Page 58 of Mountain Daddy

15

NIKOLAI

Three weeks in Fern Falls and I'm losing my goddamn mind.

This town is a postcard. All white picket fences and Sunday morning church bells. The kind of place where people wave at strangers and leave their doors unlocked.

The kind of place that makes my skin crawl.

I don't belong here. Never will. I'm a wolf trying to play house cat, and it's eating me alive from the inside out.

But Maksim was right. Chicago's too hot. The cops have my face plastered on wanted posters. The Kozlov family wants my head on a spike. All because I put three bullets in Viktor Kozlov's chest.

No regrets. The bastard had it coming.

But killing a Kozlov comes with consequences. Even when they deserve worse than death.

So here I am. Hiding in Norman Rockwell's wet dream while the heat dies down. Maksim bought me time, but time has a price, and I'm paying it in sanity.

Honestly, if I hadn’t found her, I’d have been off in hours.

She’s the only thing keeping me here.

Every morning, I wake up in the rented house on Maple Street. Drink coffee that tastes like dishwater. Pretend to read the local paper that covers nothing more scandalous than the church bake sale.

And every morning, I find myself staring through the window at Sugar and Spice.

At her.

God. She’s beautiful in a way that makes my chest tight.

One week, and I can't stop watching.

Can't stop thinking about the way she feels wrapped around me.

The sounds she makes when I'm inside her.

The way she tastes like sin and salvation.

Can't stop thinking about Chleo.

The kid has my eyes. It's like looking in a mirror.

The timeline fits. Five years ago, a few passionate nights, no protection.

He's mine. I know it. Feel it in my bones.

But she ran. Kept him from me. And every time I try to bring it up, she deflects. Changes the subject. Builds walls higher than I can climb.

The smart thing would be to leave them alone. Let them live their quiet life while I serve my exile.

But I've never been smart when it comes to Lilly.

The coffee shop on Main Street serves liquid disappointment, but it gives me a clear view of the town square. I sit at the corner table and watch the world go by.

Boring as hell.

Until she appears.

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