Chapter 35

Sadie

M y body ached from the pounding in my head down to the rope burns on my ankles. I placed my fingers over the wound on my lip, where the skin split when Brian hit me. With my eyes closed, I tried to escape into my thoughts—anything else to distract myself from what had just happened.

I didn’t want to think about how the one man I thought I was safe with, after escaping my family, would hurt me the way he did. Brian betrayed me in the worst possible way. He manipulated my trust and made me believe I was with someone decent, only to shatter it with the ultimate deception. Yes, Keelan hid so much from me, but he never hid who he was. He was always honest about how far he’d go with brutal violence to survive. I knew from the beginning what he was. After all that, there was one thing I was certain about .… Keelan would never hurt me . Not like that. He would never strike me out of anger. He would never mark my body with such hateful wounds .

However, there was something that surprised me: Keelan was willing to work with Brian despite how much I knew he wanted to kill him. If it meant protecting me, he would bury that part of him so that I’d be safe. That was, if Brian was telling the truth. If he betrayed us again, Keelan and I would be ripped apart, with Keelan either in prison or in a body bag.

“Sadie.” My mother’s soft voice broke me from my thoughts, and I looked up. Reaching her hand for me, she gently intertwined her fingers with mine, squeezing them tightly. Her left arm was in a makeshift sling, the cast cracked and dirty. Mom would need to have it repaired. “Gavin’s taking me someplace safe for now. You’ll stay with Keelan until the meeting. Okay?”

I shook my head, tears burning in my eyes. “I don’t want to leave you,” I said. “Just stay with us until all this ends. Please.”

My mother shook her head back. “You know I can’t. Your father was so close to killing me a few nights ago, Sadie. If he finds out I’m helping you now, I’m dead.”

She was right. There would be no mercy if Dad realized she escaped and helped us. Right now, with me back in town, he would do everything he could to silence the both of us. We were the only ones who could dismantle his entire empire and bury him in the rubble.

Those files were the one thing standing in his way of complete dominance. Once he had what he wanted, I was disposable.

“What happens after this?” I asked. “Even if they arrest Dad, you’re not safe. There are too many players in all this.”

Aisling removed her hand from mine and placed it on my cheek. “I’ll find somewhere to hide, too. For now, you and I will have to leave each other. We won’t be able to make contact for a while. But someday, I will find out where you are. I will leave a code for you that no one else can read. Patrick was smart, Sadie. I have to believe that he knew that all of this would disappear someday. The only two people he ensured to survive were us. I’ll leave the code with Gavin. Okay?” She rubbed her thumb over my skin, wiping away tears. “When that day comes, he’ll send it your way, and I’ll meet you on some beach on a remote island. We’ll put our feet in the sand and drink cranberry cocktails. Deal?”

I smiled weakly and gave her a subtle nod before she dropped her hand. “Deal.”

Gavin walked to the door, touching my mom’s shoulder. “Alright, Aisling. There’s another car waiting for you at our meeting spot. Time to go.”

“I love you, Mom,” I said quickly as she went to turn. We never said those words in our family.

Her smile was faint when she looked over her shoulder. “I love you, too. You’ll make it out of this. You’re protected by the one man I trust for you. He’ll keep you safe.”

She was right. I trusted Keelan with my whole heart now. But there was still the worry that one wrong move and I’d lose him all over again. This time, it would leave a hole burned into my heart that would never heal.

After Mom climbed into the car, I watched Gavin pull a black bag from the trunk and hand it to Keelan. They exchanged a few words I couldn’t hear, and Gavin walked to the driver’s seat to take my mother somewhere safe. Keelan waited to come inside until they had driven down the road.

“Come on, Sade. Let’s get inside. ”

The house we had arrived at belonged to neither of the families. It was a beautiful white Victorian-style house with black shutters and a white picket fence in Angelino Heights. It was the kind of home I had dreamed of living in someday. The only thing missing was a wrap-around porch where I could relax while reading a book.

