Page 147 of Tell No Lies

Swinging the door open, I was met with a smiling face.

“Hi, Gage!”

He looked taken aback by my enthusiasm. “Uh, hi?”

I gestured for him to come in and shut the door behind him. “What’s up? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“It’s hard to get past the defensive line around you lately.” He smiled shyly as he surveyed the kitchen. It was then that I realized he’d never been over before.

“How did you make it past security?” I slid onto a stool and watched him.

“I pulled a few strings.”

My eyebrow shot up, asking the question for me.

“I know a guy.” He didn’t even crack a grin. Was he joking?

“A guy? Are you in with the mob?”

He chuckled at my serious tone and looked at me as if I could genuinely be crazy. This was what isolation did to me. “No, I just had them call Brandon, and he gave his approval. Pretty trusting for a guy who’s never met me.”

“I’ve told him about you.”

That got him to stop looking around. He leaned toward me with his elbows on the counter. “What did you tell him?”

“That you’re my friend, and you understand what it’s like to have things happen to you that are out of your control.”

“You told him I’m a killer?”

“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.