1. Chloe
CHAPTER ONE
CHLOE
NOW
Deep brown eyes that pulled me through the worst days of my life stare down at me, but I can’t find words.
My head has been swimming since I woke up with my hand in his, in an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar bed.
What do you even say to your dad’s best friend who saved you from certain death, nursed you back to health, and then disappeared with nothing but a note and a folder of cash and documents?
Kingston seems content without speaking as he brushes his thumb over the back of my hand, finding comfort in the silence while it makes my skin itch.
“I had my personal doctor check you over. You have a mild concussion, but nothing to be worried about. I’ve been monitoring you and will continue to do so over the next few days.”
Despite it being a decade since I last saw him, the only sign that he’s aged is the flecks of silver through the dark-brown hair at his temples. I should have known Kingston Beaumont would only get better with age.
“Where are we?” I finally ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“One of my homes,” he replies vaguely.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
He nods slowly. “I do. But where we are is irrelevant.”
Pressing my eyes closed, I force steady breaths into my lungs. The worst thing I can do right now is panic, but the idea that I’ve been abducted for the second time in a week is weighing heavily on my chest.
“You’re safe, Mama,” he murmurs, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of my hand.
“Don’t call me that,” I snap. The nickname he coined before he even knew I was pregnant stuck throughout our time together, but there’s something about hearing it now that brings tears to my eyes.
Maybe it’s the memory of how tenderly he cared for me through those weeks, how I never had to ask for what I needed because he just seemed to know.
Or perhaps it’s the reminder of what I’ll never be.
“And just because you tell me I’m safe doesn’t mean it’s true. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time you’ve lied to me.” The words burn on the way up, but I can’t stop them.
Not least because they’re some of the truest I’ve ever spoken.
“Chloe—” he starts, but I don’t want to hear his lies or his false promises.
“Can I have a phone?”
“No.”
“Kingston.”
“I said no, Chloe,” he grinds out. “It’s not safe for anyone to know where you are right now.”
I bite down on the inside of my cheek to warn away the tears that threaten to fall, but it’s no use. “Why am I here?”
“Because this is where you belong.”
Without another word, he pushes to his feet and strides out of the room, not bothering to close the door.
I may be a prisoner here, but at least I’m not locked in a cell like I was at the Lombardi compound.
Now I know what to expect from my gilded cage.
Kingston may give me all the pretty things and the perfect promises, but it’s all a lie. A reminder that no matter how badly I long for happiness, it’s never going to happen for me.