One week later, the June sun bathed her caramel skin with warm kisses as Mary Jane sat back on a beach cot in a white bikini. She sipped on a mango margarita rimmed with salt, a tiny colorful umbrella poking out the top. She looked over at Wulf. The sun glowed on every inch of his exposed, muscular body.

She felt like pulling off his trunks to straddle him, but people were around. Generosa wasn’t a vacation spot like the surrounding areas, but it had the best beaches gringos never visited.

Instead of tantalizing Wulf, Mary Jane decided to screw with him. She plucked the umbrella from her drink and tossed it in the sand.

On cue, Wulf spoke in that commanding voice she enjoyed, “Pick it up.”

“Not gonna happen,” she retorted with a half grin. Even though he no longer worked, Wulf was the epitome of a Super Cop. “I’d like to think we were stranded on a secluded island. And being that it’s my island, I’d have to kick you off, if you don’t stop harassing me.”

“You must love when I harass you,” he assured.

Hiding a grin, she tossed back the rest of the drink. The slushy bits of liquid weren’t strong at all. With an unsatisfied smirk, she picked up the umbrella and placed it back into the glass before nudging the bottom of the glass into the sand.

Mary Jane lay back and closed her eyes. Bright orange orbs highlighted against her eyelids due to the sunny day. As if a shade passed over, her skin didn’t feel as warm, and the brightness from over her eyelids faded. She opened her eyes. Ripples of tanned muscles were her first line of vision. Wulf stood there. “Dylan, you’re in my sun.”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Okay, how does this sound? If you don’t move, I won’t help you get ‘em down.” She grinned, zeroing in on his swim trunks. He was rock hard.

Wulf scooped her up caveman style, with her body draped over his massive shoulder, and he took her toward the shore.

“Stop!” she squealed. Splashes of cool water prickled her face while he moved further into the sea.

“Wulf, stop!”

In one fluid motion, Wulf pulled her from over his shoulder until she was back in his arms again. He gave her bottom lip a little nibble. “Bad girls have to pay.”

While laughing, Mary Jane licked at her lip, staving off the sting. Wulf tossed her into the crystal-clear water.

She went under. Bubbles of air tickled her body, the current plunging her even lower. Mary Jane’s eyes opened slightly under the clear blue sea. Beneath the water was a man with reddish hair, a spray of matching freckles, and kind eyes. Mirroring the stranger’s smile came naturally.

His next move came out of nowhere. He kissed her!

She pushed away. Her feet touched the ocean floor, prickling on shells as little fish flitted by. She soared back up to the surface. Her body popped out of the water as another wave came crashing down. The water overtook Mary Jane. With a gulp full of salt water, Mary Jane flipped over. Water burned up her nostrils, and her lean arms and legs went to work. She swam toward shore. When Mary Jane emerged from the shallow water, she shoved her hair back.

Wulf stood at the edge. His left eyebrow lifted when she didn’t try to slug him for tossing her in. The stranger consumed her mind. She turned around and waited for the redheaded guy to come out of the water. They would exchange words. She might even conjure up some of Mallory’s Hollywood kickboxing skills or Agent Anya Randolph’s even more outlandish combat coordination. When the freckled guy didn’t show himself, she ran back into the water, leaping over shallow waves and soaring into the water. Beneath the deep blue, her eyes opened wide as she took in the clear turquoise sea. A little boy was swimming toward the lagoon a few kilometers out. A Mexican couple was making out in the water.

No gingers in sight. She swam back to shore.

“What are you doing?” Wulf asked.

“Nothing,” she mumbled. Eyes narrowed, she walked toward the lounger, plopped down, and tried not to think. After finding out that Peter Grienke had taken away her memories, she’d learned that her identity was either Mallory Portman-Grienke, his wife, or Megan Portman–her twin sister. That was the problem. Mallory had married Peter, but he’d bestowed Mary Jane with both sets of memories as a form of vengeance. She remembered the good life with Peter until the scientist got tired of her trying to save Megan from a life of drugs. Then again, Peter had said she was Megan after finding her in New Mexico on the run from Beasley. Instead of wiping away all of her memories, he gave her Megan’s too. Megan’s tragic, drug abusing life was hard to swallow.

Mary Jane gazed at the water. Sunshine sprinkled like diamonds over the turquoise waves. The sea was so expansive. A guy with cute red hair and freckles could only be a trick of the mind. Or a familiar ghost from the past?

“MJ, you’re too quiet.” Wulf wasn’t staring at her like the object of his affection. Her beauty had become second to his concern. He came over and kneeled down beside her, rubbing a hand in her hair. “Talk to me.”

Shit, I am gonna go crazy. I can’t have Wulf see me like this. After a moment, she pulled her gaze away from the ocean. “This place is so beautiful. Let’s go home. I want to get you alone for that stunt you just pulled.” She licked her lips, a sign that his punishment would satisfy both their desires.

“Mary Jane.” Wulf stressed her name, not convinced that she wasn’t fighting her demons alone like usual. “Ever since you found out who you are, you’ve stared off into space. Talk to me. I’m not going to continue to ask. When we took this road trip here, last year, you told me everything. Now…you know who you are and you’re—”

“Wulf, really it’s nothing.” She thought to try on a reassuring smile but knew her lips would tremble.

Peter now rotted in jail—massive mauling scars and all. Grienke Pharmaceuticals had been conquered and divided by his board members. Everything else was under the radar. Nobody in the world—besides the Feds—knew about the other women. Not a single clue of where these confused women had gone afterward. Now she was about to hyperventilate.

I’m aware of who I am, and I fucking hate it!

“Okay, you’re right.” Mary Jane’s mouth tensed. She stood and gazed up at him. “I don’t like who I am.”

“Who you were,” he corrected, caressing her cheek. “Okay, okay. Just talk to me about those feelings, because ultimately, you’ve chosen your destiny, Mary Jane.”

The longing in his eyes compelled Mary Jane to speak. A part of her wanted to keep some of the horror at bay. Wulf knew the greater scheme of things, but he didn’t know it all. He couldn’t begin to fathom it all. No matter how much Mary Jane tried to change the facts, her reality, she knew that Peter had ruined her.

“Talk to me,” Wulf barked.

“I'm good.” She placed her hands on his thick biceps, rose to her tippy toes, and gave him a reassuring kiss.

She couldn’t give him what he wanted, let alone what he needed. He’d ultimately asked her to return to reality. Mary Jane was incapable of such a thing, but she couldn’t leave Wulf alone. She hoped the taste of her lips was enough to keep him captivated. The rest of the world could work nine to five. Jake had given her enough money for her and Wulf to stay in paradise. It would break her if he ever decided to return to L.A.

It was inevitable that he’d return one day for his family and work.

Mary Jane refused to go.