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“No.” He sets his mug down with a quietthud. “You told me you were scared. You told me you were looking for your mom. That’s not the same as telling me who the hell you’re running from.”
My pulse spikes.
I grip my fork, forcing my face into something unreadable. “It’s complicated.”
Alex lets out a short laugh. “Yeah, no shit.”
I flinch.
“You don’t trust me,” he says after a moment.
I freeze.
He doesn’t say it like an accusation. He says it like a fact.
A fact that we both know is true.
I exhale, rubbing my fingers against my temple. “It’s not about that.”
His brow lifts. “No?”
I shake my head. “It’s about not dragging you into my mess.”
Alex scoffs. “Too late for that.”
The words hit me harder than I expect.
Because he’s right.
He’s already in this, whether I wanted him to be or not.
I force myself to meet his gaze. “You don’t know what I’ve been through, Alex.”
“You’re right, I don’t. But I want to understand.”
“Trust me when I say you don’t want to know. It’s safer this way.”
He chuckles drily. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I frown. “Then tell me.”
He shakes his head. “If you can’t tell me your truth, don’t expect me to tell you mine. Just know that I want to keep you safe, and I will, no matter what.”
My heart thrums. Alex wants to protect me, but he has no idea what Mikhail is capable of. At least he won’t be able to track me here. That’s a consolation, but I know I don’t have much time. I need to leave town.
The car rumblessoftly beneath me, the heater working just enough to keep the worst of the cold out, but I’m still shivering. I rub my arms, curling into myself, but no amount of warmth will get rid of the dread clawing at my stomach.
Alex drives in silence, his hands tight around the steering wheel.
I know he has questions.
I know he’s waiting for me to break and tell him the truth.
But I can’t.
Not when I don’t even know if I’ll make it through the night. It took a lot of convincing for us to leave Camden in the evening, but only because we’re crashing in a motel a few towns over. That’s okay with me. I have no idea what I’m going to be doing next, though.
The neon glow of a gas station sign appears up ahead, cutting through the darkness.