Rescuing Liberty: Perseverance Book 1 (16 page)

After he washed up and pulled on dry
clothes, Connor stepped out of the master bathroom to find a
sleeping Ashley curled up into a ball in the center of the
king-sized bed. The curtains were closed, and Liberty had a
flashlight crammed into the bottom of the top dresser drawer. She
was lying on the floor, on her stomach, reading a paperback under
the light.

“
Ashley passed out early,” he
whispered.

Liberty must have been too wrapped up in her
novel to hear him come out of the bathroom, because she just about
jumped out of her skin when he spoke. She glared at him for a
moment, then her expression softened into a loving smile when she
looked at Ashley.

Connor studied her face, wishing she’d
direct a fraction of the affection she felt for Ashley toward him.
Knowing he had a fence to mend, he leaned against the dresser,
trying to look casual. “We should talk,” he said.

Tensions rose as she scrutinized him for a
moment, rolled over, then sat up. Her shoulders slumped and she let
out a deep breath.

Why is she so
difficult?
Connor wondered.

“
Talk?” Liberty sounded skeptical as
she closed the paperback and placed it on top of the dresser. “Now
you wanna talk? And they say
women
have mood swings.”

“
Right. Never mind.” Frustrated by her
tone, he turned to leave, but she reached out and grabbed his leg.
He stopped and watched her over his shoulder. “Yes?”

Her eyes studied the carpet. “I’m not used
to relying on anyone but myself. Needing help is—” She chewed on
her lip, suddenly looking much younger than twenty-eight. “—just
thank you. That’s all. And I’m sorry.” Her expression became a mix
of emotions before turning into a lopsided smile.

Connor blinked.
Exactly how many personalities does this girl have?

She patted the floor beside her. When he
sat, she grabbed his right hand and studied his bloody knuckles,
raising an eyebrow. He shrugged, and her mouth twitched.

“
I’d ask about the other guy, but I
already saw the wall,” she said. Her hands held his for a moment
longer. Then she dropped his fist and fidgeted with the hem of her
dress.

“
So … trying out the whole talking
thing.” Connor cleared his throat and turned on his best talk show
host voice. “Let’s start by digging into the depths of the
mysterious mind of Liberty. Liberty Collins, what are you thinking
about right now?”

She tapped her head. “This noggin? Right
this minute?”

He nodded.

“
I’m regretting all the times I
skipped dessert. Because seriously, I could go for some chocolate
mousse right now.”

He chuckled and considered her.
What is it about this woman that throws me
off-guard?

The dress Liberty wore, accentuated her
narrow waist and flowed into the natural curves of her body. Her
curls spilled from a clip on the top of her head, and the light
from her flashlight gently caressed her long neck, adding secrets
in the shadows that Connor longed to explore. His fingers itched
for an opportunity to trace the lines of her collarbone. From her
appearance to her personality, Liberty’s presence was her own,
uninfluenced by others, like a candle that wouldn’t be snuffed out
by changing winds. He held his breath as the desire to protect and
possess her overcame him.

Mine.
Whoa. She’d kill me if she could read my mind. Gotta pull
myself together. Be cool.

“
Connor, what do you want?” She raised
one eyebrow and looked at him like he was a curiosity. “And what’s
up with your eye?”

He knuckled his twitching eye and
shrugged, wondering how to answer either question.
What
do
I
want?
Liberty watched him, looking beautiful and
vulnerable, but he knew the truth. She was attractive, but she was
autonomous. Connor once had money, power, and stability, but what
did he have now to offer to a woman like Liberty? Especially after
she’d already made it clear she didn’t ‘need’ him.

“
I—I think we should talk about the
plan,” he replied, deciding on neutral territory. “I know we are
heading north, but you haven’t told me where. I should probably
know.”

Right that moment he didn’t care one
lick about the plan. And truth be told, he knew exactly where she
was taking them. He also knew it was futile. No country on the
planet had a chance of being unaffected by the collapse of the US.
There was no way Canada would be better off. But Liberty had a goal
and hope.
Who am I to take these things
away from her?

