Chapter 15

Keelan

W e drove in silence for the rest of the day. As night fell, Sadie drifted into a fitful sleep, her head wedged between the car window and the passenger seat. I offered her a rolled-up sweatshirt as a pillow, but she told me to go fuck myself and let her go home. Once she was asleep, I turned on some music, allowing Sleep Token’s slow, melodic sounds to soothe my nerves. At least her sleeping gave me some time to think about my next move.

Before I left Burbank, I had planned the entire trip, mapping out the route, identifying specific gas stations, and even picking motels where we’d put our heads down each night. So far, everything had gone as smoothly as I needed it to.

I hated the risk of staying at motels, but thankfully, this next stop wasn’t a motel at all. It would give us some seclusion. We were headed to a family-owned property an hour southwest of Cleveland, about eight minutes off the highway. There was a car there, as well, so it would be easy to switch out this one.

Though the family lived and breathed the business, they wanted a place away from it all. We didn’t use it much, maybe twice a year, mainly in the summer. Gavin reminded me that although the Ohio cabin was vacant, a cleaning crew came monthly to keep it in good shape. Those they hired also maintained the property, trimming trees and clearing the deck of leaves each week.

Right now, I could use some food, water, and clean towels for a shower. This place was perfect.

We still had several days of travel before reaching Los Angeles. After that, I could finally retrieve the box her brother, Patrick, had hidden before his death. Taking Sadie back home was the only way I knew how to protect her. Something dangerous was happening, and she was in the crosshairs of bloodshed. Before I could brood on it further, I shifted in my seat, and a sharp pain in my lower back derailed my thoughts. I groaned.

Fucking hell, I need to stretch my legs.

I squinted at the faded road signs on the highway, searching for our exit—Spring Valley Road—just a few miles away. I shifted again, trying to ease the pressure on my spine. Driving from California to Vermont was going to be fucking murder on my back, old injuries reminding me of their existence. Luckily, now that I had retrieved my prize, I could take more breaks from driving.

Right as I reached for the water bottle between Sadie and me, my phone rang, and I picked it up, holding it to my ear.

“Where you at, Kee?” Gavin asked, followed by a yawn.

“Hey, Gav. We aren’t too far from the cabin. After Sadie’s boss spotted this car, I’m hoping that old Camry is still running, so we can ditch this one and take the other.”

“Fuck. How the hell did that happen?”

I sighed. “Just bad timing. Sadie’s boss showed up the morning I grabbed her. He spotted the car while working on the power box. By now, the cops have probably been to her place, and he’s already given them the description. You think the keys are inside the house?”

“Yeah, we never take them out of the junk drawer in the kitchen. Dad said that the car was used when they stayed there last June. So, it should still work and have gas.” There was a slight pause before he added. “Oh, and don’t forget to remove the license plates and replace them with the ones I gave you. Don’t leave anything behind.”

“Got it.”

There was another long pause.

“Kee,” Gavin started. “Has Sadie been giving you a hard time?” I flipped my blinker on and exited the highway. We were almost there.

“That’s an understatement of the fucking century. Sadie’s been fighting me since we left the house. Very ungrateful, I must say.”

“Ah, come on, Keelan. You did kidnap her from her hiding spot.”

He wasn’t wrong. I had taken Sadie from the only place she had ever truly felt safe, maybe the only sanctuary she’d ever known. But guilt wouldn’t help me now—I had to swallow it down and keep with the plan.

“Have you told her yet?”

I frowned. “No, and I don’t plan on it until we get closer to Burbank, and she has nowhere to go if she makes a run for it.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Alright, keep your guard up. Enemies are making moves. Don’t get caught. ”

Shit.

“Yeah,” I said. “I gotta get going, but I’ll call you again at the next stop.”

“Okay, good luck, Kee.”

As I flipped on my blinker to turn left onto the next road leading to the property, Sadie began to stir, and I could tell she was getting stiff from sitting for so long.

Almost there, baby.

It took us about ten minutes to reach the property. It was so dark now that I had to flip on the high beams to see where I was going. Once we reached the driveway, I turned off the car and stepped out but paused to look at my surroundings. The only sounds were the whispers of nature: the gentle ripple of water stirred by the breeze, the soft rustle of swaying trees, and the distant hoot of an owl. The air was sharp and cold, promising a frost was imminent. I took a deep breath, allowing the clean, free air to cleanse my lungs and shake some of the exhaustion out of me. I knew there were other homes surrounding the lake, but I didn’t see any lights on. We were completely alone as the rest of the town slept.

