“Nick’s ready for you, Olivia, but he’s a guy. Not sure he’s got your brand of shampoo down. And heads up, he’s never gonna have your brand of shampoo down. We bitches gotta take care of that shit. Hell, you in his life, the man will forget his brand of shampoo. That’ll be up to you too.”
“Right,” I whispered, tearing off my robe, on a mission and not fully processing her impromptu relationship lesson. “Then please, if you will, until I can get to the store wherever Nick is, I’ll need you to pack my shampoo.”
I turned to the rails and yanked off the first blouse my hand hit.
I heard her muffled chuckle as she walked out.
I finished getting dressed. I then dashed around my closet to get the bare essentials, tearing at hangers, opening drawers and not closing them, shoving things into the first piece of luggage I could grab—a carry-on.
A carry-on bag.
My heart started feeling funny.
I ran to the bathroom just in time for Sylvie to shove a variety of packed cosmetics bags in my lonely piece of luggage.
We moved out of the room, me fast, Sylvie behind me coming slower.
That’s when I smelled it.
Gasoline.
I stopped dead in my hallway when I saw him.
Ghost walking toward me, a filled body bag over his shoulder.
Now Ghost—his gaze glancing off me as he passed—his expression was inscrutable.
I sensed motion in the hall and looked down it to see Knight come toward me from the great room.
He approached, stopping in front of me.
“You died tonight, Livvie.”
I put a hand to the wall but didn’t tear my gaze from Knight.
Sebring.
He wasn’t making me free.
He was making me free.
“You,” I said softly, saying no more.
Knight got me.
“I’ll be good knowin’ my brother is happy.”
My heart kept feeling funny but I knew what the feeling was in my eyes.
Tears stinging.
For me to be free, we were disappearing. No roads could lead to us. Too dangerous.
I was getting Nick.
Nick was losing his family.
I couldn’t do that. Nick had worked hard at earning back his family.