28. Bianca

28

BIANCA

Alexei put me straight to bed the moment we got back to Forest Hills. The car ride back from Greenwood Lake triggered my nausea, and poor Alexei had to keep pulling over so that I could hurl up my guts every fifteen minutes.

He sets me up in my bed with a cold washcloth over my forehead and a mug of ginger tea to try and settle my stomach.

“I need to go into the city, zhizn’ moya .” He perches on the edge of the bed as he wipes at my forehead.

“Do you really have to?” I pout.

Alexei smiles, reaching down to press a kiss to the tip of my nose.

“You’ll be asleep soon, and you won’t even know I’m gone.”

“Will you be back by the time I wake up?”

“I’ll do my best, solnyshka .” He offers me one last quick kiss before getting to his feet. “I’ll see you soon.”

It doesn’t take long for sleep to pull me under. The last few days of nonstop sex has finally worn me out, not that I’m complaining.

A few days alone together, away from the stress of real life, is exactly what Alexei and I needed.

The fact that he’s on board and even excited about the pregnancy has calmed my nerves, and I keep finding myself resting my hand on my lower abdomen, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of the mini Alexei that’s growing inside me.

My phone ringing rouses me from a deep sleep.

I peel my eyes open to find my room in complete darkness, the only light coming from my phone screen on the bedside table. Squinting, I reach for my phone. Zara.

“H-hello?”

“Bianca?”

“Mmm?’ I stifle a yawn as I pull my phone away from my ear to see that it’s almost one in the morning.

“Bianca? I-I need you to come and help me. Please, B. T-there’s this guy—” Zara’s voice cracks, and I bolt upright in bed at the sound of her muffled sobs on the other end of the phone.

“Zara, what happened?”

“Oh, B. It was horrible.”

“What? Zara, what the hell is going on?”

My heart is pounding in my chest as I wait for her to reply. Music is playing in the background but no other sounds come through. “Where are you?”

“I-I’m at Neon. Some guy tried to…he tried to—” Her voice cracks again, but I don’t need her to finish that sentence for me to work out what’s happened.

“Are you somewhere safe?” I climb out of bed and start turning on the lights.

“I’m locked inside one of the stalls in the ladies room.” Her voice is thick with tears. “Please, B. I need your help. I t-think he’s waiting for me.”

“Don’t worry.” I hurry over to my closest. “I’m coming for you. Promise me you’ll stay right where you are?”

“I promise.”

“Okay, good, I’ll see you soon.”

I hang up the phone and get to work pulling on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt.

My hands are shaking as I fumble with the laces of my red converse, but once I’m dressed I decide to quickly call Alexei. He’s already in the city so it’s likely he could get to Zara quicker than I could.

“Pick up, pick up,” I mutter as the phone rings endlessly. “Fuck.”

Perhaps he’s with Dimitri. I call him too, but it goes straight to voicemail.

I guess I have to do this alone.

I pace back and forth across the carpet, chewing my bottom lip as I try to come up with a plan.

Alexei would have asked either Micah or Feliks to stay at the house to keep an eye on me, and there’s no way in hell they’re going to drive me into the city.

“Think, Bianca.” I run my fingers through my hair.

I need to get out of the house, and there’s only one way that I can think of that might actually work. I dart over to my bedroom door and throw it open before yelling at the top of my lungs.

“Help!” I drop to my knees, clutching my stomach. “Help! It’s the baby! Ah?—”

I roll onto my side, screwing my eyes shut.

Within seconds, heavy footsteps trample the stairs.

“Bianca?” Micah calls from the floor below .

“Help me.”

He rushes up the second flight of stairs and down the corridor, where he halts at the sight of me doubled over in the doorway to my room.

“Shit, Bianca, are you okay?” He drops to his knees beside me.

“Call an ambulance.” I reach out to clutch his shirt sleeve. “Something’s wrong.”

“Everything seems to be fine.” The doctor wipes off the excess ultrasound jelly from my abdomen. “But I’d like to keep you overnight for observation just to make sure.”

