Liberty

by Kirsty Dallas

  Ashlynn worked feverishly over Skye, gently running her hands down her limbs, possibly looking for more injuries or breaks. A panting Hadley joined her mother, reaching for a washcloth to help wipe away the blood. Axel stood in one corner, his face pale as he shifted anxiously from one foot to the other. It was no secret Axel had always harbored feelings for Skye, but the free-spirited beauty refused to make their casual encounters something more permanent. The lines of worry bracketed his eyes, and the tick in his jaw spoke of the inner turmoil he was feeling at seeing someone he cared about suffering.

  “What the fuck happened?” I asked, my voice full of shock. I hadn’t been prepared for the sight of Skye’s brutalized body. Gracie’s tear-stained face turned my way.

  “Hadley found her.”

  “Where?”

  She was supposed to be at the cave, miles away from the compound.

  Why did she come back?

  How had she got inside?

  Grace gave me a slight shake of her head, telling me she had no idea.

  “Hadley?”

  She was rinsing off the rag in a bucket of water when her fearful gaze met mine, before darting to something over my shoulder. No, not something. Someone. Fury.

  “Sh-sh-sh… ” Again she squeezed her eyes tight, trying to spit the word out. “She w-w-was l-l-lying by the r-r-r-river at the b-b-back of the c-c-c-c-compound.”

  “Why were you outside the compound?” Fury demanded before I could ask.

  Hadley didn’t cower to the big man, though. She stood a little taller and pressed her shoulders back, annoyance set in her narrowed eyes.

  “We needed water. The pipes in the hospital have frozen, and we didn’t have time to thaw any,” Ashlynn began, not giving Hadley a chance to speak. “Ivy’s baby came early. One of Jebediah’s soldiers escorted Hadley outside the compound, and while getting the water, Hadley noticed the body in the tree line but had no idea who it was. After bringing the water back inside she snuck through a small break in the wall along the back fence, it’s barely big enough for a large rabbit to fit through, but Hadley managed then dragged Skye back in and found Axel to help bring her here.” Ashlynn didn’t stop working on Skye while she gave me the run down.

  “That was reckless. Jebediah’s men patrol the wall. You could have been shot on sight.” Fury’s voice was no longer gentle, but curt and menacing.

  I didn’t disagree with him, but I wasn’t about to make a scene in front of everyone over it, especially when it had possibly saved Skye’s life. Hadley’s hands went to her waist, and her lips pinched, as if ready to give Fury a mouthful of attitude when Ashlynn interrupted.

  “Hadley, I can’t work around these clothes, can you grab the scissors please?”

  Swallowing whatever she had been about to say, Hadley obediently reached for scissors and began to carefully cut the fabric away from Skye.

  “Ash? Is she going to be okay?” I finally asked, dreading the answer. Skye hadn’t moved once, not even a twitch of a muscle. The older woman stood and winced as she straightened her back. She looked exhausted, the shadows under her eyes and the worn look on her face indicating she’d been worked to the bare bones of late.

  “I can’t say for sure, Ink,” she began. “She’s been unconscious this whole time. She could have a brain injury or internal bleeding. I need to get her to the infirmary… ” Her worried gaze was drawn back to Skye. “She’s been beat something fierce, I just don’t know.”

  “Why would Jebediah’s men beat her and leave her outside the compound?” I wondered out loud as I watched Gracie continue to softly stroke her friend’s hand.

  “It doesn’t seem their style,” Fury admitted.

  With her shirt peeled away, Skye lay in a faded blue bra as Ashlynn began to carefully feel her ribs. I turned away to give the unconscious girl some degree of modesty.

  “A beautiful, young woman, alone outside the compound, they’d be into that. Her clothes were intact, but maybe they tried something and she fought back?” Axel spoke, but his gaze never left Skye.

  “Ashlynn, does it look like she was… ” I couldn’t say the word. I didn’t have trouble saying much, but rape—it was such an ugly, foul word.

  “I haven’t gotten that far yet, Ink. But I doubt they’d beat her senseless, rape her then redress her.”

