Elana stared at the man across the table, her eyes fixed on the locket he had placed so casually between them. It was identical to hers down to the tiny star-shaped scratch on the clasp.
Her voice trembled. "Where did you get that?"
I've been tracking it for years, he replied coolly, wrapping his long fingers around the coffee cup. It belonged to your mother. She wore it the night she died.
Her breath hitched. "My what?"
You were fifteen, he said, watching her closely. You vanished after the car crash. Everyone thought you drowned. Your body was never found.
I don't remember any crash, Elana whispered, her hand instinctively reaching for the chain beneath her shirt the matching locket. I don't remember anything before Windmere.
I know, he said. They made sure of that.
The stranger leaned in, his voice dropping low. "Your real name is Elana Astor. You are the only surviving heir of the Astor dynasty. And there are people who will do anything to make sure you never remember."
She felt dizzy, like the floor was tilting. "This is insane. Why would anyone erase my memory?"
"Because your family was powerful. Too powerful." His jaw tightened. "Your father owned half of Manhattan. Your mother was one of the most influential women in global politics. When they died, everything fell into the hands of their enemies. But you were the true threat because you were the last piece they couldn't control."
Elana's chest rose and fell rapidly. "Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because they've found you."
The words hit her like ice water.
"I don't know who they are," she said, standing up, "but this has nothing to do with me. I'm not who you think I am. I'm just a girl working at a diner"
The door chimed.
Two men in black coats stepped in.
Her eyes darted toward them. Their gazes swept the diner, then locked on hers.
The stranger rose to his feet instantly, pulling out a sleek black gun from beneath his coat. He didn't aim it. Not yet. But his body shifted into a protective stance.
"Elana," he said, eyes not leaving the door, "you need to come with me. Now."
Her heart pounded.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
He turned to her. His voice was firm, calm, and absolutely certain.
"I'm Asher Blackwood. Billionaire. Security mogul. And the only person standing between you and a bullet."