“Next time,” I snapped, “warn me.”
“Next time,” he said, stepping close, his voice dropping to a lethal murmur, “kiss me back faster.”
My mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Because deep down, beneath all the rage and defiance, a tiny part of me wanted to do exactly that.
Back in my room, still trembling from the kiss and its aftermath, I snatched up the encrypted phone Misha had given me, part of the “rules” he laid out.
Only permitted numbers. Only supervised calls.
I dialed Gabriela’s private number.
I pressed the phone to my ear, my hands still quivering, the taste of Misha’s kiss lingering on my lips. A storm of confusion churned in my gut. Was he manipulating me? Or had I imagined it all?
Gabriela’s faint voice pulled me back to reality, a sharp reminder that my life was anything but normal.
“Gabriela?” I breathed, my voice low but desperate.
The silence stretched too long, my pulse pounding in my ears. Finally, a whisper broke through the static.
“Luna?” Gabriela’s voice trembled, barely audible, as if she were holding her breath.
“Are you okay?” I demanded, the words coming out too fast. “Is Papa... is he still with you?”
Her voice cracked, a shaky whisper. “I can’t talk long,
She whispered, her voice breaking. “They’re watching me. They know I’m trying to contact you.”
My chest tightened painfully. I swallowed hard, a knot forming in my throat.
“Gabriela, listen to me. I’m working on a way to come back for you. I swear it. Just...”
“No,” she interrupted, voice shaking with fear. “If they know you’re involved, they’ll come for you too. Stay away.”
I froze, the air thick with dread.
“Gabriela...”
“Please,” she begged, her voice quivering, desperate. “Stay away. It’s not safe for either of us anymore.”
And then, the line went dead.
Dead silence filled the room, heavy and suffocating.
I stared at the phone in my hand, my breath shallow, heart pounding, the quiet stretching like a threat.
Something was wrong.
Worse than I thought.
And I was trapped, thousands of miles away, fake-married to a man I wasn’t sure I hated anymore...
Or feared more.
Chapter 7
LUNA
