Page 59 of Tell No Lies

“You’re not a killer. You were in an accident that changed your life. It wasn’t your fault. You understood how I felt when I got here.”

“Like an outsider?”

“Exactly.”

He seemed to think about that for a second before standing up. “Well, I’m here to help you escape your prison. What do you want to do?”

I pretended to deliberate before smiling. “Let’s go running.”

“You read my mind.” He kicked up his leg, showing off his running shoes. “Let’s go. Loser buys smoothies.”

I jumped onto the floor, sprinted to my room, and changed into running clothes. Passing Gage, I opened the door and went to call the elevator before he made it out.

“You were just going leave me here?”

“You made it a challenge. I don’t lose.”

He shoved me into the elevator and pushed the ground-floor button. “It starts when we get outside, dork.”

Gage stood near, laughing at me bouncing on my feet. Not only had he placed a bet, he was freeing me from my tower. I now understood the struggles Rapunzel faced.

No matter which way I moved, Gage darted in front, blocking me from taking off. Once we got outside, he lined us up. “To the tip of the peninsula?”

With a single nod, I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

“On your mark. Get set. Go!”

I was off before he finished the last word, earning me several curses.

What a sore loser.

Keeping my pace just fast enough to stay ahead, I enjoyed being outside and just a few blocks from the ocean. Only two miles, and I would be in front of it, with nothing separating me from its massive expanse. I counted the houses I passed, every step I took, and each time Gage cursed at me for going too fast.

Finally, I stood on the sand of the tip of the peninsula, waiting for him, pretending to have been there forever. “I want a large mango-strawberry.”

“Yeah, yeah. How long have you been bottling that in?”

“Since I got grounded.”

“Grounded? Your brother grounded you? Does he think you’re five?”

I stepped on each heel, removing my shoes and socks. The call of the warm sand was too much to resist. “It’s more like lockdown.”

He followed my actions and joined me where the water kissed the beach. “You commit a crime?”

“Not really. Things have been a bit crazy lately, and he just wanted to make sure I’m safe.”

“From?”

I wiggled my toes in the heavy sand, allowing my feet to sink in farther. “Someone wants to hurt me.” Without looking up, I knew he was staring at me, probably waiting for me to say I was kidding. “I don’t know who, so don’t bother asking.”

There were a few beats of silence before I heard his feet shuffling in the sand. Suddenly my feet were out from under me, and I was swept up in his arms. My screams heightened the farther he crept into the water. I knew what he had planned, and I really, really didn’t want him to succeed. My hands roamed, trying to find a way to stop him. I pulled at his shirt, but nothing fazed him.

In a blink, I was fully submerged. Luckily, my grip hadn’t broken, and he’d come in with me.

My feet finally found the ground, and I stood, wiping the water from my eyes. Gage stood a few feet to my right. Without hesitation, I threw myself at him, forcing us into the water again.

His hands locked on my arms and forced us up. He kept his hold as he marched us out of the water to where our dry shoes sat mocking us.