I sprinted back up the steps as soon as I heard the gun go off. My heart was slamming against my ribcage, my mouth completely dry as I tried to figure out where to go from here. I snatched up a rock from the path, weighing it in my hand and cursing my decision not to bring any weapons up here with me. I’d assumed the gas would be enough to see her off for now, but obviously, I was wrong. I heard a crash and the sound of glass breaking and pressed my back against the wall so I could approach without being seen.

 

I peered around the edge of the building and saw Saffron standing there. I wasn’t sure whether the gas was messing with her or what, but she was leaning heavily against one of the couches, apparently on the brink of passing out. Seeing her like that left me with a brief flash of a memory of her, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she doped herself up, but I pushed it from my brain as I prepared to throw the rock. I didn’t need any nostalgia or sympathy at that moment in time. I needed action.

 

I could see that Lily was already out cold, and Sabrina had somehow gotten to her feet, but she soon collapsed, and I knew that the gas would do a lot more damage than that if I left it any longer. Taking a sharp breath in, I darted out into the open, aimed, and hurled the rock with all the force I could muster directly at Saffron’s head.

 

It connected with a soft, dull thump, and she managed to take aim at me one last time and pull the trigger before she fell to the ground. I dropped to the floor at once, and the bullet sailed past me. Glancing up, I saw that she was passed out, and I hurried inside to get out Sabrina and Lily.

 

I quickly undid Lily’s bindings from where she had toppled backward on the floor and scooped her over my shoulder. I laid her out carefully next to the door, checking for any signs of a serious head injury and finding none, to my relief. Then I ran back inside and picked up Sabrina. I inhaled the scent of her hair, pressing my nose into her head and breathing a sigh of relief as I got her outside. I was honestly surprised that the two of us were together again, and both of us were alive - at least for now. I had been so set on the notion that I was going to save her and get her out of there that it didn’t even cross my mind how stupid I was being for going after her, or how slim the chances of both of us making it out were.

 

I carried them both down to the car, then pulled it around so it was out of sight of the main road. Both of them were out cold - well, that was the point of the gas, after all. It was poisonous in high doses, but the amount they took in they should have been fine after a couple of days sleeping it off. Saffron, however, was a different story.

 

I made my way back up to the apartment, glad that it had had time to air out by the time I got back up there. One of the three of us needed to have their wits about them, at least. I climbed in through the window and looked at Saffron lying there on the floor in front of me.

 

I mean, she had fought the gas for that long. She was a sturdy thing, after all, still standing after everything life had thrown at her. But that didn’t mean that I wasn’t furious with her. I had been the one to receive that picture, the one she’d tortured with the images of the woman I loved in such pain. Not to mention anything she’d done to Lily and Sabrina. I wouldn’t hear about any of that until they woke up, but the fact that she put them in this situation was bad enough. A callous part of me that was larger than I cared to admit to wanted to leave her there, to choke on what was left of the gas, but I knew that wasn’t a good idea.

 

For one thing, I didn’t want her to die. It was simple and probably stupid to leave her alive, but I just couldn’t do it to her. The gas would take care of her memories from this night, scrambling her brain so she couldn’t remember much, and that hefty hit with the rock that I gave her would help with that too. She would likely tell Leo she’d dealt with all three of us because his reaction to finding out she didn’t would be worse than anything the gas could do to her. It was a risk, yes, but it was more of a risk letting her die here - that would put me in the firing line even more than I was now, and any hitman that was sent after me would see it as their personal mission to avenge her death. On both a practical and a personal level, I knew leaving her here to choke to death was a bad idea.

 

Not that it meant I was interested in doing that much to help her, to be fair. I looked down at her, and let out a sigh - I had to get her out of here. I was okay because most of the gas had cleared, but I needed to get her into the fresh air and the recovery position before she ended up dying on me.

 

What was I going to do with her body? That was the question. If I just dumped her at the apartment, the people who were after us might be able to easily trace our tracks. I didn’t have time to drive her into the city myself. Hell, I wasn’t sure I had time to be standing here thinking about it in the first place. I needed to get out of there as soon as I could, but she was going to be a thorn in my side. Just like she’d always been.

 

I picked her up and slung her over my shoulder, making my way down to the beach and propping her against a bunch of rocks out of sight from the road. I paced back and forth in front of her, casting looks at her unconscious form - it wouldn’t be too long until she woke up, and I needed to be long gone by the time she did. And I needed to make sure she was far, far away as well.

 

Who could I trust with this? As I paced back and forth and racked my brains, I couldn’t come up with anyone. Everyone who I might have considered on my side was always going to take Leo’s interests over mine, which I couldn’t blame them for. I needed someone who was out of the game, who had nothing but their own interests at heart. Someone who was out of the potential splash zone for Leo’s wrath. Someone I had known long enough to know that they would deal with this as calmly and completely as they could.

 

I pulled out my phone and scrolled down the list of contacts. No names jumped out at me at first. But then I remembered. Tom. He had been happy to give me all the information I’d asked for when I’d come calling about Leo and the Marinos the first time around. Yeah, it was a risk - Leo had found out I was asking after him, after all - but I needed Saffron out of here, and I needed her out of here now. I couldn’t stand on ceremony and refuse to call Tom on the off-chance that he might spill the beans. If anyone were going to deal with this, it would be him.

