It had been two weeks since Chloe had seen Valentine. She continued to spend the weekends with her father, and sometimes Doreen would join them. She still wasn't allowed to do anything other than the most basic of tasks at the hospital, and she hadn't made many friends outside of her fellow American teammates.

Robert had gone over well, and half of the nurses were in love with him, and Chloe had been please to see Don and Cindy form a strong friendship. It was one she thought might continue after they all returned home.

The hospital was in a tizzy because Valentine's fiancé had announced a reception in the Americans' honor, and it was that evening. It was to mark the first official allied exchange of aid or some such nonsense. All of the nurses had been talking about it since it had been announced a week earlier. Chloe had to admit that it was odd that Valentine hadn't said a word about it, but if he was away fighting, then he had bigger things to deal with than a simple reception that wouldn't cause any harm.

The main concern among the nurses was their ability to find something they could wear. There wasn't a wide choice of dress shops in the capitol city. Many of the women had to rely on each other and friends for something decent to wear.

Chloe was going to wear the wrap dress that she had packed, but she had a closet full of old clothes, and she brought some for Cindy to try. They fit in everything but length, and they found a short dress that would work. The nurses were splitting shifts so that as many as possible could attend the party, but all of Chloe's team had been given the night off since they were the guests of honor.

As Chloe arrived with the others at the event and was helped from the van, she looked at the massive hotel that she remembered from when she was a girl. Her father had taken her to the restaurant every Saturday that he was off for high tea. It looked a little run down, but otherwise the same.

They were escorted through the empty lobby, towards the back of the hotel where the banquet room was located. They were not the first to arrive. Many of the staff from the hospital had arrived and were socializing with plates of food and glasses of wine in their hands.

Chloe noted a reception line to the left of the entry doors and recognized Lada Lenkov at the head of it. Moving to the back of the team line, Chloe examined Lada closely as the others went before her. Lada was beautiful, an ice queen, but perhaps lacking in personality. Chloe noted that she didn't smile once as she shook hands with the others. Even when Cindy complimented her on her ice-blue gown, her face remained emotionless.

This was who Valentine had chosen to help him lead his country? The two of them might produce beautiful children, but it wouldn't be a loving marriage, and that was a shame because Chloe knew that Valentine had so much love to give.

The thought of Lada and Valentine together in any way made Chloe feel a bit sick, so she focused on the woman's lovely dress, wishing she had something more dazzling to wear than her wrap dress.

Chloe felt uncomfortable when it was her turn to be introduced to Lada. It wasn't because she was jealous, although she was, and it wasn't because she had so recently seen Juric in all his glory. It was something indescribable. It was as if the woman wished her harm, which was ridiculous because they didn't know each other and had never met. They shook hands, and Lada looked at her for a moment before she spoke.

"Your father is Thomas Lockwood?" she asked in her thick accent.

"Yes," Chloe confirmed as she released the woman's hand. Every fiber in her being was telling her to walk away.

"I have high regard for your father. He has done much for my country." Lada's lips moved very little when she talked. It was as if she was afraid her face might crack if she moved it too much.

Chloe didn't miss the emphasis she placed on the word my.

"He loves this country very much." Chloe nodded, not sure what she should say.

"More than he loves his own, it would seem, since he has not returned either there or to his own daughter in over twelve years." This time, the woman smiled, and it sent chills up Chloe's spine.

That was it. Chloe was out. She would do a quick circle, then duck out the back and head back to the hospital.

Chloe did that very thing, taking her time and eating a little, having a glass of champagne, then making her move towards the restroom where she would spend a few minutes and then leave.

She was standing leaning against the counter in the empty restroom, thinking about Juric and how it was time for her to go home.

The barb that Lada had thrown had hurt, but it was true. She wasn't wanted here, and this wasn't her home. It had been good to see her father, but they had nothing in common and were strangers, and Lada acting as official First Lady had cemented her relationship with Juric. There was nothing here for her but heartache, and why should she do that to herself? She should cut her losses, go home, lick her wounds, and recover. Having decided her future, a weight was lifted off of her shoulders, and she turned to look at herself in the mirror.

Maybe she would get over Valentine, meet someone new, and have a happy life like Lea and Faye. As soon as she had the thought, she dismissed it. She knew the reality was that she would be alone forever, an old maid aunt with tons of cats and a smelly house.

An almost hysterical laugh escaped her at the thought, and she slapped a hand over her mouth as she looked at her wide-eyed reflection, feeling sorry for herself. Valentine had chosen a shrew over her.

As if on cue, the door to the restroom opened, and the shrew in question walked in, joining her at the mirror, but Lada wasn't looking at herself. She was looking at Chloe.

"I have to admit you are beautiful," Lada said, her cold eyes examining Chloe. "I always knew there was someone, but I would never have guessed it was an American. Valentine is so die-hard Drevniye. I was sure it was someone from here." She shrugged to herself as if to say she couldn't guess them all.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about?" Chloe frowned, trying to play dumb.

"Valentine has been alone for twelve years until me. There had been no other, which means there had to have been someone special in his past." If Lada were the type to show emotion, she might have rolled her eyes to punctuate her statement.

"Perhaps he was busy and distracted fighting a war?" Chloe suggested in a very sarcastic tone.

"You spent the night in your father's house with Valentine a few weeks ago," Lada said bluntly, turning towards her. Killing any hope she could throw this woman off the track.

Chloe thought it best to keep silent. Admitting he had stayed in the same house with her would make her guilty no matter how much she denied anything had happened. On top of which, she didn't like Lada, and she wanted to make Valentine as miserable as he had made her, so let the woman think they had slept together.

They looked at each other in silence for a few minutes through the mirror. Don't poke the bear, Don't poke the bear, Chloe said over and over again in her head.

"Nothing to say?" Lada asked, arching an eyebrow.

Lada had to use the eyebrow, no facial movement, and then pow, haughty eyebrow.  Chloe felt her anger bubble up and returned her shrug. "He is..." Chloe searched for the words, "a beautiful man with very skilled hands." Not a lie exactly, but perhaps a bit leading in interpretation.

Chloe turned towards her. They were equal in height, so the staring contest was easy enough.

Lada's lips pursed in displeasure at either  Chloe's comment or sudden silence, then she spun on her heel and marched out of the restroom.

Chloe waited a few more minutes, then stepped out of the restroom only to feel a pair of strong arms wrap around her and a hand cover her mouth. Whoever it was, was huge, and Chloe only gave a brief struggle, knowing she would have to use her brains and not her strength to get out of the situation. Perhaps it was Valentine sending someone to try to scare her into going home.

Chloe was dragged down the corridor and out a side door where another man was waiting with a burlap sack, which he placed over her head while the other man tied her hands. O.K., that made it a little bit more real. Chloe swallowed back fear.

"Take her somewhere and deal with it, make sure her body is never found, and make sure there are subtle signs that the southern alliance was involved." Lada's voice was hard as she said the words in Russian.

Chloe started to struggle as a wave of panic hit her; this wasn't Valentine trying to scare her. What was happening was very real.

"You got too close, Malyshka," Lada whispered in her ear.

Lada knew the pet name her father had for her. She knew that Juric had stayed in her father's house. She had been watching her or Juric since she had arrived.

Chloe was pushed backward and landed hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her, while someone grabbed her feet and tied them as well. Rough hands grabbed her under her arms and heaved her deeper into the van and out of sight.

The sound of the door closing was like the sound of a coffin. There was no way she could hope to fight back. Valentine was right; after all of these years, he was right. Visting Drevniye had proved to be a fatal mistake.