Page 24

I balanced my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I shoved my arms into my jacket. My mom’s voice crackled in my ear, completely oblivious to my struggle.

“Are you taking your vitamins?” she asked.

I sighed, hopping on one foot as I tried to get my shoe on. “Yes, Mom. I am taking the vitamins.”

“The good ones? Not the cheap ones that just dissolve into nothing in your stomach?”

“Yes, the good ones.” I grabbed my bag and checked for my keys. Not in my pocket. Not in my bag. Not on the counter. Fantastic.

What was it with damn keys not being where they were supposed to be?

“Are you drinking enough water?”

I shoved my hand into the couch cushions, praying my keys weren’t lost in the abyss. “Yes, Mother. I am drinking enough water.”

“Not just coffee?”

“…yes.” To be honest, my caffeine intake was pretty decent. I properly balanced caffeine, water, and healthy smoothies.

There was a long pause on the other end, and I could hear the doubt radiating through the phone.

“Hazel.”

I sighed dramatically. “Fine. Maybe mostly coffee. Sometimes. But it has water in it, so technically—”

“Baby girl, that is not how that works. I have told you time and time again that too much caffeine in your system is bad for your health.”

“Yes,” I groaned. “Yes, Mother. I hear you.”

“And Nathan?”

It took everything in me not to scream at that moment. “I told you, Ma, we broke up. Well, I broke up with him and—”

“So what? You two were as close as two peas in a pod for eight years. There must be some communication—”

“There is someone else in the picture, Mother.” I didn’t even know when I’d practically yelled that into the phone.

Before my mother could jump on the moving train to investigate every detail until she knew this mystery man’s favorite color, I triumphantly found my keys under a pile of mail and snatched them up.

“Okay, Mom, I love you, but Elena is waiting for me, and if I don’t leave right now, she’s going to text me a long list of reasons why I’m an unreliable friend. Love you, bye!”

I hung up before she could launch into an unrelated lecture on caffeine addiction and the new man in my life before throwing open the door—then immediately ran back inside to grab my phone, which I had, of course, left on the counter.

***

I met Elena at our usual spot, a quiet café tucked between towering buildings, the kind of place that I secretly loved for intimate outings. She was already seated by the window, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, eyes lighting up the second she saw me.

“You couldn’t pick anywhere else but a coffee shop?”

Elena grinned from cheek to cheek, standing to give me a tight hug before taking a chair out for me. She adjusted the scarf around her neck. “What? Wipe that fake frown. I know you love it. I thought it would be cliché and chic to have this serious conversation you urgently wanted to have. ‘ Oh, Elena, the most unimaginable happened, and I need to talk to you, or I might die,’ ” she mimicked. Or at least tried to.

“I sounded nothing like that.”

“Are you sure? I have a recording,” she laughed, shifting her cup of coffee aside to fold her arms atop the table. “Better hope to God it’s important, Haze. I canceled two dates to be here.”

“Two dates, Elena? How do you manage these things? It’s barely dusk.”

“Who says dates have to be at night? And yes, two. I met one on Tinder and the other in the grocery store. A brunet and a blonde. Better safe than sorry, you feel me? But, before you go into the lectures, it’s casual. No sex, just talk.”

“Your life is always buzzing with fun, isn’t it?” I tried to make it sound light-hearted, but I slackened. “Lena, I’m in a mess.”

“Talk to me, Haze. I promise, I’m keeping all the jokes aside. I’m here.”

Leaning forward, I sucked in a deep breath, and when I released it, it went with all the information I’d been dying to tell Elena. For months, I’d needed someone to confide in and wasn’t sure of spilling any beans before trying to untangle the complications myself.

But the complications had formed into a more tangled web, and I realized dealing with it myself was pointless.

So, I told her everything, from the first day Miron walked into my office to the night at The Tavern—which made her gasp because she remembered—to the private session at his penthouse and learning about Nathan’s New York girlfriend.

“That cheating virgin bastard!”

I laughed. “You can’t imagine how heartbroken I was, Lena. I was torn to shreds, but….” I dropped the first bomb, revealing that Miron and I had sex barely an hour after I learned of Piper.

Elena’s jaw dropped, almost hitting the floor. “Girl, what ? Tell me, was it good? How does he look down there?”

“Shh, someone might hear you.” I looked around the café. Thankfully, no one paid attention to our hushed noises. “I’m telling you, that was the best night I’d had in a while.”

“Haze, that was the only best night you’ve had in your entire life.”

“Shut up.” We laughed, and I gave her more details about the times I tried to avoid Miron after that night, from the subsequent sessions to the surprise at La Vine, and finally, the most crucial information: the dangers surrounding him.

Intentionally leaving out details of the bloodied men, his father, and the Russian Mafia, I hinted that he worked for powerful people and was expected to marry the daughter of one of those men, and there was, of course, my job to think about. Amelia was still in the dark, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the truth came out because neither Miron nor I were ready to let each other go.

Elena sat back on her chair, firstly reaching for her coffee before mumbling, “Shit, Haze. You’re in a serious mess….”

“Repeating the problem doesn’t solve the problem.”

“You didn’t let me finish.” She beamed. “You’re in a serious mess, but from everything I’ve heard, you and Miron can get through whatever hurdles there are.”

I scoffed. “Elena, wake up and smell the coffee. This is real life.”

“But I am awake, Haze, and I am smelling the coffee, literally. I’m telling you, there’s serious chemistry here. It’s giving ‘Level One’ attraction.” I laughed when she’d used the exact word Amelia did to describe him months ago.

“So, you like him?”

Shyly, I nodded. “I really do.”

“You’re saying he’s not bad for you; he makes you feel good.”

