Page 36 of To Keep

He was bare-chested in just those joggers. Galen slipped on an elaborate black body holster over his head. It held two guns and a bunch of ammo.

“What’s wrong?”

“One of my security alarms was tripped. Stay here until I get back.”

Then he left, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Had Petrov or his henchmen found them? Was it too late to escape to the safe house? They should have left when they had the chance. They were going to die because they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

Skye jumped out of bed and rooted in the closet for another bag. She didn’t have much here, but she packed all her essentials and several changes of clothing. She got dressed and even put on her socks and running shoes, tying them tight. If he came back upstairs and told her to haul ass, she’d be ready.

She paced the room, back and forth, her nerves on edge. What if they killed Galen? She’d be easy to murder without his protection. Hopefully it was quick. She didn’t think she could handle being raped or tortured.

He was gone for so long. She listened at the door, trying to hear voices or the sound of a scuffle—there was nothing but silence and more silence.

When she heard heavy footfalls running up the stairs, she nearly fell as she backed away from the door. There was nowhere to hide. She was paralyzed with fear and a complete clumsy mess.

The door swung open.

Skye screamed out loud, the bloodcurdling sound foreign to her own ears.

“Shit! You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” she said, slumping down onto the edge of the bed. “My imagination tends to run a little wild.”

“Relax, it was just a stray cat. There’s no sign of Petrov’s men, but we should head out soon.”

She grabbed her bag and followed Galen.

Chapter Nine

Galen had many safe houses up and down the country, and even more spread out across the world. He never allowed himself to stay in the same place for too long. In his experience, it was how men like him died. They became complacent. They believed they were infallible. He’d learned from their mistakes. He’d killed a lot of men for making those very simple mistakes and he’d promised himself he never would.

Without knowing Viko’s endgame, he wasn’t willing to take a risk with Skye. Galen chose his safe house near the water. It offered multiple avenues of escape if Viko made a not-so-favorable decision about Skye’s life.

This time he didn’t cover Skye’s face at any point during the journey. She was free to see where they were going. For the first time in his life, he felt trust, a deeper connection, and that was an unusual experience for him. He wasn’t used to feeling that way about anyone.

It was simple for Galen. In order to survive, he didn’t trust anyone. It was how he’d lasted so damn long in his shit life, and it was how he would keep lasting. Only now there was a huge difference—he had a reason to live, and someone to protect.

He typed in his code, along with his fingerprint, to gain access to his safe house. Driving into the underground garage, he pulled on the parking brake and turned to Skye.

“We’re here.”

Silence set in immediately. Although his nerves were slightly on edge, he felt positive about the direction of his life. Choosing Skye had been the right decision for him. He was at peace.

“I’m almost afraid to ask how many safe homes you have.”

“A lot.”

“Wow. I know what you do is dangerous, but how do you handle it? The running, the danger…”

“I’m used to it. I’m good at what I do and I don’t make mistakes.” He opened his door, climbed out, and went to the trunk of the car, grabbing their bags. Now that they were safe again, Galen found that he could focus. Breathe. Viko would have known where to find him, but now they had a few days before he needed to move on. Until Viko gave him a firm answer, Galen knew he had to keep moving, changing tactics, figuring out what the plan would be. He wouldn’t let Skye know everything playing in his head. There were some things about his life and about her own, she didn’t need to learn. He’d take care of her, that was all she needed to know. He didn’t want her worrying for nothing.

“How do you keep track of everything you own?” she asked.

“I’ve been doing it for years.”

Skye followed him as he made his way through to the main house. It wasn’t big, but it was modern and comfortable. This house led out onto the water and he had a boat that was already fully stocked in the event he needed to make a break for it.

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