Aligned: Volume 3 (25 page)

“I won’t and don’t you mean Wolfe?”
 

“No, I meant Blakely. I don’t think legally you ever had time to change your name to Wolfe, and even if you did, I would always think of you as Blakely. I’m not sure Wolfe fits you.”

“It didn’t. I broke up with Ethan.”
 

“About fucking time!”
 

“Wait, what? I thought you two were best buddies.”
 

“We were, but you and I were best buddies too. And I never thought you two seemed right for each other even before everything happened.”
 

I nod contemplating telling James more, but I decide to keep it to myself instead. I don’t tell James about Landon. He can put two and two together. I just hope James doesn’t want anything more than just a friendship. I look up when I see the guards signaling that visiting hours are almost up.
 

“Do you have any idea who could have done this?” I ask.
 

James shakes his head. “No, I wish I did. I’ve been trying to go through the evidence, but there is only so much I can do while I’m inside.”
 

“Will you make bail?”
 

“No,” he says flatly. I’ll have to look into his bail terms and see if I can get him out.
 

“I have to go now, but I’ll be back to visit soon.”
 

James smiles at my words. “Stay safe, Alexa, and trust your gut. It’s gotten you this far.”
 

I smile back. “I will.”
 

The memory melts away as Daniel Wood, a young gentleman sits across from me in the same orange jumpsuit. I don’t know what I’m expecting when I look at the man in front of me, but it wasn’t this. In front of me sits a young man. He can’t be much older than twenty with light blond hair and a baby face. He looks fragile with barely a muscle visible on his skeleton-like frame.
 

What I can’t stop staring at are his eyes. They are a beautiful bright shade of blue. Not black or menacing. This man doesn’t look like he could hurt a fly much less be my rapist. He definitely doesn’t seem like the hardcore criminal who should be put away for twenty-five years of his life. That’s longer than he’s even been alive.
 

I reach for the black phone and put it to my ear.
 

“It’s been a long time since you’ve visited. Did you find it?”
 

I stare at the man confused. I didn’t know I had visited him before the accident took my memory from me. Ethan sure didn’t mention him. Nor James.
 

“Wha ... Did I find what?” I look at this stranger with confusion. He must have me confused with someone else.
 

The man stares back at me equally as incredulously. He laughs then. “Did you find what you’ve been looking for?”
 

“I’m sorry, um ... I don’t remember ever visiting here before. If I did visit before, I apologize. I lost my memory in the car accident.” Maybe this man is a crazy person. He doesn’t look like he has any mental disturbance, but maybe he does.
 

The man slumps in his chair at my words a defeated look covers his face. “I’m sorry to hear that. I read in the paper that you lost your leg, which I’m also sorry for, but it didn’t say anything about memory loss. You used to visit me about once a month.”
 

I nod although I’m not sure if I believe him.
 

“Why would I visit you monthly if I thought you were my rapist?”

He smiles. “Exactly. You didn’t think I raped you.”
 

“But in the trial, I testified against you.”
 

“Ah, the trial. Yes, you did testify, but that was before you got any of your memories back. You just said what that dang boyfriend lawyer of yours told you to say.”
 

“Why did I think you didn’t rape me then?”
 

“You started remembering. You came back here to look into my eyes or something. One look at my eyes and you knew I hadn’t done it.”

I nod. It’s the same reason now I don’t think he raped me. His eyes could never transform into the dark black circles of rage I saw before, but the evidence points to him. Just like James. Trust your gut. His words repeat in my head.
 

“I believe you. So were we working to find evidence to free you?”
 

“Yes, ma’am.”
 

“Did we find any?”
 

“Yes, ma’am.”
 

“Did we find out who raped me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”
 

I huff getting frustrated with his ‘yes, ma’am’ answers.
 

“So who did it?”
 

He shakes his head. “Can’t say. These calls are recorded and we don’t trust the police.”
 

My eyes widen. “The police are in on it?”
 

“Yes, ma’am.”
 

“The car accident wasn’t a drunk driver. It was one of the people my husband locked away. It was Alfie King. He tried to kill us. Then a week or so ago, I was attacked again in my home. They are all linked, aren’t they?”
 

His smile brightens as I understand more and more. “Yes, ma’am.”
 

“Please, call me Alex ...” I say while thinking.
 

“Sorry, Alex.” I smile as I try to understand. All of the attacks were linked. And with at least two of the attacks, other people were framed. That leaves the second attack. I don’t know if King was framed or if King is behind them all.
 

“You said I have evidence. Where would I keep such evidence?”
 

He thinks for a minute on what to say before answering. “Tessie.”

***

I spend the entire flight back thinking about what Daniel could have meant. “Tessie,” he said. How did he know that I named my car that? Only Landon knew. Did I know Landon before the attack? Or did Landon go to visit Daniel after he met me? Or did I call my car Tessie before the accident and somehow remembered when I was with Landon? I shake my head. All that visiting Daniel did was give me more questions. Questions that I hope my car holds the answers to.
 

I feel the flash drive in my pocket. I still can’t believe what Ethan said. He’s trying to protect me or win me back. That’s all it is. Most likely another lie, but still, I’ll have to ask Landon about it when he returns to LA.
 

