I plop onto the couch, still catching my breath a bit. “Can you imagine going back in time and telling junior-year us that in a few years we’d be comparing our buildings’ penthouse elevators?”
She lets out a snort of a laugh, but she frowns as she says, “Or talking about how you’re planning your escape.”
That wipes the smile off my face. Angie senses the mood shift right away, coming over and easing onto the couch next to me.
“I don’t know,” I say. “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.”
“What was it you said? All that matters is keeping your babies safe, and you’re not sure if Sasha’s up to the task? There have been too many attempts on your life so far, Gabs. It’s just pure luck that you’ve escaped all of them. Your luck is bound to run out.”
Guilt washes over me. Those were my words, and I still believe them. But I hate that I do.
“It’s not that I think he doesn’twantto protect us. Hell, he wants it more than anything. I think it’s just that no matter what he wants…”
“He only has so much control over what happens.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah. He keeps me locked up in the apartment all day. What if Peter’s guys get up there? Theyhaveto be planning for it.”
She nods somberly. “You’ve got to do what’s best for those babies, even if it means leaving.”
I shift in my seat, thinking about the journey ahead.
“What’ve you packed?” she asks, nodding to my comically large purse.
“Not a lot at all. My passport, my wallet, a couple of changes of clothes, some medical stuff. That’s it. A bag any bigger would make Bogdan suspicious.”
She shakes her head. “He’s not going to be happy about this.”
Betraying Bogdan really does rub me the wrong way. Hopefully, Sasha doesn’t chew him out too hard when he learns what’s happened.
Angie leans over and opens my bag, going through it. “So this is it. You’re out. Like, out-out.” She rises suddenly and leaves the room.
“Hey, what’re you?—”
She’s gone before I can finish, returning with a few small items in her hands. “You didn’t pack toothpaste or floss. Come on, girl—you need to take care of those teeth.” She slips the stuff into the bag and re-zips it.
“Thanks.” I sigh. “Yeah. Out-out.”
“What’s the plan?”
I shrug. “Like, barely a plan. I’m going to sneak out of here, take an Uber to the airport, then buy a one-way flight to Rome.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Rome?”
I nod. “Never been. And I took a little Italian in college.”
“Oh, so you’re basically fluent.”
I cringe. “It was the only city that had one-ways still available.”
“Throwing a dart at a map, more or less. Then what?”
“I ditch my phone at the airport, leave, and I don’t know. Teach English?”
“Got to admit, Gab, this isn’t the most solid plan in the world.”
“I know, I know. But it’s the best I could come up with on such short notice. But I’ve got some money to live on, and the important thing is that my babies will be safe. That’s all that matters. I can’t raise them in this life.” I sweep my hand toward the window, as if Chicago encompasses everything I want to leave.
“He’s going to come for you, you know. He’ll track you to the ends of the earth. I’ll have to lie.”