Gavin wouldn’t tell us who owned it, but he assured us we’d be safe there. Even Gavin had to keep his secrets to protect everyone involved.

Once inside, we placed our bags down, and I looked around. The furniture looked outdated yet clean, with walls covered in light purple-textured wallpaper and gray sheer curtains covering the windows.

Keelan wrapped his arms around my waist before I took another step into the hallway. The feeling of his warmth and security was everything I needed then. We were away from the danger for now, and as I took in the surroundings, I felt a fleeting sense of relief wash over me. We were out of that storage building; I was no longer being hurt, and we were safe.

“Do you want to wash up?” he asked, and I silently nodded. “We have to clean your tattoo again.”

He reached out and took me upstairs, finding the bathroom at the end of the hall.

The bathroom was smaller than I expected, given how massive the rest of the interior was, but there was a tub. It was vintage cast iron, white, and had bronze legs on each side designed like lion’s paws. It was positioned under a round window, giving us the perfect view of the sky. There was also a narrow glass shower with a rainfall showerhead and bronze fixtures. Keelan opened a cabinet to the left and found fresh towels for us. He grabbed a thick navy blue one and placed it on the hook connected to the glass shower wall.

He turned on the water, checked the temperature, and returned to me. Immediately, I lifted my arms so he could pull my shirt off, one article of clothing at a time, carefully avoiding my bruised body. I hadn’t realized there was more damage to my body than what Brian had done to my head and face. Bruises appeared up and down my arm from when Brian and one of his men grabbed me. More were along my ribs and back from what I could only assume was when I was unconscious in the van. The rope had chafed my wrists, leaving them covered in swollen red marks. On top of that, there were small sprays of blood from when Keelan shot Brian in the shoulder. I hadn’t even realized how much had gotten on me and soaked through my shirt and onto my skin until right now.

“Here,” he said, grabbing a bottle of antibacterial soap from his toiletry bag. “You’ll need to clean the tattoo. Gently, Sade.” I nodded as he leaned in and kissed me softly on the forehead. “I’ll place our bags in the bedroom, bring you some clean clothes, and check the kitchen for something to drink.”

After he left me alone in the bathroom, I turned and watched the steam forming on the glass. I ran my hands carefully over my arms, reassuring myself that the nightmare was almost over. Keelan, Gavin, Mom, and I were safe. I stepped inside, feeling the warm water soothe my skin. The sensation made me sigh in relief, and I slowly turned to let the water rinse all the dirt and grime away.

Gradually, I leaned back and let the water run through my hair, washing the dried blood from the cut. It sent another bolt of pain through my skull, but it quickly dissipated. After gently shampooing and conditioning my hair until no blood remained, I picked up the antibacterial soap. Softly slathering it over my body, I was careful not to press too hard on Keelan’s name tattooed on my ass. It was nice to get a thorough cleaning after Brian’s abduction. I was there for about ten minutes before Keelan walked inside and placed a glass of red wine and water on the counter.

“You might want those when you step out,” he said. “Make sure you dab the tattoo gently with this clean towel and then use this ointment once it’s fully dry. Don’t use too much of it. We’ll have to arrange for some warm food to be delivered, but the homeowners left a few things in the pantry for us.”

“At least they had wine,” I said with a smile through the foggy, beaded glass. “Thank you.”

I thought Keelan would leave me then, but instead, he disrobed, walked over to the shower, and came inside. Though I had already washed my body, he squeezed a small amount of soap in his hands and rubbed them together. “My turn.”

I turned around, so he could rub the soap all over my back, pulling my wet hair to the side and over my shoulder. Not only was he gentle over the tattoo, but he was careful to avoid any pressure over the bruises. I closed my eyes, relishing in the feeling of his hands on me as he tended to my wounded body.

“I don’t think you truly understand how hard it was to let Brian walk out of that warehouse,” he said. “The rage I’m feeling now, seeing you like—”

“I know,” I said, turning around to place my hands on his shoulders, “but I’m glad you didn’t. These bruises will heal, Keelan.”