“
Why?” she asked. Her cheeks darkened,
warning Connor that she was getting irritated.

He tilted his head to the side, his mind
replaying the question and looking for whatever he’d said
wrong.

“
Why do you want to know?” Her entire
face erupted in bright red, like a flare of anger. “Are you
planning on leaving me behind if I have another spell like
earlier?” Though her face was fire, ice cubes could have formed
from her words.

Connor leaned away, trying to get out
of range long enough to make sense of her words.
Leave her behind? What?

She stood and started pacing like a caged
lion. “I had a bad day. It won’t happen again. I’m better now. And
if you think you can take Ashley away from me, then you’re the one
who’s crazy.”

Connor pushed himself off the floor
wondering why she’d be talking about taking Ashley away. “Ashley is
my—”

Suddenly Liberty was inches from his face.
Her finger held his lips closed. Her jaw clenched then unclenched.
Then her shoulders slumped. The anger in her eyes turned to sorrow.
“Connor, please don’t do this. Don’t take Ash from me.”

She slowly pulled her finger away and
wrapped herself in a hug. He watched her lips move, but no more
sound escaped. A single tear slid down her cheek before plummeting
to the floor.

He wanted to scoop her up in his arms, but
knew it wouldn’t work. He searched for words that would adequately
define his feelings, but there were none. She looked away and he
studied her lips, wondering if what she’d do if he kissed her
again. Deciding he didn’t care how she’d react, he leaned forward
into uncertain doom and …

Ashley stirred.

Connor was pulled from his trance by the
sound. Looking at the girl, he noticed she had kicked off the
covers, so he walked to the bed and pulled them up over her
shoulders, tucking them under her chin. She smiled, obviously
enjoying whatever was happening in her dreams. He pushed a loose
strand of hair out of her face.

Liberty gasped.

Connor pushed away from the bed, turning
toward the door. Liberty’s hands were in the air and the silver
chamber of a pistol rested against her temple.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“SORRY, AM I interrupting a moment here?” The
man who held the gun to Liberty’s head showed his teeth in a
malicious grin. Tanned skin contrasted with his chin-length
sandy-blonde hair, making him look like he’d be more comfortable
holding a surf board and a six pack of beer than a pistol. His icy
blue eyes watched Connor, waiting for a reaction.

Connor recognized the crazed stare instantly
and froze, considering his options. A lamp rested on the night
stand to his right, begging to be used as a weapon, but he knew he
couldn’t swing it before the man got a shot off. Even if he could,
there was a bed between him and his foe. Any move he made was a
gamble. Frustrated by his lack of options, Connor silently prayed
that Liberty followed the news and would recognize the man by
name.

“
Mark Fletcher,” he replied by way of
greeting.

Her breath caught and her eyeballs rolled to
the side, widening when she caught a glimpse of her captor.

Good. She knows who he is. Be afraid, Lib.
This is real.

Fletcher giggled in unrestrained glee,
clearly delighted by his own renown. The sound sent shivers up and
down Connor’s spine, assuring him that Mark had jumped off the pier
of sanity into a whole ocean of crazy. Mark’s gaze darted nervously
around the room as his finger twitched on the trigger. “Nice place
you have here. Looks like you managed to steal someone else’s
life.”

Connor knew Mark Fletcher professionally.
Mark had been the intended successor of a large and prosperous
furniture chain based out of Olympia. Fletcher Furniture had
flourished for generations, passed down from first son to first son
for as long as anyone could remember. But when Mark took over, his
abuse of the power that came with the position had nearly cost his
family everything.

Evidence of Mark’s misdeeds first surfaced a
few years back when a pretty, little blonde doll stepped into
Connor’s office under the watchful gaze of her father. According to
the young lady, Mark had promised her a position in the business,
if she could first prove her skill at numerous positions in his
bedroom. After their clothing-prohibited interview, Mark voiced his
disappointment in the girl’s performance, and invited her to bring
a friend and try again. Instead she went to her father, who was
more than a little offended by Mark’s pre-employment screening
practices, and hired Connor to go after him.

