The Amnesia Paradox: Unlikely Spies, #1

Chapter 1

Jackson Lee had wondered all along if he was on a fool’s errand. His suspicions were confirmed when her taxi took off, leaving him high and dry in front of the American Embassy, less than a minute after arriving.

He had called in favors. Ignored the State Department travel advisories. Postponed his next assignment. All for that welcome.

Rose glanced back at him with a perplexed expression. Oh, she was good. A consummate actress with talent completely wasted on vaccinating the world’s rug rats. Or whatever it was she did.

He wasn’t inclined to give her the satisfaction of a chase. At least not right away. He knew she wouldn’t get far. The next street over was tantamount to a parking lot. Plus, he needed a minute. That first sight of her had caught him off guard with an oddly physical impact, like a hard thump to his chest.

This reaction would be relief of course, just relief that she was okay. Mostly okay. He hadn’t expected her to look so different. She’d been so busy saving the world that she had lost weight, likely ten or fifteen pounds. She used to have a generous ass. Perfect, to his mind, though she had never thought so. Now her butt was as flat as an ironing board.

The bigger shock was how vulnerable she’d appeared as she walked haltingly across the uneven cobblestones. He’d seen that lost and desolate look on her face only once, many years ago. But by the time she called out and started running across the courtyard, any uncertainty had vanished.

He’d almost laughed when she ordered him to hold the taxi. That was the old Rose—a bossy little thing. No problem giving orders to anyone and everyone. Her eyesight sucked, so unless she’d started wearing contacts—she likely hadn’t even recognized him yet. Or so he’d assumed.

Then, right to his face, up close and personal, she’d had the gall—or presence of mind?—to pretend she’d never laid eyes on him before. She hadn’t been expecting him, he knew that much. Impressed despite himself, he wondered wryly why she hadn’t been recruited by one of the intelligence agencies. He should have known to expect the unexpected. She was like no one else. Always had been. The strongest-willed person he’d ever known. Disciplined and stubborn. Also generous and loyal. To a fault.

Qualities lavished on everyone except him.

He narrowed his eyes in speculation as her taxi lurched out to the main boulevard blaring Afro-hip hop. The changes in her annoyed him. She’d become so conservative, with that unruly red-gold hair braided into submission and makeup hiding the freckles that dusted her nose. A plain buttoned-down blouse and chinos had replaced the boho skirts she used to love.

This new Rose was neither fish nor fowl, neither hipster nor prepster. Scary-skinny and fundamentally altered in some way he couldn’t put his finger on, she wasn’t the same girl. Something was amiss, something more than the political turmoil and violence that plagued this tiny corner of West Africa. Maybe she really was ill, as her mother feared.

He’d been right to come. Whether she wanted his help or not, she was going to get it. Even if Rose were in perfect health, security concerns here were real and ongoing. In the last six months, two aid workers had been kidnapped and one murdered. From the reports he’d read on the plane coming over, he’d concluded that the more things changed here, the more they stayed the same. The cast of characters rotated but not the fundamental issues.

There were the ever-present warring factions with similar names—Freedom this and Democracy that—fighting in different regions. Some were affiliated with extremist rebels, some with political parties that opposed the current regime. Some were local militia groups, armed citizens who patrolled their communities. They took justice into their own hands because they didn’t trust the military or the police, often with good reason.

Jackson turned to scan the embassy compound with a practiced eye, noting the restive crowd waiting in line and the Marine guards armed with assault rifles. You could almost smell the anxiety here. The guards were expecting trouble. However, he knew from experience that days, even weeks, could pass before anything interesting happened.

His meeting with the science envoy wasn’t for another hour. He’d been hoping for some decent coffee. Maybe a meal. He thought about catching up with Rose later. After all, he knew her hotel—and the room number. He’d have no trouble finding her. No reason why the difficult conversation couldn’t wait till tonight.

Still, he’d come this far. He’d promised her mom that he’d check on her and do his best to convince her to go home for Christmas. Mrs. Slater had been kind to him when he’d desperately needed kindness and stood up for him even when—especially when—his father did not. So he’d keep his word.