He paused momentarily, his expression looking stern, as if trying to calm himself from reacting. I moved my hand to his cheek and smiled .

“My turn,” I said, grabbing the soap and caressing his skin with a soft touch while I cleaned every inch of him.

There was something so sensual about what we were doing. It wasn’t about sexual gratification but about intimacy in its purest form. Being touched and loved by someone who would kill for you— die for you.

“After we rest a bit, we need to get to that subway and find the files. Brian mentioned that my father is hosting a party at our house on Friday night. There’ll be clients and potential buyers there. It’s the only way to assure our dads won’t do anything stupid. Not everyone coming to the gala is part of our other business. They’re legitimate buyers for the art.”

I nodded, rinsing soap from my hands. “What’s going to happen to my dad?” I asked.

“If all goes as planned, he and Arthur will rot in a prison cell. Then you and I will disappear.”

We had no choice. Keelan killed people and then broke out of prison. Regardless of his reasoning, he would have to do time. Keelan had to disappear, and I was going with him.

A million thoughts raced through my mind, but they settled on one thing. I hoped Gavin and Keelan thought about everything that could possibly go wrong.

We crashed just after seven p.m. and slept until noon the next day. It had been a while since I had slept more than five hours, and by how refreshed I felt when we awoke, I needed it. Even my body didn’t ache as badly when I climbed out of bed.

Keelan and I got ready, had some coffee, and then went into the garage for the motorcycle Gavin left us last night. The keys were hidden under the front mat.

Gavin had swapped out the license plate and repainted the red along the base with black. He had to ensure the feds, likely tracking him to lead them to Keelan, wouldn’t recognize it.

Keelan put my helmet on for me, so I wouldn’t risk reopening the cut on my head while we both zipped up the leather jackets Gavin had bought and climbed on the bike. I hadn’t ridden on one of these in years, but the times I did, I fucking loved it. I wrapped my arms around Keelan and tightly squeezed him, letting him know I was ready.

Reaching the subway outside downtown Los Angeles took us only about twenty minutes. This railway had run for years before it shut down. When we were kids, we’d often sneak in here before it was boarded up. It gave us something to do when our parents would leave us for days to take care of business. It happened often, which made sense to me as to why Patrick would hide something here—it was familiar to the three of us.

“God, so many memories are coming back,” I said, looking over at Keelan, who placed his helmet on the bike handle. “We used to explore in here before the city closed it off, and Gav and Patrick would sneak off to smoke pot.”

Keelan smirked at the memory. “Yeah, that shit always set off my allergies, so you and I would go exploring.”

“By exploring, you mean leaving me in the dark and scaring me?”

“Same thing, princess. ”

That made me laugh. “Okay, let’s go, you psycho.”

Luckily, the area we parked was toward the back of the highway, away from passing traffic. Some security cameras were trained in the area, but Gavin’s sources confirmed that they hadn’t worked for years.

The city built an expansive brick wall near the entrance, now covered in red and black graffiti, and tall, thick weeds grew from the cracks in the concrete. Next to it was a closed gate secured with a padlocked chain to prevent it from being opened. We expected it would take more than casually walking inside to reach it. Keelan opened our bag and pulled out two hammers and a pair of pliers. “Let’s get to work.”

Keelan slammed his hammer into the lock, working on forcing the metal to snap. I kept watch while he worked, the bike and my body obscuring Keelan from any potential witnesses. There was evidence of a homeless camp, but from the look of it, they had cleared out a while ago. Finally, Keelan used the pliers to pull at one corner of the lock, just enough to slam the hammer once more to break it free.

Once he opened the gate, we dropped our tools back into his backpack and walked inside. The space around us echoed as cars drove over the bridge connecting the subway. It was dank and dark, and I feared a dirty rat would run over my foot at any moment.

“I used to be braver than this,” I said. “What was Patrick thinking?”

Keelan let out a soft laugh. “He was thinking how funny it would be for his little princess of a sister to get her hands dirty taking down his family.”