Well, to be honest, I wasn’t sure Miron was one hundred percent good for me either. He was like an addiction I couldn’t get enough of—a drug I almost couldn’t resist.

Instead, I told Elena, “Yes, I believe he’s great for me.”

“Then, what is the hesitation for, Hazel? My dear friend, you deserve to be happy. No hate here, but I always thought what you had with Nathan was borne from convenience. I mean, I don’t like to admit it; he was a good guy. Smart, good-looking, great personality, and all, but Haze, you guys were better off as friends. This spark you have with Miron, I’m certain that it will give rise to something more glorious than you can imagine.”

Elena kept talking, trying to encourage me to give this thing with Miron a chance. While I listened with rapt attention, the conflicting emotions continuously nagged. My mind reeled at the impending dangers that could come with accepting Miron completely, and I couldn’t shake off the foreboding feeling that something bad would happen.

And soon.

***

We stayed in the café for more hours than we’d planned because, apparently, we had more catching up to do. After lots of talking, we saw the pink hues in the skies and picked up our bags to go home. Knowing Elena, she was going to sleep at my place for the night without asking first, so I bought extra brownies and two cups of mocha before leaving the café—because she had a weird obsession with drinking coffee at night.

Elena and I walked side by side down the quiet street, the evening sun casting long shadows along the pavement. The air smelled of freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery, mingling with the faint scent of gasoline from passing cars. She was talking about an animated series and some new artist causing a frenzy when she stopped and pointed to a small convenience store ahead.

“I just remembered I need to grab something from that shop.”

I hesitated, eyeing the bustling crowd gathered near the entrance. “Sure, I’ll wait out here,” I said softly. “There are too many people.”

She gave me a knowing look but nodded. “All right. I’ll be quick.”

As she disappeared inside, I took a deep breath, somewhat grateful for the moment of solitude. Miron occupied my thoughts for most of the day and the girls’ time out with Elena. I loved Elena, but I needed some space to breathe and think for myself, and now looked like the best time to do it.

The hum of the city blurred into the background as I let my thoughts drift. My phone buzzed in my bag, and I lowered my head to search for it. Then, suddenly, the sharp screech of tires shattered the peace. Before I could turn, a black van pulled up fast beside me.

Panic shot through me like a lightning bolt, and my mind was going into a system overdrive. “Elena!”

I took a step back, screaming, “Elena!” but it was too late. Strong hands grabbed me, rough and strong, yanking me off my feet. A cry escaped my lips as I struggled, kicking, clawing at my captor’s grip. It was no use. The van door slammed shut, and the darkness swallowed me whole.

The air inside smelled of leather and something metallic, sharp, and cold. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might shatter. I didn’t even bother holding back the tears; I let them pour as fast as they wanted.

“Elena!”

“Miss Sinclair, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person. Does fucking your clients come with the job description?”

My heart sank at the sound of a woman’s voice. Breathless, I blinked against the dim interior, trying to focus. Then, my blood ran cold.

Across from me, staring with unreadable eyes, sat the woman with angry brown eyes and jet-black hair falling like ink below her back: Alina. Miron’s fiancée.

She tilted her head slightly, lips curling into a ghost of a smile. “Well, well, Hazel. Judging by that look in your eyes, I guess you already know who I am. Great, we’ll just skip the introduction.” Her voice was smooth, almost amused. “But you disappointed me out there. What, no fighting skills? Nothing? That was easier than I thought.”

My stomach dropped, realizing what this was. I had been kidnapped. And whatever future I had dreamed of with Miron, this woman looked ready to make it a living nightmare.

***

When the van stopped, a brawny man shoved me out, roughly dragging me by the arm into the night air, which was thick with silence, the kind that pressed against my skin like needles. Alina’s men led me deep through the woods, where even the moonlight struggled to reach, to what looked like an abandoned house.

My heart pounded as Alina stood before me, arms crossed, her gaze sharp enough to cut. “Welcome to your new home.”

She moved aside, and they pushed me inside the house, grabbing my hair and yanking me through the dusty, empty space toward a chair positioned at the corner with ropes dangling on the rim. “Tie this bitch up!” she barked at the men and glared at me like she couldn’t wait to kill me. “You really have no shame, do you? Breaking apart something that wasn’t yours to begin with.”

Guilt twisted in my chest. I knew this day was coming, when I had to face the reality of the betrayal against her. I just didn’t know it would be today. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I never meant for things to spiral like this. But how could I fight something that had already taken root in my heart?

The men pinned me to the chair, harshly wrapping the ropes around my body, spiraling the twines so hard that I struggled to breathe.

“I didn’t—” I swallowed hard, choosing my words carefully. My life was hanging in the balance; one wrong word and I was done for. “Listen, I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be. I’ve been where you are right now; I know what the rage is. I’ve felt it. So, I get it. But I promise, I never set out to ruin anything. It was Miron who came to me. He’s the one who—”

I barely had time to react before the sharp sting of her palm cracked across my cheek. My head snapped to the side, pain blooming across my skin, burning.

“Don’t you dare,” Alina hissed. “Don’t you dare make it sound like you were powerless in this. You’re a fucking woman! Talk like a woman who knows she had the fucking voice to say no. He came to you, and so what? You accepted him, melted in his arms, and charmed him enough to call off his engagement?”

Oh, crap. Miron called off the engagement.

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn’t powerless, but I also wasn’t the villain she saw me as. I had fought against this feeling, denied it, and buried it beneath guilt. But Miron—he had pulled me under anyway, and I let him.

So she was right; I accepted him, melted into his arms. But I didn’t charm him; he charmed me. Swept me off my feet in the craziest way and made me fall hard.

And even sitting here, knowing that she could be the last person I would ever see, I felt no regret.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not because I thought it would fix anything but because it was the only thing I had left to give.