Date: May 3rd
Location: St. Catherine’s Hospital
“No Miriam, it’s alright. Get some rest, spend time with Yael. I will call you when she wakes up. Oui, à bientôt.”
The fatigue in the older woman’s voice was apparent. Losing Noa had been one thing. Almost losing both daughters? Well, that had nearly killed Avraham and his wife. It had taken every ounce of strength she and Yves had to contain the Halévy patriarch upon hearing of his sole surviving daughter’s return. Only the sight of her broken body had stayed his fury at what the Russians had done. Of course no one could prove it but who else would have done such a thing to Elaina?
A month on and she was still in the hospital recovering. The doctors said it would take time. Aside from her physical wounds, her mind had been tampered with as well.
Electroshock. That’s what the doctor had said. It might be weeks. It might be months. It might be never.
Knowing Elaina might never be able to tell them who had done this to her made Val ill. She had been returned to them but at what cost? Elaina’s mind was not the only thing they had lost that day.
Valérie closed her eyes as the image of a younger blonde woman filled her mind. The Vorshevskys had taken the person that mattered the most to the French. In the weeks since, their people had gone on an all out rampage.
A soft knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“It’s open.” The men outside would have allowed only those trusted to get this far.
