Under The Waves
Chapter
One
Chloe tapped the button on the power window, letting it open just a crack. The windows on the long black limousine had tint that was nearly as dark as the paint on the car itself. She lifted the small pair of binoculars to the crack in the window and found what she was looking for.
The Black family owned a beach house on the California coast that was fairly secluded. She watched from a safe distance as Belle and her husband Shawn loaded their two small children into a dark green SUV. John and Marlena joined them outside and helped them load their car up for a day trip.
Bart had been staking out the Black family for the past four days, under her strict orders. She had been waiting for her chance, and now it seemed she finally had it. Brady came outside to help his family, and Chloe felt a familiar tingle at the back of her spine. He was still as handsome as ever, standing there with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, a red shirt tucked in to them. But, something was missing. The light that had once sparkled in his deep blue eyes was gone, and had been since one dark night in Paris three years ago.
"Bart... There he is..."
"I -- I don't know if this is such a good idea."
Chloe frowned and looked away from the window to glare at Bart with an icy stare. "You are not in the position to decide whether this is a good idea or not. Just do as I say. That's the only thing you should be worrying about."
Bart shifted nervously in his seat, fidgeting as he waited for Chloe to make her move. "But -- your father... If he found out what we were doing..."
Chloe's blue eyes were filled with ice and she stared daggers at him. "This has nothing to do with my father. You're working for me right now, being paid out of my own money, so you will do as I tell you to. And my father is not to hear a word of this until I'm ready to tell him."
She huffed loudly and turned back to the window, watching as the green SUV began pulling out of the driveway. Brady stood and waved them off, then turned to walk back in the house. Chloe put her binoculars on the seat next to her and turned back to Bart.
"Now, Bart... You are absolutely sure that he will be completely alone for the rest of the day."
"Yes -- yes, he will. The rest of the family is taking the brats to San Diego to visit Sea World. Brady opted to stay behind and work. Everything is in place for you to make your move."
Chloe sat back in the seat and nodded. She just had to wait, wanting to make sure that the Blacks wouldn't turn around and come home because they had left something behind. Chloe ran her fingers through her long dark waves and closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back to the night that Brady had betrayed her.
They had spent one year together, creating a path of destruction across Europe, and becoming one of the most successful criminal teams in history. Her father had directed them and under his guidance they increased the DiMera wealth, and their own wealth, without ever being caught. First they were partners in crime, but they grew to be more. They had fallen in love and had experienced only one night of passion before his betrayal.
Brady and Chloe had made love in her apartment in Paris, and it had been magnificent. Late in the night, he had been called away on an errand for her father, and did not return until 48 hours later. When he did return, he was changed completely, nearly unrecognizable to Chloe's eyes. He insisted to her that she had a chip in her head, one that was controlled by Stefano, forcing her to be the kind of daughter that he wanted. He had also said that he had the same kind of chip and that a year before that, Stefano had created them to be his pawns.
Brady continued to spin his yarn of lies, explaining that before that time they were two different people. They were Brady and Chloe of Salem, who had been friends for two years and lovers for two, and that Stefano had kidnapped them on the eve of their wedding. He made up a rather elaborate story about their supposed life together, one that would have impressed her if Stefano had not already warned her that Brady would come to her with a tale that was pure lies.
Chloe had shut him out, spitting in his face and calling him a liar and a betrayer. Her father had given him so much, and he repaid them with only his disloyalty. Stefano explained it all away for her. Telling her that Brady did have a chip in his head, but it was used not by Stefano, but by John Black to brainwash Brady into believing that he was someone else. Chloe was reassured that no such chip existed inside her, and every memory that she had was the truth, and not implanted.
For three long years, Brady had tried to convince her of his version of the truth, seeking her out when he could, but still she refused to listen to him. But now, she desired him, wanting to relive the glory days of the one year they had worked side by side as valued members of her father's organization.
She glanced at the watch on her wrist and sighed softly. Her eyes found Bart and she pointed towards the house. "I think it's time Bart..."
Bart's eyes pleaded with her, hoping that she would change her mind. "Are -- are you SURE you want to do this? Your father will be so angry..."
Chloe put her hands on the seat beside her and leaned forward to glare at him. "Damnit, Bart. Do not question my authority again. I don't know how you've made it this far without my father eliminating you, but I swear that if you screw this operation up, I'll do it myself."
