Page 19 of The Escape Plan

Not quite the ghostly black robes I was expecting…

She then reaches for her chin, grabs the side of her face, and peels off what I now realize is a white mask, revealing none other than Keeley Roberts.

Laughing her pretty face off.

In the blink of an eye, I go from being absolutely terrified to mildly enraged. Which is not a common emotion for me, but the adrenaline coursing through my body is doing all the talking at the moment.

I climb onto the couch and yank the window open.

“What in the name of all that is holy do you think you’re doing?” I demand as I poke my head outside.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. It was just so funny when you screamed and fell off the couch,” she responds, still giggly.

Meanwhile, I’m still livid. “You scared me half to death. I thought you were the banshee!”

She tilts her head, her sloppy black topknot drooping as she does so. “The what?”

“A ghost,” I clarify.

“Don’t be silly, Beckett. Ghosts aren’t real,” she chastises.

“So why were you dressed as one?”

“I had a Korean face mask on,” she says like this explains everything. Which it absolutely does not, because I have no idea what on God’s green earth a Korean face mask is. She gestures vaguely at the ground. “I got stuck on the fire escape so I was hoping Mr. Prenchenko could let me back inside. Totally forgot I had this thing on… my bad.”

She at least has the decency to look a little abashed as she looks down at the crumpled white sheet in her hand. Some kind of fluid drips from it.

I have about a million questions regarding her explanation—and about the disgusting drippy thing she’s holding—but I settle for a simple, “Right.”

Because the jury’s still out for me on whether Keeley Roberts might be a little—alot—unhinged.

“What are you doing in Mr. Prenchenko’s apartment anyway, sleeping on his couch?” she asks curiously. “Are you staying with him or something?”

“I’m house sitting for him for the rest of the summer. You know him?”

“He’s my next-door neighbor,” she explains. Her eyes widen momentarily before narrowing to slits. “Which means that apparentlyyou’remy next-door neighbor now.”

“I love how you say it likeI’mthe one engaging in questionable behavior right now.”

She looks like she’s about to retort, mouth open defiantly. But then she sighs, and the sound is almost agreeable. “Look. I really am sorry for scaring you, but I’m not making it up. I’m stuck out here on the fire escape. I climbed out because I couldn’t sleep, but then, my window got stuck, and I can’t get back into my apartment.”

“You seem to find yourself getting stuck in bizarre places often, don’t you?” I ask. I’m placated, almost smiling, because those big blue eyes look genuinely remorseful. And now that I’m not about to pee myself in fear of my imminent death or dismemberment, I do see the humor in the situation.

Plus, she looks, well…hotin her tight purple tank and silky black pajama shorts. Unhinged or not, the woman is undeniably pretty.

Not that I should be going down that train of thought…

Keeley wrinkles her nose. “Just today,” she says. “For some reason.”

“Want me to see if I can open it?” I offer.

She considers this for a moment, then nods. “Please.”

I push the window open further, but still practically have to fold myself in two to climb out. I shimmy out onto the fire escape as gracefully as I can, and then stand to my full height, looking down at her in front of me.

The metal platform we stand on suddenly feels too small for us both as I become uncomfortably aware of the fact that I’m not wearing a shirt, and she is, once again, wearing next to nothing.

Keeley also seems to be aware of this as her eyes dart over my shoulders, pecs, and torso, before averting hurriedly. “Uh, you have a ring like mine,” she says, her voice a little thick.

---