She’d felt hurt after the meeting with the plastic surgeon when Erik had left her to make some phone calls. Yesterday, when she’d insisted on accompanying Erik here, she’d told herself it was to see Jayla, but part of her couldn’t bear to be away from Erik. Then again, last night, when he’d needed to leave her to go talk to Doctor Dietrich, she’d felt his absence keenly. That level of neediness wasn’t like her. Add that to today’s anxiety... Was her therapist right? Had she been using Erik as an emotional crutch?
Chloe knew her interest in Erik was genuine; she’d been drawn to him, wanted to date him, before she’d known Jackson was back. But the way she’d been clinging to him lately, feeling a sense of panic any time he left, wasn’t good. She needed to stand on her own. Erik had said it himself when they were waiting for the helicopter at the opera house, and she’d asked what came next. He’d told her to take her life back. That’s what she needed to do. As tempting as it was to stay with him at Black Bay, she needed to go home. Yet the thought of taking that first step, leaving him…
Erik jumped out of the helicopter, ignoring everyone else, his eyes on her. There was a hungry look there as he strode straight for her, and a little thrill went through her. As soon as he was close enough, he lifted her off her feet, his mouth melding to hers in a devouring kiss as he walked them to the waiting Jeep.
Tomorrow, she thought as she clung to him greedily. She could start taking her life back tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I need to gohome.” Chloe and Erik were facing each other in their nest of blankets in the living room, skin to skin, limbs entangled as the sun rose to announce a new day.
“I know.” Erik nodded. “You’ve got a show to prepare for. You’re still doing it, right?”
The concert for Danny. She hadn’t even thought about it. Their original reason for doing it may no longer apply, but it was still a good idea. Danny deserved to be honored. “If Lattie’s still willing.” He’d been through a traumatic experience, too. She’d tried calling him yesterday to check on him. Quinn had answered, told her that Lattie was resting and wasn’t taking any calls. That familiar feeling of guilt swarmed her. She’d brought violence to his opera house. She wouldn’t blame him if Lattie chose to drop her.
“He will. He’s resilient.” Erik gave her a brief, sweet kiss. “Come on. Let’s go get some breakfast, and then I’ll drive you home.”
They were on the way to the mess hall when Chloe noticed the gathering of people shouting angrily. Erik grimaced and pulled the Jeep over. “We expected this.”
“What’s going on?”
“They’re transferring Doctor Dietrich out of the brig. She’ll be doing the procedure for Jayla.”
“Is that a good idea?” After what that woman had done to Erik and the others like him, Chloe couldn’t imagine Jayla wanting that woman anywhere near her.
“She’s the only one with the experience to do it. She knows us inside and out.” Erik looked at Chloe, his expression tight. “I need to go see if I can help defuse this before things get out of hand.”
Right now, it seemed to just be a lot of yelling, but things could escalate quickly, and Chloe wasn’t sure she could blame them if it did. She hustled out of the Jeep to join Erik.
A team of six armed guards surrounded an older woman dressed in sweats, with gray-salted dark hair worn in a bun. Her face had a pinched, somewhat snooty expression, and Chloe’s first impression was that she looked like a raging bitch.
General Davies was speaking, barking orders that quieted the crowd until someone Chloe couldn’t see spoke up. “How can you trust her with Jayla? You know how many of us she killed!”
The doctor suddenly shouted, “I made you great! I made you all great! But that kind of progress comes with a price!”
“Then you should have been the one to fucking pay it!”
A chaos of shouts broke out, and the general yelled, trying to restore order as the guards tightened around the doctor. In an unexpected move, Erik pushed his way front and center, and the guards pointed their rifles at him.
Chloe’s heart jumped into her throat as fear choked her.
“Hey!” Erik yelled. “I could kill her right fucking now, but it won’t change anything.”
“She deserves it!” someone yelled.
“Yes, she does. But does Jayla deserve to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair?”
The noise level reduced to angry grumbles while Chloe stared at those weapons still pointed at Erik, holding her breath.
“She’s not free. She’s not walking away from this. But the knowledge in her head will help Jayla, so we’ll use her. She’ll be watched the whole time. She’ll never hurt one of us again.”
The general took over, ordering everyone to disperse, and as Erik strode back to Chloe, she filled her lungs with some much-needed air.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Erik said wryly, as he took her hand. “That I’d argue for keeping that woman alive.”
He looked down at her with his forehead pinched in a concerned frown. “You’re shaking. Are you okay?”
Chloe’s mouth felt bone-dry, and her voice was barely above a whisper. “They could have shot you.”