Work could wait. The project he’d been assigned to wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, if there really was a coup attempt, work would grind to a halt while the government cracked down on the rebels. Within a day or two, a few insurgents would be paraded in front of the cameras and then off-camera, executed. After that, order should be restored fairly quickly and the country would go back to business as usual.

Decision made, he hailed another taxi and folded his legs into the cramped back seat.

As he’d expected, they screeched to a stop in a traffic snarl a mere two blocks from the embassy. He located Rose’s taxi about twenty car lengths ahead. Piece of cake, really, even if he hadn’t recognized the enormous furry dice dangling from her driver’s rearview mirror. He’d stared at that doo-dad all the way in from the airport.

Arriving had been the easiest part of this journey. Too easy. After a long, uncomfortable flight—he never had enough leg room—he had breezed through customs in record time. The agent had stuttered in disbelief that Jackson wanted in to a country on the brink of civil war. Not surprisingly, the departure lines he passed on his way out were long and fractious, teeming with ex-pats and locals fortunate enough—or crooked enough—to have the means to escape.

He rubbed his jet-lagged eyes with the heels of his palms. Judging from the street vendors now swarming the idling cars and trucks, they’d all be here a while. The vendors were making the most of a captive audience.

He flagged down a woman with a heavy basket balanced on her head. A Cameroonian immigrant, judging by her dress’s striped fabric. She plucked two water bottles from her basket and then exchanged the bottles for his cash. She did all this with a smile and without spilling a single item from the basket. It was only when the woman walked away that he saw a sleeping baby strapped to her back.

He passed one bottle up to his driver and downed the other himself in two long gulps. Five stifling minutes passed with very little progress. The traffic jam had settled into hopeless gridlock and the fan mounted on the taxi’s dashboard just moved hot air around.

Jackson fought to stay awake. Tropical heat did this to him every time. He hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours in two days. The hell with it. He closed his eyes.

Rose pegged the tall guy at the embassy gate for a tourist. He had been too disheveled to be a diplomat, too old to be a student, and he looked as disoriented as she felt. Like he’d only just now discovered he’d picked the wrong time and place for a vacation.

Not only did he not hold the taxi for her, he stood there gawking while she ran over and lunged for the door handle. Even after she dove in and told the driver the name of her hotel, the American didn’t budge from the curb.

His intense stare had taken her aback. Deep brown eyes met hers and she briefly registered an unkempt, not-quite beard and full lips twisted into something close to a sneer. He was younger than she’d first thought with long, dark hair and features that indicated mixed ancestry. As her taxi pulled away, his expression was both watchful and oddly exhilarated.

Whatever. She had bigger problems than a clueless American tourist.

The flutters in her stomach became big, beating wings that flapped against her rib cage. If she never had another adventure in her life, it would be too soon. The worst part about all this, aside from the terrifying prospect of losing her mind, was how alone she felt.

The craziness at the embassy had not helped. There’d been long lines of expats needing help and natives desperate for U.S. visas. Every one of them, including her, was waiting to see the lone duty officer. And every one of them, including her, thought that they should be at the head of that line. She had finally given up and decided to go pack up and book a flight. If her memory problem didn’t resolve on its own, as her hasty research had suggested it might, she’d see a doctor back home.

A home she couldn’t remember.

She’d woken up this morning with a black hole where her memories should be. Until she tore her room apart to find her passport, she didn’t even know her own name. Her first guess was that someone had slipped her a roofy last night. However, she’d neither seen nor felt any evidence of that. She’d woken up alone in a neat, unrumpled bed in an ordinary hotel room. There were no signs of sexual activity, consensual or not.

Recreational drugs or alcohol abuse were an obvious potential culprit. But she felt fine, physically, with no hint of a hangover. If she’d partied hard last night, wouldn’t she feel shitty? She didn’t even have a headache. The only evidence of drugs she’d found was a prescription bottle, filled at a pharmacy in California. A common anti-malarial drug, she’d since learned.

During a quick search on the hotel lobby computer, she’d also discovered that any number of things could cause sudden amnesia. The term psychotic break had jumped out at her. She still wasn’t sure what that actually meant. Did it mean she could be psychotic? Contemplating that possibility chilled her to the bone, despite the hot dry wind that blew through the taxi’s open window.

