Page 108 of Mile High Daddy

My stomach twists, my gaze snapping to Alex. He’s watching me, arms crossed, face unreadable.

And just like that, everything comes rushing back.

The gas station.

His conversation with Ryan.

The way Ryan knew too much about him.

The way I was so sure Alex was working with Mikhail.

But now?

Now I look at Mikhail, standing tense and unmoving in the doorway, his eyes flickering between me and Alex—cold, calculating, assessing.

But there’s no recognition.

No flicker of awareness.

No sign that Mikhail knows who Alex is.

My pulse kicks up, something dark curling in my stomach.

I was wrong.

Could I have been wrong?

Alex, on the other hand, looks…casual. Too casual.

Like he’s not standing in the doorway of a man who could snap his neck in seconds.

Like he doesn’t know who Mikhail is.

But I do.

“You’re not saying anything,” Alex says, his eyes steady on mine. “Tell me you’re okay.”

I snap back into focus. “I’m fine,” I say, though my voice doesn’t sound convincing.

Maggie huffs, shifting beside him. “Yeah, well, you didn’t look fine when you disappeared into the night like some fugitive.”

I glance at Mikhail, whose expression doesn’t change.

Because I am a fugitive, aren’t I? I ran from him, from his world. And now? Now, I’m right back in it.

“I wasn’t thinking,” I lie, forcing a small, wavering smile. “It was stupid.”

Alex’s jaw tightens, his brows drawing together like he doesn’t quite buy it. “You sure?”

I nod. “Yeah. I just…I needed time to figure things out.”

Maggie sighs. “Well, you scared the crap out of us.”

I shift uncomfortably under her stare, but before I can respond, Alex speaks again. “You staying here?” he asks, his gaze cutting to Mikhail for the first time.

The air in the room tightens, the space between them suddenly too charged. Mikhail’s head tilts slightly, his gaze cool, assessing Alex like he’s a problem he hasn’t decided how to deal with yet. “She is,” he says simply.

“What about your mom?” Maggie says.

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