  With a subtle flick of my head, I signaled for Axel and Fury to head outside. By now Max, Isaac, and Charlie had appeared on the scene, all my men carrying the same look. Devastation and rage.

  “Gracie?” I lowered to my haunches beside her. Eyes full of hurt and sorrow greeted mine. “Stay with Ash and Hadley, I’ll come for you later.”

  “We’ll be heading to the infirmary as soon as Ethan and Finn get a stretcher here,” Ashlynn explained.

  “I’ll come find you there,” I said, my eyes never leaving hers.

  Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Gracie’s lower lip trembled, but not a tear escaped her lashes. She offered a despondent nod before turning her attention back to Skye. My gaze lingered for only a moment more before I ducked out of the cabin to find my men standing a few feet away.

  “What do we do?” Axel asked, his fists clenching and unclenching.

  Reaching for the back of my neck, I rubbed the tension that sat twisted in my muscles and tendons. “We need to keep our eyes and ears open, someone beat the shit out of her. He’d have bruised up knuckles. Maybe she fought back, so maybe he’s roughed up, too,” I began, thinking of how we might get to the bottom of this.

  “Jebediah’s soldiers aren’t exactly a quiet lot, they brawl and bicker, I’d bet more than half of them are covered in bruises of some sort,” Charlie added, his fingers running through his thick beard as his thoughtful gaze rested somewhere over my shoulder.

  I glanced at Fury who was yet to say anything.

  “Let the girls know one of our own was hurt, they might think twice about visiting the barracks.”

  “Might…” Fury said in a low voice. “Might not.”

  “Axel, you and Ethan stay glued to the girls here. If you need a break, have Andy and Charlie take your place. Pass the word around that it’s strongly advised the women do not wander around on their own. Our people have to keep alert, and we need to look out for each other.”

  “You’re leavin’ in two days,” Fury noted.

  It was something I’d been thinking about almost every moment of my waking day. My first run to deliver Jebediah’s NIM was taking place the night after tomorrow. According to Jebediah, it was an eight-hour drive south-east to what was once a busy truck stop, but was now abandoned and little more than a crumbling building. We would travel through the night and wait for the arrival of his buyer, who was expected at dusk. To make sure we aren’t followed back to the compound, we would then drive further south, before taking a rarely used back road which looped around to our delivery spot, then the eight-hour drive home. I’d be gone easily twenty hours. That was twenty hours where Gracie would be without my protection. Twenty hours where I would be out of communication with my men and the compound. Nodding, my gaze was drawn back to the big man who stood like a stone carved statue beside me.

  “I get the feeling you want to be watching over Hadley,” I said. Fury remained silent, but I really didn’t expect him to say anything. He wasn’t big on talking, and he was the kind of man whose private life would remain just that—private. “But I need you on Gracie.”

  Fury offered me a short, sharp nod, and I felt slightly better knowing in my absence Gracie would be protected. Fury might be a wild card with a vicious temper on occasion, but he was fiercely loyal, and for reasons I was not entirely privy to, he was highly driven to protect women. Don’t get me wrong, I trusted all of my men to step up and protect the females in and outside of Liberty, but Fury would kill his own brother if he thought he was mistreating a woman. In fact, if rumors were true, he had something not dissimilar happen while trapped in Kingsley
Duke’s Underworld.

  Needing to find Trigger and fill him in, I left the cabin knowing Gracie and the women were protected.

  CHAPTER 9 - Grace

  The chill in the air almost forced me back inside. Almost. But the promise of warmth from the slowly rising sun kept me sitting on the top of the tiny porch step in front of my cabin. Heavy snow had fallen during the night, which embraced the world around us in a new kind of silence. No leaves rustled, the animals were quiet, even the birds, although they’d begin their song any moment now. The leafless branches of the trees around me had been turned into icy limbs, snow sitting precariously atop their outstretched boughs. The roof of my cabin was blanketed in white, the steps below my feet icy. Regardless of how much the bitter frost stung my senses, I couldn’t deny its beauty.