The ride back to her hotel would not be a short one. Long lines of vehicles were doubled up on the boulevard, squeezed side by side in lanes meant for one. Cars, minivans, and rickety tricycle taxis jockeyed for position, maneuvering to advance only a foot or two.

Her driver turned his radio down. The traffic is worse than usual, miss. Protesters were blocking the streets in the old quarter until a short while ago. We will move along soon.

What were they protesting?

He studied her in the rear-view mirror as if weighing his words. Our president has been in office for over twenty years. He promised an election by the end of the year. Now it’s mid-December and there is no election scheduled.

The traffic did not improve. As they drew closer to a roundabout, Rose saw that a truck had broken down, blocking not one but two lanes. They inched closer. People were getting out of their vehicles, curious about the hold-up. Several men shouted and gestured at the truck driver, who still had not emerged from the truck’s cab.

The foolish man is just sitting there, the driver complained, waiting for someone else to do the work. Miss, you will be better off walking to your hotel.

How far is it?

About one kilometer.

He must have seen her anxiety because he laughed a big, gusty laugh and met her eyes in the mirror. You will be safer on your own two feet than in my city’s traffic.

Embarrassed, she said, It’s just—I don’t know the way.

Without further discussion, he grabbed his mobile and made a call. He spoke rapidly in what must be a local dialect before he disconnected. You will have a guide miss. My young cousin will meet you at Bonhomie Street. Just ahead. He will show you the way to your hotel. His English is very good.

Sooner than she would have thought possible, a boy of about ten appeared on a far corner. Upon her driver’s answering wave, the boy plunged across the crowded boulevard. Rose held her breath as he made his way to the taxi, nimbly dodging two scooters and a goat.

This is our Raymond, the driver said. He is a good boy. You will be safe.

She believed him. Her instincts were operational, even if her memory wasn’t. The driver’s kindness affirmed that there were good people here, people she could trust.

What do I owe you?

Nothing, miss.

She paid him anyway—in the dollars that he seemed to prefer—and thanked him.

You are very welcome. I wish you good health and happiness.

She smiled and held out her hand, unsure of the proper etiquette. It must have been the right move because he clasped her hand in both of his as if they were old friends, then shooed her out of the taxi.

He called to the boy, Stay on side streets and watch out for the Red Boys.

The boy—Raymond—took firm hold of her hand and said, Do not worry. I know a shortcut to the Continental Hotel.

As they crossed the wide boulevard together, Rose observed the pandemonium, amazed that no one else seemed concerned about the dangerous mix of vehicles and pedestrians. Not to mention the random goats that wandered through the lanes, bleating pitifully. People were everywhere, hawking cigarettes, candy, fruit, and drinks to the idling cars. Many of the sellers were women and more than one had a child strapped to her back.

The noise, exhaust, and heat radiating up from the pavement overwhelmed Rose. She wondered—for about the fiftieth time today—what had possessed her to come to this country? Visa paperwork in her hotel room had indicated she’d been here for months, working for a non-governmental organization as an aid worker.

In the line outside the embassy this morning, rumors and anecdotes about overnight gunfights and riots had swirled around her. If this place was as unstable as everyone said, she should have gone home by now.

An uncomfortable thought occurred to her. What if she were the sort who didn’t believe rules applied to her? Even less appealing—the possibility that she was a martyr in the making, saintlier than thou and too dumb to heed official warnings.

She’d find out. In the meantime, she would operate on the assumption that her reasons for being here weren’t stupid or self-serving.

This way, Raymond said, tugging her toward the far sidewalk where a growing crowd watched the roundabout drama.

The onlookers shouted good-natured advice to the men still attempting to persuade the truck driver to get out and help. By now, most drivers had hopped out of their vehicles. Some were venting their outrage at the truck driver, some were buying snacks from the women with baskets on their heads, and some were just shooting the breeze.

Rose stepped onto the curb. That’s when her world blew up.

An enormous concussive blast reverberated through her body and pitched her forward. She went flying.

