GRACE
I didn't want Conor to worry about me, so when he took Brownie and I to the safe house, I promised not leave. The tiny backyard was fenced, so Brownie could go in and out to do his potties without a leash.
We'd found the thumb drive in the bathroom. Mom had shoved it into a box of tampons. I'm sure she intended to come back, but she never got the chance. I hadn't processed her death yet. I knew I probably appeared cold to Conor, but I wasn't going to fake feelings I didn't have.
When I walked out of that apartment with a hitman by my side and Brownie in my arms, I didn't have a single regret. Nothing in the apartment was worth anything to me, not really. I worried about breaking the lease and leaving Manny in the lurch, but Conor told me he'd take care of everything.
For the first time ever, I felt free. The weight of the world that had sat on my shoulders for so long was gone.
Because of Conor.