I walked over to Sadie’s side and opened the door. She’d be much more pleasant to scoop up and place right under the sheets, but I needed her help to carry the stuff to the house and then hide the Ford in the carport.

“Sadie, wake up,” I said, giving her a poke in the shoulder. “I need you to walk.”

“I’m awake,” she said, turning to her side. “Please don’t make me get out yet.”

Jesus .

“We’re here,” I said, reaching inside the glove box and pulling out the pocketknife I usually carried on my belt strap.

I brought it to the plastic ring around her wrist. She flinched away, but I ignored her, pulling the zip tie up from her skin and cutting her free. The skin underneath was red as if it had been burned. Sadie must have been trying to cut the plastic for a few hours while she pretended to sleep to avoid speaking with me. Irritation boiled over as I grabbed her sore wrist gently so as not to press into her wounds.

“Listen carefully, princess. Don’t attempt to pull a fast one on me while we’re here. We may be in the middle of nowhere, but I’m a fast runner. Please don’t do anything to draw attention to the neighboring homes around the lake, or I will make you regret it. Understand?”

I reached over, slid my arm in front of her stomach, and unbuckled her seatbelt. “What are you doing?” she asked frantically, slapping at my arm as I scooped her up. “Let me go!”

“Well,” I said, grinding my teeth while she continued to slap at me. “If you don’t walk on your own, I’m going to have to throw you over my shoulder until we’re on the porch.”

She stared at me, her jaw going slack, as if she couldn’t believe I’d behave like a caveman.

I would.

“Fine! I’ll walk,” she said, giving me a light slap on the shoulder that I barely felt.

I smiled as I set her down next to the car and looked into her eyes. She craned her head, her stubborn face scrunching up.

“What is this place?” Sadie asked, her gaze turned away from mine as she took in our surroundings. A vast lake stretched around the open space before us, its surface faintly lit under the moonlight. Beside us, the family’s wooden cabin was barely visible, with all the lights off.

Thick trees hovered over the property like silent sentinels, towering pines blocking any view of the outside world besides the lake. Even the main road had vanished from sight, leaving only the wilderness to embrace us.

“Byron bought this land when Gavin and I were kids,” I said, glancing around the secluded area. “It’s safe enough for us to crash here tonight, but there’s something we need to take care of first.”

“Like what?”

“Well, after your little stunt with Mason and him spotting this car, we gotta ditch it. There’s another car parked on the property that we can take, so we need to get everything out of the Edge.”

Sadie didn’t respond, but I could see in her eyes that she wasn’t listening. She was too preoccupied with contemplating an escape route.

Sneaky little thing.

“We’re all alone out here, honey,” I said, and her eyes, icy with rage, met mine again. I had to say, her sass was pretty adorable.

If it wasn’t clear by now who was in charge, she just got herself a rude awakening when I crossed my arms tightly over my chest and said, “If you don’t cooperate and do everything I ask, I’m going to throw you on this hard dirt road and fuck you from behind until you can no longer walk.” Her jaw dropped again, and she looked at me in stunned silence. “No one will hear you scream.”

After taking one step back, Sadie looked around again and swallowed. “Fine,” she growled. “Psycho.”

With a stubborn snarl, dramatic stomp of her feet, and door slamming, Sadie helped me gather all the bags and drop them by the porch steps. I made her get back into the car, and we drove around the cabin to the carport in the back.

Once we pulled under the expansive metal canopy, it took me about ten minutes to remove the license plates and gather the last few items from the trunk.

I put the plates inside my backpack and went to the Camry, covered in a green plastic tarp to repel the elements. I had Sadie help me remove the tarp and cover the Edge, securing it with the bungee cords. Even if someone came around and saw the car, they wouldn’t know it was the same vehicle Mason reported to the cops. I made a mental note to toss the plates in the lake in the morning.

“Alright, that’s taken care of,” I said, wiping dust on my jeans.

I let out a breath of relief and looked over at her. She still had her eyes on the tarp, shivering from the cold. “What … what now?” she asked, turning to me.

“Now,” I said, looking over my shoulder at the cabin, “let’s get inside.”