Ash Storm (Chimera Force Book 2), page 20
“You know, I don’t feel like I killed a man,” Chloe said without opening her eyes.
Reka thought of how many innocents had lost their lives and freedom due to Afsan. Death wasn't good enough for him. At least Alistair would live to pay for his crimes.
“You didn’t kill a man,” Reka said firmly. “You killed a monster.”
When Chloe’s hair was shiny, Reka dried her in one of the large bath towels. Since she was still too weak to stand for long, Chloe sat on the toilet while Reka carefully dried and brushed her hair.
“I want to cut it,” she said softly.
Reka kept her face impassive, though in her mind she could still see Yusuf’s large hands pulling on Chloe’s ponytail, using it to bring her against him.
“It’s your choice, Chloe. You’re safe now. You have lots of time to decide everything.”
“You don’t think I should?”
“I think you should do whatever makes you feel good, Chloe. You’re safe now. You’ll look great with short hair, but you have to do it for the right reasons. Wait until tomorrow, and if you still want to cut it then, I’ll help you.”
“That’s a good idea.” Chloe’s mouth opened in a sudden yawn. “I don’t know why I’m so tired all the time …”
Reka understood. She’d felt the same after she’d been rescued.
She dressed Chloe in the pajamas that Carrie had brought them—they were too large on Chloe’s frame, and she had to roll up the waist a few times to stop herself from stepping all over them.
She laughed at herself in the mirror, and it was good to hear that soft laugh again.
“Tomorrow, we’ll get you some clothes that fit,” Reka said. “Now come to bed.”
“I can get in bed myself, Reka. Stop hovering,” Chloe said softly. “You should go find Ash.”
The mere mention of the man’s name made Reka tingle.
“Ash?” Reka said, feigning ignorance. Chloe didn’t need to worry about her.
“We’ve known each other too long, Reka,” Chloe said, smiling. “I know you’re crazy about him, and that he’s crazy about you, too.”
“How do you know?” Reka asked.
“I saw the way he looked at you. And then I asked Griffin about it. He confirmed.”
“How? When?” Reka asked, confused now.
“Back in the hospital. You were sleeping, and he popped his head into the room to let me know he was outside. I took the chance to ask him about you and Ash. He was reluctant at first, but eventually told me. And then, when we arrived here, you said this was your room, but the room looked completely untouched. Because you hadn’t been sleeping here.” Chloe took her hand in hers and pressed tightly. “You’ve been staying with him, and I’m happy for you, Reka.”
“You’re a regular Sherlock Holmes,” Reka laughed.
“I'm just saying, I’m going to be okay. I’ll take one of the sleeping tablets they gave me at the hospital and sleep the whole night through. It’s okay with me if you go next door to see him.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m not going to leave you.”
The smile died on Chloe’s face. She sighed, looking much older than her years. “You're going to have to leave me at some point, Reka. Aileen, too, has been calling me ten times a day. And I know you’re both worried about me. But I’m not going to move in with you or Aileen because I can’t bear to be alone.”
“That’s not what I meant, Chloe.”
Her friend sighed, exasperated. “I know you’re just trying to help. And I’m grateful. But I would rather we get started now. I don’t want to end up being … dependent on you or anybody else. Is it not true, what Griffin said?”
It was Reka’s turn to sigh. “It’s true. I don’t know how it happened, Chloe, but I’ve fallen in love with Ash. It’s … it’s redefined everything I thought I knew about love. And it’s not just a case of hero worship, I promise. He is braver and stronger than any man I’ve ever met before, but he is also kind and vulnerable. You probably think I’m crazy, or that it’s the trauma speaking …”
“I don’t think that, Reka,” Chloe said. “I think good things can come from the strangest places. Come on, go see him. I’ll be fine here, and I will call you if I need anything.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. I’m just going to read one of the novels Alexia dropped off with me earlier.”
“What kind of novels?” Reka asked quickly. She knew Chloe loved romantic suspense, the darker the better.
“Relax, Mom,” Chloe laughed. “It’s all adventure romance. You know, love and danger in a ski resort, that kind of thing.”
“Okay,” Reka said. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. You promise you’ll call me if you need anything, no matter what time it is?”
“I will, I promise. Now go.”
Ash
There was a knock on the door.
Ash stilled. It was useless to pretend he hadn’t been waiting and hoping for this knock ever since the women had gotten back to the hospital.
Fuck, he’d missed Reka.
He’d missed having her in his bed, but also missed looking at her, talking with her … he’d missed her.
He rolled his shoulders carefully, looking to dispel some of the tension in them before opening the door.
Bad idea.
His left shoulder complained loudly. The ice pick had done a number on it—worse than most other things he could have been stabbed with, according to Slate. He was going to need some serious rehab if he expected to get it anywhere back to its former strength.
Ash wasn’t about to complain, though. He’d been willing—and fully expecting—to give up a whole lot more.
