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MIA

I don’t look back.

If I do, it’ll be over. I won’t be able to go through with it. So I force myself to walk away. One foot in front of the other, like I’ve done for so long.

Just like Ginny said: Running away—isn’t that what I do best?

We climb into the car. As the engine roars to life, Maksim steals a concerned glance my way. “Are you certain about this?”

No. “I am.”

“Pardon my insistence, but you don’t sound it.”

I take a deep, centering breath. He’s not wrong, but I can’t show weakness now. Yulian isn’t here to be the boss, which means I have to be. “It’s the only way. Kallie needs us.”

He grits his teeth at that. I can see his loyalty to Yulian warring with his love for my best friend. “You won’t be able to come back from this, you know.”

“Neither will you.”

He doesn’t contradict me. If there’s one thing Yulian doesn’t take kindly to, it’s betrayal. Maksim may not have been in on my plan, but he didn’t exactly stop me, either. None of us are innocent.

Especially not me.

My hands are shaking. I look at them and expect blood. Earlier tonight, I took a life. Shot a man three times, watched him sink into the bay. Didn’t even try to save him.

I’m a killer. A murderer. I broke my oath, became something I swore I’d never be. I did harm—intentionally.

I can’t have Yulian kill Brad for me, too.

His blood would be on my hands. Regardless of who pulled the trigger, I’d know I was responsible.

And Brad isn’t Desya. He isn’t a rampaging psychopath with a chip on his shoulder and countless bodies on his nonexistent conscience.

He’s a garden-variety abuser, an asshole and a liar, yes, a bad man, but he never killed anyone.

Granted, the bar’s never been lower, but it’s still something.

Bradley Baldwin may be the worst piece of shit who’s ever lived. He may have made my life miserable for five years. He may have hit me, terrorized me, and chased me to the end of the earth.

But I’m not him. I have to be better than him. I owe it to my son.

I owe it to him not to kill his father.

I stare at the text Brad sent after his call. A location pin, one I know well. He must be truly sick—to pick that of all places. Yet another way to torture me.

“Can we…” I swallow thickly. “Can we stop somewhere on the way?”

Maksim frowns at me from the driver’s seat. “Will you be long?”

“No.” I shake my head. “We won’t even need to go in. I just… I need to see him.”

Realization dawns on his face. Wordlessly, he takes a right instead of a left.

We don’t speak the whole way over. I lose track of time. It’s taking all I’ve got just to hold everything in, to not let myself break down. What I’m doing is dangerous. It’s risky, and desperate, and there’s a high chance it’ll go wrong.

But if it goes right, I’ll have saved two people tonight.

No— three.

I touch my hand to my belly. My daughter is there, sleeping soundly. She has no idea I’m about to risk both our lives.

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby girl.

Mommy’s gotta do this.

We pull up in front of my parents’ place. The Upper East Side is pristine as always. Not a single lamppost flickering, not a blade of grass out of place.

I find Eli’s window. It’s the room Mom had made up for him, full of toys and crayons and star stickers on the ceiling.

I feel a sob coming on, but force myself to choke it down.

I want to go inside and hug him so badly. Kiss him goodnight one more time, take in his laughter and his smile and his Cheez- It smell. I want to impress every detail of him into my mind, so I’ll never, ever forget.

Instead, I swallow my tears and rasp, “Let’s go.”

Maksim silently pulls back into the street.

After a few minutes, I find my voice again. “Maks. I need you to promise me something.”

“Of course,” he says. “Anything.”

“Keep him safe.” It comes out in a half-choke sob. “If—If I’m not around?—”

“Mia, don’t talk like that.” He sounds sincere. “Yulian will be around. He may be done with both of us after tonight, but he won’t be done with him.”

I shake my head. “As long as Eli is in New York, Brad will find him. And if Brad—if he crosses Yulian, then he’ll—he’ll—” I force myself to breathe and calm down. “I don’t want him dead, Maks. He’s horrible, but he’s Eli’s father. I just don’t… I don’t want him to be able to hurt Eli again.”

Maksim nods grimly. “Alright. I promise.”

“And… help my family out, okay?” My voice cracks at the edges. “Don’t—Don’t let them struggle again. Not because of me.”

“They’ll be taken care of. I swear.”

“And the other thing we talked about, too?—”

“Mia.” He reaches out and squeezes my hand once. “I’ll take care of it. All of it. You have my word.”

“Thank you.”

We don’t say anything else on the way over.

Finally, after what feels like hours or days, we pull up in front of the hospital. My hospital, in Brownsville.

The car rolls down the ramp to the underground parking lot. It’s eerily empty. I’ve never seen it like this before. I wonder how much Brad offered to the hospital’s administration to rent it out for the night. He’s always had way too much money to throw around.

I see him at the end of the parking lot. A pressed cream suit, an arrogant grin, the body language of someone who knows he’s won.

Then I see someone else.

“Kallie!”

