At Jack’s insistence, Chloe checked into the hotel suite he had reserved for her. She took advantage of the balcony, sitting outside as the sun went down, admiring the city and thankful for a breeze. Unexpectedly, she wasn’t as worried as she thought she would be. Besides, the more she thought about it, she was sure that Alice was right and Jack wanted her side of the story before deciding whether or not he would be placing a phone call. Jack didn’t particularly like her father, and she thought, maybe, there was a chance he might be able to help her in her quest to stop him. Then again, he might not.
She felt absolutely nothing; no fear, no joy, no anger, no guilt, no pain, no confusion. At that moment, she was just simply there, unfeeling and emotionally drained. She didn’t want to think anymore, she just wanted to sleep. There were three things she knew absolutely had to happen: she had to get to Boston, she had to make sure Alice and her family were safe, and she had to say goodbye to Hunter. But before she could do any of those things, she had to talk to Jack.
A few hours later, she showered, made herself as presentable as she could, and took the elevator to the top floor. Jack opened the door to his suite with a warm and welcoming smile, embracing her tightly. He broke the hug and escorted her into the room with a hand on the small of her back.
“It is so good to see you, Renee, although, I will admit you were the last person I expected to see when I woke up this morning.”
She undoubtedly knew Jack was being sincere; she could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, and feel it in his touch. Her wall of safety had been reinforcing itself around her all afternoon, and as much as she wanted to let go of everything and enjoy spending time with an old friend, she couldn’t get too comfortable. Just because she wasn’t afraid didn’t mean she wouldn’t be careful. Their night together had just begun, and she was sure it would be spent as an intense question and answer period.
“Well,” she replied with the same smile, “I came close to wetting myself when I saw you, so we can call the surprise even. It’s good to see you too.”
“How has it been for you all these years? You’re doing okay?”
Aside from adding eight years and a few pounds, physically, she was fine. Chloe kept telling herself that there was nothing to be nervous about, but she could feel the prick of an ominous feeling between her shoulder blades. Something was up, but if Jack had any malicious intent, she would have felt that warning run through every nerve in her body.
“I’ve been doing what I’ve had to. Thank you for asking.”
Jack stopped just before entering the dining room and turned to Chloe, gently placing both hands on her shoulders. “Renee, it’s no secret I detest your father and would do everything in my power to not help him find you.” She tried to suppress a smile, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jack. “I want you to know that I have not called, nor do I intend to call, Matthew.”
Relief seeped out of every pore in her body and she gave Jack a thankful smile. “I appreciate that.”
“That being said,” Jack smiled as he turned her toward the dining area, “there is one person in particular I couldn’t wait to call, and I don’t think you will be disappointed.”
Chloe froze and her eyes widened in shock and elation as the room went dark around her and she stared into the eyes of David Lundy. She didn’t know how to react as David stood up from the head of the table and approached her with a wide, toothy smile and open arms, laughing with happiness, ecstatic to see her. He was still a few years away from eighty, but he moved like he was twenty, almost running toward her. His hair had greyed slightly, and he had a slight pouch to his gut, but otherwise the years had been good to him.
David grabbed hold of Chloe and pulled her into him, his arms wrapping tightly around her, almost squeezing the breath out of her. It took her all of five seconds to realize how much she had missed David over the years and wondered if she had been wrong about not going to see him all along. Tears threatened to fall, but she forced them down, melting into David’s embrace and returning the hug with mixed feelings of suspicion, relief, and love.
David broke the hug and held her at arm’s length, a beaming smile on his face and laughter in his voice. “Oh, baby girl, we found you. Look at you! You look wonderful! I have missed you so very much, and now here you are!”
Chloe was stunned, but at the same time she shared the feelings with David, with the exception that she also felt shame. She had been wrong all these years—she could have gone to him at any time. David would have protected her, but instead, she foolishly believed what her father had told her. She didn’t know what to say; instead, she embraced David again, still trying to fight back the emotions that were threatening to spill out.
“Oh, David,” she said into his shoulder. “I am so sorry. I should have come to you, but he told me…I have missed you more than you know.”
David laughed to let her know there was nothing to be forgiven. “It’s okay. I knew we would see each other again.”
A thought suddenly stabbed her. If Jack called David that morning after discovering her in the lobby of the FBI building, how did David get from Chicago so fast? Was he already in New Orleans and was this all one big karmic coincidence? Chloe pulled back with the question in her eyes, but no accusation in her voice. “How long have you been in New Orleans?”
“Two days,” David said.
The timing made no sense. “Two days? But…”
“We heard you were here and got here as fast as we could.”
“We?” Chloe asked, suddenly tense again.
David let out a reassuring laugh as he turned Chloe to see Dr. Michaelson resting his hands on the back of a chair, both excited and relieved to see her. She was just as happy to see Elias as she was David, albeit mildly curious. She had never known Elias to be outside of her father’s beck and call radius, but then again, if David wanted or needed the doctor with him, who was Matthew to say no?
Chloe gave a questioning look first to David, then to Jack, asking whether or not she was safe. David laughed and Jack smiled, both seemingly amused by her uncertainty. David gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Everything is fine.”
“It just feels…” She was going to say wrong. Something is wrong and this isn’t the happy reunion it’s supposed to be. She didn’t want to believe her words, so she didn’t say them out loud.
As if reading her mind, David cupped her chin in his hands, giving her a consoling look. “Everything is fine and is going to be fine. We have much to discuss that will hopefully make your feelings of unease go away, but for now, please know that you’re in no danger here. We are here only to help you.”
Chloe raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Help me, how?”
David nodded his head from side to side, contemplating his answer. “It has been too many years and we have a lot to talk about. I suspect we will all have a surprise or two to reveal along the way, but for now go say hello to an old friend who has missed you as much as, I suspect, you have missed him.”
All at once the tension left her body and comfort, warmth, and family surrounded her. She hugged Elias tightly and he did the same as he stroked the back of her hair.
After a few minutes, Chloe’s embrace instantaneously slackened as all the blood rushed out of her body, the pit of her stomach dropped, and she took three steps back from Elias in trembling and terrified shock. She looked over the doctor’s shoulders, trying to breathe and shuddering with every intake of air. She thought it must be a trick of her mind; what she was seeing was not real, but her logical and rational mind knew it was no apparition she was looking at. But how could it be?
She was hypnotized by the sparking, smiling emerald green eyes staring back at her. Then he bowed at the waist, tipped his invisible hat, and spoke a single word. “M’lady.”
The room went black. It was the first time she had ever passed out.