Chapter 460: How to steal Liam’s Keys?

"I can’t believe we actually managed to pull it off," Keith said with an excited grin.

He stood behind one of the isolated houses near the edge of Brigantine, keeping his voice low despite the excitement on his face. Tommy stood a few steps away beside the wooden wall, arms crossed as he watched the road beyond the building.

The area was quiet.

Too quiet.

That was normal in Brigantine. Nothing ever felt completely safe there. Even when nobody was nearby, there was always the feeling that someone could appear around the next corner. A patrol. One of Callighan’s men. Audrey. Liam.

Or worse.

Tommy glanced at Keith.

"Well, you didn’t do much," he said with a shrug. "Mei, Caroline, and I did most of the work."

Keith’s grin faded.

"Come on."

"I’m just saying."

"You’re acting like I wasn’t part of the plan."

"You were part of the plan," Tommy admitted. "Just not the useful part."

Keith gave him an annoyed look.

Tommy smirked slightly, but he was clearly too tense to truly enjoy teasing him.

The truth was, they had pulled it off.

Mei’s plan to get a boat had actually worked.

It had been risky from the start. Everything in Brigantine was risky. But yesterday night, Mei had managed to speak with Caroline and get her to cooperate. Caroline understood what was at stake. She knew that if they did not leave soon, they might never get another chance.

So they had made the plan.

Caroline’s job had been to get Audrey away from the marina long enough for Tommy to move.

She had done it perfectly.

Caroline had found Audrey and dragged her into a conversation, complaining about something small but believable. It was not enough to make Audrey suspicious. Just enough to keep her attention focused somewhere else.

Then Tommy had slipped away.

The place was guarded, of course.

Nothing useful in Brigantine was left without guards. Boats meant escape. They meant transport, supplies, access to other places. Callighan’s people would never leave them completely unprotected.

But Tommy had kept his nerve.

He told the men near the boats that he had been ordered to prepare one for an expedition the next day. He acted irritated, like he had been given another pointless job at the worst possible hour, and somehow they believed him.

That part had been the easy part.

Actually getting the boat had taken longer.

Tommy had needed to find one with enough room for everyone. One that still had fuel. One that could move quietly enough without drawing attention. Then he had needed to pull it away from the marina slowly, making sure he did not hit another boat or make enough noise for the guards to look over.

At one point, Audrey had almost come back.

Tommy had later told them that he saw her moving toward them from the corner of his eye.

But Mei had reacted quickly.

She had joined Caroline and Audrey, pretending she only wanted to talk. She had helped keep Audrey distracted, asking questions, bringing up meaningless things, giving Tommy the few more minutes he needed.

And somehow, against all odds, it had worked.

Tommy had hidden the boat.

Audrey had not said anything afterward.

Nobody had raised an alarm.

It was as if nothing had happened.

"Did you hide it properly?" Keith asked, lowering his voice again.

Tommy nodded.

"Yeah. It’s behind near the shores. I covered it with a tarp and moved some broken crates around it. Nobody should notice unless they go looking exactly there."

"Good."

Keith let out a slow breath.

The boat was their way out.

Without it, they were still prisoners.

With it, escape almost felt possible.

Almost.

"If you’re taking care of getting Emily out," Keith said, thinking through the plan again, "then the only thing left is getting the keys to Mei’s and my room."

Tommy nodded.

"And Liam has them."

Keith’s expression tightened.

Liam.

He was not the strongest guard in Brigantine. He was not like Gaspar, Romero, or any of the people who could kill someone without thinking twice. But that did not make him easy to deal with.

He was careful.

Too careful.

And he always carried the keys.

"It’s going to be difficult," Tommy said. "Once we have those keys, we won’t have much time."

Keith nodded slowly.

Liam checked the rooms twice every day.

Once in the morning, when he opened the doors and let the prisoners out under supervision.

And once at night, when he locked them back inside.

If the keys disappeared, Liam would notice eventually.

The only question was how long it would take.

And that was the problem.

They were planning to leave at night.

That meant if they stole the keys too early, Liam could realize they were missing before the escape began. He could alert the guards.

Then the entire plan would be over.

"So we take them on the day we escape?" Keith asked. "The night before?"

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Preferably that same night."

He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, thinking.

"We can’t give Liam time to wonder whether something is wrong. If he checks his keys, notices the room keys are missing, and starts asking questions, we’re done."

"The best plan would be to take his keys," Keith said, "remove only the keys to our rooms, then put the rest back in his pocket before he notices."

Tommy stared at him.

Keith waited.

Then Tommy shook his head.

"That’s impossible."

Keith gave a short laugh.

"Yeah. Right."

It would have been perfect.

No missing ring of keys. No immediate suspicion. No reason for Liam to sound the alarm until they were already far away.

But it was too complicated.

Too many chances for something to go wrong.

Liam could wake up.

Someone could walk in.

They could drop the keys.

They could take the wrong one.

They could waste too much time.

And time was the one thing they would not have.

"Stealing them right before we leave is still the best option," Tommy said. "If we do it late enough, he won’t have much chance to check."

Keith nodded.

"The problem is getting them."

"Exactly."

"Liam always keeps them in his pocket."

Tommy looked frustrated.

It was true.

Liam did not hang the keys on a wall. He did not leave them on a table. He did not hand them to other guards unless he absolutely had to. He kept them close, probably because he understood that locked rooms were the only thing preventing the prisoners from running.

Either way, it made things harder.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

Keith stared at the ground.

Then an idea came to him.

"How about we get him drunk?"

Tommy looked at him.

His eyes widened slightly.