Connor went digging and found multiple
victims who’d experienced their own harassment nightmares from the
depraved heir to the furniture fortune. Evidence was sound, and
once they realized the financial potential of their misadventures,
victims were more than willing to come forward. The system demanded
justice, and all offended women were awarded healthy recompense. It
had been Connor’s first high-profile case. The victory had tasted
exquisite, pumping adrenaline through his veins when the courtroom
erupted in cheers. The villain was convicted and punished for his
crimes.

Now the villain held a gun to Liberty’s
head.

I’ll kill him this time.

“
What’s the matter?” Mark asked. “Not
so tough without a bailiff between us?” His feet shifted. “Don’t
you have something to say to me?”

“
What do you want me to
say?”

“
Let’s start with an apology for
wrecking my life. You took away everything. You ruined me!” he
shouted.

Ashley stirred, but thankfully she didn’t
wake.

“
What, no apology?” Mark stuck his
tongue out at Connor like a child. Then he turned on Liberty and
licked the side of her face, from jaw to eyebrow.

She grimaced and tried to pull away. As he
wrestled her back into position, Connor inched closer. Mark saw
what was transpiring and pressed the gun harder against Liberty’s
temple.

“
Well, I’ve had my eye on you for a
while, Dunstan. At first I was going to see what you were keeping
locked up in that safe. But then you took off so fast I figured I’d
follow you and find out what you were up to. I thought about
killing you a few times, but there’d be no fun in that.” He
moistened his dry, cracked lips. “Why should you get off easy?
Killing you would be much too kind.” Then the psychopath used his
unarmed hand to stretch the front of Liberty’s dress away from her
chest, in order to gawk at her suddenly exposed breasts. “Since you
took it upon yourself to interfere with me and my women, I thought
I'd return the favor.” He nibbled on Liberty’s ear and she
shuddered.

“
I know it’s not a very fair trade,
but honestly, you don’t have much to offer, so I’ll settle for
taking your girl.”

“
I am not his girl,” Liberty growled
through clenched teeth.

“
No sweetheart, now you’re mine.” He
leaned into her and smiled like they were posing for a picture.
“What do you think?” He asked Connor. “Don’t we look great
together?”

Liberty’s hands were trembling.

Connor knew he had to do something. With no
weapons, he used the only other skill he had and tried to reason
with Mark. “Listen, I’m sorry for what I did. Let me make it up to
you.”

“
How are you planning to do that?”
Mark tilted his head to the side. “Can you give me my life back?
Can you call my mom and tell her that I was falsely accused? Can
you buy me off?” He snarled. “No, this looks to be the best thing
you have to offer right now, and I’m taking her for payback. Unless
you want me to take her instead.” He motioned toward the sleeping
Ashley.

Liberty’s green eyes widened. “No!” she
said. “Don’t you touch her.”

“
Mark, please,” Connor pleaded. “I’m
so sorry.”

“
You’re right, you are.” Mark launched
at Connor with the butt of his gun.

Connor hadn’t been expecting it, and before
he realized what happened he heard a loud crack and his world went
dark.

* * *

“Jake, I’m on my way,” Connor said into the
phone, trying to sound reassuring.

“
We can’t stay here,” his
brother replied. “We’re heading to the store now, we’ll
meet
—
”

Connor’s phone went dead. He redialed his
brother’s number, but reached a recording that told him all
circuits were busy. He slammed the useless compilation of plastic
and metal into his steering wheel and floored the gas pedal.

Only moments ago, Connor had been running on
the treadmill in his home gym. The basketball game he was watching
switched to a “Live Breaking News Flash” that showed an
unfathomable scene in front of the White House. Connor about
tripped, having to step to the side to avoid falling. He pulled the
emergency stop cord on his treadmill and watched the news,
disbelieving his eyes. Puffs of gunfire were everywhere. People
roamed the streets with sticks and guns, taking down whoever they
came across. Police in riot gear arrived on the scene, attempting
to push back the crowd. Smoke bombs were launched and people
pressed in on the police, overwhelming them quickly.