Page 20 of Secret Bratva Baby
I don’t understand. Why would he take that risk?
I push the door open and peek out into the hall.
I wonder if the front door code is the same as the garage and the gun room? If it is, I’ll unlock it, then run back here to grab Lily—we can escape before he’s even awake.
I hurry across the hallway towards the living room. I didn’t see much of the house last night when we got here, and in my midnight exploring, I went in the opposite direction from the front door.
The living room is big, and off to the left is a foyer that leads to the front door. I explore the edges of the living room, searching the windows and glass patio doors, then the foyer, looking for a keypad for the door. But there isn’t one.
Is it hidden?
Does it only open with a key?
Dammit, I thought this would be an easy way out.
When I don’t find what I need in the foyer, I search the kitchen, wondering if I should take a knife and hide it in my room.
But I roll my eyes at myself. I couldn’t even pull the trigger last night. What am I supposed to do with a knife?
I’m not made to kill people. It’s not in me. And from what I saw—what Luka did to that man outside my home—Luka is far more skilled than I am with a knife, and it would be more of a danger to me than protection.
I should head back to the bedroom before Luka wakes up. I’ll look again when I have a chance, but for now, I think it’s best if he doesn’t see me snooping around, in case he decides to lock our door, after all.
I hurry out of the kitchen, back towards the hallway.
But just as I’m about to turn towards it, I see my purse on the sofa in the living room. It’s partially hidden beneath a throw pillow.
He didn’t take it? I just left it there on the sofa. That means—what if my cell phone is still in there?
I hurry to my purse and quickly open it. Relief floods me when I see my phone tucked away in the side pocket. I grab it and the purse and run back to my room, closing the door behind me.
I rush into the bathroom, looking for privacy to make a call.
There is enough battery life. Thank goodness.
It’s eight thirty. Work has started, and Tania is bound to be in already—and worried about where I am.
Sure enough, there are three missed calls from her and a message from my neighbor, asking what time I’m dropping Lily off today and if everything is alright.
I quickly reply to my neighbor, letting her know I’m taking some time off work to visit a relative, and I’ll see her when I get back. I really don’t want her to worry about me. She’s too old to be put in that position.
Then I dial Tania, my hands shaking as I press the phone against my ear. I have to be careful with the choices I make now. With what I choose to tell her.
“Rose, where the hell are you? You know that idiot boss of ours gets weird when people are late,” Tania whispers into the phone.
“T, I had to go out of the city on emergency family business,” I lie. The thing is, I don’t want her to phone the police and have them come find me—not when my daughter is here with me and in as much danger as I am. There is no telling what would happen to us if I involved the police.
I still want to believe that Luka is a good man and that he will let us go eventually. But if I get the police out here, that will never happen. It might infuriate him to the point of doing something to harm us. It might make him lash out.
It’s not worth the risk to Lily.
“What do you mean? What happened? Is Lily okay?” Tania asks, flooded with worry.
“Yes, yes, she’s fine. She’s with me. She’s still sleeping, actually. Listen, I’ll call you again in a week or so to explain, but I have to go now,” I say quietly, glancing nervously towards the half-closed bathroom door. I don’t know if I can call her again, but at least I’ve bought myself some time.
Through the open door, I see movement, and my heart leaps right into my throat as I hurry to hang up the phone, wanting to hide it. But it’s no good.
Luka has already caught me. I don’t know how long he was standing outside there listening.
