Page 22

22

Lyon

I was crouched behind a building in downtown Los Angeles, my senses on high alert. A noise behind me made me turn—Raven stood against the wall, counting under his breath before sprinting to the other side.

I had dragged him down here while I searched for the perfect ring for Niki. This was our third jeweler, and someone at one of the previous shops had directed us here. The moment we approached the building, gunfire erupted from inside.

I immediately called the police. Then, we slipped around to the back, where we could hear a woman crying and shouting for help. My gaze locked on a half-open door, my instincts kicking in.

Raven shook his head. Stand back.

But I couldn’t.

I was a protector—that’s who I was, what I did. And I wasn’t about to let someone die if I could stop it. I shot Raven a look before squeezing through the narrow gap.

The smell of blood hit me instantly.

Inside, a woman lay on the floor, clutching a baby to her chest. A man was sprawled beside her, his body half-submerged in a pool of blood. His hand trembled as he reached out, touching the woman’s leg.

How many men were in here?

Movement in my peripheral vision made me spin just in time to see another man raising his gun at the woman.

I fired first. He crumpled.

Before I could react, another shadow flickered in the corner. A second man. His gun was trained on me.

I raised my weapon, but I was too slow.

A gunshot rang out from the doorway.

My body slammed against the wall, my head cracking against something solid. Or was it the bullet?

Pain blurred everything, my vision swimming in darkness.

Then—shouting.

I forced my eyes open. Raven loomed over me, his voice urgent.

“Lyon! Listen to me. You need to fight— dig deep and make sure you live. I don’t want to be the one to tell Niki that you died.”

What was he talking about?

I tried to respond, but my mouth wouldn’t move. My head felt light, like I was floating. I didn’t feel like I was dying, but Raven’s panicked tone told me otherwise.

When I woke up, a woman was sleeping in a chair beside my bed.

My gaze shifted—Raven and Gideon stood at the foot of my bed, watching me.

I wanted to ask what had happened, but I didn’t want to wake the woman.

“How do you feel?” a nurse asked as she entered the room.

I pressed a finger to my lips and pointed to the sleeping woman.

“She won’t wake up,” the nurse whispered with a small smile. “Niki’s been awake for three days straight. She just finally fell asleep.”

Niki.

I frowned. “Who is she?”

Three pairs of eyes locked onto me like I’d lost my damn mind.

“Niki Bannon,” Raven whispered. “She’s your fiancée.”

My fiancée ?

I shook my head. “I don’t have a steady girlfriend, let alone a fiancée. Who said she was my fiancée?”

Gideon pressed a finger to his lips just as the woman stirred.

She blinked up at me, and I sucked in a breath.

Green eyes. Beautiful. Breathtaking.

Then she smiled.

She stood, leaned over, and kissed me.

“I’m so happy you’re awake,” she whispered against my lips before kissing me again.

The nurse and the guys were watching me like they were waiting for something.

But I just kept staring at her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her expression shifting to concern.

“Nothing,” I rasped.

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not stupid. Tell me what’s going on. ”

She turned to the nurse, who hesitated, looking at Raven.

I exhaled. “I... I don’t quite remember you.”

Niki stiffened. “You don’t remember me?”

“You seem familiar ,” I admitted, “but I can’t remember how I know you.”

Her lips parted slightly. I saw the hurt flash in her eyes before she stepped back.

“Well, I didn’t expect this reaction,” she muttered. “I’ll tell you what—I’ll go. And when you remember me, you can call me. Because right now? I don’t have the energy to help you remember me.”

She turned toward the door.

“Well then,” she said quietly, “I’ll see you around.”

“Niki, where are you going to live?” Raven asked. “You sold your house.”

“I have a place. Don’t worry,” she said, her voice steady even as she walked out.

I heard sniffing and turned to the nurse—tears were running down her cheeks.

“She stayed by your side,” the nurse murmured. “She never slept until we told her you were going to be okay. I wish you could remember her.”

I swallowed hard. “I wish I could too.”

I turned to Raven. “Tell me about her.”

He studied me for a long moment. Then—

“Do you remember the girl who saved your life?”

I frowned. “Yeah...” My stomach tightened. “Wait—was it her ?”

Raven nodded.

My breath stalled.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “I’m engaged to the girl who saved me.”

“I don’t know if that’s still the case,” Raven said. “We were in the city because you wanted to buy Niki a ring. But you didn’t think any of them were good enough. That’s why we were at that last jeweler. That’s where you were shot.”

I tried to process it. “What’s the last thing you remember before this?”

Lyon exhaled. “Gideon and Laney’s wedding. River and Kat getting married.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“What about Gage? Do you remember him and Lori getting married?”

I opened my mouth—but nothing came.

“No,” I admitted. “What the hell is going on? Why can’t I remember her?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe if I slept, I’d wake up and remember everything.

“When do I get to go home?”

“You just woke up,” Raven said, exasperated. “You were shot. Then you fell, and your head hit a damn spike on the wall. You’re not going anywhere for a while.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Maybe if I sleep, I’ll remember.”

Raven scoffed. “Yeah, well, let’s hope .”

Something in his tone made me glance up.

“Are you angry at me?”

“Hell yes, I’m angry.” His fists clenched. “You hurt Niki’s feelings, and that pisses me off.”

I frowned. “Do you have feelings for my fiancée?”

Raven’s nostrils flared. “If you weren’t injured, I’d kick your ass for that.”

“Don’t let my injury stop you,” I muttered. “I probably need my ass kicked.”

Raven huffed and stalked out of the room.

I turned to Gideon.

“You’ll remember,” he said simply. “Get some sleep.”

I nodded, but even as my eyes drifted shut, one thought clung to me.

I’d lost something—someone—and I had no idea how to get her back.