"That’s actually the best idea you’ve ever had."

Keith smirked.

"See? I’m useful."

"Don’t get used to it."

"But Liam doesn’t drink often," Tommy added.

"That’s why I said we get him drunk."

Tommy gave him a flat look.

"Easy to say."

Keith shrugged.

"Aren’t you close to him?"

Tommy’s expression became uncomfortable.

Close was probably too strong a word. But Liam trusted Tommy more than he trusted most people. Tommy had spent enough time around him to know how he thought, how he acted, and when he lowered his guard. ℯ

That could be useful.

"You can find him tonight," Keith continued. "Get him drinking. Keep him distracted. Then we take the keys, get Mei and me out, get Emily, and leave."

Tommy was quiet.

For a second, Keith thought he might actually agree.

Then Tommy shook his head.

"Not tonight."

Keith frowned.

"Why not?"

"I need to inform Ryan first," Tommy replied. "Tomorrow would be better."

Keith scoffed.

"Who cares about Ryan? We have the boat. We can just leave."

Tommy’s expression hardened.

"Don’t be stupid."

Keith’s face tightened.

Tommy lowered his voice even more.

"Ryan is part of the escape plan. He’s supposed to be waiting on the other side with Rachel and Lucy. He’ll make sure we get away safely. He is like Gaspar."

"Yeah," Keith scoffed. "He’s like Gaspar and that’s supposed to reassure me."

"I didn’t mean Ryan is like Gaspar in that way," Tommy said.

Keith looked back at him.

Tommy’s expression had become serious.

"I meant he’s strong like Gaspar. That’s all. But he’s different."

Keith did not answer.

Tommy stepped a little closer, keeping his voice low.

"I know Ryan. He was my classmate before everything happened. He’s trustworthy."

"Believe me," Tommy added.

Keith let out a quiet breath through his nose.

He still did not know Ryan. Not really. He knew the stories Mei had told him. He knew Ryan had fought Callighan’s people, that he had survived things most people would not, and that he was supposed to be waiting across the water with a way to get them out.

But knowing someone through stories was different from trusting them with your life.

And he had a bad image of Ryan especially learning that he abandoned Mei and didn’t try to get her back all this time.

Still, Tommy knew him.

And Mei trusted him too.

For now, that would have to be enough.

"Whatever," Keith said. "But tomorrow for sure."

Tommy nodded.

"Tomorrow."

"So, are you sending word to Ryan?"

"Yeah. Tonight."

Tommy glanced in the direction of the water again.

"He’ll check it tomorrow. But we need to make sure we have the keys by then. I don’t want him coming all the way over there for nothing tomorrow night."

Keith understood what Tommy meant.

If Ryan reached the meeting point and none of them showed up, he would not simply assume the plan had failed and go home. He would worry. He might assume Mei, Emily, Keith, or Tommy had been caught.

And from everything Tommy had said about him, Ryan was exactly the kind of person who would do something reckless if he believed people were in danger.

He might try to enter Brigantine alone.

He might confront Callighan’s men.

He might get himself caught, or killed.

"Yeah," Keith said. "But first, we get the damn keys."

Tommy went quiet.

His eyes narrowed as he thought through the problem again.

Liam.

The keys.

The guards.

The small window of time they would have once they started moving.

Then Tommy looked toward Keith.

"I think we can get him drunk."

Keith’s expression changed.

Tommy continued before he could answer.

"Liam plays cards with the others at night sometimes. If he’s in the mood tomorrow, he’ll probably be there. And if he isn’t, I’ll suggest it."

Keith nodded slowly.

That could work.

Card games meant drinking.

Drinking meant Liam might loosen up enough to stop checking where his hands were, what was in his pockets, or whether the keys were still attached to his belt.

It was still risky.

But every part of the escape was risky.

"I’ll join you," Keith said.

Tommy blinked.

"What?"

"I’m serious."

Keith stepped closer, speaking in a lower voice.

"You need to get him drunk and take the keys, right? That’s not something you can pull off alone. At least let me be there in case something goes wrong."

Tommy watched him carefully.

Keith continued.

"And Liam hates me. That makes it easier. He’ll want to keep me around just to insult me, humiliate me, or show off in front of his friends."

Tommy did not deny it.

Liam did hate Keith.

He had never tried to hide it.

Maybe it was because Keith argued too much. Maybe it was because he did not lower his head enough when the guards talked to him. Maybe Liam simply enjoyed having someone to treat badly when he was bored.

Whatever the reason, Keith could use it.

If Liam wanted him close, then Keith could get close.

Close enough to distract him.

Close enough to watch the keys.

Close enough to give Tommy an opening.

Tommy considered it for several seconds.

Finally, he nodded.

"That could work."

Keith smirked slightly.

"I know."

"But I’m not the one getting you invited," Tommy added. "It would be weird if I suddenly asked Liam to let you join us."

"That’s fine."

Keith turned toward the road.

"I’ll ask him myself."

Tommy stared at him.

"You think he’ll say yes if you ask?"

Keith looked back with a confident smile.

"He will."

Tommy still looked doubtful.

"Why?"

"Because Liam is easy to read."

Keith’s smile widened a little.

Tommy let out a quiet breath.

"And if he says no?"

"Then we figure something else out."

Keith’s expression became more serious.

"But I don’t think he’ll say no."

Tommy studied him for a moment, then gave a reluctant nod.

"Alright," he said. "Ask him. But don’t force it. If he gets suspicious, we stop."

"Don’t worry," Keith replied.

He started walking away from the isolated house.

"I’ve got this."

Tommy watched him leave, but the worried look on his face did not disappear.