“Do you know if my father is here?” Chloe asked the valet, a twenty-something kid with tightly cut black hair and a sharp smile.
“Ma’am?”
Removing her sunglasses, she smiled, allowing herself to take on the behavior of her former self as the daughter of one of the most powerful men in Boston. It surprised her how easily it came back to her even though she had never really lost it. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Renee Parnell.”
She thought the young man might pass out considering how quickly the blood seemed to drain from his face as he took in the sight of the woman before him. Her blue eyes glowered into his, almost offended that he didn’t know who she was. He pulled it together rather quickly, taking the keys from her, and watched in awe as she walked toward the hotel, her back bearing the tattoo clearly confirming whom she was. As she rounded the corner, she turned her head and watched him leave her car where it was and run to the nearest phone.
She sat on the plush leather couch in the lobby of the Grand Hotel, deciding to give herself time to be seen. She surveyed the surroundings and found, aside from a few modern upgrades, nothing had really changed. The crystal chandeliers that lined the ceilings of the lobby, the second floor ballroom area, and the third floor conference rooms gleamed in the sunlight. The freshly waxed marble floors shown like glass, and the clicking of shoes made her think of her days when she worked the hotel operations from the offices behind the reception area. The flowers throughout the public areas, replaced with fresh arrangements every morning before the sun came up, filled the space with a soft and extremely pleasant aroma. She noted that he still used lilies and wondered if that was habit or an ulterior motive.
She knew she was being watched with curious eyes. She made eye contact with the concierge and cracked a smile at the corner of her mouth. The young man reached for the telephone, ultimately deciding not to make a call while she was watching him. She wasn’t uncomfortable or afraid; however, the longer she sat there, the more she seethed for the pleasure of going toe to toe with Matthew.
She turned her eyes to the third floor balcony and exchanged a repulsive glare with Evan Crescent. The malicious smirk she gave him said she had no intention of moving until she was ready. She could almost see what he was thinking just from the distrust on his face and knew when Crescent got on the elevator a few moments later, he quickly and quietly informed Matthew that his daughter was home and waiting in the lobby.
***
Matthew was in his office with Crescent standing behind him. Chloe had disdain in her eyes as she approached him, stopping just a foot away. She flashed a hard and vengeful look at Crescent, then turned her attention back to Matthew, who warmly smiled and opened his arms to embrace her.
She gave a sharp shake of her head and said to him in a flat, contemptuous tone, “You are out of your mind if you think I’m going to run into your arms for a happy reunion.”
Matthew’s smile was gone in an instant as he dropped his arms and gazed at her from head to toe, finally meeting her detestable stare. Obviously, there was no point in trying to make this reconciliation cordial.
“Is that any way to greet your father?”
She studied him as well. He didn’t look sick, but then again, Dr. Michaelson said Matthew had been doing everything he could not to let anyone know he had a heart condition. She decided to get down to business. “Let’s just drop the pretense and get this reunion over with.”
Matthew waved his arm toward the conference room. “After you.”
“Without him,” Chloe said, glaring at Crescent.
Crescent stayed where he was as Matthew followed Chloe into the conference room, closing the door behind him. Chloe took a seat and steeled herself, letting her inhibited anger motivate her. She had many hours of driving to think about what she wanted to say and do, and she was determined not to let him get the best of her. She knew she had the advantage of knowing more than he wanted her to. All she had to do was make sure she didn’t give that knowledge away.
“So,” Matthew said, sitting across from her, “it’s good to see you again.”
“Cut the bullshit.” Her breathing was even and her temper was in check. “Why am I here?”
He smirked in his self-righteous way. “You were homesick?”
Bastard, she thought, and instead said, “Hardly. You obviously want something from me. You’ve been leaving clues at morgues all over the country.”
His smile disappeared and his hard, malicious face appeared. “You always did like getting straight to the point.”
“Why have you been murdering all those women?”
“I,” Matthew emphasized, “have not taken anyone’s life.”
“How very Catholic of you,” Chloe said contemptuously. Matthew quickly tensed, scowling at Chloe with a burning hatred stronger than he had ever felt for her before. “You may not have pulled the trigger, but you ordered it and I want to know why.”
“I wanted you home.”
“You killed a six-year-old child.”
“And here you are.” He let out a satisfied breath and continued, raising his eyebrows in slight amusement. “If you recall, I told you, once upon a time, that I would do everything in my power to hurt you. To make you suffer for ruining my life from the day you were conceived. Just because you were gone didn’t mean I wouldn’t follow through on my promise.”
“When did you become so cruel? You put yourself above everybody else, you have no problem holding a gun to your daughter’s head and threatening her life because children were never a part of your life plan, you have no compunction for handing out punishments to those you believe betrayed you even if they haven’t, and everything you want in life you want for you.”