“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically, looking around again .

To the far back of the abandoned subway, we spotted the booth where they sold the tickets. It was right on the side of the first opening, where the train would have traveled to go under the bridge.

“Fuck,” Keelan said, pinching his brows together in frustration. “I know we couldn’t write it down anywhere, but maybe we should have before we went under here. The reception is shit.”

“Here,” I said, reaching out to grab his phone. “I’ll head back to the entrance and see if I can pull it up.”

“You’re not leaving my side. Just give me a minute.”

He messed with the phone some more, and then his lips curled up. “There we go. Right over that way, I think.”

I grabbed the phone and turned it toward the railroad tracks, the flashing blue dot pointing south.

“Stay close, Sade,” Keelan ordered, and we continued walking down the dank, musty tunnel.

We had to jump onto the railroad tracks and go underneath the bridge, using my phone’s flashlight to see where we were walking. “Right here,” I said. “If this is correct, it’s hidden somewhere within ten feet of here.”

“I don’t think Patrick would have buried the files in the ground,” Keelan said. “There’s concrete under all this dirt, and if there were any flooding, it would be swept away or damaged. Let’s check the walls first.”

We shone our flashlights around the nearby walls and old alcoves, looking for any sign of recent activity. After a few minutes, Keelan spotted an area on the wall near an old utility box that showed signs of tampering. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that someone had broken off some of the old bricks and used metal plating to cover the damage. The metal was newer; only a thin layer of dust coated the surface.

“Here, hold your phone closer,” he said, and I lifted it, focusing on that spot. He wedged a small crowbar from the backpack into the metal, and with a hard jerk, he pried the plate from the brick. Only a few nails held it up, so Keelan also removed those. Inside the hole in the wall was a narrow, rectangular plastic container no longer than my forearm. After pulling it out, he laid the box on the side of the tracks and looked up at me. “These aren’t the files.”

“What?” I said, kneeling next to him. My heart sank at the sight of the small box. “All this, and he didn’t leave the one thing he said he would?”

Keelan attempted to open the lid, but it remained glued shut. He lifted it to his ear and gently shook it. “Fuck. Something is obviously in here.”

“Do you think he’d put everything on a thumb drive? That doesn’t sound like Patrick.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Keelan cocked his head slightly to the right, narrowing his eyes at the container. “Back up,” he said. He gripped the container, and I stepped back to give him some room. Keelan then threw the box at the wall as hard as he could. The box cracked in half upon impact, and the broken pieces hit the crumbled rocks.

I rushed over and used my light to shine on what fell out, and a smile reached my lips. “Fucking Patrick.”

We both looked at the Polaroid photo taken thirteen years ago of Keelan and me posing in front of the tombstone and the open grave. “Randall J. Plumperdink,” Keelan said, his voice tinged with laughter as he picked it up, reading the name on the tombstone .

“He wouldn’t have,” I said, knowing he absolutely would have dug into that grave and buried the files inside. “Okay, fine. That does sound like Patrick.”

We had finally found it, but we had another stop to make.

I moved back against the side of the tracks and folded my arms, my mind returning to that day. “I really thought you hated me when you said what you said back then.”

Keelan was silent, holding the photo in his hands.

“Come to find out, you already had a crush on me,” I teased. Keelan slowly walked up to me and placed the photo in his pocket.

“Yeah. I mean, I still thought you were a spoiled little brat, but I thought you were cute.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Knowing you kept that bleeding heart flower in your little treasure chest that you had hidden in your closet, you did, too.”

I smiled and placed my hand on his cheek. “Hey, you shouldn’t be going through my shit,” I berated teasingly. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s why Patrick hid the files at the cemetery. Maybe he knew that was the moment we were destined to be fucked up together.”

Keelan laughed this time. “Unless he’s sending us on a scavenger hunt for kicks, and it’s not even there.”

“Yeah, that also sounds like Patrick,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I guess we’re about to find out.”