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I never dreamed that Nik would actually leave, and I was a bit perplexed that he did, especially after what he viewed as an active threat against me. He couldn’t stand Arkadi Mikhailov. The horrible scene at the restaurant was evidence of that. Just thinking about it brought back the burning embarrassment, so I pushed it aside. It wasn’t like there weren’t plenty of other things to stress about, and being dragged from my workplace when I had been trying to keep the peace wasn’t high on the list at the moment.

I had other things to worry about. Namely, my control freak of a husband. Being trapped in this apartment, no matter how luxurious, was no different than being trapped at Nik’s compound. He had only brought me here to further isolate me, since no one except whoever was on their way to intimidate me into staying in my room knew I was here. He just up and left me all alone without so much as a backward glance, all in his need for revenge.

It was while I was stewing about being left alone that it hit me. I was alone. For the first time in weeks. No one watching my every move, no one to keep me from leaving. This might be my one and only chance to get out.

Giddiness washed over me, almost taking me out at the knees. There was no time to think or doubt if I would attempt this.

I could still feel the warmth of Nik’s strong chest from the hug I gave him before he left. That had probably been a stupid idea, but I had to make him believe I was on board with his plan to keep me locked up and hidden away at the slightest hint of danger. Maybe the threat was real, but life was full of dangers. What if I got into a fender bender one day? Was Nik going to ban me from all cars?

I couldn’t keep living this way. It was time to run. Now, while I still had a chance.

A few precious minutes had already passed as I stood in my room, waiting for the sound of the door. Any second now, the guard could burst in and put an end to my plan.

What plan? I was acting totally on instinct, jumping around like a scared rabbit as I rummaged through every drawer in the place. The apartment was maddeningly unlived in, with a sparse few changes of clothing in the master bedroom closet, some socks and t-shirts. Nothing useful.

I did find a satchel that was probably used for laundry and stuffed a few bags of chips into it, along with a bottle of water. At the last second, I abandoned it with a manic sob, not wanting to be weighed down. I wasn’t heading for the desert, for goodness’ sake, just away from here.

The kitchen drawers had basic utensils, and I was about to give up my search in disgust when I hit pay dirt. Flinging open the last drawer, a crumpled wad of twenty dollar bills and a credit card lay on top of a pile of envelopes, seeming to have a glow around them.

I snatched them up and hurried out the door, fully aware that I had wasted at least three more valuable minutes. The money wasn’t much comfort when Nik’s men could have been about to appear on the other side of the elevator doors when they slid open.

The seconds ticked by in my head, and my skin prickled as I waited, finally giving up and taking the emergency stairs. At any moment, someone could see me on one of the cameras that taunted me on every landing, but I kept running down the steps. Heart pounding from exertion and nerves, I’d be no match for anyone waiting to grab me once I emerged.

Nik would have certainly alerted anyone who worked at the building to keep an eye out for me, and it went without saying that they were all getting kickbacks from the Fokins if not outright working for them.

Shocked that I made it to the lobby at all, I swore to find I’d have to walk through it to get to the underground garage. The private elevator would have been a direct journey, but I was too spooked about the guards who might have been on their way up. They might be realizing I wasn’t in the apartment right now, so I had to keep moving.

If only I didn’t look like I was fleeing from demons and breathing like I’d just run down sixteen flights of stairs. I smoothed my hair and tried to calm my heartbeat, then casually pushed my way out into the lobby, as if I was just trying to get in a workout.

In my chef clothes. At ten o’clock at night.

Sure enough, as soon as I was in view of the doorman, he called out, asking if I needed any assistance. So much for strolling out the front door. I saw right through his friendly, concerned facade and turned, wildly making a break out the back doors. This led me to a shockingly clean alley that dead-ended in one direction and emptied out onto the street in the other, which would put me in direct view of whoever else was in the lobby.

Before the doorman could catch up to me, I ducked in through another set of doors that led down to the underground garage. At least I could hide among the cars, and crouched down, slowly making my way toward another exit.

Oh God, what if Nik was still in his car, making phone calls? It would be just my luck to run straight into his arms. The amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins was beginning to make me feel sick, and that thought was almost more comforting than terrifying.

After a few minutes of skulking around in the garage, I made it out to the street. No time to breathe a sigh of relief, I tore through the night, keeping to the shadows.

I had no plan, and less hope.