Bart gulped and sat back in his seat. The only person that came close to scaring him as much as Stefano was his youngest daughter Chloe DiMera. She was at ease with being malevolent, far more talented at it than her sister Lexie. Lexie allowed her emotions to rule her, while Chloe went through life with a cold heart. And her heart had turned into ice the moment that Brady had walked out of her life. "Yes -- yes, okay. I'm -- I'm sorry boss-lady."
Chloe rolled her eyes and opened the door of the limo. "Wait for my signal, and when you hear from me, you hightail it up to the house as soon as possible. Got it?"
"Got it. Be careful."
Chloe slid out of the seat and looked back at Bart with a grin. "I always am."
She shut the door to the limo and began the long walk towards the secluded vacation home. Chloe had dressed comfortably in black jeans and a black tank top, knowing that she had to make this walk today. She had also wanted to be ready in case Brady resisted her and there was a physical struggle. Her hand found the bulge in the back of her jeans and she continued the jog up to the back of the house.
Chloe lurked around the house and found the unlocked laundry room door. She slid inside quietly, and began creeping about the house, peeking around corners until she found him. He was in the small room that had been made into an office, typing something on his laptop computer when she strode confidently in to the room.
He heard the sound of her tennis shoes on the wood floor and lifted his head from the computer screen. Brady rocked back into his chair in shock, his heart pounding furiously in his chest at the sight of her. She was still as stunningly beautiful as ever, but there was a hardness to her and a glint of cold steel in her eyes. He had loved her to the very depth of his soul, but that Chloe was gone, stolen away on the eve of their wedding night. Stefano had kidnapped both of them, implanting chips in their brains and turning them into his pawns, erasing their past memories.
And then one night, without any hint as to why, Stefano had deactivated Brady's chip, turning him back into the real Brady. He had sought Chloe out, trying to convince her of the truth that had been stolen from them, but she had rebuffed him. And, in the three years since, he had made many attempts to come in to contact with her and bring her back, but had failed each time. Stefano's grip on his youngest daughter was too tight, and try as he might, Brady had been unable to tear her away from his clutches.
They stared at each other for a long moment before Brady stood up from his chair. Two pairs of blue eyes searching each other for something lost long ago. "Chloe..."
"Mister Black..."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Chloe smiled at him as he walked around the desk, just feet away from her. "You look well, Black. Really, you do."
"And you... Breaking and entering again? Why am I not surprised? You are so good at it. Now, please, get the hell out of my house."
"I'd really rather not. I mean... Come on, Black, we can talk like two civilized people, can't we?"
Brady clenched his jaw in anger and crossed his arms over his chest. "We could if you were actually a civilized person. Tell me why you're here or get the hell out."
Chloe laughed softly and tilted her head, playing her intentions off as innocently as possible. "I'm not leaving. Not until you come with me."
"Come with you? Never. Unless you are prepared to do what I asked of you three years ago in Paris... I will never go anywhere with you."
"Oh right. Paris. I remember it well. You asked me to denounce my father, and refuse my name..."
"Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. Try something more original, Miss DiMera." Brady scoffed at her paraphrasing of the famous quote.
Chloe laughed softly and nodded. "How about this? Let's see if this is original enough for you... You either come with me willingly or I will drag you out of here by force. How does that hit you?"
"F*ck you."
Chloe winked at him and walked closer, trailing one long finger up the middle of his chest, and then playfully tapping the tip of his nose. "Nope. Already did that."
Brady put his hands on her arms and pushed her away, her touch causing his stomach to turn. He reminded himself that this wasn't his Chloe, the one he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. This Chloe was an entirely different person, killing the memory of the real Chloe with every move she made.
"What could you possibly want from me anyway?"
Chloe put her hands on her shapely hips and stared at him with a frown. "I've missed you. I want you back... I want things to be the way they were."
Brady raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "I'm going to assume that you're not referring to the years we spent together before your father stole us away from our lives."
"Oh, right. That life. The one that you falsely believe actually happened. It's all a lie, Black. A distant memory that never really happened. Something fed to you by those 'people' you call family."
Her words cut through him sharply. Every glance at her face, or mention of her name in the past three years was like a knife through his heart. All he wanted was to have his Chloe back in his arms again, Chloe Lane and not Chloe DiMera.
