บททั้งหมดของ The Lost Alpha Princess: บทที่ 361 - บทที่ 370

For a long moment, I didn’t know what to say. Alex’s firm, almost angry tone was new to me. What had he heard about Victor and me to make him respond to me like this?“We’ll be there in a few hours,” I assured Alex. “But I don’t think it’s fair to blame us for everything that happened.”“We will talk about it when I see you,” Alex insisted, but his tone was milder. “Would you like me to send guards to bring you home?”“I think we can get there without help,” I replied.“Then I’ll see you and Victor in a few hours,” Alex said. “Sweetheart, I understand you needed to get away, but the problems here aren’t going away on their own.”“I was afraid after being attacked outside the bakery.” My voice shook with emotion. “We weren’t thinking clearly.”“I understand, honey,” Alex said. His voice had completely thawed. “Why don’t I come to you so we can talk?”“That would be nice,” I said, barely holding back tears.“Let me talk to Victor for a moment, and I’ll be there soon,” Alex assured me. “

The first floor looked normal, but an eerie stillness made goosebumps rise on my arms. The only sound was the staccato beeping of smoke alarms coming from all directions.A wide sweeping staircase rose in front of me. It felt ominous, but the kids were up there, and they were in danger. I hurried up to the second floor, taking two steps at a time.At the top of the stairs, the smoke was thick enough to see it floating lazily in the air. I coughed several times and pulled the neckline of my shirt up over my mouth and nose. It helped me breathe a little better.I forced myself to stay calm and reasoned that the kids must be in a room to my left and toward the front of the house.Hurrying down the hallway, I stopped at each door that faced the street and threw the doors open.“Hello, Piper,” I called. “I’m here to help you and Lane get out of the house. Where are you, honey?”“In here,” the girl's voice said from further down the hall. “Hurry, please. I’m scared, and it’s hard to breathe

The attorney consultation room at Denhurst Women's Correctional Facility is a dismal concrete block room painted gray.The battered wooden tables and chairs are as uncomfortable as they look, and the sound of the metal door locking behind me sent a chill up my spine.It made me wonder how much worse the prisoner’s cells were.The defendant in the child murder case sat across the table from me and her public defender, Allen Cross.Allen is a good lawyer. He cares about justice, but he’s burned out by the misery he sees every day and the unrepentant criminals he is expected to defend.Marlee Krebs is one of his clients. She is accused of poisoning her own baby.Despite being the only one who could have put antifreeze in her seven-month-old baby’s bottle, Marlee insisted she didn’t do it.“You have to help me,” Marlee pleaded. “I would never hurt my baby. I loved Lexi with my whole heart. All I ever wanted was to marry and have kids.”“If you didn’t do it, how did antifreeze get in your

The DA’s knees were an inch from my side. If either of us moved, I would be discovered.“I’m with you,” Diana reminded me. “You aren’t alone. Don’t be frightened, but be ready to defend yourself. Shift if you need me.”“Hurry up,” the other man growled. “You didn’t lose the file, did you?”The desk drawer slid open. “Of course not,” the DA snapped. “It’s right here.”A pair of expensive loafers walked toward the desk. They stopped beside the DA, and I heard the other man grab the folder.If only I could see who he was. But moving out from under the desk was out of the question.“I’ll take care of it,” the man said. “And I’ll make sure that doctor keeps his mouth shut.”Oh no! Dr. Mancini is in danger. I had to warn him. First, I had to get out of this office with my life and show the Public Defender the file.The other man’s cologne was musky and overpowering. My throat began to tickle from breathing the fumes.“Don’t cough, Daisy,” Diana said. “Hold it in. Think about running over th

Victor found me leaning over the railing while I cried.“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked.I shook my head. “Nothing …it’s stupid.”“It’s not stupid if it upsets you like this,” he insisted. “Talk to me, my love.”“Amy wants me to be her maid of honor, and she sent me a photo of the wedding dress she wants,” I said. “It’s the same dress I chose for our wedding that we had to cancel.”Victor nodded and held me close. “That’s not stupid. Why don’t you tell Amy that’s the dress you chose? I’ll bet she’ll pick another dress because she loves you.”“I don’t want to spoil her wedding,” I insisted.“Sweetheart, you can’t be her maid of honor if everything about her wedding makes you cry.”“I know,” I agreed. “Being jealous of Amy makes me feel terrible. But I can’t seem to stop.”“Talk to her about it,” Victor advised. “Amy will understand.”I hiccuped. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow morning. We meet for coffee after our first class of the day.”“Now, come to bed,” Victor said.“Or we could g