Page 81 of Mile High Daddy

A few more weeks. A quiet birth. A fresh start.

But Mikhail took that from me.

My knees almost buckle as I think of my mother, of how he must have cornered her, how she must have fought?—

I shake my head violently. No. Focus.

I sling the bag over my shoulder and shove my feet into my sneakers, my breath coming too fast. I need to get to the bus station. I need to?—

A knock on the door.

I freeze.

My stomach lurches.

No.

He couldn’t have found me yet. He couldn’t have.

Another knock—louder this time.

“Leah?”

The breath rushes from my lungs as I recognize the voice.

Alex.

I rush to the door and wrench it open, barely able to keep myself upright.

His dark eyes scan me immediately—my pale face, my shaking hands, the duffel bag slung over my shoulder.

His jaw tightens. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I have to leave,” I whisper.

His brows pull together. “What?”

I swallow hard. “I—” My voice wobbles. “I made a mistake.”

Alex studies me for half a second before stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. “Tell me what happened.”

I can’t.

I can’t tell him that I called my mother. That I got Mikhail closer to me. That I might not get away this time.

I shake my head. “I don’t have time to explain.”

He crosses his arms. “Leah.”

I flinch. He notices. His jaw tightens.

He knows something is wrong.

But he doesn’t push—not yet.

Instead, he exhales sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. “Okay. Let’s say you’re right, and you have to leave—where the hell are you going?”

I part my lips, but nothing comes out.

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