Page 37 of Used By the Bratva

Days later, the sarcastic voice still echoes in my head and makes my blood boil as I pace around my room.

This house is beautiful, with vibrant furniture and warm woods, accented with white touches and mixed metals here and there, but it feels like a gilded cage.

Even though he told me the property was fenced, Leon still wouldn’t let me into the garden. He had locked the doors and windows, and the key hung on a chain around his maid's neck.

Rosalie doesn’t seem happy that I'm here, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I’m trapped here than anything else. She’s friendly, but she says no every time I ask her to let me go.

Scowling, I leave my room and look out the window at the top of the stairs. For the first time, the driveway is empty. A few security guards typically stand there, walking up and down the cement with their rifles.

No one is here tonight, and Leon has returned to the city.

This may be the only chance I have to escape. It’s late evening, and the last thing I want to do is walk in the dark in a place I don’t know. I'd rather face what’s out there than Leon.

After taking a deep breath, I walk down the stairs, looking as casual as possible as I pass Rosalie and head toward the study at the back of the house. It is the room she goes into the least, at least in the days I’ve watched her clean. And since she only cleaned it yesterday, she won’t be there today either.

I slip through the half-open door to the study, carefully turn the knob and close it behind me so that it makes no noise. I turn the lock, hoping to stall Rosalie longer in case she comes looking for me. My heart skips a beat when I see that one of the windows is ajar. Rosalie must have forgotten to close and lock it after airing out the room.

I look outside at the side of the windows, searching for more security guards. None are there, even though I wait a few minutes to ensure I’m safe.

When I open the window, it groans in the frame.

I pause and listen for footsteps inside as I watch for the guards outside. No one is here. Not a single person in this damned estate has any idea what I’m doing.

I push the window the rest of the way up and wait another minute before climbing out. The ground is no more than three feet below me. I sit down on the edge of the windowsill and hold on to the frame before dropping to the ground.

There’s a slight jolt in my ankle, but I'm good to go after stretching it out for a second.

I keep to the side of the house, my heart racing as I tilt my head. As I creep up to the driveway, no one can be seen.

This is too good to be true. There have been almost a dozen men on duty as security guards over the last few days, but today, they all seem off duty. Maybe they're somewhere else on the property, but I’m not about to find out.

As soon as I reach the driveway, I start running, keeping close to the bushes that line the edge so I can hide in them if anyone comes my way.

My breathing is frantic, but that’s more due to excitement than my lack of stamina, so I keep pushing myself. I must do this for me and my baby.

When I arrive at the foot of the driveway, there is a high fence and a gate. But just to the right of the gate, there is a small gap, and I slip through sideways.

Holy shit.

Adrenaline flows through my veins and fuels my body as I run down the street as fast as possible. There are no other driveways nearby. Not that I can see them as I sprint. There are no cars on the winding road, and there are trees on either side. It must be some country road.

At least there are places to hide in case one of Leon’s employees notices I’m missing and comes after me.

At a crossroads, I clasp my hands behind my head and walk slowly to catch my breath.

A car comes flying down the street from the opposite direction. I raise my arms above my head, hoping it's not Leon’s men. I jump up and wave my arms to attract the driver’s attention, and the red sedan slows down and pulls over to the side of the road.

I try not to let my hopes get any higher, but this is it. Once I get to the police, Leon won't be able to get to me.

A man rolls down the window and leans over the seat to look at me. “You’re pretty far from town, and I saw you waving. Do you need help?”

“Yes. Would you please drive me to the nearest police station?” I give him a small smile. “My boyfriend and I got into a fight, and he hit me. I ran away, but he’s going to come after me and I need to get to the police. Please!”

The man unlocks the door and opens it from the inside. “Get in. I’ll drop you off.”

He says nothing as he drives, and his knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. His jaw clenches and relaxes again as he speeds up, and the signs for the city appear. We must be close.

When he stops in front of the police station, he turns to me. “If you ask me, life is getting better. My sister used to have an abusive husband. She said getting out was the hardest thing, but it was also the best.”

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