Freedom

by Riley Edwards

  “Go on. Where was I?”

  “I found you in one of the berthing compartments that had been converted into a makeshift recovery ward. There were two rooms that held patients in various stages of… I don’t know what to call it… recovery… waiting to have more of their organs, joints, and bones taken from their bodies to sell. You were in a room by yourself.”

  She shifted and slid down from leaning against the headboard to rest her head on my chest. Somehow telling her the details when she wasn’t looking at me with her pretty eyes -eyes that were almost stolen from her – made it slightly easier.

  Fuck!

  “Go on, Nolan,” she whispered, running her fingers back and forth across my chest.

  On an exhale, I went on. “Lenard was with you. He was on the phone negotiating.” When I didn’t say anything more, she prompted me to continue. “He had a buyer that was interested in purchasing your eyes.” Reagan sucked in a breath, and I seriously considered putting a stop to this madness. She didn’t need to know this shit. It was jacked.

  “I need to know.”

  “He told the buyer that your eyes were perfect, you were healthy, and prepped for surgery. He promised your eyes would be airborne within an hour.”

  “That didn’t happen,” she whispered.

  “No, baby, it didn’t.”

  “You saved me.”

  “No, I didn’t.” I didn’t get there soon enough, or she’d still have both kidneys.

  “You did. Wanna know how I know?” she asked, and flattened her hand and placed it over my heart.

  “How?” I asked.

  “Because I can see.” She giggled. “Too soon?” She continued to laugh.

  “Ya think?” I snapped.

  “Listen. I’m alive. You saved my life and, as a bonus, you saved a hundred other people on the rig as well. Not to mention you and the team helped shut down Larry’s fucked up organization. That’s a win. That’s how we’re thinking about this.”

  The FBI had a field day sifting through LJ Glass Holdings. Other government agencies had to be called in as well as law enforcement in three other countries. Luckily, the Horizon III was the only make-shift hospital. As far as I knew, they were still dismantling the network he’d created.

  “You’re missing a fucking kidney, Reagan, and part of your liver.”

  “Yeah, Clark,” she sassed. “I know. Lucky for me I had two. One plus a spare. You know that people live with one kidney all the time. My liver has already started to regenerate. I’m healthy.”

  “Stop saying you’re healthy. That’s what that fucker said. Very healthy, no medical conditions. Fuck, Rea. That’s all I can hear. Lenard talking about you like you weren’t a person. He wanted to sell your goddamn eyes. Do you understand? I didn’t know if you were dead or alive; if they’d already butchered you. I was so afraid I was going to fail, and you were going to die. It gutted me that he wanted to take your beautiful eyes from me. I died a thousand deaths thinking I’d never get a chance to look into them again. Fuck. When you look at me… it’s…everything.”

  Reagan sat up, and before I could stop her she was sitting astride me, both her hands on my face, forcing me to meet her gaze.

  “Look at me, Nolan. Really look at me. You saved me. You got there. See?” I finally met her stare, and relief didn’t begin to cover what I felt looking into her eyes. “I love you, Nolan. You said you could love me through anything. And you did. You are. Right back atcha’. Don’t hide from me.”

  “You heard that?”

  “I did. God knows you told me enough. As long as you’re breathing, baby. I heard you, Nolan. You need to stop worrying so much. You’re gonna drive yourself crazy. I think you have grey hair now and everything. I’m worried that your gonna need to trim your nose hair soon, and maybe even need those little blue pills, which will be a shame because it’s been …it’s been like, forever, since I’ve gotten laid.”

  “I love you so fucking much.”

  Damn, it felt good to laugh, and once it started, I couldn’t stop it. The hilarity died down, and I held her stare. Beautiful hazel orbs, more green than brown, shone brightly. She was here and breathing. That was a win.

  “You straight?” she asked.

  “You movin’ in?” I returned.

  “Yes.”

  “Then, yes.”

  “You think I can get some?” She winked and wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Nope.”

  “Party pooper,” she whined and ground down on my unused throbbing cock.

  “If you’re a good girl and lie still, I’ll take care of you.”

  “Yippy!”

  Beauty comes in many different packages. All shapes and sizes. Reagan’s beauty didn’t come from the outside - it was deep within her. A bright light, a beacon calling me home. I was there, free of my past. And freedom never tasted sweeter.

  Epilogue

  Seven years later

  Nolan Clark rolled over and kissed his wife before he tagged his cell off the nightstand and quietly slipped out of their bedroom. She’d been up all night with Jackson, their five-year-old, who had brought home whatever germ was floating around his kindergarten class. Jasper was pissed his daughter had come down with the bug as well, as if it was Clark’s fault Jasper’s second-born daughter chased Jack around until she could pin him down and kiss him.

  Jasper and Emily were in trouble with that one. She was a firecracker with her father’s personality and her mother’s jet-black hair and crystal blue eyes. His worst nightmare had come to fruition much to the amusement of the women. Four daughters, all two years apart, except for his last two. Twins. When Emily announced she was pregnant with Hadley and Adalynn, the women had jumped for joy, and big bad Jasper Walker had fallen on his ass.

