Stealing Liberty
Page 33
I play with the edge of my fingernail. My choices are clear, but they’ve never been so hard. I owe Oliver everything. Paisley too. The pull to go back to Windmill Bay and break them out is strong. Almost too strong to resist.
But I resist it anyway.
My debt to Lexie is older. What I did to her and Riley’s family — it’s something I struggle with every day. I have to set it right.
“I’m going with you, Riley. To help you get Lexie.”
She lets go of Xoey and turns toward me, her eyes wet and blazing.
She might forgive me yet.
We’re all quiet for a few minutes, just staring at the sky.
“We can’t let Windmill Bay be the last place we were all together,” Xoey says. “No promises, but please. Survive — every one of you. Make it through until we can be together again — all seven of us in one safe place.”
I reach out and squeeze her hand, like she has squeezed mine so many times. Riley adds her hand, then Sam and Adam follow. I examine their faces — the five of us who made it out, thinking of the two we left behind. The flagpole above us is bare. The general told me they don’t fly the American flag at night because they can’t keep it lit.
“Someday, though,” he said. “Someday.”
I think about the days that have passed — how Xoey says God worked through us to bring about Good.
“Someday,” I say to my friends.
Someday soon, I hope we will all do more of the same.
Coming Soon
Coming soon:
Book two in the Stealing Liberty series
* * *
Weeping Justice
* * *
Here is a sneak peek:
* * *
“Reed, wait!”
He doesn’t, of course. Instead, he darts ahead, disappearing behind a tree. I try and keep up, but his legs are longer than mine and he’s zigzagging all over the forest.
What an idiot.
But I’m the idiot. I should have noticed his fever and made him rest. What’s another night in our leaky tent when we’re already so far behind schedule, I’ve lost track of the days? But no. I’ve been so focused on rescuing Lexie, I’ve ignored Reed and his symptoms. So much for my medic training at Fort Unity.
“Reed! Hold up!”
He stops at the edge of a clearing and cocks his head up toward the treetops, swaying on his feet. “Do you hear that?” he whispers. I catch up to him just as he crumples to the ground.
“Reed!” I drop to my knees beside him.
“Riley?”
He lifts his hand then drops it as his eyes roll back in his head.
“Reed? Reed!” I shake him but he doesn’t respond.
What do I do?
“Don’t panic, Riley,” I mutter to myself, trying to ignore how my voice shakes. Taking a deep breath, I think back to my training then take his pulse. It’s steady. Good. He’s not breathing so great, but it sounds like congestion in his head, not his lungs. I can work with that. I’m just shifting his head to my lap and reaching for my canteen when I hear the click of a gun behind me.
“Don’t move.”
Acknowledgments
When the story idea for Stealing Liberty came together in my head, I was in the middle of writing another book. My kids convinced me to lay it aside and focus on this one. It turned out to be the right decision in more ways than one, proving that the most valuable work I have ever done was in raising two amazing human beings.
Thanks to my daughter, Tara, who was Stealing Liberty’s first reader. You were so patient, waiting for each chapter, and so encouraging, leaving little notes on my desk. I love you! Second, to my son, Drew, who quietly supported me by popping into my office every day to ask, “You okay?” I love you! And, of course, to my husband, Bryan, who works in the real world so I can spend so many hours in this world of my own making. Thank you for supporting me along this journey. I love you so much.
I also want to thank my sisters, Michelle Britton and Christy Ford, who are my champion cheerleading beta readers, keeping me going, chapter by chapter. Thank you to my nephews, Devon and Wesley Britton, and to Rich and Dawndi Phillips, who were all enthusiastic beta readers. A special thank you to Tamara Forsythe, proofreader and encourager extraordinaire.
Special thanks to my agent, Cyle Young, and Tessa Hall at Hartline Literary. Thank you for believing in this story. Thank you Cora Bignardi, who designed my cover art. You are amazing!
Finally, to my editors and publisher at Clean Reads: Christi Corbett, Ciara Stephens, Bethany Lindell, Opal Campbell and Stephanie Taylor, thank you so much for believing in this book. It means more than I can say.
As always, most of all, I thank you, Lord, for the liberty that only comes in the name of your Son.
About the Author
A graduate of Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism, Jennifer Froelich worked for many years as a freelance editorial assistant before self-publishing two suspense novels, DREAM OF ME and A PLACE BETWEEN BREATHS, which won an honorable mention in Writer’s Digest’s 2016 Self-Published Books competition. Jennifer lives in scenic Idaho with her husband and two teenage children.
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