I force myself to look relieved, though I’m nothing but restless as the doctor tidies away the ultrasound equipment. I had hoped they would take me to the ER, and I could slip out, but I had no such luck. It turns out Micah might overtake Alexei in the race for who’s the most overprotective when it comes to me.

After blue-lighting us all the way to the nearest hospital, I was rushed up to the maternity unit to be checked out.

“I’m feeling much better.”

I glance at the clock on the wall in the examination room and wince.

It’s been almost an hour since Zara called me. If I don’t get to her soon, who knows what might happen. I doubt one door to a toilet will be enough to stop a guy if he really wants to get his hands on her.

My stomach churns. I’m running out of time.

“Even so, I’d like to keep an eye on you both.” The doctor offers me a warm smile .

I wait for him to leave, readying myself to make a run for it the moment the door closes behind him.

But just as I’m about to throw back the blanket covering my legs, Micah opens the door.

“How are you feeling?” He hovers in the doorway. It seems he’s taking his role of babysitter very seriously.

“Better.” I push myself up onto my elbows. “Do you think you could get me some ginger tea from the cafeteria? I’m feeling a little nauseous.”

“Uh…”

“It would really help.” I offer him a sweet smile.

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

I nod, leaning back against the pillow, closing my eyes for a moment as I wait for him to leave.

The moment the door clicks shut, I throw back the blankets and dart over to the chair in the corner where my clothes have been folded neatly, and my shoes and phone rest on top.

I rip off the hospital gown and pull on my clothes, my heartbeat pounding in my ears as I glance at the clock.

I have maybe ten minutes before Micah comes back, and I need to be on my way to the city by the time he finds me gone.

Once I finish dressing, I hurry over to the door and softly peel it open, peaking my head out to check for any signs of a six-foot-seven, tattooed bodyguard. The halls are fairly quiet as it’s about two in the morning, so I sneak out, closing the door as quietly as possible behind me.

I make my way to the elevator at the end of the hall, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure Micah thought better of leaving me unattended and has come back to check on me.

“Hurry up.” I press the elevator button a few more times, knowing it won’t help, but I need to feel like I’m doing something.

The doors ping open, and I step inside, hastily pressing the button for the lobby.

As it starts to go down, I unlock my phone, and a text message from Zara pops up with her location, so I know she’s safe for now, but I don’t like the idea of her being afraid and alone.

I copy the location into my uber app and let her know that I’m on my way.

“Can you wait here for ten minutes while I get my friend?” I ask my driver as we pull up outside the club.

The driver nods, and I quickly climb out of the car.

There’s still a queue, as some people stumble out of the club.

I force my way into the middle of a group of people who are leaving and sneak through the doors, bypassing the bouncers completely.

I look around for the sign indicating the ladies room.

The bass from the music thumps overhead, and it smells of stale alcohol and sweat, making my stomach churn.

I keep myself pressed against the wall to avoid the crowd as I head to where the ladies room is, praying that whoever took a liking to my friend got bored and left.

The doorway is clear, so I get inside.

“Zara? Zara, it’s me.”

One of the stalls clicks open, and Zara stumbles into my arms.

“Oh, B. I was so scared.” She sobs as I wrap my arms tightly around her shaking body, holding her tightly as she cries. “H-he just wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“It’s okay.” I run my hands up and down her back. “You’re safe.”

“I’m such a mess.”

I smooth her long hair out of her face and wipe under her eyes, offering her a reassuring smile.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” I wrap my arm around her waist. “I’ve got a car waiting outside.

“I’m so sorry to drag you out here.” Zara’s still shaken by her close call as we exit Neon . “He just wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“Anytime. I’m just glad you’re okay.” I walk us toward the waiting uber.

“Does Alexei know you’re here?”

I bite my lip, and Zara’s eyes widen. “Bianca, he’ll kill you!”

“If he doesn’t understand I will do anything to help those I care about, then I don’t care what he does. Now, come on, you can come back to the house with me.”

I keep a hold of Zara’s hand as the uber starts to take us back out of the city toward Forest Hills. Every time she sniffles, I give it a squeeze to let her know she’s not alone.