He opened the door, drinking in Reka’s presence. She was wearing slim jeans that hugged her curves in the best possible way and a white short-sleeved top that made her bronze skin glow. Though there were dark patches under her eyes that spoke of how little she’d been sleeping, she also looked calm and happy—happier than he’d ever seen her.
“Ash,” she said.
His name tasted sweet in her mouth.
“Come in,” he said, stepping back to let her in. And he hated it, because the mere act of letting her in was him accepting that this wasn’t their place anymore.
It’s not.
She’s going to move on.
As she should.
Your only job is to make this as easy as possible for her.
She walked inside and strode over to the window, bending down to look at the chess set.
“The pieces are all still in the same place,” she said.
He shook his head, remembering not to shrug. He hadn’t felt like playing. He hadn’t felt like doing much of anything.
She looked at him pointedly, and he knew she was looking at the visible wrap on his biceps and the thick bandage that poked out from his shoulder blade.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “How’s Chloe?” he said.
“She’s resting,” Reka said.
“Good. I’m glad.”
“It’s going to take time for her to go back to normal. And maybe normal is not the right direction, anyway,” she said softly.
“You also need to give yourself time,” he said carefully.
“She wanted to cut her hair tonight. I asked her to wait until tomorrow. I’ll help her cut it if she still wants to,” Reka said.
“That sounds reasonable,” he said. “If anybody can begin helping Chloe, at least until she finds a doctor back home, that’s you, Re.”
“I missed you, Ash,” she said.
Ash inhaled sharply.
“I missed you, too.”
God, I’ve missed you.
And he wanted to take those steps separating them and wrap her up in his arms, tell her he was never going to let go.
But that would be selfish, and he couldn’t be that fucking selfish. He needed to stop thinking about himself and start thinking about her and her recovery.
Reka opened her mouth to say something else, when there was a knock on the door.
Grateful for the interruption, Ash opened the door—to find a furious Reynolds on the other side.
40
Reka
“Uncle R?” Reka asked.
They’d spoken while she and Chloe were at the hospital, and Reka had expected perhaps another video call together, but certainly not to see her uncle here in the flesh.
She looked at Thorne, who stood quietly behind her uncle.
“What are you doing here, Uncle R? Is everything okay? Has something happened?”
Pain distorted his uncle’s features for a moment. Then his expression was ice again.
“You fucker!” he said, pulling Ash into the corridor and slamming him against the opposite wall.
Ash went white under his tan.
His shoulder.
Reka’s mind reeled at the sudden, unexpected violence. She’d always known her uncle had a dangerous job, but she’d never—ever—seen him employ violence. And to see him use it against Ash … it was more than she could stomach.
Her uncle had lost his mind.
There was no other explanation for this.
Reka ran forward to get between her uncle and the man she loved—but met an immovable wall instead.
Thorne.
“Let me go,” she hissed.
“Wait,” he said. “Your uncle and Ash need to have this conversation.”
“This isn’t a conversation,” she said pointedly. “He’s hurting him.”
“Wait,” Thorne repeated calmly. He didn’t touch her, but his stance made it clear she wouldn’t get past him.
Her uncle placed a thick, muscled arm against Ash’s collarbone, pressing down on his neck.
And it suddenly struck her that Ash probably knew ten different ways of getting out of that hold, but he wasn’t using any of them.
He’s not fighting back.
“You fucker. You took advantage of her.”
What?
“Uncle R!” she shouted, trying to get the man’s attention.
The older man finally turned to look at her, still keeping Ash pinned to the wall. “He took advantage of you, and I’m going to end …”
“End what?” Ash said, baring his teeth. His lips twisted in a sardonic smile. “My career?”
“You think this is funny?”
Her uncle pressed harder against Ash’s throat. Ash made a strangled sound.
“No …” Reka said. Then quietly, to Thorne. “Please let me through. I won’t let my uncle hurt Ash.”
Thorne raised his eyebrow. “I think it’d be better if you let the two of them talk it out.”
“Noted. I’ll put that in the 19th-century-conflict-resolution-tips-for-ladies manual I’m writing.”
Thorne barked out a laugh, loud enough that the other two men stared at him. Reka used the distraction to slip under Thorne’s arm and approach the two men.
“Stop, Uncle. Let him go.”
“Stay out of this, Reka. This man hurt you and he’s going to—“
Reka wanted to stay calm. She was a trained psychologist—she knew calm and cool was the best way to resolve conflicts. But she was done with calm, and she was done with being treated like an object, even by a man who obviously loved her.
“No,” she said, not caring if her voice sounded strident. “Stop right there, Uncle. I adore you, and I respect you, but you need to stop and think.”
“You’ve been through a lot, Reka—“ her uncle began.
She raised her hand until he stopped talking again. “You need to stop and think, because you know me well enough to know better. You’re right in that I’ve been through a lot. What you don’t know is that I would go through it multiple times if that’s what it took to meet Ash. So stay out of our relationship, unless you’re going to be supportive.” She paused for a long-overdue breath. “Which I hope you will be, because I love him.”
All three men stared at her for a long instant, as if she were speaking a different language.
