Page 3 of It’s Always Been You (Always #1)

“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.”

He froze at Nate’s words, his hand gripping his phone tight. Words failed him as though a piece of shrapnel had severed his vocal chords. His surroundings receded just as the words sunk in, and all he heard was his breathing and the roaring of his pulse in his ears.

“Travis? Shit, man. Shouldn’t have sprung this on you. Travis!”

“Where?” Travis managed to choke out when he realized he’d zoned out on Nate.

“U.S. Embassy. Her fingerprints were run against the FBI wanted list.”

“Why the fuck would they do that? She’s not a criminal or a terrorist.” Protective instincts kicked into high gear as he reined back the million emotions rushing through his system. Compartmentalize. Years as a SEAL had taught him this.

“Someone thinks otherwise,” Nate replied.

“Get in your car, Travis, and get the fuck over here. Someone from the CIA, Lewis Adler, wants first dibs on talking to Sarah. I’m trying to hold him off with all I’ve got, including calling in some favors at the agency.

I suggest you do the same. Call Porter.”

Travis slammed into his car, programmed the GPS for the American Embassy, and was thankful that it was only twenty minutes away. He navigated his way out of the airport and took out his phone to call Benjamin Porter. It was 5:00 a.m. on the east coast. Fuck . He made the call.

Nate was already waiting for him at the main entrance located on the north side of the building.

Travis had to park some distance off because the embassy was built to protect against car bombs.

The short-term street parking behind the embassy wouldn’t cut it since Travis had no idea how long this whole business was going to take.

Despite the relative calm he tried to exude on the surface, his insides were threatening to explode with hope and excitement as he pictured an emotional reunion with Sarah.

Travis tried to ignore the nagging anxiety of why she had not contacted him all these years, and the only thing he could come up with was that John Cooper had kidnapped her and held her captive.

His gut clenched at what she might have experienced at his hands.

He never trusted Sarah’s drifter friend.

And why hadn’t she contacted him immediately once she was clear of that motherfucker?

It didn’t matter. He was here now to take her home.

Nate had a smirk on his face when he spotted him. That was a good sign. Looked like Porter pulled through for him after all. The admiral wasn’t too pleased to receive an early morning call, but when he realized what was at stake, the man assured him that he was on top of it.

“Ms. Lopez is talking to Ben Porter right now,” Nate informed him as they walked past the guards.

“Ms. Lopez?”

“Elena Lopez is the assistant to the consul general and is in charge of Sarah’s aka Caitlin Kincaid’s case.”

“Caitlin Kincaid? What are you talking about?”

“Ms. Lopez is insisting that the woman they have in custody is Caitlin Kincaid,” Nate informed him as they got into an elevator.

“I had to pull in several documents from our database, including your marriage certificate and some pictures to prove that Caitlin Kincaid and Sarah Blake are the same person.”

“Aren’t the fingerprints and pictures enough?”

Nate stared at him incredulously, and Travis felt heat crawl up his neck. With the work they do, he should know better. Only DNA analysis, with full-proof chain of custody in place, was the only reliable method of establishing identity. Travis just wanted to get this over and have his wife back.

A woman was waiting for them when the elevators slid open. Her eyes appraised Travis critically, much like putting him under a microscope.

“I believe you’re Travis Blake,” the woman said. “I’m Elena Lopez. I’m in charge of Ms. Kincaid’s case.”

“Sarah Blake,” Travis bit out .

“I’m going with what’s on Caitlin’s paperwork,” Ms. Lopez said coolly.

“I’ve established that you have the right to talk to her first. Mr. Adler is not pleased, but you have many friends in Washington that have vouched for you.

I will be with you in the room. That’s non-negotiable.

At the first sign she feels threatened, you will be removed immediately. Am I clear?”

Travis was tempted to tell the woman to fuck off, but Nate shot him a look to shut up. His friend was right; he shouldn’t let his infamous temper delay or ruin his reunion with Sarah.

His heart pounded wildly against his sternum when they reached the last room at the end of the hallway. Ms. Lopez opened the door to reveal its lone occupant.

Sarah. His Sarah.

There was not a fucking doubt.

Same long blonde hair with streaks that reminded him of warm honey.

His eyes focused on her face, and the first inkling that something was wrong triggered the alarms in his head.

It was the same beloved face, the same gorgeous hazel eyes, but instead of love and fucking joy, what was reflected in them was suspicion and enmity.

“Ms. Kincaid. This is Travis Blake and Nathan Reece. Do you know them?”

Why wasn’t she jumping up and rushing into his arms? Travis thought with rapidly deflating hope.

Sarah sat back and crossed her arms on her chest in a defensive posture.

Her next words shattered his world all over again.

“So which agency are you guys from?”