a ghost she couldn't shake. She adjusted her scarf, tugging it high to cover the purple bloom on her cheek-a souvenir from last night's argument over Mia's bedtime. Her stomach chur

and a fluorescent bulb flickered overhead, buzzing like a trapped fly. Tina's hands twisted together as she approached the desk, her

ice was gruff, like he'd said i

ords out. "I've got a friend. Her h

to come in herself and file a complaint. If she's got b

ld hear it. "But what if he's got money? Can he

eah, he could post bail. Depends on the judge, the ch

y'd bend for him, or they'd break. She pictured his smirk, the way he'd tilt his head and say, "You're mine, Tina," like it was a law

ps, a woman drowning. The police were a trap, not a lifeline. Enzo would bribe his way out, threaten a few necks, and come home with bl

n bed, the mattress creaking under her slightest shift. Enzo's snores rumbled down the hall, steady as a train, but her ears strained for

r the bathroom sink-clothes, cash, Mia's stuffed bunny zipped inside. She crept down the hall, boards groaning faintly under her weight, and slipped into the bathroom. Her f

t into her shoulder as she hoisted it, her other hand clutching a smaller bag-passports, tickets, a new life in a zip-lock sleeve. She took a step, and the small bag slipped, thumping sof

bed. Mia slept curled up, her tiny chest rising and falling, lashes dark against her cheeks. Tina's throat tightened-she looked so peaceful, so untouched by the sto

d, lips grazing her forehead.

ng her hip, and edged into the hall. Each step was a tightrope walk-slow, deliberate, her socks muffling the sound. The living room stretched ah

planned it all: the cat call signal, the car ready to peel out, the tickets to a city Enzo couldn't reach. Tina's chest swelled-fear, yes, but

e. A shadow loomed behind her, fast and brutal. Fingers sank into her hair, yanking her back with a force that ripped a gasp from her lungs. P

, eyes glinting with a rage she knew too well. "You stupid little-" He didn't finish, his