Page 147 of The Bratva King

I set the note on the desk where he’ll find it easily. Then, I move to Luke’s room. I pull his backpack from the closet and pack carefully. I only have so much space. I wish I could take it all, but I have to choose what will comfort Luke the most wherever we end up next.

I zip it up and look around his room. I grab his stegosaurus and blanket. He carries them everywhere, so no one will think twice.

I check the time. Nikolai left an hour ago with Pasha. Olga and Mila are out. I carry my purse stuffed with one pair of underwear, the money I managed to save, the tablet, and clothes for Luke. Thank God, he’s small. A few pairs of shorts and some tees take up little space.

I walk back to the sensory room. Kylie looks up and smiles. I hate that I’m doing this to her, too. She’s been good to us. All of them have.

“I need to run to the store.” I smile. “Just a few things. I’ll take Luke with me. He’s been cooped up.”

“Want me to come?”

“No, stay. Enjoy the quiet.” I wave a hand. “We won’t be long.”

She nods. “We’re planning a swim later.”

“Sounds fun.”

I peer into the entrance of the canopy. Luke lies on his belly, studying the dinosaur book from earlier.

“Want to go to the store with me?”

He hesitates. “Okay.”

Now, to get past the guards. I take Luke’s hand and walk to the garage. A guard falls into step behind us. I knew there was no way I could hop into the Mercedes and take off. This is what Nik’s protection looks like.

“I’d like to go to the grocery store,” I tell him.

He hesitates briefly, then speaks into the radio clipped to his collar. A few minutes later, Luke and I are in the back seat of an SUV, with a driver and another guard up front. I’m trying not to look nervous, but I’m pretty sure I’m failing.

Inside the store, I grab a cart and start tossing in random items while the guard follows behind us. I stop near the hall leading to the bathrooms.

“Can you watch this for me?” I ask. “I need to take Luke to the bathroom.”

“I should follow.”

“To the women’s bathroom?” I raise an eyebrow. “It’ll be two minutes. You can see the hallway from here.”

I know he won't force the issue. Nikolai gave clear instructions when we first arrived at the estate: No one touches me, no one blocks a door, and no one raises a hand unless my life is in danger. Security is supposed to watch, not control. Even with everyone on higher alert, I’m counting on that now.

I purposely choose the bathroom on the opposite side of the store. We’ve made enough emergency trips that I know the layout. More importantly, I know there’s a rear service door past the bathrooms that he can’t see from where he’s standing.

We walk past the bathroom and through the rear service door, where there’s almost always an employee smoking. I don’t stop. We walk straight to the bus stop just as it’s pulling up.

This is why I pay attention.

Luke sits pressed against my side, his blanket pulled up to his chin even though it’s a hundred and four degrees outside and the AC on this thing is barely functional. He doesn’t complain; he just watches the city slide past the window.

I do the same. We ride for nearly thirty minutes, the flashing lights and tall buildings shrinking behind us until the view is mostly warehouses, tired strip malls, and wide stretches of asphalt.

He trusts me enough not to ask where we’re going, and the thought makes me sick.

I refuse to think about Nik’s reaction when he gets the call from our security guard. I hope someone sees the note before he thinks something happened to us.

We get off the bus on Boulder Highway, in front of a faded motel with half the letters burned out on the sign. Beside it is a pawn shop, a check-cashing place, and a gas station with bars over the windows.

I take Luke’s hand, and we walk toward the motel. He doesn’t ask where we’re going.

The woman at the front desk barely looks up. Her eyes go to the cash in my hand, and that’s all the identification she needs. Two nights, paid in advance. She slides a key across the counter. Room twelve. Ground floor.