  As soon as Ink woke he would no doubt voice his displeasure about the fact I was sitting outside all alone, but I needed the solitude. Sneaking out of his arms and over his lithe, prone body that still lay in my bed was an exercise in slow, precise movements. I’d felt a quiet sort of thrill when I’d managed to evade him.

  What I really wanted to do was go visit Skye. Seeing her body so broken changed something inside of me. The moment I laid eyes on her I felt a piece of my heart darken and grow colder. How anyone could hurt a woman in such a way was beyond me, but when it was my best friend, all thoughts of how and why fled. I wanted revenge. I wanted whoever hurt her to suffer the same, or maybe even worse. I’d never had such dark thoughts as the ones that currently churned around my mind, but the idea of sinking my blade into Skye’s attacker filled me with a sense of righteousness.

  Ink would be so disappointed if knew the menacing thoughts I was capable of. After-all, Gracie didn’t hurt people, she smiled, she joked, she played, or so most people assumed. What nobody got to see though, were the shadows in the corner of my mind that hid the pain of a little girl covered in bruises courtesy of her father’s hands. Or the fear of a little girl dropped into a hole in the ground filled with monsters, or the anger of a woman whose friends were being threatened by a man who knew no boundaries or mercy. All that pain, fear and anger was growing and would soon need an outlet.

  My gaze was drawn in the direction of the infirmary, a ten-minute walk away through the trees and buildings. My need to go check on Skye was a driving force which made my knee bounce with impatience, but Ink would lose his shit if he woke up and I was gone. Knowing how much it would upset him kept my ass firmly in place. He’d been so attentive lately, and our friendship which had dissolved into something heartbreakingly somber was reborn but in a new and exciting way. Even his most innocuous touches had become reverent and his words patient and understanding. Not a night passed where I didn’t fall asleep in his arms and wake up that same way. His unwavering care was gradually repairing the damage he’d so callously inflicted. Ink swore I would never forgive him, but hoped his true feelings would help heal the damage. The truth was, I could never hate Ink. Even while he was pushing me away, there was anger and hurt, but never hate. I loved the man too much to hate him.

  Yesterday, when I’d gone to check on Skye, more fragments of my heart were resurrected. I’d found Ink sitting with her. He’d been talking to her in the hopes of waking Skye from her sleep. A ‘coma,’ Ashlynn had called it. She said it was probably better for Skye to remain sleeping for now because she’d heal without the pain. I wasn’t so sure. Seeing Skye so still felt too close to death for my comfort. I missed her, missed spilling all my most treasured secrets, and being wild and crazy with her. The thought of the profanities that would escape her lips if she knew Ink cared for me, like, really cared for me, made me smile. No doubt she’d playfully punch my arm and say “no fucking way,” then her jaw would drop when she realized I was telling the truth. Skye would curse and tell me he was no good for me, then she’d smile and drag me into a dance in the middle of wherever we were standing. She knew my heart belonged to Ink, no matter how many times she tried to convince me to move on.

  The chirp of a bird caught my attention, the first break in the morning’s silence. Soon after it was followed by another whistle, then another. For a brief moment I thought of making my way around the back of my cabin and sitting on my swing. The calming influence of the gentle swinging would help drown out my building anxiety. Even though a shiver rocked my body at the thought of the rope crusted with snowy crystals and the bitterly cold air wrapping around my limbs as I flew through the air, I shifted to stand. All thoughts of the swing vanished at the sound of snow crunching underfoot. My hand dropped to my boot, where my knife sat tucked safely away, but otherwise, I didn’t move. Whoever was approaching didn’t try to do so unnoticed, so I assumed it wasn’t a threat. Assumptions were the mother of all fuck-ups, according to Ink, so I kept my fingers close to the knife ready to defend myself if the need arose. From the shadows before me loomed a figure. Fear pushed my heart harder and faster, but knowing Ink was in the cabin at my back gave me a little more courage.

  “Bit early for a walk,” I murmured, as the figure slowed its gait.

