Love Me Long (Love Me Book 4)

Chapter 18

Chloe had found a robe on the back of the bathroom door and cloaked herself in it before looking at her wan appearance in the mirror. She had a nice bruise down one side of her face, and the shadows under her eyes made her look haunted.

A quick search of the drawers revealed a comb that she used to fight the tangles in her hair. Washing it was out of the question since she couldn't get her hand wet. Once she had it under control, she felt better, and with a quick tightening of the belt on her robe, she exited the bathroom.

Chloe immediately saw Valentine sitting on one of the two chairs in the room. On the table between the chairs was a tray of food and a computer that Valentine was staring at with an intent look.

"Is something wrong?" Chloe asked as she sat in the chair opposite him.

He looked up at her, taking in her tamed hair and oversized robe. "You mean other than the fact that you were kidnapped?" His eyebrow raised in question as he looked at her.

Chloe had nothing to say for herself, so she reached for some of the food on the tray.

"So what's next? Lada thinks I'm dead. How long am I going to stay that way?" Chloe took the first bite of a sandwich and closed her eyes. It was either the best thing she had ever tasted, or she was starving.

Valentine poured her a glass of water and pushed it towards her.  

Taking the hint, she took a sip, only to find she was extremely thirsty, and drained the glass.

"Slow down, or you will make yourself sick," Valentine said as he turned his attention back to his computer.

"Am I not allowed to know the plan?" she asked around a mouth full of sandwich.

Valentine leaned back in his chair and looked at her, and then he gave her such a tender smile that it almost made Chloe choke on the emotion she suddenly felt in response to it.

"You were trouble at nineteen, and you're still trouble now." He shook his head.

"And you want me gone." Chloe couldn't keep the sadness out of her voice.

"No, I want you to be safe, and that means that I need to get you away from here as quickly as possible." He leaned forward and took a sandwich.

"When you're done eating, you will go put that uniform back on, and then we will go to the dock again. There is a boat waiting there that will take you to safety."

"My father, do I get to say goodbye to him?" she asked with urgency.

"No, you don't. It's too risky. He will reach out to you when it is safe to do so."

"When will that be?" Chloe asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"When Lada is dead." His voice was hard again, and it made her shiver. She didn't doubt for a minute that he meant what he said.  "I'm not going after her with the end goal of killing her, but she won't stop willingly, and I don't doubt that she will fight until either she or I am dead." His tone was so dry, so matter of fact, that it made Chloe cold.

It was all her fault. If she had never come here, none of it would have happened.

"It's not your fault, Chloe. You only sped up the process. Lada and I would have had this fight eventually, but hopefully, I will have the edge of surprise by having Dimitrie on my side."

He rubbed his fingers together, brushing off the crumbs from his sandwich.

"Tell me about your life in Savannah, Chloe," he requested as he leaned back in his chair. "I'd like to have something to think of that's not war from time to time."