A rushing noise filled her ears. Slowly, slowly, she became aware that she lay on her stomach. Awful smells filled her nose and mouth and she tasted blood. Her neck seemed to be wet and her hands and knees stung. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in hell, an intensely hot yet strangely quiet hell. Close by, something metallic burned, so noxious and acrid that the air she breathed felt toxic.

Still flat on the ground, she turned her head, afraid of what she’d see. A burning hunk of metal sat in the center of the boulevard. It took a moment for her to recognize the skeletal remains of the stalled truck. A dozen cars were scattered across the roundabout. Some actively burning. Others missing doors.

Had it been a bomb? A missile strike? She’d heard nothing coming at them. Now she heard only a constant buzz.

People ran back and forth. Some stepped over her. A couple of women were on their knees, wailing. Rose couldn’t actually hear their screams but she didn’t have to. There were misshapen objects in her sightline. Human body parts she didn’t want to identify. Labeling the bloody limbs would make this nightmare more real. And it couldn’t be real.

The black smoke lifted, revealing at least a dozen bodies in the street and on the sidewalk. One or two were children. Some moved. Some did not. She prayed Raymond was not one of them. He couldn’t be far. He’d been holding her hand.

Someone shook her arm. She nearly passed out in relief at the sight of the boy crouched beside her, bleeding from cuts on his arms and legs but very much alive. She tried to tell him how glad she was to see him.

His lips moved in reply. She attempted to read them without any luck. He kept yanking on her arm and she kept trying to tell him she was okay.

Finally, she realized he wanted her to get up. She pushed herself to a sitting position and, with his help, stood. She blinked and got her bearings, thinking that even an explosion hadn’t jarred her memory back into working order.

Across the boulevard, a taxi—her taxi—had flipped over and pancaked. The car’s roof was completely crushed. She thought about the driver’s warm smile and warmer handshake. He wouldn’t have had a chance. When he’d shooed her out of his taxi, he’d saved her life.

Raymond pushed her into a side street where the air was clean. It hurt to walk but he pushed her onward. She didn’t want to see anything ghastly so she looked at her feet, putting one foot in front of the other. She noticed Raymond had lost his shoes. When she stopped and tried to give him hers, he swatted at her hands as if she were a troublesome toddler and kept on pushing her to move faster.

On some level she knew she was in shock. Just as well. She didn’t want to think about the smiling driver, the screaming women or the small, still bodies on the ground. She didn’t want to think at all. They walked several blocks, swept along in a tide of people. The high-pitched noise in her ears still hadn’t let up. She began to have second thoughts, wondering if they should have stayed on scene. Her injuries were nothing compared to others and maybe she could have helped.

The answer came a few seconds later. A second explosion hit and rattled the windows around them. The blast vibrations upset her more than she would have thought possible. Her instinct was to drop and curl into a ball. She tried to do just that but Raymond wouldn’t let her.

He prodded and shoved and they kept going, darting up alleyways, taking shortcuts. She saw her reflection in a shop window and was vaguely surprised to see dried blood around her nose and mouth. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and then gave up. It wasn’t bleeding anymore.

Motorcycle cops whizzed past, one after another headed to the blast site. A couple of police cars. But where were all the ambulances? She saw only one.

Shopkeepers were pulling down metal shutters and locking up. No one paid any attention to her or Raymond. Everyone was in a hurry. Residents seemed to know the drill: make yourself scarce, get behind closed doors, and lay low.

She studied Raymond’s stoic face. He seemed to be taking all of this in stride. Had he known about the second bomb? And if so, why hadn’t he known about the first one? Or had he simply anticipated the evil because he knew the terrorists’ playbook? Detonate the first bomb. Wait long enough for emergency responders and Good Samaritans to come running, wait for more victims, and then detonate the second.

A little boy shouldn’t have to know this. He shouldn’t have to take horror in stride. The fact that he did upset her anew. Tears rolled down her face as the impact struck her—an impact of a different sort. She’d just seen a demonstration of evil in its purest form. Violence in the name of some cause—and she didn’t care whether the cause was political or religious—was evil. She knew it in her bones, a conviction rooted in something other than her unreliable brain.

