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The first time was the easiest– at least in the sense that it was the least complicated.
Chloe was suspended from the skylight of the museum, one gloved hand outstretched towards the glass case in the center of the atrium in anticipation of her catch, when a foot smashed into the side of her head without more warning than a soft whoosh. Surprised, she almost lost control and dropped; her hand barely brushed the glass as she swung by, blinking furiously to try and clear her head. On the backswing, she pulled herself upright and twisted so she could see her attacker.
Her eyes widened. She knew Nadine Ross– well, she hadn't met her, but everyone knew Nadine by name, at the very least; the Shoreline insignia on her sleeve was enough of a giveaway, and it meant she was working. Where Chloe was working. Against her.
Good. A challenge.
Chloe reeled out the rest of the way, dropping to the floor. She looked up as dramatically as possible, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder, then launched forwards.
Nadine's face was not quite emotionless as Chloe ran towards her, wrapping her cord around her hand as she prepared for the fight, but she raised her fists with practiced precision. Chloe couldn't help a grin.
The second time was a little more complicated. Chloe had just gotten back from Nepal and it sometimes felt like her ears were still ringing from that blast when she awoke. Breathing deeply and soaked in sweat, Chloe swung her legs out of bed and walked to the window. There was shouting far below her apartment, and she could make out people running in the guttering light of the streetlamp.
She frowned, leaning further out the open window. She recognized that accent, and that voice. Her hand crept to an old scar, just above her hairline. Who in her building needed the assistance of Shoreline?
Less than three minutes later, she was hovering in the stairwell a flight above the mercenary guarding floor 2. There was the Shoreline insignia on his sleeve, clear as day. As quietly as possible, she crept back up the stairs and into the elevator, pressing the button marked 2 before carefully running her hands through her hair. When the doors opened again to a veritable phalanx of soldiers, she put a hand to her mouth, opening her eyes wide with shock. “Oh my god! I, um… I need to get to my apartment. Can I just–”
Before she could step out into the hall past the guards, there was Nadine, striding around the corner at the sound of the disturbance. Chloe hoped for a second she wouldn't recognize her in the bright, sickly lighting of the apartment building, but then that sharp gaze was right on her– for just a second before she snapped into action, giving orders with a low, firm, sharp-edged voice.
“Get her out of the way and search her for weapons. If she has any, confiscate them. Neutralize her however you see fit. She won't be the only one coming, so stay alert.”
The second one of the guards grabbed her arm she called, “Wait! I'm not here to– do whatever you think I’m going to do. I actually do live in the building. I was just going to offer my– services. I’m between jobs, and I’m sure you could use a driver like me in a big city like this.”
Nadine paused, then looked back over her shoulder. Chloe couldn’t help admiring the way her muscles moved under her olive-green fatigues, clearly well-trained and often used. She tensed her body just enough to look impressive (even in her thin blue pajama t-shirt and pink striped pants) and pulled her eyebrows down slightly, giving her a firm, steady stare.
She almost thought she had her attention, but then her lips curled up into something that still clearly wasn’t a smile. “Nice try, Miss Frazer. Something a little more convincing next time, hm? Take her out, now.”
The butt of a gun slammed into the side of Chloe’s head before she’d even decided to fight back and she dropped like a stone. The last thing she saw before she was picked up and hauled down the staircase to be dumped outside was Nadine’s face, the lines of her face softening. She was mildly amused.
“Nothing personal.” Her voice, less sharp now but still firm, floated into Chloe’s mind as she lost consciousness.
Damn , Chloe thought when she woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and a bit of dried blood in her hair. Teach me to get in her way .
But she couldn’t stay away.
The third time, Chloe arrived at a bar to meet a client. Her mind was going everywhere– she’d just driven Charlie back from the hospital, and she wasn’t sure he wasn’t about to go running back out into another job, just to get his leg broken again. He’d been raring to go for a week now, and she’d agreed to get him out sooner than she or the doctor thought wise, just so he wouldn’t throw an absolute tantrum from stir-craziness.
She chose a seat at the bar and leaned against it, watching the door with a practiced unfocused gaze. The bartender came up and she ordered– she couldn’t remember what seconds after he left, but the drink was sour and strong when it came. She found her phone and checked it for calls.
Someone sat next to her and she glanced over, then did a double take. “Hello. No chance you’re my client, then?”
Nadine’s laugh was a short exhale bearing a hum. Chloe’s heart skipped a beat. “Appears not, Miss Frazer,” she said in that purr of a voice. Chloe didn’t realize she’d never heard it below a bark, not calling orders to her men. It was beautiful, and still dangerous. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Mm,” Chloe replied into her drink, glancing at the door– more out of habit than interest now. “Well, I’ve told you. What are you doing in this… fine establishment?” She raised an eyebrow, setting her glass on the bar with a clink.
