I CLIMB INTO THE TAXI with a buoyant smile. My discussions with Dale Adcock and Phil Vickery, the two artists that I wanted to meet, took off exceptionally well and their artwork will be a brilliant addition to my portfolio. My body thrums with excitement for the first time in days. It is so refreshing to be back in work mode and although I am in touch with my office and I work on my laptop from home, it doesn’t come close to working on the front line and interacting with people one on one.

As the taxi takes me towards my house, my thoughts drift back to Damien. How can I keep him in the dark after the intimacy we shared last night? I cannot be dishonest to him. It is wrong on so many counts. I exhale a shaky breath, making up my mind. I have to tell him! He deserves to know the truth. The sooner I tell him, the closer we will be to figuring out how to get back his memory.

My cell phone rings and Gabe’s name lights up the screen. He’s just the person I have to talk to. A rush of excitement goes through my body thinking about breaking it to Damien what we mean to one another. I pick up Gabe’s call but it disconnects. The taxi soon stops in front of my house and my phone rings again. I answer it while I unlock the door to my house.

“Gabe, I was going to call you. I wanted to talk to you about...”

But he cuts me off.

“Where are you Aaliya?” He asks in a hurried voice.

“I’ve just reached home, what’s...”

“Switch on the TV to a news channel right now,” he cuts me off again.

I do as he says and the channel opens to the visual of a police-cordoned off area somewhere in London.

“OH MY GOD!” I scream upon reading the news ticker. Fear slams through me and my stomach cramps.

Duke of Kittridge in a shootout...

Lone gunman on a bike...

Police at the scene right now...

One man injured and one dead!

My skin turns to ice. “No, no! NO!”

It cannot be. This cannot happen. He has to be alive. He has to be.

“Tell me he’s fine. Tell me he’s not dead,” I cry into the phone. “Please, Gabe. Please tell me he’s fine.”

“He’s fine, Aaliya, shaken up but fine. He’s not hurt either!”

“Thank God! Oh, thank God!” I whisper amidst tears. “Where is he?”

“We’re at the police headquarters. Damien is giving a statement to them right now. I just stepped outside to call you.”

I wipe my wet cheeks with the back of my hand. “Who did it, Gabe? Do they know?”