Page 39 of The Tower

"You want out?" he asks. "Are you for real?"

The expression on Tom's face hardens, and he nods solemnly. "Yes. That's why I'm here. So Stu can get me out. And I know you've been working with him, too. I knew you'd come here, to save her, if I told you that the Covey is after you."

Keane gasps with disbelief. "You lied to me? You told me the Covey was after me so I'd come here?"

"Yes," Tom confirms, nodding. "I wanted to see you. You and I, we've worked together on so many missions, and I know that both of us have long been ready to get out of that damn misery."

"But neither one of us ever said a word."

"Damn straight. Because—"

"Because you don't get out alive," Keane finishes his sentence.

"Well, we'll prove them wrong, won't we?" Tom says, a weak smile appearing on his face. "Seriously. I'm fucking done working for these assholes. Especially after the way they treated Jered."

A dark and sad silence sets between them, making me feel awkward and like a disturbance. Both of these men look hurt, deeply hurt and troubled, marked by a life that neither of them asked for. A life I can't even begin to imagine.

"Will you be okay?" Keane asks. "Do you know where to go? Do you have the money?"

Tom laughs, raising his hand in an appeasing manner. "Don't worry about me. I'll be all right. But I needed to see you again, man. I needed to know that you'll be okay, too."

He casts me a suspicious look from the side.

"I'll be fine," Keane assures him, obviously trying to pull his attention away from me. "We will be fine."

He turns to me, casting me a warm smile.

"Won't we?"

Even from afar, his affection hugs me like a warm security blanket, soothing me. Telling me everything I need to know.

That everythingwillbe okay.

Epilog 1

Keane

~ Three months later ~

The redwood forests have always intrigued me from afar. They promise serenity and rest, a retreat far away from life as I know it. I had a clear picture in mind when I set up my getaway plan.

I saw myself, living in secluded tranquility, chopping wood for the big ass fire stove that becomes vital in fall and winter, sipping on a good bourbon, watching all the movies that have been piling up on my list, and only interacting with other people if I absolutely had to. I always knew it wouldn’t be my life forever, but it was what I craved when the Covey still had its hold on me.

When they still owned me.

They no longer do.

But things didn’t go the way I’d planned them out. Libby was thrown into my arms, quite literally, and her appearance turned everything upside down. Including the final destination of my getaway plan.

It’s still the same cabin, encircled by giant redwoods that tower over the house with an overpowering self-evidence that some would perceive as daunting. I’m still chopping wood, and that fire stove really did turn out to be a lifesaver.

But now, a girl stands on my porch every single morning, turning and rotating her wounded shoulder as she slowly fights her way back to health. I took her to the local hospital shortly after we got up here, testing both of our new identities once again and fearing for the worst while she got a thorough checkup. It had been a long drive, and an even longer flight before that, and a lot of hassle on even the strongest men.

But Libby once again proved herperseverance. She has been fighting ever since our feet touched the ground after jumping off the roof that night. Her strength and determination have always impressed me, and I'm pretty sure they're the main reason she's already back to where she is now.

That, and the fact she still insists on bracing the cold morning air, even now when it has become almost unbearably cold.

"You'll catch your death!" I warn her from the door, the warmth of the fire stove comforting my back while my face is hit with the piercing cold outside. Libby is wearing tight yoga pants, a thick tracksuit top, and a scarf and a wool cap, but she still looks like she must be freezing to death in these temperatures. She has been working out, her cheeks glowing and her bright blues eyes sparkling as she turns around to me.

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