Would I ever be able to find someone who would go against Nik’s powerful family? Did I even want that? Maybe it would be smarter to go back and pretend I never left. If the guards had arrived, I could try to pass my late-night flight off as needing fresh air. Would they buy it, or would Nik finally be furious with me for going against him?

He had been reasonable before, and if he really did take care of Arkadi once and for all, maybe we could live a normal life. Ha. A normal life of being locked away in a tower, away from all perceived threats. I could just as easily choke on a bite of carrot at work than anything else. Was he going to stop me from working? Oh, right, he did just that.

A rush of anger renewed my ability to keep moving and as I fought through my confusion, I saw I’d made it quite a distance from the apartment. Had no idea where I was, but I’d gotten around ten blocks away. So, now what?

I didn’t have my ID or my phone, but I knew my parents’ numbers by heart, so I could probably ask a convenience store clerk to use a phone. I could already hear my mom and dad’s voices in my imagination as I tried to explain what in the hell I’d gotten myself into.

They’d scoff and tell me they knew all along that I’d screw up and fail, but they certainly wouldn’t refuse to help me out of this forced marriage. Would they? I would have rather eaten ground glass than find out, and wasn’t quite that destitute yet.

Wait, I wasn’t destitute at all. I had a pocket full of cash and a credit card. Tucking myself into a secluded area near a closed newsstand, I counted out a total of a hundred and twenty bucks. The card had the name Maxim Fokin, and might not work. If it did, I’d be trackable, but the most important thing was getting further away from the apartment. The guards had to know I was gone by now and would have split up to look for me in every direction.

Getting the skin prickling feeling again, I jogged until I was on a busier street, finally able to hail a rare cab.

“Address?” the driver asked, not noticing or caring that I looked like a fugitive.

Without thinking, I blurted out Khoroshiy, my safe haven and the one place I had any control over my life. Just thinking about being there calmed me down considerably and I relaxed into the seat to try to formulate my next steps. I was prepared to use the card for this ride, but then I’d have to ditch it to keep it from being tracked further. Nobody who was still at the restaurant would know that I wasn’t supposed to return, or at least I hoped not. If anyone batted an eye, I could play it off somehow and pretend I was there to close up the kitchen, as usual.

Stealing from Khoroshiy made me want to throw up, but what other choice did I have? Except for what I’d just swiped from the apartment, I had never so much as stolen a pack of gum before, and taking from a place that meant so much to me made the bile rise even more. It was like stealing from family.

That made me think of Nik’s family. Once they accepted that I was there to stay, they rallied around me and showed me support. The wives had welcomed me as one of their own. Mila had become a friend, tirelessly planning my wedding and treating me like the sister she thought I was. Those people were how I had always imagined a family should be. Even when they disagreed, they had each other’s backs. They had my back— or they would until they realized I’d taken what was theirs and left their brother in the dust.

My resolve began to crumble. A thief and a betrayer of trust.

Except, I had no choice. From the very beginning, I’d never had a choice. Until now.

What if I didn’t steal more cash and run away, but calmly went in and helped close up like nothing had happened? Everything would be fine and after Nik returned from taking care of Arkadi, he would see that I didn’t need to be locked away. That plan didn’t have me doubled over with guilt and fear. Instead, I felt empowered.

So, keep running for my freedom, or pretend nothing was wrong and seek the sanctuary of my kitchen?

The taxi pulled up beside the restaurant’s parking lot, and I handed him the card. I was too distracted by my two incompatible plans to worry if it was going to work. It did, and he handed it back to me, eager to get back on the road to find another customer.

I stood behind the gray brick wall hiding the parking lot from the street and looked at the discreet, backlit sign over the restaurant’s front door. The velvet ropes leading to the valet station were still up, and I smiled, remembering how fancy I thought that was when I came for my interview.

That seemed like a million years ago. A lifetime ago, when things were simple and, my main worry was being able to pay both my culinary school loan and the electric bill in the same month. Turning away, I headed through the parking lot to go in through the back entrance. No more reminiscing; it was time to make a decision.

Except I didn’t get the chance.

“Hello, Emerson.”

I froze, recognizing the voice but not believing it was possible. It was. Arkadi stepped out from behind one of the few cars still in the lot. My eyes cut behind him to the door, thirty yards away. He moved to block my path, holding out his hands.

“I just want to talk.”

I shook my head, still eyeing the door. Somehow, I didn’t believe him.