“How I became who I am is none of your concern.”
“It is my concern. I’m your daughter, and like it or not, what we do and who we are reflect on each other. The point is, Father,” she said with disdain, “I don’t ever want to become you.”
“And what makes you think you’d ever be the person that I am?”
“Because,” she raised an eyebrow at him, cocking her head with a semi-victorious grin, “you and I both know that, inevitably, one day your throne will be mine and I will rule the kingdom.”
Matthew scowled. “I wouldn’t be so quick to try to assume the throne if I were you.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re not me,” Chloe replied as she turned and looked out the window, knowing he would be furious at the fact that she was purposely showing no interest in who he was or what he had to say.
Chloe didn’t flinch as Matthew slammed his hand on the table. “Look at me!”
She slowly turned her head toward him, regarding him as the shit on the bottom of her shoe, which only made him more uncompromising.
“Now that you’re back, I have plans and nothing has changed. You are still, and will always be, a reminder of what I never wanted.”
“These plans that you have, what would those be?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, you’ll do as you’re told and behave as you should. Don’t think for a minute that I won’t be watching your every move. One step out of line and there will be consequences. I demand obedience from you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and leaned forward. “Actually, it won’t be exactly like that at all. Here are my demands that you will agree to or I will do everything in my power to make you as miserable as you have made me, and don’t think for one second that I don’t have the ability or won’t be willing to follow through with that promise. I’ll play your game so far as going out in public and staying away from you as much as possible. However, if I’m going to be staying here for an indefinite amount of time, I will not be made to feel, or be treated like, a prisoner. You can try to continue to emotionally murder me, but there’s a good chance a few of your plans will fall through if you do that. I will come and go as I please, and whether or not you want to have me babysat is your choice. If, at any time, I feel my life is being threatened or in danger, I’ll be gone as quick as I was before. Count on it.”
She sat back in her chair, an unreadable expression on her face as Matthew considered her words. “One more thing. I’ll be taking my old job back; the girls and everything I had before with no restrictions.”
“I have Patricia for that,” Matthew replied. She could tell it was something he hadn’t been prepared for.
“Not anymore. Find another use for her or get rid of her.”
“And why would you think that I would do that?”
“As you said, nothing has changed with the exception that the girls you currently employ will live to see a full and happy life. They won’t be afraid of death or punishment by hearing horror stories and watching the news. You will make sure to inform Mr. Crescent that I won’t tolerate any mistreatment of them at any time, in any form. Should he decide to test my resolve once again, he will want to think twice. There will be no more deaths or pain inflicted on innocent—”
“Innocent?” Matthew raised his voice in anger. “Those other women stole from me, they betrayed me, and you gave them the means to do it. You encouraged them—”
“What about Sasha?”
Matthew abruptly stood, violently slamming his hands on the table. Chloe jerked back and her eyes widened in shock. “You know nothing of Sasha! She betrayed me in ways you will never understand! I gave her everything!” Matthew leaned forward, wagging his index finger at Chloe, speaking through clenched teeth. “You would do well to never speak of her again or Mr. Crescent will have the leisure of indulging any sadistic fantasy he wishes with whichever of your girls he chooses. And mark my words, you will be there to watch, if not participate in, every gruesome and ugly detail so that it will be burned into your memory for the rest of your days.”
Chloe didn’t know what to think as Matthew took a deep breath and slowly sat back down to pull himself together. There was a part of her that was frightened; she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him lose his temper, much less explode the way he just had. This outburst was the last thing she had expected and was utterly dumbfounded at his reaction at the mention of Sasha’s name. And then the realization dawned on her. He’s getting worked up and doesn’t want to have a heart attack in front of me, he knows about the video, and he was in love with Sasha.
Matthew looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep breath, speaking calmly. “Fine. Your employment here is yours once more with all of the privileges and benefits previously bestowed upon you.”
She would be able to go wherever she wanted and do whatever she wanted once again with one unspoken exception: she would be watched and her every move would be reported to her father. It was a risk she was willing to take if she was able to bring peace to Reggie and Charlie, and keep her promise to Hunter. She cocked a curious eyebrow at him. “And the murders? Will they stop?”
He gave her hard stare, certain and unmovable. “That will be up to you, won’t it?”
***
Much to Matthew’s annoyance, and without stepping foot in the room she had once called her own, Chloe found an empty room two doors away from her old one and called that one home. She didn’t trust Matthew and had to try to stay ahead of him. She was smarter than he was—a more logical thinker without his temper—and she had to do everything she could to use that knowledge to her advantage.
Within her first week back, she was getting increasingly frustrated because not one of the girls would speak to her about anything other than business, and when it came to Matthew, it was obvious they were terrified to even mention his name or say anything cross against him. She quickly realized that keeping her promise to Hunter was going to be more difficult than she hoped.