Maxim's held his breath when he saw her, excited in a way he rarely was.
At the same time, disbelief washed over him. The universe had actually given him another chance to figure out who she was.
An unexpected but welcome boon.
He had barely taken a step toward the mysterious woman when someone punched him squarely in the face.
The impact sent Maxim stumbling backward with a surprised grunt. It took him a second to regain his balance.
Slowly, he lifted a hand to touch his busted lip. When he pulled it away, his fingers were smeared with blood. Some of it had already seeped into his mouth, forcing him to spit onto the polished floor.
As he looked up again, the first thing he noticed was that the woman was no longer at the place where he had last seen her.
She had vanished without so much as a trace.
Again.
"Damn it."
Maxim's gaze snapped toward the person responsible for making him lose his target by daring to strike him.
Strangely enough, he found himself slightly amused.
So soon after being acquitted, he was already considering killing someone.
His amusement grew when he realized his attacker was none other than Detective Nicholas Ross.
The same man who had slapped handcuffs onto his wrists with a smug grin and was now staring at him with fury and undisguised hatred.
"I know you had my informant killed so he couldn't testify at your trial, you son of a bitch!" Ross snarled.
For some reason, the detective's anger only made Maxim smile.
Perhaps because it was refreshing to be openly challenged for once.
Especially by an officer of the law.
Before Maxim could respond, another voice rang out behind him.
"Detective Ross, you laid your hands on my client, and for that, you can be sure I'll be filing charges against you the moment I leave this courthouse."
Maxim turned to find his lawyer, Livia Wilson, standing beside him.
As always, she looked immaculate in her tailored black suit. Her naturally auburn hair framed her sharp features, her green eyes were calculating, and her red-painted lips were pressed into a thin line.
"Let it go, Livia," Maxim said calmly. "Detective Ross is just having a bad day. After all, he just lost his chance at a promotion."
The detective's expression darkened, clearly wondering how Maxim knew that.
Maxim continued grinning.
What could he say?
He knew everything that happened in this city.
"I'm going to get you one day, Holloway," Ross growled before turning away.
"And when that happens, try to take better care of any potential witnesses you might have," Maxim called after him.
Livia let out a tired sigh.
"You know, as your lawyer, you make my job much harder when you say things like that."
She reached into her handbag and offered him a tissue for the blood on his lip.
"But that's exactly why I pay you what I do," Maxim replied, accepting it.
As he wiped the blood away, Livia couldn't help smirking at his unapologetic response. She continued watching him, desire flickering in her eyes.
"So..." she began, her voice becoming suggestive. "Want to come over tonight and... celebrate your acquittal?"
At those words, Maxim's movements slowed.
He then looked at her, silently cursing the impulse that had led him to keep this woman as his mistress for the past three months.
He should have done what he always did—sleep with her once and move on.
From past experience, he knew allowing anything more resulted in moments like this, where his sex partners started acting as if there was something more going on between them beyond what they had agreed on.
"Not tonight, Counsellor," he said, tossing the bloodstained tissue into a nearby garbage bin before walking past her.
Maxim hoped the title would remind her of the reality of their relationship.
Aside from being his lawyer, Livia was his occasional sex partners.
Nothing else. They weren't a couple, and nothing would ever change that.
The thought of being in a relationship irritated him, but he didn't know why.
Livia's jaw tightened as she watched him leave.
As the city's best criminal lawyer, she was an ambitious woman.
And she wanted Maxim Holloway, whom everyone feared, including her.
A man who was also wealthy, powerful, and undeniably gorgeous.
Livia also wanted to tame him.
It didn't matter that she knew he was a criminal beneath all the wealth and glamour.
It didn't matter that wanting him was completely unprofessional.
He was what she wanted.
And he was what she would get.
Taking a slow breath, she adjusted her suit before heading toward the exit.
Sooner or later, Maxim Holloway would come around, Livia assured herself..
No man had ever been able to resist her charms for long. And neither would he. Livia was certain of it.
---
Maxim had just stepped out of the courthouse when he spotted his bodyguard, Levi Rogers, waiting beside the black SUV.
Relief swept through him.
After everything that had happened today, all he wanted was to go home, collapse into bed, and forget everything existed.
He had barely taken a step toward the vehicle when he saw her.
Again.
For the third time that day.
A strange mix of excitement and unease settled in his chest.
At this point, Maxim was beginning to wonder if the universe was deliberately placing this woman in his path.
And if it was...
Whether that was actually a good thing.
This time, the woman was sitting in the back of a taxi idling across from the courthouse.
And her hood was down.
For the first time, Maxim saw her attractive face clearly.
Only for a moment, though.
The taxi pulled away almost immediately, disappearing into traffic before he could react.
Yet Maxim remained where he was, staring after it long after it vanished.
Captivated.
Because by now, he was certain of one thing.
He had seen this woman before.
He knew her.
But who she was...
And when they had met...
Those details remained frustratingly elusive.
Still, her face alone had stirred something deep inside him.
Something beyond curiosity.
Something dangerously close to desire.
For a long moment, he stood frozen, disturbed by the entire phenomenon.
Maxim's memory had always been exceptional.
He rarely forgot a face.
So why was this one haunting him?
Why did he start feeling like he would lose his mind if he didn't figure out who she was?
He searched his brain desperately, trying to bring the memory of her to the surface again and hold on to it this time.
Nothing at first.
Then suddenly—
Pain.
A violent spike erupted behind his eyes, stealing the breath from his lungs.
He staggered, another crushing wave of dizziness threatening to bring him to his knees.
Instinctively, his hand shot into his pocket for his migraine medication.
Empty.
He cursed, remembering he still didn't have it.
As Maxim slowly pulled his hand back out, something shattered inside his mind.
He squeezed his eyes shut as it happened, a pained groan escaping him as an avalanche of images crashed through him.
The first thing that came to him was her name.
Ava Morgan.
Then came her face again.
Dark brown hair.
Brilliant green eyes.
A delicate nose.
Full, inviting lips.
High cheekbones that caught the light whenever she smiled.
Maxim's breathing became ragged as image after image assaulted him.
The first time he saw her.
Their first conversation.
Her laughter.
The way she looked at him.
Moments of them together came flooding into his mind with terrifying clarity.
Him and Ava.
His girlfriend.
The possessive thought echoed through his mind so naturally that it terrified him.
His eyes snapped open.
Where the hell was all of this coming from? Maxim wondered.
He stared ahead, his pulse hammering against his ribs.
Then the truth struck him like lightning.
Maxim realized these weren't just random images.
They were memories.
His memories.
The five years of his life that had been stolen from him by the accident...
...had finally returned.
His knees nearly buckled beneath the weight of the revelation.
A few feet away, Levi Rogers noticed his boss sway.
Assuming another migraine had struck, he rushed over and pulled a small bottle from his pocket.
"Sir," Levi said urgently, holding out the medication. "Your medicine."
Still overwhelmed by the memories, Maxim shoved his hand away.
The bottle slipped from Levi's fingers and fell onto the pavement, spilling its contents.
"No."
His voice was hoarse.
Weak.
But firm.
Slowly, Maxim lifted his head and stared down the road where the taxi had disappeared.
"I don't want the medicine," he whispered.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke again.
"I want to find Ava."