“How do you mean?”
She set her empty mug on the tray beside her. “A lot of new things have resurfaced. Things I forgot, but can’t see how. Before, I always thought I was born in New Haven. But now… I remember a train ride. I remember coming to the city. I was very young, but I remember.”
I hesitated for a second. “It’s your true memories resurfacing. When you came to the city you were implanted with mental suggestions that made you forget your past. Best guess is the trauma you endured must’ve bucked the implants. Mental programming is a fragile science, after all.”
She studied my face closely, as if trying to see whether or not I was yanking her chain. Her eyes widened. “Mick… you’re serious.”
I nodded reluctantly. “The truth is a bitter pill, Natasha. I’d lie about this to just about anyone, but I gotta give it to you square. The memory shuffle is a part of the admission into the Haven. Used to be a medical last resort for folks suffering from extreme trauma, but some bad eggs got hold of it and forced the labcoats to use it to influence everyone looking for residency in the city.”
I couldn’t blame her when she looked completely flummoxed. “But… why?”
“Control. Everything comes down to power and control. A few folks at the top of the pyramid want to stay there by making sure no one knows how badly they’re being stepped on. The gonzo part is that folks outside this Haven would kill for a chance to get in. They think it’s some sort of utopia where your sins are washed away and you get a new start at life. Joke’s on them.”
“So my parents… ” her words trailed off, unable to spill from her parted lips.
I nodded. “They made the deal. Whatever happened outside, they wanted to escape it bad enough to go through the process and lose their pasts.”
Natasha shook her head. “I… can’t believe it. It doesn’t even sound possible. Or ethical. There has to be laws against that type of tampering.”
“Laws don’t apply to New Haven. It’s outside the United Havens, a sovereign city that writes its own rules. That’s why the Service has tried so desperately to get agents inside. The UH wants nothing better than to take control of New Haven and all that comes with it.”
She cast her smoky gaze my direction. “So where do you fit in, Mick? How could you know all of this without being involved with the Service or the UH?”
I winced inwardly. I still wasn’t used to the return of the old Natasha, with her keen sense of logic I hadn’t encountered in a while. “Secrets are a part of my business, sweetheart. I can’t tell you everything. Too dangerous. There are folks out there who’d kill you just for knowing what I told you right now. You gotta promise to keep this to yourself, Natasha.”
When she hesitated, I leaned in closer. “I’m serious. You have no idea how tangled this gets, but it’s more than enough to hang us both real quick, and no one would care or lift a finger to do anything about it. I’m telling you because you deserve to know. But this stays between us, understand?”
Her expression grew solemn. “I understand, Mick. I won’t tell anyone.” She sighed, her eyes shimmering. “It’s just so unreal. We’re just a pair of lost souls, aren’t we?”
I gave her hand a squeeze. “No one else I’d rather be lost with, sweetheart.”
She laughed softly as she slid closer. “Still looking out for me, Mick?”
“Always.”
“Thank you. For everything.” I smelled the clean herbal scent of her hair and the faintly lingering smell of lavender soap that clung to her skin when she leaned against me. No perfume created could match that perfect combination.
“I miss them so much.” She clutched me tighter.
“So do I, darlin’.” I slid an arm around her shoulder. “So do I.”
“Don’t leave, Mick.”
“I’m right here.”
No more words were spoken. I sat and listened to Natasha’s breathing as she slid into what I hoped were sweet dreams, leaving me with the rain and ghosts of the past. It seemed only yesterday the Luzzattis had me over for dinner, teaching me the value of friendship and conversation. I might have wound up just another lug on the streets if they hadn’t taken a chance on me. But that wasn’t the true reason I was always drawn to Natasha’s apartment. I owed the Luzzattis a lot, but those debts had been canceled when they died.
Natasha was another matter. As I felt her sleeping body rise and fall against mine, my mind opened the door to forbidden hopes, whispers of dreams I knew would never come to be. Natasha was the only woman that could make an honest man out of me, but as long as my occupation was shooting trouble there was no way that could ever happen. I made too many enemies too fast. Any number of them wouldn’t hesitate to take down someone I loved. And even if they didn’t come for her, there was always someone coming for me. A romantic angle with Natasha was a recipe for disaster any way you sliced it, and I wasn’t the cook to serve it up.
I hadn’t planned on falling asleep, but I found myself shakily pulled from the stratum of in-between dreaming by what sounded like a faint voice calling my name. The rain pattered against the window, where blurred streaks of multicolored lights revealed air traffic just beginning to swell with the early morning commute.
The Datacom in my ear buzzed with an incoming call. I tapped it to accept.
“Hello, Mick.” The garbled voice that buzzed over the line dripped with mockery. “Did you enjoy your little fall from the sky? Did it wake up any old memories? Or do we need to play some more?”
I carefully pulled away from Natasha. She murmured softly, but didn’t wake up. I crept to the window, pressing the button to lower the blinds. “You again. Gonna tell me who you are, or are we still playing kid games?”
“You know, that was such an emotional scene. Are you in love with the girl, Mick? Or is it just some warped ‘father figure’ thing you have going on?”
My temples throbbed as I spat my words through gritted teeth. “Listen, punk. You got a beef with me, then deal with me. You involve anyone else and things will get messy.”
“Relax, Mick.” The voice sounded decidedly amused. “The girl doesn’t meet the criteria. You want to know who I am?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m the one who killed Sophia Flacco.”
My blood ran cold as my hand automatically pulled the Broad from her holster. The fact that I didn’t have a target was irrelevant. I knew a cold-blooded killer when I heard one, and I knew the perp wouldn’t have bothered calling if he didn’t already have the upper hand.
The voice continued to slither in my ear. “I slit her throat and felt the warm blood gush over my hands. You know the sensation, Mick. You did the same many times before, haven’t you? Oh, I forgot — you don’t remember. How convenient.”
My jaw clenched. “What do you want?”
“We should meet. It’s time we had a face to face conversation.”
“What if I’m not feeling all that conversational?”
The voice laughed. “Then I pump your pretty little friend full of hot lead. I’m stationed on a hovering floater two hundred yards away, looking down the scope of an M1000 sniper rifle. The scope is X-ray equipped, so no point in trying anything stupid. You won’t get to her in time, and all you’ll do is hold her tattered body in your arms. You should know the power behind the M1000. Brick, steel, whatever — not enough to stop one of these armor-piercing, explosive tipped rounds. So I suggest you get conversational real quick, because I’m not exactly known for my patient side.”
I cut a glance at Natasha. She still slept the slumber of the innocent against one of her fringed sofa pillows. Her dark hair was splayed across her face, her lips parted. I knew the assassin wouldn’t hesitate to carry out his threat. The rounds would shred her soft flesh, detonate inside of her organs and turn her body into pulp in a few pulls of the trigger.