Page 113 of Ash Storm

She’d left her friend.

“I’m so sorry, Chloe. I’m so sorry I left you there.”

Chloe sat up in the bath and grabbed her hands tightly, not caring that they were full of shampoo. “You’ve got to be joking. You getting out was the thing that kept me alive.”

“Because you knew I’d come back for you?”

Chloe shook her head. “No. Because I knew you’d come back for me if you could, but also because, whatever happened, I knew you were safe.”

“Oh, Chloe,” Reka said, this time not making any attempt to stop the flow of tears. “I was so scared.”

“We were lucky, Reka. Some of those other women …”

“I know. Ash has promised they are looking for them.”

“Has Alistair said anything since they took him into custody? Did they find something in Afsan’s phone?”

They both knew Rogue had been working non-stop, even though he probably should have been resting. He was the one who’d been hurt the worst.

“Alistair hasn’t talked yet. But they found enough in Afsan’s phone to confirm he and Afsan were the leaders of this particular human trafficking network. But there are others,” Reka said honestly. “Interpol is monitoring Afsan’s contacts carefully, in case any of them decide they can take over his business.”

“I remember reading about human trafficking rings, Reka … but it was always such a far-away thing … and so far-removed from the actual horror of it … People don’t really know what’s going on.”

Reka closed her eyes, remembering the ever-present fear, the hopelessness, the impotence—knew also that what Chloe had been through had been much worse.

Like Chloe, Reka had spent a lot of time thinking about those other women. Not just the ones they’d seen, but also all the ones before, the ones who’d slipped through the cracks. She didn’t want to forget about those women. She wasn’t sure yet how she was going to do it, but she wasn’t going to turn her back on the problem. She was going to find a way to fight human trafficking.

“You know, I don’t feel like I killed a man,” Chloe said without opening her eyes.

Reka thought of how many innocents had lost their lives and freedom due to Afsan. Death wasn't good enough for him. At least Alistair would live to pay for his crimes.

“You didn’t kill a man,” Reka said firmly. “You killed a monster.”

When Chloe’s hair was shiny, Reka dried her in one of the large bath towels. Since she was still too weak to stand for long, Chloe sat on the toilet while Reka carefully dried and brushed her hair.

“I want to cut it,” she said softly.

Reka kept her face impassive, though in her mind she could still see Yusuf’s large hands pulling on Chloe’s ponytail, using it to bring her against him.

“It’s your choice, Chloe. You’re safe now. You have lots of time to decide everything.”

“You don’t think I should?”

“I think you should do whatever makes you feel good, Chloe. You’re safe now. You’ll look great with short hair, but you have to do it for the right reasons. Wait until tomorrow, and if you still want to cut it then, I’ll help you.”

“That’s a good idea.” Chloe’s mouth opened in a sudden yawn. “I don’t know why I’m so tired all the time …”

Reka understood. She’d felt the same after she’d been rescued.

She dressed Chloe in the pajamas that Carrie had brought them—they were too large on Chloe’s frame, and she had to roll up the waist a few times to stop herself from stepping all over them.

She laughed at herself in the mirror, and it was good to hear that soft laugh again.

“Tomorrow, we’ll get you some clothes that fit,” Reka said. “Now come to bed.”

“I can get in bed myself, Reka. Stop hovering,” Chloe said softly. “You should go find Ash.”

The mere mention of the man’s name made Reka tingle.