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Then last night crashes over me like a wave.

Anya.

My eyes fly open. I sit up quickly, and the blanket slips down to my waist, exposing my bare breasts. Oh God. I had sex with Andrei.

I’m in his bedroom. In his house. My phone rings on the nightstand beside me. I don’t remember putting it there. I grab it and see Mabel’s name on the screen.

I answer quickly. “Hey.”

“Did I wake you?” Mabel asks, voice a little raspy.

“No, I’m up,” I say, running a hand through my tangled hair. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. A little hungover.”

“How’s Anya? I’m sorry your mom had to watch her longer than—”

Mabel cuts me off with a laugh. “Nonsense. Mom loves having her around. As we speak, they are both in the kitchen making chocolate pancakes.”

I smile despite everything. “That’s Anya’s favorite.”

“Oh, we know,” Mabel says warmly. “Anya’s been singing about it all morning.”

The image makes my chest ache with fondness. “Thank you for having her. I’m coming to get her in about an hour.”

I have no idea how far we even are from the city right now.

Mabel’s tone shifts, becoming more serious. “Are you okay? Are you… with Andrei?”

I let out a heavy sigh and lean back against the headboard, pulling the blanket up to cover myself. “Yeah. I am.”

I tell her what happened, how Andrei said he’s been looking for me for four years, how intense he was when he found me. I leave out the sex.

“Wow,” Mabel says after a moment. “He sounds… intense.”

“Yeah,” I reply quietly. “He is.”

Flashbacks from last night flood my mind, the way he looked at me, the way he touched me, the way he made me fall apart over and over again. My cheeks heat up.

“Have you told him about Anya yet?” Mabel asks.

“No.”

“Are you going to keep it a secret? Don’t you think it’s time you told him?”

I blink, stunned. “Have you lost your mind? If I tell him, he’ll never let us leave. I don’t want this life for my daughter, Mabel. In less than twenty-four hours of being near him, I’ve already been shot at. And now he’s saying I have a target on my back just because I was seen with him.”

Mabel sighs. “Yeah… I get the picture. So what are you going to do?”

I rub my forehead, anxiety twisting in my stomach. “I have to find a way to leave and get back to New Jersey. I just… I have to figure out how to convince Andrei to let me go.”

The line stays quiet for a moment.

“Be careful, Rosie,” Mabel says softly. “He doesn’t sound like the kind of man who lets go easily.”

“I know,” I whisper.

Mabel’s voice softens. “Let me know how I can help, okay? Whatever you need.”