  Ducking under a low branch, Trigger stepped out of the trees which sheltered my cabin from others, his face barely visible in the low hues of the early morning light. Ink had been searching for him yesterday, unable to find him anywhere. Trigger came to a standstill right before me, fog blowing out of his mouth, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. I was relieved to see he was okay. When Ink couldn’t find him I’d felt sick to my stomach, especially after finding Skye brutalized the way she was.

  My lips turned up into a relieved smile. Trigger watched me through his unruly hair that hung in his eyes. He didn’t usually let it get this long, I needed to give him a trim. He gnawed away on his bottom lip, shoulders slumped forward, and a tired look adorned his face, but he was whole and appeared unharmed.

  “Where’ve you been, asshole?” I asked, a rough tone to my yet unused morning vocal chords.

  Trigger’s eyes darted around us, ever vigilant. But I knew we were alone. I’d been sitting out here for the better part of an hour, and the noise of his approach was crystal clear in the aching silence. No one else could have crept up on me without me knowing.

  “Does Ink know you’re out here alone?”

  Answering a question with a question was an avoidance tactic and I hated it. My brow crinkled as my head tilted thoughtfully.

  “He doesn’t, but since you and Ink taught me everything I need to know about this place and protecting myself, I think it’s safe to say I’m okay. Anyway, he’s probably woken at the sound of your voice.”

  Trigger nodded. “Fair enough.” He was shifting from one foot to the other and appeared nervous, completely unlike the Trigger I knew and loved.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, genuinely concerned for him.

  Trigger huffed out a breath of air. The sun had risen over the horizon, bringing more light to the wooded area. I could now see the dark circles under his eyes, the tightening around his mouth, and a long, angry looking scratch down his cheek which started under his eye and ended at his jaw. It was a deep gouge and appeared red and sore.

  “What the hell happened?” I asked, slowly standing to my feet. My hand reached out to touch the wound but Trigger ducked, moving out of my reach.

  “I’m fine, Gracie, just a scratch from a branch. I need to keep a better eye on where I’m walking, is all.”

  “Where’ve you been?” Came Ink’s voice from behind me.

  It too was a little rough from lack of use, and when I glanced over my shoulder to take him in, my breath caught in my throat. Ink always had the power to bring me to my knees, but lately, that power had intensified. Dressed in worn jeans, a tee shirt and thick jacket he was currently zipping up, I took the time to appreciate his tall, athletic form. His boots weren’t yet laced, and when he stretched and yawned his shirt and jacket rose, showing me the button on the top of his jeans still undone.

  “Jebediah had me helping under the barracks, in their lab.”
>
  “You were working on the NIM?” Ink asked, clearly surprised.

  “He wanted me to help pack it. He doesn’t expect any trouble on the drop, but just in case he wanted it well hidden. They’ve built each canister of NIM into asthma inhalers.”

  And there was one of the reasons both Ink and Trigger looked so drawn and tired—drugs, NIM. Their first delivery taking place in the early hours of tomorrow morning, they’d both be driving out of Liberty tonight in a truck filled with NIM. I’d heard people talk about having a bad feeling before, I assumed they were being overly dramatic. I was now a converted believer, the churning tornado of apprehension had grown as we drew closer to Ink leaving Liberty.

  Any number of things could go wrong. They could be attacked by other mercenaries, or they could be found by government soldiers and sent to one of the underground prisons. Ink could drive out the walls of Liberty and never return. That scared the crap out of me. And while I sat trapped within the compound walls worried about Ink, he sat in that truck worrying about me. It would be an exercise in patience and survival unlike either of us had experienced before.

  “One of his men will be joining us tonight, and Jeze.”

  “What the fuck is his sister coming for?” Ink growled.

  Trigger shrugged. “Fucked if I know. Maybe you should… I don’t know, talk to Jebediah about it.”

  “Why would I talk to him? It’s not like I have any say beyond you and Henry watching my back.”

  Trigger ran an agitated hand through his hair. “If you just tried to talk to him, to understand him, maybe we could figure out a way to work together.”

  The silence that fell over us was thick with tension. Ink stepped forward from the porch, taking the three steps to the ground slow and steady.