11. Mel

"Mel, have you seen my—" Annie stops in my doorway with a stunned look on her face. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," I state flatly, folding my clothes and tucking them into my duffle bag.

"You can't go now," she insists, her question forgotten as she enters my room. "You heard Gleb. It's too dangerous." Annie throws the flap of my duffle closed, forcing me to pause my packing.

"You can't stop me," I snap, bristling as I brush past her to keep packing.

I know my anger is misplaced, and I can see it in the fear and hurt that flashes across her features. Annie's been nothing but kind to me. She's just trying to show me she cares. But after my argument with Gleb this morning, I'm overly defensive and wound too tight to be reasonable.

"Why, Mel? We're safe here. Besides, where else would you go?" Annie's small voice and trembling chin awaken a sliver of guilt in my chest.

"I don't know," I admit. "Somewhere far away. I'll figure it out as I go, but I can't stay here."

"Why?" she presses, sinking onto the bed and grasping my hands to pull me down beside her.

Sighing, I drop my head, staring down at our linked hands. "Because I can see the warning signs, Annie. It's time for me to go, before it's too late."

"What warning signs? Too late for what? You're speaking in riddles, Mel. Will you please take a minute and talk to me?"

"I mean the signs about Gleb. I thought he might be different, but he's just like the rest of them."

"Did something happen between you two?" she asks, paling slightly as her brown eyes widen.

"Yeah," I murmur, around the knot that's been strangling me since Gleb left this morning.

"But he's always been so careful with you—with all of us. I can't believe he would… He hurt you?" Anxiety makes her voice climb an octave, and I glance toward the door, hoping it doesn't draw the other girls' attention.

"No. Of course not. He… we…" I swallow hard, trying to find my voice. "We might have slept together last night."

"But, Mel, that's amazing!" Annie gasps. "I knew he had feelings for you, and I thought you might never want to let him in, even though I see the way you… look… at… him…" Her excitement dies, her voice trailing off as she seems to realize she's gotten carried away with shipping me and Gleb too soon. "But you're leaving because you don't want to be with him?"

"That's the thing, Annie. I do want to be with him. I want to be with him so badly it hurts. But the more I trust him, the easier it will be for him to control me. I'm falling into the same trap I always do. I keep handing my life over to domineering men like my father and my uncle. And every time, they end up taking advantage of me. They use my attachment against me. If I let it happen again with Gleb, one day, I'll wake up and find myself in another cage because I was too afraid to take my freedom when I had the chance." My voice breaks, and I press my lips together to stop my emotion from escaping.

"Oh, Mel. Gleb's not like that," Annie assures me, her brown eyes worried. "He would never force you to do anything you don't want."

"You didn't hear him this morning. When I told him I couldn't stay in this house…" I shake my head. "He won't let me leave."

"He's just trying to protect you," she insists gently.

Scoffing, I withdraw my hands from hers and stand. "That's where it always starts, Annie."

She's a sweet girl, and Annie's endured more than her fair share of terrible experiences, but she doesn't know the ugly truth about the world. Not like I do. Some women don't have to find out. And for her sake, I hope she never does. But that doesn't make it any less true for me.

That's why I have to get out.

If I don't leave now, I might not have the strength to leave when I need to.

The truth is, I've never been in more danger of losing my freedom than I am now.

Because my feelings for Gleb are something I've never experienced before. And unlike the traps I've fallen into in the past, this one could easily be a prison of my own making. I won't help him put a cage around me. It doesn't matter what reasons he gives me. It doesn't even matter if he really believes his reasoning. I don't want to take the chance and find out too late that I'm wrong.

Right now, I'm free, and I know my feelings for Gleb could easily lead me down a path I don't want to explore. So I'll find my own way. Even if it's a more dangerous road.

"You're really not even going to talk to him before you go?" Annie asks, tears glistening in her eyes as I start to pack again.

I shake my head. "I can't risk it. He might do something to stop me."

A long silence stretches between us, broken only by the soft sniffles that issue from Annie.

"I'm going to miss you," she murmurs finally.

Heart squeezing, I pause to meet her soft brown eyes. "I'll miss you too."

I cram the last few items of clothing into my duffel bag. The last thing I pack is my manila envelope of headshots and modeling pictures. Many were damaged during our abduction, but I saved enough to make a decent portfolio for wherever I end up. Hopefully, I can find another big break in a different city.

Taking care not to rip the folder or bend my pictures, I zip the bag closed and look around the room. I don't have many worldly possessions. Most of what I do have came from Pyotr and Silvia when they helped the girls and me get back on our feet. I'm leaving behind a few of my bulkier outfits because I don't have the space to pack them in my bag.

I'll just have to replace them when I get where I'm going and find a new job.

"Do me a favor?" I ask as I sling my bag over my shoulder.

"Sure. Anything." Annie stands, offering me a smile despite her watery gaze.

I hand her my cell phone because I have no doubt Gleb could track me with it and bring me back in an instant. Then, separately, I hand her the sealed envelope I'd intended to leave on my bed. "Give these to Gleb when you see him?"

Annie nods. "Of course."

"And… don't tell anyone else I left."

"You're not going to say bye to the girls?" The hurt in her voice suggests that I'll be committing a major offense.

"Will you tell them for me?" I ask gently. "Later, once Gleb finds out I'm gone? I just need a day or two head start. And you're the only one I trust to keep my secret." At least, I hope she can. Not that I expect her to lie for me. And I have no doubt Gleb will question her when he finds I'm gone. But hopefully, he'll be too busy with Veles business to realize I'm missing before I make it out of New York.

"Okay," Annie agrees with a nod.

Biting my lower lip, I pull the fragile girl into a tight hug. "Thanks for being my friend," I murmur.

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.

Especially when my heart is involved.