I lay my head against the window of the cab as we drive from the airport to my condo where my car sits. I try to sleep, but it never comes. The cab drops me off at the door to my building, but I don’t bother to go in. Not even to drop off my bag. Instead, I head straight to my Tesla. To Tessie. I glance at my phone; only three hours until Landon lands. Three hours to figure this out.
 

I climb in my car, but I have no idea where to start. I remember weird dreams about secret compartments in my car, but I have no frame of reference of where in my car it’s located. I begin with the obvious locations: the glove compartment, the trunk, and the hood, but I find nothing. I begin running my hand over fabric feeling my way over every piece of carpet and leather in the car. Still nothing.
 

I look at the stereo and navigational screen. Maybe? I begin pressing buttons on the stereo system and I run my hands over the system. I press another button that I expect to do nothing when finally the screen lifts up. I lift it the rest of the way and find a box bolted to the car with numbers to enter a password on the front. I try opening it, but it’s no use. It doesn’t budge.
 

I try my birthday. I try Ethan’s birthday. I try my mother’s birthday. I try the day she died. I try the day I was raped. I try every important date or number I can think of, but nothing happens. I slam my hand into the box in frustration.
 

“Ow,” I moan as I rub my hand to relieve the pain. That’s when I see it. My tattoo for my mother. A tattoo to remember her by. All it has is the word ‘Mom’ with a date under it. The date she died. I already tried that.
 

I sit tracing the letters ‘M’, ‘o’, ‘m’. I trace them over and over and then I see it. Tiny numbers that are barely visible form the letters. I don’t know what the numbers mean, but I enter them into the keypad and stop when I notice the numbers repeating. I take a deep breath and then press enter feeling like this is my last chance to get it to open because I’m all out of numbers to try. The door pops open.

I reach my hand inside and pull out a small flash drive. I sigh. Another flash drive. I take the small device and put it in my purse next to the other one I’ve already collected. I quickly lock up the car and head to my condo to find my laptop.
 

When I reach my condo door this time, the crime tape is gone. I unlock the door and go inside. The condo looks back to normal for the most part. The cleaning crew I hired cleaned up the blood and broken glass from the floor. The stuffing from my couches has been thrown away. I glance in my bedroom where the clothes have been hung back in my closet. The condo is back to being livable.
 

I grab my computer and sit on my bed with my purse containing the two flash drives. I pull out each and lay them on the bed. I grab the one Ethan gave me. I’m still not ready to look at that one yet. I grab the second I found in my Tesla and connect it to my computer.
 

My hands shake a little as the flash drive pops up on the screen. Memories begin flooding back. Giving me clues of what’s on the flash drive. Clues as to who is on the flash drive. I think back to everything I’ve been through these last few months. Of everyone I’ve met. Who would want to hurt me like this? Ethan’s mother and Caroline immediately pop into my head as prime suspects. Followed by Alfie King. All of them make sense.
 

But who is the monster?
 

Laura.
 

Caroline.
 

Alfie.
 

Daniel.
 

James.
 

Drew.
 

Ethan.
 

Landon.
 

My head spins as I think about each person in my life. I can’t envision any of them as the monster who has tried to kill me. Maybe it’s someone else? Maybe it’s a complete stranger?
 

I shake my head. No, I think. My gut tells me it’s not a stranger. It’s someone I know. No stranger would try this hard to hurt me. To kill me.
 

I try to think of the eyes. The only real clue as to who it could be. I think through everyone trying to imagine whose eyes could turn that dark, that heinous. I think back to my time with each of them and only two names come to mind. Both of them have lied to me. Both of them have hurt me. Both of them have tired to manipulate me.
 

Ethan is the first. I’ve seen his eyes turn dark and angry, but it can’t be him. He was attacked just as I was. He is just as scared as I am. My mind goes to the other ... Landon. I’ve also seen his eyes turn dark. So dark they look black.
 

I feel the tears falling down my cheeks. It can’t be either of these men. Neither of them could hurt me like this, except I think one did. One hurt me and if it’s true, I don’t know how I’m going to keep living.
 

I click the icon quickly, just needing to know. I have to be wrong.
 

Documents pop up on the screen and I click the first one. I’ve typed everything I know in the document. The rest are pictures and other evidence I found. I begin reading the document.
 

I, Alexa Blakely, want whoever this may concern to know who I believe my killer is if I die. I have evidence in these files to prove that he has tried to kill me before and he will try again if given the chance. If I am dead, I believe ...

I don’t have to read any further. I know in my gut who is behind the attacks. Tears fall onto my computer as my world falls apart. But I force my eyes to travel one word further anyway. Just far enough to confirm what I already know to be true. It’s him.

Aligned is a four part series. The Aligned: Volume 4 will be available on June 30, 2016:
 

https://www.ellamiles.com/series/aligned/

Also, please consider leaving
 
an honest review of Aligned. Reviews are invaluable to authors and are needed to keep growing and reach more readers. So please leave a review.

Lastly, if you want to hear about my newest releases, giveaways, and sales, sign up to receive updates at:
www.ellamiles.com/freebooks
.

Ella Miles writes sexy romance with a twist. She’s currently living her own happily ever after near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy two year old black lab that is scared of everything, including her own shadow.