Page 55 of Explosive Vengeance

Chloe was done with that. She’d been trained to be a lone wolf. And she was a damn good one.

Reaching into the tub, she turned on the shower, then pulled the curtain shut and started for the window. If Dubois was still in the city, she had a fair idea of where she’d find him.

And once she did, he was a dead man.

****

Alone in the adjoining bedroom, Heath sank onto his bed and pushed out a deep breath as he ran his hands over his face. They smelled of the harsh disinfectant soap he’d used to clean up at the hospital earlier.

Fuck, what a mess.

He’d done everything he could to keep Fleur alive, even on the way to the hospital, trying to buy her enough time for the surgical team to repair the internal damage from the bullet wound. But it hadn’t been enough, and now Chloe blamed herself, shutting herself away in the bathroom when all he wanted was to hold her tight and comfort her in any way he could.

The anguish in her eyes when he’d told her Fleur was gone would stay with him forever. But that haunted, devastated look when she’d found out her friend had died for nothing was even worse.

He flopped back onto the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. He was exhausted, but Chloe had to be worse and he didn’t know what the hell to do for her. Megan had offered to come stay with her, but he’d turned the offer down because he wanted to be the one to help Chloe.

He’d already been seriously into her last night, but now, after watching the way she’d instantly raced to save Fleur… She’d risked everything to help her friend. Hadn’t hesitated, had placed herself in serious jeopardy without a second thought.

Heath had no defense against that kind of loyalty and bravery in a woman. People showed their true character when tested in times of danger and severe stress. What he’d seen from Chloe today had shifted something deep inside him. There was no way he could just walk away and move on when this was over. He would never find anyone as amazing as her.

He waited a while, then glanced at his watch. Frowned. She’d been in there for almost half an hour now. More than enough time to grieve in private in the shower. The thought of her crying alone in there damn near shredded his heart.

He got up and walked through the connecting door, heading for her bathroom. The door was still shut, the shower still running. She had to be out of hot water by now.

Pausing for a second, he knocked twice. “Chloe? You okay in there?”

Silence.

He waited a beat, trying to think of something comforting to say, and came up blank. “Chloe.” He knocked again. “Just answer me and I’ll leave you alone.”

Nothing.

Dread gathered inside him. He tried the door, but it was locked. Muttering a curse, he took a metal coat hanger from the closet, straightened the hook, and managed to jimmy the lock free.

Pulse tripping, he pushed the door open. “Chloe?”

The shower curtain concealed the tub. He gripped the edge and pulled it aside, cursed even as his gut clenched.

Empty.

Whipping out his phone, he dialed Megan. “She’s gone. Must have climbed out through the bathroom window.”

“Shit. She’s going after Dubois.”

Oh, Jesus, no. He spun around and raced for his room to grab his weapon. “How do we find her?” Going after Dubois alone right now was tantamount to suicide.

Megan’s worried sigh filled him with foreboding. “We can’t.”

Chapter Eighteen

It took Chloe less than thirty minutes to find some disguises to suit her purpose. She broke into a closed drycleaner shop and found a couple of outfits to use, changed into the skirt suit and packed the rest in a satchel she’d snagged from an unsuspecting patron outside a bakery. Not nearly as seamless as what Megan could do, but it did the job.

Although if Megan knew what Chloe was up to, she would try to stop her. And Amber was no doubt hot on Dubois’ electronic trail, if she hadn’t found him already.

Chloe didn’t care what the others were doing. She was handling this herselfnow.

Her plan was simple: find Dubois and kill him. He would die for what he’d done to Fleur, and that was the end of it. She would worry about locating the missing shipment of women later—if she survived this hit.

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