Nadine set hers down so precisely and gracefully it made no sound. “I’m off. Taking… a week or two away. Got a job lined up soon, though. It’s been a long one coming. Maybe you’ve heard of him– Rafe Adler?”
Chloe didn’t bother to think about it. “No. Never heard of him. Should I have?” She looked at her steadily over the rim of her glass, through her eyelashes. Her face was getting warm, but she decided it was the heat of the bar.
Nadine laughed, huskily. “No. He’s not someone you’d know. We run in different circles, don’t we, Miss Frazer?”
Over her shoulder, the door opened. A blond woman came in, holding herself like she didn’t belong. Chloe caught her eye and she started towards them, eyes flickering around the setting. Chloe nodded absently to Nadine, swirling her glass so the ice made a tinkling sound before draining it. She slid off the stool and towards her contact, moving her hips more than was really necessary to move through the crowd.
“Pity,” Nadine called to her. “I could use a driver like you. Best in the business, I’ve heard.”
Chloe looked back at her, holding her gaze a moment before winking. “Oh, yes, sweetheart. I’m the very best.”
She glanced down at the half a napkin clutched in her hand, the barely visible number inked on it in a clear print, and smiled. Oh, yes, she was.
The fourth time Nadine came to her with gold in her hands and fury in her eyes. It was the first time Chloe had seen her angry, and she was very glad it wasn’t directed at her.
“Miss Frazer.”
Chloe turned to look at her full on, pushing off the counter. “Chloe,” she corrected, casually enough to hide that it didn’t feel casual at all. “Where did you get all that?”
Nadine didn’t bother to answer; heads were turning, and they wouldn’t have much time. “You know of the Drake brothers? Nathan, and Samuel?”
“Yes.” She was taking this somewhere Chloe couldn’t see, and she made herself quiet, letting Nadine lead.
She sank down next to Chloe, and there was something else she’d never seen– frustration. Exhaustion. “I need to get in touch with them.”
“And you want me to?” Chloe could do it, but that wasn’t the point. She could see cuts, not yet scabbed over, crossing her eyebrows and down one cheekbone. Nadine nodded. “Have a message you’d like to send?”
Nadine scanned the room with barely a flick of her eyes over her shoulder. “I need verification of the haul and I’m willing to compensate with a cut. No grudges.”
Chloe eyed her with interest. “Well, you’ve got me. What happened?”
“Does it matter to you? I’ll pay you, if that’s what you need.” Any friendliness from their last meeting was gone in the wash of emotions flooding her, barely tamped down. “If you don’t want to, tell me. I won’t waste my time playing games with you, Miss Frazer.”
“ Chloe. ” She took a deep breath, leaning forwards. “Okay. I can call Nate, but last I heard he’s busy. With El– with his wife and his brother, and Sullivan. I don’t think he’ll want anything to do with you, but I’ll give it a try.”
Nadine nodded curtly, already standing with her load and heading for the door. Everyone was still looking, but no one would dare try anything, not to her with her Shoreline insignia proud on the tattered arm of her shirt. “Do that. Thank you. Chloe.”
Chloe thought about standing up after her, following her down the hall, but it wouldn’t help. Not now. She could tell something was changing for Nadine, something was on the brink, and she didn’t want to risk losing her chance with her over a little confusion. And anyways she had a job to do. A little ambiguity hadn’t bothered her in the past.
“No problem,” she murmured, pulling out her phone and finding Nate’s number. “Hey. I have something for you, if you’re looking.”
He wasn’t. Of course.
The fifth time they were converging, working towards a point of overlap where they might reach a consensus. They weren’t quite there, though.
Nadine and Chloe fought alongside each other, fists and feet moving with a grace and style that claimed they’d been doing this all their lives. They complimented each other, Chloe would think (later, when their aches had settled). They knew how to stay out of each other’s ways, as if that was all it took to build a partnership. A relationship.
It wasn’t the first time they fell into bed together, the night after the job was done and Chloe felt safe for the first time in a long while. But it was the first time they moved slowly, with the intent of making it last. With the intent of more than a chance meeting, a single exhilarating night because they happened to be in the same city. She was used to finding people when she wasn’t looking for them, but she wondered if that was all there was with Nadine Ross.
Maybe it was just coincidence. Maybe they’d built in for themselves, separate lives and careers spinning around the same focal points. But she started to think that maybe it was the sheer force of their combined wills, their wants, that spun them together time and again. It was different than anything she’d ever felt before.
Chloe wasn’t the type to settle down, and neither was Nadine. They were used to using, to taking, to moving on the next morning without leaving more than a trace. But there was something comforting in knowing there was someone out there who she could find, who she could come back to, who’d have a couch or a bed or a camp roll ready for her in case they ever wound up together again. It had been different with Nate, with Harry; they’d been fun but they weren’t really looking for her, but for a distraction. Nadine didn’t care about that, not now or ever, really. She didn’t need to.
Chloe loved that about her. She loved everything about her. It felt good to be in love.