The cops leaned forward and braced to shoot.

But Jase blinked. He shook his head and said, “No. Don't shoot yet. He'll kill Luis. Just wait, please.” Then he glanced over at Luis and said, “Just be calm. It's okay. I remember everything now. I won't let anyone hurt you. You're my life.”

Though Luis was in the arms of a madman, with a gun pointed at his temple, he felt safer now that he knew Jase had regained his memory. “Jase, I love you. Don't do anything you'll regret. You have to think about Hunter. He needs his father.” Luis wasn't afraid to die, but the thought of living without Jase was more than he could handle. And the thought of Hunter losing Jase caused a pain in his stomach that made him nauseous. Hunter needed Jase more than he needed Luis.

Matthias held Luis tighter and said, “We're getting up slowly.” He glared at Jase and the cops. “Don't try anything stupid or I'll shoot him.”

Luis slowly went up with Matthias. Luis couldn't predict Matthias's next move. Hood was still naked on the floor near the bed and Jase and the cops were still ready to shoot.

When Luis and Matthias were standing, Matthias caressed the side of Luis's face with the end of the gun and said, “This isn't what I had planned for you. I wanted it to be so much nicer. I hope you can forgive me. This isn't the way it was supposed to end. If only Jase hadn't shown up. He ruined everything for us. We could have been so happy. I would have taken such good care of you.” Then, with one quick, unexpected shove, Matthias tossed Luis across the room and Luis landed on top of Hood, on the floor next to the bed.

Luis thought that was the end. He heard a gunshot and a wave of panic rushed through his body. He buried his face in Hood's neck. Then, for a moment, everything went blank.

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* * *

Chapter Fourteen

When Luis opened his eyes, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was on top of Hood, in the same place where Matthias had tossed him a minute earlier. His heart pounded in his ears and his legs felt numb.

“Are you okay?” Hood asked. His arms were around Luis, and he held him so tightly Luis couldn't move.

Luis nodded. “I think so. Are you?”

“I think so.”

Luis hesitated for a second. He was afraid to get up and look around. He heard the cops talking but he didn't hear Jase's voice.

Then Luis felt a pair of strong familiar hands on his shoulders. He glanced up and saw Jase looking down at him. He tried to get up on his own but one of the heels got caught on the hook rug and he stumbled. All he wanted to do was put his arms around Jase and hold him.

Jase reached under Luis's arms and pulled him up. He grabbed Luis, held him close, and didn't say a word for the next few minutes.

While Jase cradled him, Luis buried his face in Jase's chest and cried so hard his entire body shook. Jase caressed his back and repeated, “It's okay. We're going to be fine. It's all over now. I remember everything.”

When Luis stopped shaking, Jase walked him over to the bed and they sat down. Jase removed his shirt and put it around Luis's shoulders and held him close to his side.

“What happened?” Luis asked. “Where's Matthias?”

“Matthias shot himself and I think he's dead. The police will take care of it. Don't look over there at the wall.”

“Oh God, Jase.” Even though Luis knew Matthias could have killed them all, he still couldn't help feeling sorry for Matthias. “Where's Hood?”

“I'm right here, buddy,” Hood said. He was sitting on the bed on the other side of Jase, trying to catch his breath.

Luis sighed. “No one got hurt? The police are okay, too?”

“No one got hurt,” Jase said. “When he threw you on the floor, he shot himself in the head. It happened so fast no one could stop him.”

Luis's head went up. He turned to face Jase. “How did you know I was here at the compound?”

“I woke up from a nap and no one had returned from dinner yet,” Jase said. “I was feeling better because I'd remembered an invention I've been working on and thought I'd join everyone in town. So I went to my suitcase to get my sweatpants and I opened Matthias's suitcase by mistake. There was a gun inside, and the bag was also filled with photos of you. He'd pasted his own image to some of the photos to make it look like he was standing next to you. At first, I didn't understand. It didn't make sense. Then I found photos of this farmhouse and a scrapbook Matthias had been keeping that contained information about the Glatenfrissle compound. He'd been collecting information about the compound for a long time. I knew there was something wrong. I knew I had to find you, so I drove into town in Matthias's car and found the police. I had a feeling you were all out here. They took me out here and cut the chain on the gates.”

Hood leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I can't believe I never saw this coming. I knew Matthias was going away alone on weekends, but he'd never tell me where. I thought he had a secret lover and it was none of my business. He must have been coming down here all along.” Hood turned to Jase. “I wonder what he did with Beth Anne and Blaze.”

Luis felt a tug in his stomach. He'd been thinking the worst.

Jase said, “They're fine. They are downstairs in the backseat of the police car. The police ordered them to wait there. On the way in here, we found them tied up in the Tahoe near the gate. Beth Anne wasn't too happy about any of this. But Matthias didn't harm them.”

“I wonder what he would have done if you hadn't come along,” Luis said.

“I'd rather not think about it,” Jase said. “He was so far gone it's anyone's guess. He didn't know what he was doing, which is obviously why he killed himself.”

“And you remember everything?” Luis asked Jase. He still wasn't clear about this.

Jase took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. “I didn't at first. It started to come back to me when I woke up from the nap and remembered my new invention. I was still having flashbacks all the way over here with the police. It wasn't until I saw you in Matthias's arms, with Matthias holding the gun to your head, when everything started coming together. When I realized the magnitude of what was happening, and that I was so close to losing you, everything came rushing back at once. I was so overwhelmed I almost passed out cold. It felt like a jolt in my head, as if I'd been struck by lightning. But I knew I had to stop him. If he'd hurt you I would have never be able to live with myself.”

“Do you remember what happened the first night we arrived when you first lost your memory?” Luis asked.




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