"It's the truth. And until you accept it, I will never go anywhere with you willingly."
Chloe rolled her eyes, annoyed by his continuous betrayal of her family. "I'm here to bring your back to your destiny. To give you back the life you threw away. It's a chance of a lifetime."
Brady shook his head and leaned back on the desk. "That's not my destiny, or yours. It's Stefano's."
"And you betrayed him. You betrayed me. I didn't think I could forgive you, but if you'd just come back to me, things can be the way they were."
Brady shook his head and laughed softly. She really was pleading with him, imagining that she could just snap her fingers and he would obey. But, he was nobody's pawn anymore, and little did she know it wasn't Brady that betrayed her. It was her own father that had ripped them apart that night in Paris.
"You look really pathetic when you plead for something, Miss DiMera. I would have thought that begging was beneath someone like you. Now... If you want me to come with you, you're going to have to fight me. And, I don't think that's a fight you can win."
Chloe cackled wickedly and stared him down. "And why is that, Black? You and I trained in the same martial arts when you worked for my father. And, I've continued my training since you left... So, I'd say I could take you down quite easily."
Brady grinned slyly at her. It was true, her body seemed more muscular and taut than it had been, and he was certain she was quite capable at fighting him. "I say it because I have a lot more to lose than you do. I'd fight harder."
"Very well then..." Chloe slipped her hand around to the back of her jeans and pulled out the gun that was resting at the small of her back. She pointed it towards Brady's chest and grinned right back at him. "Good thing I brought this, huh?"
Brady remained motionless, his body showing no outward signs of fear. The ability to look fearlessness in the face of anything was something that this Brady had shared with the one she had known.
"You can't do it. You'd never shoot me."
"And what would ever make you believe that I wouldn't? Did you forget who you were talking to?"
Brady ran a hand through his blonde hair and smiled knowingly at her. "You love me, Chloe Lane..."
Chloe looked stung by his words and tightened her grip on the gun. "Don't ever use that name in my presence again."
"It's the truth. You are Chloe Lane, and you love me, just as I love you. No matter how hard you try to deny it, Chloe Lane still lives inside of you. And one day she'll want out."
"It's NOT the truth! Damnit, Black... There is no Chloe Lane. There never has been."
She cocked the trigger back and glared at him with pure hatred in her face. Brady nodded in satisfaction, she was clearly upset by his mention of her former life. "Doesn't matter, Miss DiMera. You won't shoot me anyway. You want me alive, remember?"
Chloe's hands were trembling, and her face suddenly broke into a grin. "You're right. You're right."
"Then what are you doing? You're not going to shoot me, even if I fight you..."
Chloe laughed, and Brady became even more unsure of her motives. She tapped the barrel of the gun against her forehead before pointing it back at him, still laughing as she did. "You got me. You got me there. Or you would have... if this was a real gun. See, I have no problem shooting one of these tiny tranquilizer darts into you. Hold still, it will only sting for a minute..."
Brady tried to dart out of the way and grab the gun, but Chloe was far too quick for him. She fired one shot into his chest and Brady fell to the floor in an unconscious heap, a loud thud sounding across the room.
She tucked the gun back into her jeans and kneeled over him. Her fingers found his pulse steadily beating in his neck, and she grinned proudly at a job well done. She paused for a moment and brushed a stray piece of hair off his forehead, a knot of sadness filling her chest as she looked at his unconscious form. Chloe quickly shook it off, reminding herself that she held nothing but contempt for this version of Brady Black.
She stood and slipped her cellphone out of her pocket, quickly dialing the number to the limousine. "Bart... The package is ready for pick up. Move quickly. The plan is in action."
She put the phone back in her pocket and tore her eyes away from Brady. Her gaze was caught by a photo on the desk, and her fingers lightly ran over the wooden edges of the frame. It was a recent photo of Shawn and Belle Brady with their two small children, smiling for the camera, the perfect picture of a happy family. Another knot of sadness bubbled up inside her and she pushed the photo away.
Chloe ran her hands through her hair and waited patiently for Bart's arrival. She tried not to think about the photo of Brady's sister and her family. Brady had once told her that she had been best friends with those people, but she didn't recall it and didn't believe it.
Her eyes found Brady again and her lips twisted in to a smile. It was time for her to reclaim what she had lost. She was going to bring Brady back to his former glory, no matter what it took.