Burying Water (Burying Water #1)(93)

I force my jaw to unclench. “Another club. I promised some friends I’d meet them there for midnight,” I lie. I always was a good liar.

“You should reconsider. We have a few extra girls here tonight.”

“Too rich for my blood. I like the low-maintenance ones.”

He stares at me for a long moment, as if weighing the truth to my words. I’m expecting him to bring up the car rebuild he wants me to do, but he only chuckles. “You are an odd one. Have a good night.”

I speed through the crowd without a second glance back.

I’ve been buzzing the gate for ten minutes now and she’s not answering. When I see her run out the front door in her pink coat and head for her car, I know Alex isn’t willing to deal with me here. Not with Viktor in the same city. That’s fine, as long as she’s willing to see me.

I tail her BMW for ten miles, until she finally pulls into an empty park in a wooded area. I’m out of my car and pulling her door open before she has a chance. “What happened?” I demand, taking her face in my hands. It’s even more drawn than before and pale, but otherwise, it’s unmarked.

And yet the fear in her eyes is unmistakable.

“What’s going on, Alex?”

Tears begin to stream down her cheeks. “I’m pregnant.”

Two words, whispered so softly, punch me in the stomach. “Jesus.” I didn’t expect that. I take a few steps back, inhaling the cold air. It’s too cold to be out here without a jacket and gloves, but I barely feel it. My eyes automatically drift down to her stomach, though I can’t even see it, buried within her jacket. “Does Viktor know?”

She shakes her head. “When he heard me throwing up my lunch today, I told him I have the stomach flu. That’s why he didn’t make me come out to The Cellar tonight.”

“I . . .” I struggle for what to say.

“I’m keeping it.” Fierce determination flashes in her glossy eyes.

I nod slowly. Of course she is. I’ll bet she’s going to make an incredible mother, too. I think I’m in shock. In the back of my mind, I keep thanking God that we used condoms every single time we slept together, or I’d be losing my shit right now.

But I don’t bring that up.

“Viktor doesn’t want to be a father, does he?” I remember her telling me that.

She opens her mouth but it only hangs there, whatever words are sitting on her tongue left unspoken as hesitation swims in her eyes. Finally, she says, “He’s never going to find out.” She pauses. “Viktor is always handing me cash. Lots of cash. For groceries and bills and shopping. I’ve been saving it all since I found out. And I’ve been quietly selling off some of my jewelry and designer stuff. I should have enough to cover rent and basic necessities for the next two years, if I live really cheaply. I’m just going to leave a note and tell him that I’ve had enough of his cheating. I can’t risk confronting him and having him hurt me. Not now. A legal divorce will have to come later.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “How long have you known?”

Her steady gaze answers me before her words do. “About a month.”

That night at the restaurant . . . she knew. That’s what she wanted to tell me but couldn’t. “When are you leaving?”

“In the next few weeks, before I start to show.”

As if things weren’t hard enough for her before, now this? I crouch down in front of her. “Are you afraid?”

“Terrified,” she whispers, her eyes searching mine, an unreadable look in them. Like a soft plea, only not quite.

“Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m definitely leaving Portland. Probably Oregon. Viktor can’t ever find out about this baby.”

I don’t blame her. She’d have the ass**le in her life forever, then. Even if he doesn’t want kids, he seems like the kind of guy who would keep tabs on it.

But . . . far away from Viktor means far away from me.

My heart sinks.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I don’t want to drag you into this,” she admits. “I wish things could be different for us.” She sighs and then tunes the radio, just in time to hear a crowd cheer from wherever the station is broadcasting. “Happy New Year, Jesse,” she whispers, saying my name in that way that sends shivers down my back. Leaning down, she skates her lips over mine, the very same hesitant way she did the night I stopped to change her flat tire for her.

I guess some may say that it was the flat tire that changed me.

But, really, it was Alex.

“Don’t go,” I hear myself blurt out. I can’t lose her.

I think I’m in love with her.

“I don’t have a choice.”

“Yeah, you do. Stay with me.”

A sad smile touches her lips. “You know that won’t work.”

“No, not in Portland.” It’s all so clear to me now. “In Sisters, in my apartment. Viktor’s not going to find you there. I know it’s not much, but you said you were happy there. So be there, with me.”

“But . . .” A deep furrow creases her forehead. “What are your parents going to say?”

“Don’t worry about them. I’ll deal with them. The garage is mine anyway.”