By now, Alexei must know of my disappearance, but I don’t care. There’s no way I would have not done everything in my power to make sure my best friend was safe.

“What the hell is this guy doing?” the driver mutters.

I glance out of the back window, and a pair of headlights is coming toward us at breakneck speed.

“Pull over. Let him pass.”

“It’s probably some drunk asshole.” Zara sinks down further into her seat, closing her eyes.

The driver huffs under his breath but indicates into the next lane, giving whoever this asshole is plenty of room to pass us.

I keep my eyes on the headlights, frowning as it gets closer and closer. “I don’t think they’re drunk.”

Zara sits up and turns in her seat, looking out of the back window. “They’re driving way too steady…”

My heart slams in my chest. “Fuck, they’re heading right for us!”

My breath catches as the huge black SUV comes into full view, racing past us at what must be almost triple the speed limit.

The uber rattles as it passes, barely missing the side of the car.

“Holy shit!” Our driver swerves, which almost sends us crashing into the safety barrier.

“Oh, my god.” I clutch my chest.

If they had been so much as an inch to the right, they would have hit us.

“You girls okay?” the driver glances over his shoulder at us.

Zara points straight ahead. “Look out!”

The SUV swings around and starts accelerating toward us, their headlights on full beam to blind us.

“Break!” I cry as the driver swerves, but it’s too late.

The SUV barrels into the driver's door sending us crashing into the interstate barrier.

Metal crushing metal rings in my ears as I jolt forward, my seatbelt choking me as I slam against it.

Tires screech, and I glance out of my window.

The SUV is backing away, the front of the car mangled but still drivable.

For a moment, time seems to stop, and all I can hear is the sound of my labored breathing .

“Zara?”

“I-I’m okay.”

Relief washes over me at the sound of her voice.

I shakily reach for my seatbelt and undo it, wincing at the pain in my neck as I glance sideways at Zara.

There’s a large cut on her forehead and blood in her hair but other than that, she looks okay.

She looks around. “W-what about the d-driver?”

I lean forward to find our driver with his head buried in the airbag. His door is completely crushed, and I fear I already know what I’ll find when I climb through the center console and press two fingers to his neck.

“I-I can’t find a pulse.”

“Oh god.”

“It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.” I move back to my seat. “W-where’s your phone? Call 911.”

But Zara’s eyes have gone wide as she turns to look at me. “B… Do you smell gas?”

I take a deep breath and almost choke as the smell of fuel hits my nose.

She is taking off her seatbelt and looking around. “We need to get out of the car. Now .”

“Climb out the back window.” My throat feels raw from where the seatbelt cut into it, but at least I’m alive.

There’s broken glass everywhere, and my palms are bloody and stinging as I crawl through the back of the car onto the trunk. “We need to get away from the car.”

I reach back to pull Zara through.

We stumble away from the wreck, glass crunching beneath our feet.

Every muscle in my body aches and blood drips down my hands, but I don't care .

All I care about is getting both of us as far away from the wreck before it explodes.

A huge BANG rings in our ears, and the car goes up in flames.

We dive to the floor, wrapping our arms around our heads.

I think I cry out as a wave of heat cascades over us, but theworld around me is a giant ringing in my head as my thoughts go to the driver we left behind.

Zara sobs, wrapping her arms around me. But I can’t hear her, I can’t hear anything but this loudannoying ring.

I shake my head as Zara’s lips move. She is talking.

I shake my head, trying to clear it.

“I can’t hear anything,” I scream, trying and failing to hear myself. Have I gone deaf?

I can’t worry about it now. Reaching out, I hold Zara’s hand. “Come on. W-we need to m-move.”

My throat is raw, and I have no idea where we are or how to get out of here, but then Zara is sobbing. It starts as if it is at the end of a tunnell, but it gets clearer.

I am not deaf. Relief is momentary.

We were so close to death.

My legs are shaking, and it’s taking every ounce of energy I have to climb to my feet.

“We need to call 911.” I pull Zara with me.

As we turn, my knees almost buckle at the sight of a man holding a gun pointed straight at my chest, the mangled SUV behind him.

“I’d get into the car if I were you.”