I throw myself out of the car and rush over to her. She’s tied up, hands and feet bound, gagged so she won’t be able to scream. The gorgeous sari she was wearing earlier tonight for our celebration is all dirty, covered in floor dust.

I may not want to kill Brad, but right now, I’d punch his daylights out without a second’s thought.

Brad steps between us. “Not so fast, sweet thing.”

“Let her go,” I say, “or I swear?—”

“What? You’ll call your big, bad boyfriend?” He glances theatrically around the lot. “I don’t see him.”

Of course he’s not fucking here, I want to yell. I drugged him to save your ungrateful ass!

Though that’s not quite how that went, either. When I stepped out onto the balcony, part of me was holding out hope we could work this out together. That we could handle it like a team.

But then?—

“I need you to trust me.”

“I don’t think I can.”

Then I was left with no choice. There’s a lot I’m willing to bargain with, but Kallie’s life isn’t it.

And neither is my son’s future.

While I’m grinding my teeth into dust, Maksim steps out of the car, gun drawn. “How ‘bout you worry about the boyfriend of the woman you kidnapped, you piece of shit?”

“Maks, no?—”

“He hurt my girl,” he snarls. “He?—”

“He’s gonna let her go.” I place my hand on Maksim’s and gently lower his gun. “Isn’t that right, Brad? You’re gonna let Kallie go.”

Brad’s face goes pale at the sight of the gun, but he stands his ground. “Why should I? I don’t see Eli.”

“It’s not Eli you want.” I take a step forward. “It’s never been him. Isn’t that right?”

“The fuck are you talking about?”

It sickens me to do this, but I swallow it. There’s no room for pride here—not with Kallie’s life at stake.

I move closer. Make my voice softer, warmer. “It’s me you want,” I purr with a hint of seduction. “It’s always been me, hasn’t it?”

Brad’s throat bobs. He doesn’t answer. Instead, his gaze darts down to not-my-eyes.

I force down the disgust that makes me feel and reach for his tie. I play with it, the way he liked back then. “You win, Brad. Here I am. You got me. So let my friend go free.”

A slight flush creeps up his neck. “That wasn’t the deal.”

“It’s the new deal.” I breathe those words softly on his alcohol-soaked lips.

“You’re not made to be a father, Bradley.

Changing bedsheets, telling bedtime stories?

Parent-teacher conferences and child psychologists’ appointments?

” I force myself to laugh. “Believe me. I’ve been playing that game for five years. It’s a losing one.”

“And yet, you went to court to battle me.”

“Yes.” I tighten my grip and pull, just slightly. Just enough to make him want it. “Because I liked the man on the other side of it. You know me, Brad—I just can’t stay away.”

It works like a charm. “So, what?” he demands, a little too breathless for indifference. “You’re ditching your own kid?”

“He’s got his grandparents now. No reason we can’t have a little bit of… fun.” I stand on my tiptoes and speak the next part into his ear. “Don’t you want it to be like before?”

I can tell I’ve almost got him now. “What about… that?” he rasps with a hateful look at my belly.

“Yulian wants her.” It’s the first thing I’ve said that isn’t a lie. “Once she’s born, let him take her.”

It costs me everything to say it. Every single goddamn thing. But right now, I can’t afford to think about myself. I’ll do what I have to do.

For both my children.

“Okay.” Brad jerks his head towards Kallie. “Get the girl before I change my mind.”

Maksim rushes to her. He’s got one eye on me, though—always guarding me. “Hey,” he says to Kallie, pulling off her gag. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“No!” she screams. “You can’t do it, Mia. He’s a monster! You can’t?—”

“Kallie, please.” I bite down my tears. “I’ve made my choice.”

I can’t lose you. That’s what I really want to be saying. Please, don’t make me lose you.

But Brad can’t hear me say that. He can’t suspect I’m lying to him. If he gets even a whiff of my true heart, he’ll go after Eli next. He’ll never let him be free.

And I need him to be free.

I need us all to be free.

“No!” Kallie starts thrashing in Maksim’s hold. “No! Mia!”

But he drags her away. Like we always planned. Kallie’s safety—that’s the mission. That’s the goal. I’m secondary.

We exchange one last glance over his shoulder. There’s worry knitted all over Maksim’s tattooed face. Second-guessing, third-guessing. He really doesn’t want to do this, I realize.

But he will.

Because he loves her.

And as he drives away into the night with her, I finally let out every breath I’d been holding.

“Congratulations,” Brad says, too close for comfort. “You’ve saved your little friend.”

I’ve saved everyone, actually. From you. “A happy bonus.”

“You always were such a good actress.”

His words make me freeze. But I know Brad’s anger, and he doesn’t look angry. If anything, I’d say he’s… impressed.

“I wasn’t acting,” I say. “I meant it.”

“Hmm. We’ll see.” He starts trailing a finger down my neck. The contact makes me shiver with horror. “Now… whatever shall I do with you?”