 

I tapped his name and held the cell to my ear, staring out across the ocean. It was curiously calm considering everything that had just happened. It felt as though a wild storm might be more appropriate weather, but instead, the waves lapped lightly at the beach, and a few birds crowed overhead. Suddenly, I heard Tom’s voice over the line, and it took me by surprise.

 

“Ant? What’s up?” He sounded concerned. “I heard that Leo put out a hit on you, I tried to get hold of you, but-”

 

“I’m okay,” I replied, relieved. He was telling me things he shouldn’t have been telling me - that meant he was still very much on my side.

 

“Thank Christ,” he murmured. “Why are you calling?”

 

“I need your help,” I shot back. He knew as well as I did that time was of the essence and that I needed him to get on stuff as soon as he could. He’d probably been here before at some point - messed up a hit, got on someone’s wrong side, something like that. He’d worked for a bunch of different clients over the years, and he’d made it out alive. That sent a flicker of hope through my system - if he could find a way out, then there was no reason that I couldn’t.

 

“What is it?” he demanded, and I heard him get to his feet and begin pacing, as he often did when he was listening carefully.

 

“You know the little cove down by the highway as you come out of town?”

 

“I know it.”

 

“You need to get down there as soon as you can. There’s an apartment built into the rock, and if you follow the steps down you’ll find a woman, who’ll either be passed out or very, very pissed,” I continued. He chuckled without humor.

 

“For some reason, I get the feeling you’re probably talking about Saffron.”

 

“You’d be right,” I admitted. “When the hit on me didn’t go to plan I guess Leo sent her out to my place to take out…”

 

I tailed off as I wondered what to refer to them as. Girlfriend and her best friend? The woman I loved and the woman she did? I was new to this.

 

“My friends,” I finished up eventually. “I had a failsafe installed when I put the place together, and I was able to knock Saffron unconscious. But I don’t want her here when she wakes up; just dump her somewhere back in town. Hopefully, her memory will be so scrambled she won’t remember what happened to the three of us.”

 

“And what did happen to the three of you?” he asked.

 

“I’ll tell you when I get back. If I get back,” I replied. I had no idea whether I would ever make it back to the city or not. Hell, whether or not I would make it back to the country.

 

“Well, I’ll keep some whiskey in the cupboard for your return,” he promised.

 

“So you’ll do it?” I pressed. I needed to hear confirmation before I could let go.

 

“Of course I will.” I could hear his shrug over the phone. “Anything to mess with Leo Marino’s head.”

 

“You really hate that motherfucker, don’t you?” I couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Yep,” he agreed simply. “I guess you do now as well.”

 

“With all my heart.” I nodded, staring up at the dark sky above me. “Thanks for doing this, Tom. I appreciate it. Don’t get yourself into any trouble on my behalf, though - be careful.”

 

“Please, I’ve been doing this for years,” Tom scoffed. “Give me a little credit. I’m good at this shit. She won’t have any memory of me whatsoever.”

 

“As long as you’re sure,” I sighed with relief.

 

“Anything else?” he asked with a yawn. I wondered how often he got calls like this - I knew that I was far from the only guy he mentored in his years as a hitman. How many messes did he have to clean up? How many people did he help get out of the lifestyle just because he could? I thought for a moment, lingering on his questions. What else did I need to make sure this was a clean break?

 

“Actually, yeah.” I nodded, closing my eyes. “Can you tell everyone that… we’re dead?”

 

“No problem,” he replied breezily. “Three of you, was it?”

 

“Yeah, me and two women.”

 

“Dare I ask?” he teased. I rolled my eyes.

 

“It’s not what it looks like,” I protested, then paused before I spoke again. “But you’ll do that?”

 

“If anyone comes asking, I will,” he promised. “I’ll spread it about as best I can.”

 

“Thanks, Tom, I really appreciate it,” I sighed gently. It felt odd, to be thanking someone for faking my death - for letting the people around me know that I was long gone. Like something I shouldn’t have been personally privy to.

 

“Can I ask where you’re going?” Tom requested.

 

“I’ve got no idea,” I admitted. “I just know we can’t stay here, that’s all.”

 

“Well, good luck, wherever you end up,” he remarked, and I could have sworn I heard a hint of sadness in his voice. “You were always one of my favorite students.”

 

“And you were my favorite teacher, you big old pussy,” I teased, trying to keep the mood light. “Text me when you’re done with Saffron, alright?”

 

“I will,” he promised. “Catch you later.”

 

He had hung up before I could reply, and I stared at the dead phone in my hands for a couple of seconds before I thought to move again. I was leaving everything behind - maybe forever. The life that I had once known was now far behind me, and all I could do now was move forward.

 

I made my way back to the car and strapped both Sabrina and Lily into the back seat to make sure they didn’t jerk around too much as we drove. I wasn’t certain where we would end up, but at that moment, I just needed to drive - to get out on the open road and put as much space between this situation and the three of us as I possibly could. I planted a quick kiss on Sabrina’s cheek then climbed into the driver’s seat, placing my hands on the unfamiliar wheel. I missed my old car, but this one felt like a new start. And God did I need one of those.