Page 199 of Her Wicked Plan

“I figured. I’m sorry, Leo. When he said that, I got so angry that she was taken from you. I don’t know what came over me.”

“You’re saying you beat Scarlet to near death for me?” His eyes snap to mine. The dark circles are prominent against his tan skin. I swallow hard at the sight before me. I’ve never seen him this undone.

“Like I said, I’m not sure why I did it.” I step closer to the desk, not daring to go around it and to him. Stopping at the corner, I huff out a breath. “Besides, she knew about us. It was only a matter of time before she spilled the information.”

“They are talking about sending you to prison!” His voice grows loud and makes me flinch. The anger laced within his tone is enough to scare anyone, but his tone isn’t what scares me. It’s the mention of prison.

“W-what?” I choke out the words.

“They don’t think sending you to another ward will work anymore.” Leo stands from behind the desk. He turns the corner, coming to stand by me. “Prison, Veronica! That is what they want to decide on and if you go there, you won’t be with other inmates.”

I snap my eyes up to his face. “They are going to shove me in solitary in prison?”

Fuck. That can not happen.

Solitary is bad here, but prison?

“They are giving me a say in the option,” he states.

“Leo, please. I can’t. I...” I stutter, unable to form a sentence because my brain is so jumbled.

“I don’t want to send you to prison, Vee.” He sighs out his exhaustion. “But I also don’t think that you being in Ward R will be any better.”

My head shakes back and forth, wetting my dry lips. “There has to be a third option.”

“There is.” I lift my eyes to inspect his expression. It’s hard to read the expression painted on his beautiful face. The tiredness is mixed with sadness but with a hint of hope. “At my mother’s funeral, my dad spoke. The speech was great and unexpected, but he talked about how the point of life was love. We live and fight for the love we want and deserve.”

“No offense, Leo, but I don’t see how your dad's speech has anything to do with a third option.”

“Fighting for love.” He steps to me, cupping my face in his hand. “What's the point of my life if I don’t fight for you?”

My eyes dance between his, searching for the answer to the question. “What are you saying?”

“I’ll run with you.”

A gasp leaves my parted lips, and he swallows it with a kiss. Warm lips against mine, the heat traveling down my chest exploding like a firework. This worked out. I still don’t completely understand how, but he gave in. I didn’t have to pull all the other options I wrote out. He is going to help me get out of this place.

I’m going to escape.

My kiss becomes frantic. My arms are wound around his neck, dragging him into my mouth deeper. His hands slide over my hips until they rest on the small of my back.

Gratitude lines my lips, and words are whispered against his. I can’t stop my mouth from curving upward, and when Leo pulls back to see my face, a wide smile is plastered there.

“Thank you, Leo. I need to get a few things from my room before we go.”

“We have to pack light, Vee. Nothing that can slow us down.”

“I only need one thing from my room. Maybe a change of clothes, but that’s it.” My journal is really what I need. If that were found, it would ruin everything.

He nods. “Nighttime would be best. Being in the dark will make it harder for anyone to see us outside. The issue is, I need to get you out of your room.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I say, sliding my arms off his body. “I’ll handle it.”

“What’s your plan?” The curiosity flickers in his eyes. The ones that still hold sadness.

If he only knew the multiple scenarios I drew up for this exact occasion. “I’ll figure it out, but Leo, what about your family? You just lost your mother. Are you sure about this?”

Why the hell am I second-guessing this for him? He already agreed. Why am I attempting to change his mind?