Page 17 of Claimed By the Pakhan

“Where did I go after they knocked the apartment block down?”

Chloe shrugs. “I never found out. Perhaps you moved in with Emil.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” I mutter, concentrating on shifting the fog away from my mind.

The sex must have been otherworldly.

“And now you’re pregnant with this freak’s child,” sighs Chloe, raking a piece of brown hair from her eyes. “It’s too late for an abortion.”

“I’m not interested in an abortion,” I sigh, smoothing a hand over my belly bump. “All I want is my memory back, and for these babies to be born healthy.”

“Plural?” Chloe’s eyes widen. “You’re pregnant withtwins?”

“There’s enough of Emil for him to succeed in planting a whole farm in my uterus apparently.”

“You want to keep rolling with the punches and tell me some more shocking news?”

“I think we have everything covered,” I say, swirling the coffee around in the cup. I down the rest, the cup clanging in the saucer as I set it back down. One glance through the window tells me it’s time to go. “I should leave.”

Chloe follows my gaze through the window. Raindrops slide down the panes, blurring the red taillights of passing cars. “The storm is on its way,” she says, grimacing.

I stare into the darkness, unease passing through me.

“Stay with me tonight.”

“I’m staying at the Four Seasons Hotel.”

“Did the amnesia remove your ability to think rationally and make sensible financial choices?”

Part of that sentence is true.

I lower my voice, leaning forward in the booth. “I woke up from the coma with millions of dollars in my account.”

“Emil is amillionaire?”

“Trybillionaire,”I screech, thinking back to the house I was apparently living in for a year. Even millionaires would be hesitant to build an estate as enormous as Emil’s.

“You’re kidding?”

“Unfortunately, not. The worst part is, I totally forgot what he does for work.”

“Perhaps that’s for the best,” cringes Chloe, rising from the booth. “You of all people know that people with money commit the most crimes.” She flashes me a pointed look as she throws on her coat, fastening all the buttons, preparing for the cold.

I slip my phone, clickingconfirmand booking for Four Seasons Hotel, only a block away from here. I can manage walking a block alone. The sidewalk is still teeming with people, the road heavy with barely moving traffic.

I exhale a sigh of relief, hugging Chloe goodbye.

“Having coffee with a ghost wasn’t how I saw today going.”

“I’m real… I think.”

“Until Emil steals you away again.” Concern lines Chloe’s face again. “Stay where it’s busy. You’ll be safe in the Four Seasons where there’s security.”

I nod, parting ways with Chloe. I fold my arms across my chest, the cold finding its way into the very membrane of my bones.

The rainfall becomes heavy. I raise the hood on my jacket, holding it close as I fight through pedestrians and umbrellas, weaving through the crowd. A harsh wind blows down the street, batting my hood.

A typical winter’s day in Seattle.