Page 69 of Grave Intentions

"Never." I press a kiss on her forehead. "You're stuck with me forever, baby. No force on earth could tear me away from you now."

She smiles, tracing my jawline with her fingertips. "Good, because I love you more than anything, Talon Voss. Even when you're being overprotective and possessive."

"That's just part of my charm." I capture her hand and bring it to my lips.

"I wouldn't have you any other way," she murmurs, already drifting toward sleep.

I watch as her eyes flutter closed, her breathing evening out. Holding her like this, feeling her heartbeat against mine, I know with absolute certainty that everything I've done has been worth it. Every dark deed, every violent act—it all led me back to her.

42

LENA

Isit at my kitchen table, reading the headlines about Richard Wilson's disappearance on my cell phone. The words blur together as Detective Chen's business card catches my eye for the hundredth time. He's been calling daily, asking the same questions with increasing suspicion.

"We need to leave." Talon's voice breaks through my thoughts. He stands by the window, scanning the street below.

"They're watching the apartment." My fingers trace the rim of my coffee mug. "I saw an unmarked car this morning."

"David vanishing was one thing. But Richard?" Talon moves behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders. "They're connecting dots we can't afford them to connect."

The weight of our actions presses down on me. Every knock at the door sends my heart racing, and every phone call could bring out whole world crashing down.

"I could transfer," I whisper, thinking of the acceptance letter from the University of Texas sitting in my drawer. "Start fresh somewhere else. I got accepted to the University of Texas."

"Austin would work. Big city, easy to blend in." His thumb traces circles on my neck. "We could leave tonight. I've got cash, new IDs..."

A police siren wails in the distance, and I tense. Talon's grip tightens protectively.

"What about Mrs. Wilson?" The guilt gnaws at me. Despite everything, she'd been kinder than Richard.

"She'll survive." Talon's voice holds no sympathy. "But we won't if we stay here. The cops are building a case, Lena. They've interviewed your classmates about David. They know about our connection."

He's right. With each passing day, the noose tightens. The questions get more pointed, and the stares are more suspicious. My carefully crafted responses feel thinner and more transparent.

"Pack light," Talon says, kissing my temple. "Only what we absolutely need. We'll get new everything in Texas."

I nod, my decision made. Boston holds too many ghosts, too many secrets buried in shallow graves.

I stuff clothes and essentials into a small duffel bag, my hands shaking with each item. The apartment feels different now—every shadow holds a threat, and every sound could be approaching footsteps. Talon moves silently through the rooms, methodically erasing traces of our presence.

"Leave the phone," he instructs as I reach for it. "They can track it."

The hours crawl by like years. We sit in darkness, watching the street below through a gap in the curtains. The unmarked police car remains stationed at the corner, its occupants probably drinking coffee to stay awake.

At eleven thirty, Talon's hand finds mine in the dark. "The night shift change happens soon. That's our window."

I nod, though he probably can't see it. My heart pounds so hard that I worry the cops might hear it from the street.

Minutes tick by. The surveillance car's headlights finally flicker to life, and it pulls away from the curb.

"Now," he whispers, handing me my mask and hoodie.

We can't risk being picked up by cameras. Once my mask and hoodie are in place, the hood drawn up, we move like ghosts through the building, taking the back stairs to avoid the lobby cameras. We emerge into the alley behind the building. Talon's car sits three blocks away, parked in a blind spot between security cameras.

My legs feel weak as we walk, trying to appear casual. Every passing car makes my stomach lurch. But we make it to his vehicle without incident. The engine purrs to life, and Talon pulls onto the empty street.

"Don't look back," he says as we pass the city limits sign. "Just keep your eyes forward."

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