched Mike place a sleeping DJ next to her before he covered them both. He kissed their foreheads and told them he loved them before he followed Mike out, making sure to keep the light on, but dim. Dale met him at the door with a bottle of beer.

“You look like you could use this?”

Damien grabbed the bottle and spat, “What would you care?” before downing a generous amount.

“Look, I know I’ve been an ass about this but you need to understand my side in all of this.”

“I understand more than you know, but you didn’t need to make a dig out of how Tasha keeps forgetting her son.”

“Ellsa—”

“Tasha,” Damien half yelled, “that woman in there is Tasha. Ellsa died a long time ago and it’s time you accepted that; Ellie too.”

He walked away towards the living room, leaving Dale behind. He groaned once he got there. This didn’t need to get any more complicated.

“What are you two doing here?” Damien glared at Kris and Daniel.

“We heard there was one hell of a story being told here so we thought, as the victims, we should also get to hear it,” Kris answered, hands on her hips, chin tilted defiantly up and a sneer on her lips.

“Victims, ha?” he frowned, “If I remember correctly, you were never a victim, but I’m sure we can rectify that. Elaine?”

Elaine stood from where she sat, “Happy to. What will it be, bullet, blade or my hands?” she wiggled her fingers menacingly.

Kris visibly paled and dropped back onto the couch when Daniel pulled her down. “Look, all we want is an explanation as to why she’s not in jail.”

Damien turned to Ellie, who was seated quietly next to the two with a guilty look on her face. “And you are the bird who called these two?”

Elaine shook her head, “And she wonders why no one tells her anything.”

“Look, they are my best friends!”

“One who already called the DA to complain about the injustice of it all and the other who took her campaign to the social networks.” Mike leaned against the wall staring at the trio.

Damien felt his whole body go rigid, “Both taken care of already, right?”

“Not fast enough. I give Vladimir an hour to come for us. Two at the most,” Mike responded calmly. It grated at Damien how calm he was.

“But not to worry, he won’t hurt any of you,” Elaine assured. A few of them had already gone pale.

“Why, because he’s obsessed with Ellsa?” Ellie asked.

Elaine’s head danced from side to side, “Yes and no.”

“What, she hold a gun to his head and threaten him?” Dale snorted.

“That… and she carved him up like Thanksgiving turkey, but made sure not to make the damage irreparable. It was quite artful too.” Mike answered again with his sickening calmness. Damien choked on his beer and Dale’s bottle hovered over his mouth for a long moment before he put the bottle down. Damien followed suit.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning.”

Chapter Ten

Elaine reclaimed the seat she had vacated, “Mike, the floor is yours.”

Mike’s eyes bore into Elaine like he wanted to choke her, then he followed it with a sigh, “I recruited Ellsa right out of college.”

“Why?” Ellie demanded.

“Because she fit what we needed to mold her into what we wanted—orphan, glamorous, unsure of herself and suffering from an inferiority complex.”

Ellie jumped off the couch, anger radiating off her, “That’s a lie! Ellsa has no complex and she is more sure of herself than anyone I know, with an ego to fit.”

Mike just stared at her calmly, thick arms crossed over his chest, “And yet all her boyfriends dumped her for you. You, Ellie, were everything that was wrong with her.”

She flinched as if Mike had slapped her but shot back, “So you preyed on her?”

He shrugged, “Call it what you want, but we turned her into a confident woman who quit living in your shadow.”

“Oh really, then why is it all said boyfriends are dead?”