Squad 6: Royal Blood

Chapter 4- Chloe

Chloe

Addiction does not disappear on its own.

Chloe's heels clicked on the pavement, water slashing as she stepped through puddles. A coat was tightly wrapped around her body, hiding the short dress and upper part of her bare legs. The night had been quiet as most were these past few months, but she remained cautious. She could not risk someone finding out what she was doing when she was so close to being out of danger.

Chloe turned into another street, looking behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed. She slowed as she reached a residential building, waiting for a car to drive by before she slipped inside. She took the stairs, fishing the keys from her bra. It was the safest place for her to hide them while she was out.

Once she reached the first-floor apartment, she unlocked the door, tension melting away when she noticed the picture frames in the entrance hallway.

"I'm home," she called to Diana, slipping off her heels.

A smash of kitchen pots against the tiles alerted Chloe as she walked into the open plan living room and kitchen. "Di?"

For a brief second, cold sweat washed over her. She had been followed. Three months and I mess up now, she thought.

But then Diana peeked from the edge of the counter. Black curls were pinned at the back of her head with a duckbill clip, thick brows raised in surprise.

"Hey," she smiled, straightening in the wheelchair. "You're a bit early. I was just starting to make dinner."

Chloe breathed in relief. "There wasn't much happening tonight. I didn't want to draw attention." She glanced up at an open cupboard hanging above the stove. "Need help?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure we should move the pots down somewhere more accessible."

"I told you, you don't have to cook. I don't mind doing it."

Diana rolled her eyes. "I mind. No offense but your food is barely edible—"

"Hey, I survived on it just fine," Chloe countered, remembering how she and Irene had almost set the kitchen on fire in her old apartment in Poland. More than once.

"And," Diana continued. "I wanted to make some malai kofta."

"Isn't that meatballs?" Chloe asked. She had successfully been a vegetarian since they left Phi nine months ago. "I love you, but I'm not eating meat because of you."

"Vegetarian meatballs," Diana unpacked a few groceries from the plastic bag on the counter. "When do you wanna blow the whistle on the deal?"

"Give it another week. I don't want anyone tying the raid to me, and it'll give me a chance to get the exact place and date."

"Yeah, that's fine. I think I might need to send a few more tips to the police anyway. Just as a precaution. We need them to take this seriously."

Once they had left Phi, Chloe and Diana were determined to leave that life behind. They traveled Scandinavia for a few weeks, visiting most of the major cities and taking lots of pictures. It had been the first time they could go somewhere without an order or a target on their back. After a while, they settled in London where Diana got a job at a hair and makeup studio, while Chloe split her time between waitressing and working towards getting a teaching certificate. She could not get into a university, but she would be able to work as a kindergarten teacher with hard work. Maybe then she could make a real difference.

"I'll go change and then I'll come help," Chloe said.

"As far as I'm concerned, you don't have to change. It's not fair that others get to see you in that dress and I don't," Diana said, placing a pot on the stove.