Reka glared at them in irritation.
Behind them, somebody began clapping. Reka turned to see Chloe, who’d obviously been drawn out of her own room by the commotion. Her friend was smiling widely.
Finally, her uncle lowered his arm and took a step back from Ash.
“I … Reka, I was just trying to protect—“
“I know you were, Uncle,” Reka said, not letting him finish. “I know you were. And I’m grateful for your support. I’m grateful for your love … but you’re wrong about Ash.”
“I would never hurt her, Sir,” Ash said. He looked like he was in pain.
“Come, Reynolds,” Thorne said. “Let’s go grab a drink downstairs. We can continue this discussion calmly over dinner.”
Her uncle grumbled something, but followed Thorne down the hallway and into the elevator.
Her expression gleeful, Chloe also mumbled something about being tired and went back into her own room.
Reka breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Ash. “So. Are we going to talk now?”
Reka
“Come,” Ash said, grabbing her hand. “I think we need a bit of fresh air.”
He surprised her by heading up the stairs rather than down. Reka followed, enjoying the feel of his hand around hers.
At the top of the stairs, Ash pushed an emergency door open, leading her out onto a rooftop terrace. In the distance, the lake shimmered with the last rays of the setting sun.
“Wow. Is that Lake Zurich?” she asked, pointing at the glassy surface.
Ash nodded.
“I’d like to go there,” she said. It was one of the things she’d decided in the last couple of days. She was going to travel more. She was going to see more things and do more things. She’d always excelled at planning for the future, but the last weeks had made her realize how fragile everything was, and that it was okay to want more from life, and to want it now.
“I could take you to see it,” he began tentatively. “If you stay.”
“What makes you think I’m not staying?”
“I know Pascale is arranging Chloe’s flight back to Chicago.”
“She’s going back. But I’m not going with her.”
“You’re not?” He was looking at her like he barely dared to believe her.
“I’m not. And you’d know that, if you’d bothered to spend any time with me in the last days.”
“You were at the hospital with Chloe. I didn’t want to intrude.”
“And then?”
“I thought you needed time.”
“I don’t need time. Please don’t act like my uncle. What I need is for us to talk about what’s going on between us.”
“You know how much you mean to me, Reka,” he said, sounding almost wistful. He licked his dry lips. “You know how much I … how much I appreciate you,” he said, wincing slightly at the last words.
“Appreciate me?” she cackled. “Ash, people appreciate a well-grilled steak, a cold beer on a hot summer’s day. What the hell do you mean? A few days ago, you said you loved me. Am I crazy?”
He sighed. “You’re not crazy. Of course I love you. I just …”
“You just didn’t think you were going to survive,” she said bitterly.
He didn’t bother denying it. His hands shook against the balcony railing. In fact, the whole railing looked like it was moving, he was gripping it so tight.
“Well, here we are. We’re both alive. So ask me why I’m not flying home with Chloe,” she requested, her voice softer.
“Why are you staying, Re?” He asked.
“Didn’t you hear what I told my uncle? I love you, Ash. I’m in love with you.”
He winced as if in pain. “You can’t be in love with me.”
“I love you, Ash. I’ll say it as many times as I need to, until you believe me.”
“What if,” he began, his voice lower and deeper than ever. “What if your uncle was right? What if what you’re feeling is not—“
“I’m going to stop you right there, Ash. I’m not going to let you or anybody else second-guess my feelings. It’s demeaning.”
“Reka, that’s not what I … God … You know how much I admire and respect you. But you’ve been through a lot.”
“Yes, I have. That doesn’t make me weak-minded. I don’t need to be taken care of.” She thought of that for a second, of how much she’d enjoyed the many ways in which he’d taken care of her. “That’s not true. You’ve taken care of me in a hundred good ways. But this is not one of them. I know what I’m feeling, Ash, and I need you to believe me.”
Reka could see he was afraid—this tough, brave man was afraid to believe her, afraid that he would end up hurting her.
The fool.
She thought for a moment. The sky was almost dark now. In the distance, the city lights shone like little stars.
How would I try to explain this to one of my patients?
“How would you feel, Ash, if I started second-guessing your feelings for me?”
“You can’t,” he said immediately. “I love you. I will always love you.”
“Okay. Well, you shouldn’t second-guess my feelings for you either.”
“You really mean this, Re? You love me … like forever love me?”
She smiled. “Yeah. Like that.”
His eyes glowed for a moment, then dimmed again.
“We can’t do this. This team … I have to stay five years, or I’ll go right back to prison. Who knows where you’ll be in five years’ time, when I’m finally free?”
“I’ll be right here, Ash.”
“Right here?”
Reka shrugged. She’d had enough time to think about this. “Here, in Zurich, or wherever you guys go. I’ll be able to keep seeing most of my patients online. I’ll have to get a visa, but I’m sure it’ll be okay. And I want to start a new project, working with refugees and victims of human trafficking. I don’t yet know what it’s going to look like, but I’m not going to turn my back on any of those women.”