A rush of cleansing anger washed away the sadness. It was a physical thing, her anger, and at the same time, oddly familiar. Her body knew this rage—and while not exactly welcoming it—she recognized the emotion. She blew out a long breath and straightened her shoulders.

By the time they entered the modern business district, entire city blocks had emptied out. Fewer and fewer cars passed by and soon the only vehicles they saw were official-looking jeeps and trucks filled with armed soldiers and the occasional police SUV speeding down the shockingly empty streets and boulevards.

They walked a long way. She still couldn’t hear jack-shit and consciously enunciated her next words. How far is the hotel?

The boy didn’t acknowledge her. Could be his ears were as messed up as hers. She shook his arm and tried again but his attention was on a group of people up ahead. She squinted to see what had caught his attention. She obviously needed those glasses she’d found in her backpack. Just as well she hadn’t bothered to wear them because they would have broken after…

She stopped short and frantically checked her shoulders, though she already knew what had happened. The backpack was gone.

Shit. Her passport, her wallet, her money. Gone. She was screwed. Without the passport, she couldn’t leave the country. She’d have to go back to the embassy as soon as it was safe. Whenever that might be. The compound was likely locked up and locked down.

Then, for the first time since the blast, she heard something. Someone was saying her name. Soft and deep. Like an intimate whisper. Rose.

She looked around. Her mind must be playing tricks on her because her hearing had not yet recovered. Even now, a shopkeeper slammed a metal shutter over his storefront with enough force that all the surrounding windows shook. She knew because she felt, rather than heard, the shutter hit the ground. How was it possible to hear someone call her name?

She heard it again. Rose. More intense this time. No, that wasn’t an actual sound. More like an echo in her head. That explosion really had done a number on her.

Meanwhile, Raymond pulled her on, avoiding eye contact with—she now saw—a group of young men on an opposite corner. The men—all under twenty, except for the biggest guy—crossed over to their side of the street.

Some of the men who swaggered toward them were dressed in camouflage and red berets. Some were in street clothes. Some held automatic weapons. Some held sticks or long knives. They weren’t policemen on patrol. They weren’t government soldiers, at least she didn’t think so. Nor were they rushing to help bombing victims. However, they were definitely looking to mess with someone.

She remembered the taxi driver’s last words. Watch out for the Red Boys.

Raymond pinched her arm. Did that mean be quiet or did it mean run like hell? She couldn’t tell. It was too late to hide or run anyway. All she could do was follow his lead.

The largest and oldest of the gang wore full combat gear, from heavy boots to camo fatigues, along with a jaunty red beret. Despite the weapon over his shoulder, he had a round, friendly face. His body language when he addressed Raymond was non-threatening. He smiled and patted the boy on the shoulder. She relaxed slightly. They knew each other.

The teenager standing behind the smiling man was another story. Much skinnier and meaner looking, he grabbed Raymond by the ear and scolded him. Raymond tolerated this briefly, then wriggled free and returned to Rose’s side. The rest of the men—boys really—laughed.

When she attempted to speak up, Raymond pinched her again. Hard. Then he stepped forward, talking, gesturing and waving his arms dramatically. Telling the story of the explosion, she supposed. None of the Red Boys appeared the least bit shocked, although their round-faced leader nodded sympathetically from time to time. With a final flourish, Raymond pointed at her and mimed blood coming from her nose.

Revulsion, then fear, replaced the indifference on the men’s faces. As one, they backed away from her by a good ten feet. Which puzzled her. These men were no strangers to bloodshed. Why would they be squeamish? A bloody nose was trivial. Given that terrorists were blowing up their city, for God’s sake.

The smiley-faced leader asked Raymond a question and then glanced over at the teenager to confirm the boy’s response. The teenager nodded grudgingly and shot Rose a hostile look.

The man hesitated as if weighing his options. He directed a final, penetrating glance her way before issuing the order.

Chapter 2

Jackson woke to an eerie weightlessness and a massive bang. Then the taxi’s front end slammed into the pavement. As if a giant hand had lifted the bumper and then let go. His head jolted forward and then whipped back. A black cloud surrounded the car. Thick smoke poured in. All of this seemed to play out in slow motion.

He coughed and struggled to clear his muddled head.