Second Chances

Jenn couldn’t BELIEVE the memories that were flooding through her.

Brian had taken her plan and tossed it right out the window. Instead of trusting that Jenn would know the best way to manipulate her own past self, he had decided to go for the direct approach with Jennifer. He’d actually gone and told her the truth.

The TRUTH.

Jenn cursed herself for a fool. This was her fault. She should have explained to Brian why telling Jennifer the truth was a very, very bad idea. She should have told him about the car accident that had killed her parents three years ago. She should have told him that Jennifer had an extremely powerful and compelling reason to want to continue her research. Telling her that time travel was possible, and that it was within reach---that wasn’t the way to get her to quit.

And now Brian and Jennifer were coming here, to the Hard Rock. She HAD to think. She would continue to be a step behind them if she waited for the memories to kick in. Her best bet would be to second-guess them. OK, that shouldn’t be too hard. After all, she WAS Jennifer. She’s just been told that her time-travel theories are on the right track. She’s jazzed by that, AND by the fact that she’s in the company of an incredibly attractive man. The potential danger only heightens the excitement she feels. What would she do?

Jenn took the stairs up to the second floor. She pretended she was part of a conversation between two of the other guests. She laughed when they laughed, nodded when they nodded, all the while scanning the crowd in the lobby below.

And then she saw them. Jennifer had her hand in the crook of Brian’s arm as they walked toward the building. They made a very handsome couple.

Jenn felt a surge of jealousy and anger that she didn’t bother to squelch. With a sudden flash of clarity, she could remember what she was thinking, what she was feeling down there as she walked with Brian. And she wasn’t thinking about Brian’s safety. She was focusing on her damned equations, on the prospect of meeting her future self and having all of her questions answered. She was an idiot, a fool.

And Brian….Brian was looking through the glass front of the lobby, searching for her. He found her almost right away, and their gazes locked. He was angry, he was hurt, and he was scared. She could see all that in his eyes. And he loved her. She saw that too.

Jenn saw two different cars pull up directly behind Jennifer and Brian, and then everything seemed to switch into slow motion. The doors of both cars opened and several very big men dressed in dark suits burst out. Brian spun around in surprise as they grabbed both him and Jennifer and began pulling them toward the open doors of the cars. As Jenn watched in horror Brian fought to get away, and one of the dark-suited men punched him, knocking him out cold.

As Jennifer and Brian were shoved none too gently into two separate cars, Jenn couldn’t help herself. “BRIAN!” She flew down the stairs, rushing out toward the parking lot. But all she saw was taillights as the cars sped away.

Jenn turned back to the lobby doors, well aware that she was the subject of a great deal of attention. In a flash of realization, she knew that she’d given herself away. Sure enough, she could see at least one of the Merlin agents fighting to get to her through the crowd.

Jenn kicked off her high heels and ran like hell.

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