Page 28 of Twisted Prince

She sniffles harder. “Thanks for being mine. Will you let me know when you land somewhere safe?”

“I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

Nodding against my shoulder, Annie gives me a squeeze and lets me go. “How are you getting out of the house? You think the guards will let you leave?”

The question alone proves the point I’ve been trying to make. And while I imagine no one but Gleb would actually attempt to stop me by force, I don’t doubt they would call him as soon as I walk through the front door.

“About that, I was hoping you might be willing to help me escape?” I ask, flashing my teeth in an apologetic smile. “Just distract them long enough that I can sneak out…”

Annie chews her lip nervously. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, Denka’s on the front patio. Maybe you could pull him aside to thank him for coming to get us or something? I just need enough time to slip past him.”

The expression on her face tells me Annie is far from comfortable with the idea.

“O-Okay,” she stutters. “I’ll try.”

“Thanks, Annie.”

We head down the stairs together, me keeping my head on a swivel to make sure no one spots me with my packed duffle. And when Annie reaches the front door, she takes a deep breath. Then she twists the knob and boldly steps out onto the patio.

Staying hidden in the entry, I listen for an opening.

“Hey, Denka,” Annie says, her voice trembling with nerves.

Dear god, the poor girl’s going to blow my cover before she even starts; she’s so bad at lying.

“Everything okay, baryshnya?” he asks respectfully.

“Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I just… wanted to come out and say… well, I just thought—” A sharp yelp cuts Annie off, followed by a clanging thud.

“Annie!”

Denka’s anxious shout has me rising from my hiding spot before I know what I’m doing. I’m halfway out the door when I realize her brilliant distraction. Whether she intended to or not, it appears as though Annie tried to sit on the railing enclosing our front porch and nearly toppled backward into the bushes below.

But Denka has one arm securely around her waist, his back to me as he stops her fall before she hits the ground.

“Sorry,” Annie gasps, grasping his neck and limiting the motion of his head as she gestures over his shoulder for me to run. “I’m so clumsy,” she gushes breathlessly as he hauls her back onto the cement patio.

“Are you alright?” he asks, steadying her when she stumbles.

I don’t wait for her response, but my gratitude is overwhelming as I race as quickly and quietly as I can down the steps and shuffle along the sidewalk without looking over my shoulder.

I take back every snarky thought I’ve ever had about Annie. She might be sweet and shy and ridiculously open-hearted, but that girl’s a genius. I owe her big time. Smiling broadly, I keep walking until I round the corner of the block. Then I take my next left and follow the stairs down below ground to the T. I can ride that to the train station, and from there… well, I’ll just have to see where eighty-three dollars can get me.

That’s what I earned in cash tips from my last shift at the cafe. I didn’t have time to withdraw my meager savings from the bank, and I know better than to use the credit card Gleb gave me for emergencies. It would be too easy for him to track me down with that. Not that I’m sure he’ll want to after he reads the note I left him.

But I won’t take any chances.

Because if Gleb comes looking for me, I’m not sure I’ll have the strength to turn him away.

Leaving him is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Even if I know it’s the right decision, I feel as though I’m leaving a part of me behind. And my chest aches where that hollow wound throbs.

The truth is, in the few short months I’ve known him, I’ve fallen in love with Gleb. I did so long before I slept with him. Probably before he even really knew who I was.

I’ve never met anyone like him, and if I could trust anyone in this world, it would be him.

But today was a powerful reminder that trust is the enemy.

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