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“You can’t hide anymore, Vanessa!” He yelled after me and I imagined the wicked glimmer in his eyes scalding my back as he watched me take off like a scared little girl.
But I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. My feet hit the tiled floor, through the aisles, and past the checkout, I didn’t stop until I got inside my car.
The keys jingled as I stuck one of them into the ignition and backed the car out of the lot. Adjusting the rearview, I peeked at my reflection. My eyes were wide, and my hair stuck to the sides of my pale cheeks. Sweat and tears.
I looked out the windscreen. No more clear skies. No more peace. Just a lit compound with patrolling guards. Blackcars. Guards everywhere. And then there was that bedroom. The same one I always got tossed back into every time he caught me.
I gripped my chest with one hand and the steering wheel with the other. I was never going back there. Never!
All I could think about now was protecting my son, my little boy. My feet hit the gas pedal. The sooner I got home, the sooner we would leave and be far, far away from him.
I pulled up by the trimmed lawn and didn’t bother to park straight beside the curb before scurrying out and up the front steps, forcefully opening the door.
“Julie...” I surged to the door and windows, locking, bolting, and drawing curtains closed. “Julianna?”
I hurried into the room.
“Nessa?” Her steps were frantic.
I bolted the windows in the room and pulled out boxes from beside the closet. “Xander and I... we’ll be leaving tomorrow...”
“Leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes!” I snapped. She flinched and I sighed, rubbing my temple. “I’m sorry,” I said more slowly. “Look, I can’t explain. There’s no time. But something... something came up and it’s important, we have to leave tomorrow, okay? About coming back, I’m... I’m not sure. That’s all I can say for now. So, please, just help make this easy.”
I was rambling and stuffing our clothes into the boxes with shaky hands.
Juliana frowned, opened, and closed her mouth. Maybe she could tell that I was fleeing again. She must have seen the fear and tears in my eyes and wondered who’d shaken me so much. But she didn’t utter a word.
She quietly helped me pack up for an unknown destination.
Chapter 13 - Alexei
I stared at the small bungalow with my hands tucked into my pockets. A warm breeze ruffled the tips of my hair, it was hot and dry, and I began to roll up the sleeves of my shirt.
Pavel twisted the knob again and hammered on the door with his clenched fists. Still, no response. Grumbling, he turned to face me, burning with more anger than I felt. “Fuck! It’s locked, boss.”
The rest of my men stood on the porch with Pavel, waiting to gain entrance into the house, while I dug my heels on the mowed lawn.
Bored, I wiggled the watch on my wrist. Heat prickled on my skin and a drop of sweat slid down my neck. We'd been standing outside for eight minutes already. And no one fucking cared to answer the door.
“From inside or out?” My voice traveled through the short distance. Pavel wiggled the knob again and cursed.
“Inside, boss.” His response was instant.
“Keep knocking.”
He was hesitant. Scratching the back of his head, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Boss, no one’s answering. We could just use the window.”
Another drop of sweat trickled down my back, grating my nerves. I returned my hand to my pocket and glowered. “Keep knocking on the fucking door, Pavel.”
Two more minutes.
I rolled my shoulders, bent my neck to ease off the tension, and shut my eyes.
Seeing her again felt better than when Rafail said he’d found Mike. The feeling was immense—indescribable. Right then and there, I’d wanted to throw her over my shoulder andmarch back to the jet like a fucking conqueror with slain enemies on the battlefield.
But...
