***
Echo came awake with a jolt. Sleep had crept up on her and knocked her out before she could protest. Sometime before she closed her eyes for the night, she'd come to a decision. After she closed the toran, she'd return to the abbey to await her next assignment. She needed to ensure Keegan's safety and the only way to do that was for her to leave. Bartholomew would move on as well.
She watched Keegan sleep. He was deeply in love with her. How would she tell him she was leaving and would never see him again, probably not for decades?
Perhaps she should wait for the opportune time.
Delaying, though, would put lives at unnecessary risk. The bikers could look after themselves, but the same couldn't be said for Keegan and Smith.
“I can virtually feel your brain working,” Keegan said, coming alive at her side.
She lifted her head and looked at him. “Good morning.” She pecked his lips. “How long have you been awake?”
He stretched his legs. “Long enough to know you’re mentally deliberating a problem. What is it?”
She decided on honesty. “My presence here is putting you and Smith in danger. If it weren’t for me, Bartholomew wouldn’t be on this hell-bent terror.” She could feel Keegan brace himself and blurted her next words. “Bartholomew is unpredictable. There’s no way to logically foresee his next move. We’d probably have more luck flipping a coin to determine how he’ll react.”
“We know for sure he’ll attack.”
“That’s a given. It’s the when and where that we don't know.”
“Then we should prepare ourselves.”
“We should.”
“Should we barricade ourselves and wait for the assault?”
“I have another idea.” She told him her plan.