Page 3 of Scarred Ruin

Sadly, the trauma had created a void in my memory and facial recognition abilities. I could not for the life of me remember the man’s face who’d hovered over me. The EMTs had mentioned whoever he was had remained with me until their arrival, even leaving his jacket.

A charcoal linen Tom Ford jacket that was hanging in my tiny coat closet, a tangible shadow of a tragedy firmly implanted in my brain. The pockets had been emptied, not a card or a slip of paper to try to help me discover his identity. Nothing.

What had been left behind was a subtle trace of his fragrance, a sharp, sophisticated blend of tobacco and sandalwood. The size forty-four long smelled dangerous yet utterly magnetic. It was a secret I was entirely too eager to unravel.

In my imagination, the man was handsome, debonaire, and grateful for my taking heroic methods to save his life. In reality? I didn’t know for certain. The doctor had told me the shock of being shot had been the reason and that the snippets of memories might never return. Everyone I’d talked with had suggested losing the moments surrounding when I’d been shot and those afterwards was a good thing.

Why would I want to remember an experience so horrible?

Only something told me I needed to capture those moments. Perhaps if only for my sanity.

“Here you go. Where do you want them?” Julie asked, breaking the same pattern of thought that had been rummaging through my brain for days.

“Over there is fine.”

I’d worked with Julie long enough that she knew when I wanted to be alone, closing the door after leaving.

Getting back to a routine was definitely a positive way of getting out of the funk. I took off my jacket and gathered the sketches, taking a little time to arrange and then rearrange them twice on the easels. When I had them just so, I took a step away, for once taking the time to admire my work.

I was a damn good artist as well as an architect.

“Those are incredible.”

Hearing John’s voice startled me and I physically jumped, something I wouldn’t have done a week before.

“Isabel. I am sorry. I should have knocked.”

I pressed my hand against my chest and gathered a deep breath while turning toward him. “I’m fine. I was just lost in thought.”

“You should be resting.”

“You know how I am.”

He nodded, using his father expression. “Unfortunately, yes, I know exactly how you are. I see you refused take it easy.”

“I binge-watched three television shows in two days and was ready to pull my hair out. Drawing soothes me.”

“I can tell that it does. Truly exquisite work.” He walked closer, taking the time to scrutinize one then another.

“I take it from my move into this office that the project was greenlit?”

When he didn’t answer right away, I already knew what he was going to say. “The client was eager to put some pieces in place. There was a chance of losing the contract altogether.”

“You promised that I’d have time to consider.”

“That was before you were shot.” The way he looked at me was exactly as I remembered my father doing from time to time. “Of course, none of that was your fault and in a perfect world, we would have held our response, but in this case, time was of the essence.”

“Not to be rude, but what the hell does a logistics firm know about medical facilities?”

John’s eyes lit up. “I understand your concern and while Maxsim Aristov is spearheading the project, from what I’ve been told, he’s more of a silent funding partner. Besides, I assure you there are several other investors from the medical field who certainly know what they are doing. Stop worrying.”

“Maxsim Aristov. Russian?”

He nodded, his eyes narrowing. “Do you know him?”

“No, I just…” A fleeting image and a deep, velvety voice tickled the back of my mind but was far too hazy to mean anything. “No, I don’t know him.”

“Well, you might get your chance, but don’t hold your breath. There’s a reception tomorrow night at the Charleston Place. It’s black tie and everyone who is anyone in the project as well as prominent physicians and surgeons will be there. There is tremendous excitement about the project, which is considered long overdue for the area.”