He smiled. “That was the exclamation point.” He kissed her briefly. “This is the promise.”
Olivia sighed and stifled a yawn. “Well, Mr. Promises. I’m going to shoo you out of my room so I can take a nap. Someone kept me up all night.”
“I could use a nap.”
She laughed, turned back toward the bathroom mirror, and pulled a brush through her wet hair. “If you stay in my room, there won’t be any napping.”
“You do have a point.”
She slapped his butt through his towel as he turned to walk away.
Leo gathered his clothing they’d littered all over the room and gave her some space.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Olivia spent the first twenty minutes of her nap with her legs folded to her chest, head resting on her knees.
She knew this would be the last minute of peace she’d have.
And it was spent calculating and planning a route in her head. There wasn’t any time to consider the past two months. She’d have a lifetime to remember and pick apart every detail.
That is, if the man who’d tried to stop her from breathing didn’t return to finish the job.
And there was no reason to believe he wouldn’t. Another layer of proof that she couldn’t live a normal life.
Ever.
Couldn’t cultivate friendships like the one she’d had with Amelia. AJ’s sister was the only person Olivia tried to love as a friend, and now the woman was dead.
Just like everyone else in the house would be.
Then there was Leo. Goddamn it all to hell. How much had Neil told him about her?
Not everything. Or maybe she was wrong. Maybe Leo was the double agent guy doing what he could to take her off the streets. Ensure that she couldn’t hurt anyone else.
The thought left almost as quickly as it came.
There was no way he would have tangled with her, in bed or otherwise, if he knew what she was.
The memory of him screaming her name that morning, and losing his shit when he thought she was gone, was real.
Neil had warned him, and Leo realized it was only a matter of time.
Olivia wished there was a way to stop what had to happen, but there wasn’t.
Which meant that Neil was expecting her exit. But he wouldn’t let her go without that fatherly lecture. Not that she had one of those.
A father, that is.
Neil would give her shit, try and talk her out of it.
Sasha would lay logic on Olivia.
AJ would tell her Amelia would want a different life for her.
And Lars and Isaac . . .
Emotion clogged her eyes. A new, annoying-ass byproduct of getting shot.
Olivia Naught did not cry.
It was not allowed.
She did not want to care for these people. Because with that came a need to protect and avenge them.
Then there was Leo. She couldn’t go there. The hole was already growing and threatening to consume her. There was no time for any of that.
Olivia pushed off her bed and did a room sweep.
She knew about the audio feed and cameras in the hall, but hadn’t had the knowledge in her head to look for more in her room.
Until now.
When her sweep came back clean, she was happy to know she wouldn’t have to abuse the people who had made sure she was taken care of all this time.
She opened the dresser drawers and pulled out what she’d need.
It wasn’t until that moment that she realized Sasha had more than just shopped for Amnesiac Olivia . . . she prepared Richter Olivia to make her escape. The dark knit cap and scarf were down in the mudroom drying, but their white sisters waved from the dresser. Camouflage for the snow. Black if the snow hadn’t fallen. White snow gear, dark outerwear, layers with serious weather protection. She set what she needed aside and would get the rest on her way out.
Olivia dressed in warm, loose clothing as she had every day she’d been in Colorado and paused as she looked down at her bed. The memories of her nightmares surfaced. Hell and burning had been with her for years. The nightmares themselves had never changed since the first time she placed a bullet inside of someone’s skull.
They were her prison, a nightly reminder of the evil she was.
The fire was roaring. The snow had stopped falling. And the evening routine was in full swing. Isaac was in his room, resting before his shift, Lars was in the surveillance room, and AJ and Sasha were cozy in a love seat.