  “Hi Daddy,” Jackson called out to his father from his perch at the kitchen counter, where he was spreading copious amounts of grape jelly on his toast.

  “You think you’re gonna eat any bread with the sugar?” Clark gently scolded.

  He’d lost the battle on sugary treats in the house long ago, but he still commented on it whenever he could. His boys were lucky to have Reagan for a variety of reasons - grape jelly and chips were just two of those reasons. If it’d been up to him, the kids would eat veggies every day, something that Reagan had explained to him would be something akin to torture. He gave in. Nolan Clark gave in a lot. It didn’t take a lot to remind him how short life was. All he had to do was look into his wife’s beautiful eyes. It had been almost seven years since Reagan had been taken and he’d almost lost the love of his life. Clark had never again wasted an opportunity to tell her how much he loved her. He was a smart man; he knew Rea was one-in-a-million.

  “When will Nick be awake? I want to give him his graduation present before we get ready to go to the school,” Jackson said, completely ignoring his father’s comment.

  “Soon. How are you feeling?”

  “My tummy doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  Clark went about his morning making coffee and answering emails, enjoying the peace before the excitement of the day descended on his house. Reagan had planned a huge graduation party for Nick. He’d be leaving for college soon to start football practice before the rest of the students checked in. Clark didn’t know how he felt about that. He’d only had Nick for seven years. He’d missed the first eleven; something that Reagan had helped him forgive Stephanie for. They’d never heard from Stephanie again. Not when permanent custody was awarded, and not when Clark and Reagan had taken it a step further and officially adopted Nicholas. For once in her life, Stephanie Clark had done the right thing. She’d given Nicholas the life he deserved.

  “Umm. You smell good.” Reagan came to a stop behind her husband and buried her face in Clark’s neck.

  Clark chuckled at his wife. He loved whenever she entered a room, even if her boys were close by, she always came to Clark first. Always. After she’d planted a kiss on his lips, then she turned to the boys sitting on the couch wh
ere Nick was opening Jack’s present, and greeted them like she hadn’t seen them in years instead of hours. That was something else Rea did – she loved openly. The boys knew she loved them - she told them often and showed them frequently.

  Nolan Clark was one lucky son of a bitch, and he knew it.

  ***

  Four years after that…

  “We’re gonna be late. Jackson, hurry up.” Reagan looked at her son who was watching TV. What he wasn’t doing was tying his shoes.

  “Bud, listen to your mother,” Clark backed her up.

  “One more minute. The arson inspector is getting ready to explain which accelerants were used. Did you know that regular alcohol like vodka is flammable?” Jackson asked, turning his attention back to the TV.

  Clark would’ve been worried they had a firebug on their hands if Jackson wasn’t more interested in how to put a fire out, than watching it burn. His fascination started four years ago when his kindergarten class took a field trip to the fire station. Clark and Reagan thought it was a phase, but it had yet to wane. Jackson’s thirst for knowledge had only grown over the years.

  “Jackson. You have this documentary at home. You’ve watched it a hundred times. Everyone is waiting for us downstairs,” Reagan tried again to get her son to obey. “Quinn’s here,” she reminded Jackson.

  That did it. Jackson jumped up, turned off the TV, and slipped on his shoes in record time. Quinn Walker was a few months younger than Jackson and his best friend. The two of them were inseparable. Thick as thieves, and when you added her sister, Jasper’s first-born daughter, Delaney, into the equation the group, knew they were in trouble. Delaney was two years older than her sister and just over a year older than Jackson. The three of them were trouble.

  Clark looked around at his family. They had grown in numbers over the years.

  It started with four.

  Four men, a brotherhood.

  They’d shared a bond that was so unbreakable, when they’d found their other halves they too were embedded into the fold. Four had turned into eight. Then the children came, completing their tribe of eighteen.

  They now took up two rows as they settled in all together. Just as they did when Nick had graduated high school, again they were gathered together four years later when Nick had graduated college.

  Now they’d made the trip to Virginia to watch Nicholas Clark accept his latest achievement.

  “Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity. For the last twenty weeks, every man and woman seated in the front have lived, breathed, and honored those words. They mean something slightly different for each new Agent Trainee, but the core remains steadfast…”

  Reagan squeezed Clark’s hand, bringing his attention from the Director addressing the audience to her.

  “He did it,” she whispered.

  “There was never a doubt,” he told her.

  “No, there wasn’t. You did that. Taught him about sacrifice and service.”

  “We all did,” Clark corrected.

  The new Agent trainees stood, raised their right hands, and took a sacred oath to protect the Constitution before they walked across the stage to receive their credentials and a shiny gold badge. When Nick stopped to take his from the Director, he turned and found his family in the crowd. They were all there, smiling and clapping. He stopped to enjoy this moment - looking at each of them – all seventeen. Nick didn’t care that he was holding up the line. His four uncles deserved this day as much as he did. They’d taught him to be a man. His four aunts had taught him how to love – both giving and receiving it. Those four women had taken a broken boy and loved him until he’d known no different.

  Yeah. This day belonged to all of them.

  His family.

