Home > Here Loves a Sociopath (Here Lies #3)(7)

Here Loves a Sociopath (Here Lies #3)(7)
Author: C.L. Matthews

   When I get there, my shoulders finally relax. With no time to spare, I pull up as close to the jet as possible, getting a limp Colt out of the coffin and carrying her up the steps. The stewardess peers at me, she seems worried for Colt.

   Get in line.

   Colt’s breathing, her chest rises and falls evenly, but she has claustrophobia. Seeing Cassidy’s casket being lowered damaged her in more ways than one.

   She thinks I wasn’t there, but unlike the others, I was. I might have stayed far away, hidden in the shadows, but I was there, wishing I could do more.

   After buckling Colt in, my nerves settle. By the time they realize she didn’t make it to class, she’s not in her room, and she’s disappeared, it’ll be too late.

   “Is she… okay?” the stewardess finally asks. She has her hands at her sides, but the way she twitches lets me know she wants to reach out and check on Colt herself.

   “She’s fine, it’s been tiring.”

   She stares at me with disbelief, but I’m glad she’s concerned about Colt. Proves she’s not entirely a shitty human. She’d have to be somewhat corrupt, knowing exactly who she flies for.

   While she walks away, I caress Colt’s face, needing to feel her warmth. She stirs a little, but whimpers, cuddling into my side more. Her contented sigh a moment later offers me peace.

   “We’re about to take off,” the stewardess explains. I nod and she sits down, buckling herself in. After a few minutes, we’re taking off and my anxiety settles a ton.

   Surprisingly, Colt sleeps the entire trip. We’re headed somewhere she’s never going to imagine. Not because it’s less than grandeur, but more because it’s a place she’s going to be shocked by.

   We land smoothly, or as smoothly as a jet can land without turbulence. I feel lighter, knowing she’s safe and in my arms, a place she never intended to be.

   My only issue is finally coming clean about Melissa.

   Not for the sake of getting into Colt’s good graces, but because being dishonest about it makes my skin itch. Colt snores softly as they prepare the plane. I sit still, stroking her short black locks, somehow missing the toxic green she’s had since Cass died and wishing they were still here. Somehow, it fit her. Entirely. Cass may have died, but she ended up becoming her true self.

   Mentally, Elijah did a number on her, but emotionally, it’s all of us who brought her pain. We all have secrets, mine were just better kept buried. Literally.

    I’m not sure when the shift came, but she’s awake. Colt doesn’t stop my tracing of her face with my fingers, the gentle strokes in her hair, or the way she seems to enjoy my touch.

   “We can depart now,” the stewardess explains, peering down at Colt. “Hello, sweetie. You slept for quite a while. Are you all right?” The way she cares about an absolute stranger nearly has me laughing.

   Colt sits up, her face red and flushed with shame. She gives the lady her full attention. “I am now, thank you for asking.”

   The lady visibly relaxes and Colt leans into me. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or to sell some lie of her being my girlfriend. She’s so lost, she doesn’t even know it yet.

   She’s about to learn a lot.

   I’m not sure how much she’ll like the information that’s about to be given to her.

   Not even sure if she’ll accept any of it.

   “Let’s go,” I offer, kissing the side of Colt’s head with keen desperation. She smells different. Not her normal sweet and tangy citrus, but more musky, earthy, like she went with a more pheromone-type perfume. It’s intoxicating, much like her.

   We rise and I grab her single duffle, knowing it’ll be necessary if anything goes wrong. Before running, I’d withdrawn so much that my own case was only full of money.

   Whether we have to bribe someone for passage, buy clothes, or a place to stay, I’m prepared. I also have a gun nestled in there and several credentials just in case.

   “Where are we?” Colt whispers as soon as we depart the plane. She’s peering around and it’s practically all field out here. We’re in a small town. One she probably hasn’t even heard of.

   “Nevada,” I mention.

   “So, we didn’t fly too far?” she surmises.

   “Not particularly. The Edgington Estate is off the Florida Keys coast while we’re close to home.”

   “Where is here, exactly?”

   I chuckle at her nervousness. “We’re an hour outside of Las Vegas. Dayle.”

   Her eyebrow raises as if I’m speaking a foreign language. “Where the hell is that?”

   “We’re near the Hoover Dam.”

   She nods. “That helps a little, I guess.”

   “There’s someone here we’re meeting. They’re supposed to give us safe passage, or rather, a safe place, far away from Elijah.”

   “Who could possibly find us here?”

   It’s easy to understand she’s nervous to be caught and also to be alone with me, but I answer her honestly. “Besides that, I’ve ditched all the things we could be tracked by, many people could find us if they tried hard enough. The Edgingtons and DeLeons are very powerful.”

   She shudders, probably picturing Midas and Elijah and the torment she was put through for an entire month.

   We head to the parked black sedan and I already know it’s for us. This is a private airstrip. Not even the government has access or knows of its existence.

   That’s the thing about the Grims. Their power is unreachable to people like me.

   A man exits the car. Clad in a suit and tie, he opens the rear door for Colt. She enters and I place our duffels in the trunk.

   “Does he know we’re here?” I ask the silent man. He gives a brief and subtle nod. That’ll have to be enough for me. Hopefully he doesn’t flip his shit and I won’t need this bag of money to go on the run. I doubt he will, but it kind of fucks with his plans.

   Unlike me, he has power, strength, and an eighteen-year plan in the making. His steps have been plotted, walked-through, and concise since day one.

   We’re fairly silent on the drive there but it’s for the best. Speaking too much without knowing how everything will go isn’t something I’m willing to risk.

   This tiny town’s population is less than one thousand. Each house has several acres. Where we’re going, people don’t even know a mansion exists. It’s discreet, unreachable, and impenetrable. It’d be the house in horror movies or books, the one where ghost stories and myths are based on.

   It’s the only place I could get Colt safe, even if the guys hated me for taking her and not telling them. My mind wanders to them. They’re probably preparing for school tomorrow, not realizing Colt and I won’t be there.

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