Page 88 of Mile High Daddy

I hear him curse behind me. “Lila!”

Lila, not Leah.

That just confirms all my suspicions.

But I don’t look back.

My feet pound against the pavement as I sprint down the sidewalk, cutting across an empty lot. The streetlights flash overhead, my lungs burning as I push myself forward.

One mile.

Half a mile.

I can make it.

The moment I see the glowing bus station sign, relief crashes into me so hard I nearly stumble. There are a few people waiting under the flickering lights—the last bus of the night still at the curb.

I made it.

I freaking made it.

I hurry toward the bus, digging into my pockets for cash.

I can’t stop shaking, but I force myself to keep moving, my breath ragged, my chest tight?—

A shadow moves in front of me.

My entire body locks up.

A figure steps out of the darkness, right between me and the bus doors.

Tall. Broad shoulders. A dark coat, the collar turned up against the night.

I turn to run?—

But it’s too late.

The man moves fast. A strong hand grips my wrist, yanking me back just as a low voice murmurs against my ear?—

“You shouldn’t have run,printsessa.”

My stomach drops.

Mikhail.

A sharp gasp rips from my throat as I twist, trying to wrench my wrist from his grip.

But Mikhail is like iron—unmovable, unshakable.

I can feel the heat of his body behind me, the tension in his muscles, the sheer force of his presence. His fingers tighten around my wrist, not painfully, but enough to tell me there’s no getting away this time.

My heart slams against my ribs.

I ran.

And he still found me.

“Mikhail—” My voice shakes as I try to turn fully toward him, but he’s already moving.

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