  After the ceremony was over Nick’s cousins were passing around his shield, touching it and reading his credentials, when the Director stopped to speak with them.

  “Special Agent Clark. Congratulations and welcome to the FBI. We are pleased to have such a fine man join our ranks.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Nick was filled with pride hearing his newly earned title.

  “Introduce me to the rest of your family. I don’t believe I’ve met them all,” the Director requested.

  “Sir, this is my Uncle Nolan and Aunt Reagan Clark, my brother, Jackson, my Uncle Levi, Aunt Blake, and my cousin Moira, Uncle Lenox, Aunt Lily, cousins Carter and Ethan, and this is my Uncle Jasper, Aunt Emily, and their tribe, Jason, Delaney, Quinn, Hadley, and Adalynn.”

  “Quite a family you have son.” The Director looked at Nick’s family and smiled. “Lenox, Jasper, Levi, Clark, always a pleasure to see you. I was sorry to hear you all retired. The good guys lost four of our best men. I was happy to hear you’d agreed to continue to train the young bucks. The FBI is looking forward to sending you agents. They will greatly benefit from your expertise.”

  “Pleasure to see you as well, Tony. We’re looking forward to it,” Lenox said.

  “I’ll let you get back to enjoying your family. Nick, I’d like to see you Monday morning. Your first assignment awaits.”

  “Yes, sir,” Nicholas answered, anxious to get to work.

  ***

  Nick was trying not to choke up as he said goodbye to his family, grateful they’d all made the trip to watch him graduate. He missed them all, even the youngest of his cousins, the twins, Hadley and Adalynn. Rea had filled him in on the havoc the six-year-olds wreaked around the Walker household. Controlled chaos was what Emily called it.

  “Thank you all for coming. Mind if I talk to Nolan alone for a minute?” Nick asked the crowd as they were loading up their cars for the drive back to Georgia.

  “Thank you.” Nick wasted no time. The longer it took to get the words out, the more of a chance there was he’d tear up.

  “No need.”

  “There is. I want you to know that I know everything you protected me from, everything you gave me. When I was eleven, I was scared and broken, but I still remember all the things you did for me. I know how lucky I am. You’re not my uncle; you are so much more. My dad, my mentor, my tutor, my consoler, my friend. I have more than most. You gave me all of them.” Nick stopped and pointed toward his family. “You all made me who I am. I want you to know I’ll make you proud. And one day I hope to be half the man you are.”

  “You could never be half the man I am.” Clark cleared his throat before he finished. “You’re already a better man than I could ever be. And son, you don’t need to try and make me proud. I already am. And not because you worked your ass off and graduated high school with honors, graduated college, and not because you’ve earned a shield and get to call yourself Special Agent. I’m proud because you are the most resilient and kindest person I know. You were as a boy, and you are as a man. I’m proud you know the value of family. Nicholas, those people over there, your uncles, we have your back. We are your home. In your line of work, as in mine, there will be times when the weight bears down, and you’re bending to a breaking point. That is when you need to come home and let us carry the load. We’ve all had to do it, and there’s no shame. I love you.” Nick nodded, afraid of his own voice. “Be safe.”

  “I will.”

  Nicholas felt every word his uncle had said when they stood in the parking lot of the hotel saying their goodbyes. He knew he meant them too. He’d always have his family waiting to catch him if he needed. That knowledge allowed him to excel in the FBI. He had the freedom to take chances, save lives, and solve cases.

  Clark was correct when he told Nicholas there would be a time he’d need to find solace in his family. When that day came, and Nick was on the brink of making the biggest mistake of his life, his uncles stood by his side and held him up.

  But that day was four years in the making, and was spent chasing a serial killer; a deranged murderer that had fixated on the woman that held his heart.

  The 707 Freedom Series is complete

  Carter Lenox, Jasper Walker, Levi McCoy, and Nolan Clark had finally
found the freedom they’d all needed to move on from their pasts, found the women they loved, and as any good man would – they held on. They’d all served their country well, and it was time for them to sit back and enjoy their retirement from the Army. They were starting a new chapter of their lives - reaping the beauty they had created.

  The Next Generation –

  Nicholas Clark, Jason Walker, Carter Lenox, Ethan Lenox, Moira McCoy, Delaney Walker, Jackson Clark, Quinn Walker, Hadley Walker, and Adalynn Walker are all grown up. The next generation is their stories – we step years into the future as each member of the 707 offspring make their tentative steps into adulthood and beyond.

  Starting May 2018 with Nick Clark’s story – ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

  Other Books by, Riley Edwards:

  Red Team

  Nightstalker

  The Masters Collection

  The Gift

  The Awakening

  The Collective Season One

  Unbroken part one – A Collective Novel

  Unbroken part two – A Collective Novel

  The Collective – Season Finale

  The 707 Freedom Series

  Free – A Black Ops Romance (Lenox)

  Free – The Extended Epilogue

  Freeing Jasper – A Black Ops Romance (Jasper)

  Finally Free – A Black Ops Romance (Levi)

  Special Forces: Operation Alpha

  (Susan Stoker Kindle World – Red Team Crossover)

  Protecting Olivia

  Redeeming Violet – coming May 2018