Page 72 of Enemy of the State

Thinking of Conall and Viktor, I muse, “I have a friend who opts for a Desert Eagle and another who always carries a .44 Magnum.”

“Based on the caliber of those weapons, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume those aren’tlaw-abidingfriends?”

I titter softly. “Not exactly.”

He nods, but I can see the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. After another beat or two, he sighs, “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what weapon would you choose if you could only have one.”

“Brilliant question.”

He hits me with a blatantwhat the fuck?look, uttering, “It wasyourquestion.”

“So?” I respond with a shrug. “It’s still a brilliant question.”

His chuckle is loud, free, and I find myself following suit. It’s nice to see him laugh, since stoicism and graveness seem to be his default.

“Believe it or not, I’m not picky. Put any sort of weapon in my hand and I’ll smile. But if Ihadto choose one, it’d be a rifle, specifically a .338 Lapua Magnum. Although, when it comes to my work, I’ve been gravitating toward poison lately. Not because I don’t want to get my hands dirty, but because I love the way it eats people alive from the inside out. It’s violent and exhilarating. I can slip it to them, watching them unravel and succumb to the toxin over the span of hours while they have no idea what’s happening to them.”

I’m not entirely sure why I revealed all that information. Perhaps it was a gesture of trust, though maybe it was a test. I wanted to see how Sean would react to a truth like that. He only nods, though, his expression unreadable.

“Does it bother you that I’m an assassin?” I ask curiously.

Slowly, he slides his gaze toward me, the action highlighted by the dim lights of the dashboard of the boat. Almost imperceptibly, he shakes his head before clarifying, “Lou, I’m walking into this thing with you with my eyes wide open. I know who you are, and I’ll never stop you from pursuing the life you want. Besides, the lines between right and wrong are blurring more for me every day.”

Unlike most people, I grew up with a warped sense of right and wrong. Morality is rooted entirely in the perspective you have, and I shaped my own stance long ago, but Sean needs time to evaluate exactly what his view on that subject is.

I nod in understanding, turning to face the ocean, so he doesn’t see the smile on my face, my heart fluttering wildly in my chest like a trapped moth.

Louhi

We coast across the inky ocean for the next couple of hours, uninterrupted. Both of us consumed with our thoughts, we don’t speak much to each other. The rain has been stuttering on and off, but it’s gracing us with a break at the moment.

I’m soaked to the bone with rain and seawater, and there’s a very good chance I’ll wind up ill after this entire ordeal, but I don’t mind becauseI’m free. Though things are still far from over, the granite rock that was perched on my chest has been removed, and I’m basking in the luminescent glow of liberation.

Glancing at the man who saved me when I couldn’t save myself, I can’t imagine being with anyone else, not even Mercer. I don’t know where my brother is or why he didn’t come to get me like he promised, but I intend to find out. He’d never abandon me to a fate worse than death, so I’m sure he has a good excuse. I need to get us to safety first, though.

Without Sean, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me, but I’m grateful I didn’t have to find out. He got us off that bloody island, and I’ll get us the rest of the way to true freedom, by any means necessary.

Mainland Hawai’i finally comes into view on the horizon, and Sean mutters, “I hope you have a fucking plan, Lou.”

I peer at the clock on the boat’s computer, noting that it’s still the middle of the night, which is something I’ll take full advantage of. My head flicks to Sean, and I let my smile give him all the reassurance he needs. I can prove my dependability, just as he’s proven his.

Sean slows the boat as we approach the island, flipping off the headlights, and I mentally run through our options. There are a few ways to go about this and all of them are highly illegal.

“Get us close to the base,” I order him under my breath, a clear decision playing in my mind like a favorite song. Ex-I will have alerted the military base here of our escape and I’d be willing to bet that they’ll assume we’d head for the other side of the island, but that’s not what we’ll do. Sean gives me a wary look but swings the boat in the opposite direction, and my suspicion is confirmed knowing where Sean had been headed.

Keeping my voice to a breathy whisper, I explain, “We need to steal a car, ditch our clothes, and get to a payphone.”

He nods, pulling up to a dock as quietly as possible, as I pull a knapsack containing a small arsenal from the storage compartments. Slinging the sack over my shoulder, we disembark from the boat. Sean ties off the boat as I fish a Glock from the sack, gripping it in my right hand. From beside me, Sean loads a fresh clip into his handgun and shoves it into the holster at his hip.

His entire demeanor, especially combined with his uniform, screams, I’m in the army. It’s hot, really hot. While that’s usually a look for Sean that bloody does it for me, we can’t afford for either of us to get distracted and make a mistake now.

This is far from my first time escaping a dangerous situation, but the stakes have never been higher. Step number one is getting the fuck away from this military base.

Scanning the car park as we approach, I spot a bike at the far corner and smile. My eyes flick to the camera on the corner of thenearby building and duck my head as I beeline for the sporty red and black Ninja, Sean hot on my heels.

Making quick work of hot-wiring the bike, I climb on and wait for my backpack to take his position behind me. He glares at me, his left eyelid twitching as he rallies some restraint and climbs behind me, grumbling, “Why do you get to drive?”

“Everyone knows that the person who hot-wires the bike gets to drive the bike.”

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