Chapter 10: Leaving the Fortress
The black SUV pulled up to the curb outside the Cane Tower at sunrise. There were no armed guards flanking the lobby, no bodyguards in sunglasses monitoring the perimeter. The building’s security detail had been dismissed with six months' severance and clear instructions to find honest work.
Declan carried two heavy leather suitcases down the front steps, setting them in the trunk. He looked older without his shoulder holster, wearing a simple wool sweater and jeans.
"You're really doing this, aren't you?" Declan asked, wiping a smudge from the car window.
"The plane leaves for upstate at noon," Vincent replied, stepping out into the brisk morning air. "You don't have to come, Declan. The trust fund will set you up anywhere in the country."
Declan snorted, closing the trunk with a solid thud. "And let you try to figure out how to mow a lawn by yourself? You'd probably shoot the lawnmower. I’m coming with you."
Clara walked out of the glass lobby, holding Lily’s hand. She was wearing a simple gray coat and warm boots, her color fully restored. Lily ran ahead, clutching a small stuffed bear Declan had bought her from the corner pharmacy.
"Is this the car that takes us to our new house?" Lily asked, looking up at Vincent with wide eyes.
Vincent knelt down so he was eye-level with her. "Yes. It has a big yard, lots of trees, and a kitchen that never closes."
"Will there be stars?"
May you like
"Only in the sky," Vincent said gently. "Never on a piece of paper again."
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