Songbird Freed

by Lisa Edward

  Copyrighted Material

  SONGBIRD FREED

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference.

  While advice was sought on correct military terminology, this remains a work of fiction where actual military procedures and protocol have been embellished to form part of the story.

  Copyright © 2014 by Lisa Edward

  All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the express, written consent of the author.

  Cover photo and design © by Robin Harper at Wicked By Design

  Interior design and formatting by E.M. Tippetts Book Designs

  ISBN-13: 978-1502905345

  ISBN-10: 1502905345

  First Edition: October 2014

  CreateSpace Independent Publishing platform

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Books by Lisa Edward

  Dedication

  Quote

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 – Fly Away

  Chapter 2 – Through the Looking Glass

  Chapter 3 – Just Breathe

  Chapter 4 – Playthings

  Chapter 5 – Let Me Count the Ways

  Chapter 6 – Addicted To You

  Chapter 7 – Stripper Sunday

  Chapter 8 – Noah’s Ark

  Chapter 9 – Never Have I Ever

  Chapter 10 – How It Began

  Chapter 11 – News and Reviews

  Chapter 12 – Who’s Your Daddy

  Chapter 13 – Say Something

  Chapter 14 – Road-kill

  Chapter 15 – Simon Says

  Chapter 16 - Bear

  Chapter 17 – One Night

  Chapter 18 – Change of Plans

  Chapter 19 – Crazy Cat Lady

  Chapter 20 – The Cold, Hard Truth

  Chapter 21 – Once Upon a Time

  Chapter 22 – A Walk Down Memory Lane

  Chapter 23 – Sprout

  Chapter 24 – The Promise

  Chapter 25 – Letters

  Chapter 26 – Loose Ends

  Chapter 27 – A Stitch in Time

  Chapter 28 – Party Favours

  Chapter 29 – Forgive and Forget?

  Chapter 30 – The Eyes Have It

  Chapter 31 – Brotherly Love

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  About the Book Designer

  Books by Lisa Edward

  Duty of Care

  Songbird Trilogy

  Songbird

  Songbird Caged

  Songbird Freed

  For Layla…

  find your passion, follow your dreams

  If you love someone, set her free.

  If she comes back she is yours,

  If she doesn’t, fight like hell for her.

  ~ Cole

  Cole

  I RAN until I was gasping for air and my legs felt like lead.

  What was I running from?

  The truth.

  The cold, hard truth, that Riley was alive and my almost perfect world that I’d taken so long to nurture, was about to be turned to shit all over again.

  I couldn’t go back. To just be Tara’s friend when I’d finally had it all–had all of her–how could I go back to having to sit around and watch her with someone else? Just the thought of anyone else touching her the way I had touched her only last night, made my blood boil. Hell, she was supposed to be with me. I knew it and I think she knew it too, but would that stop her from doing what she felt was the right thing?

  Lying back on the sand, I wrapped my arms over my face to hide what I knew was coming. As I pictured Tara’s beautiful face, so overcome with joy at her newfound knowledge that Riley wasn’t dead after all, my breath caught in my throat.

  Of course she was happy, Tara would never wish ill of anyone, it just wasn’t in her nature. But the way she had jumped into my arms had my gut churning. She had cried, but her tears were a different kind to the ones that were now flooding down my cheeks and onto the sand beside me.

  There was only one thing that the little, fucking annoying voice in my head kept repeating; you’ve lost her.

  It was right. I had always been second choice. I knew deep down in my soul that she would never have been with me if Riley had stuck around. But I’d be fucked if I was going to give in without a fight.

  She was the best thing that had ever happened to me. She was mine—at least she had been for a few short weeks, and now that I’d had a taste of how amazing it could be to be in love and feel that love in return, there was no way I was going to do the gentlemanly thing, the right thing, and step aside.

  Fuck that!

  I wiped my tear-stained face and stood up, ready to make the trek along the beach back to our apartment. Back to the love of my life and our home.

  There was only one thing standing between absolute happiness and me being cast aside to best friend material again, and that thing was a two-million dollar ransom on Riley’s head. We knew that the government wouldn’t pay the money, they didn’t negotiate with terrorists, but the offer had been extended to Tara to do so off the radar, as she was still Riley’s next of kin.

  So I had a decision to make, and in reality it wasn’t a difficult one. Pay the ransom and lose Tara, or leave Riley there and live my life blissfully happy with the girl of my dreams.

  Taking one last look out over the ocean, I brushed my hands through my hair and shook my head. Sometimes I even surprised myself.

  We had to pay the ransom and bring him home.

  Tara

  “OKAY, DO you have your passport?” Cole asked softly.

  “Check.”

  “Your tickets?”

  I tapped the side of my carry-on luggage. “Check.”

  “An armoured guard? Room in your suitcase for me?”

  Looking up into his face, I could see the stress my going to Kabul was stirring in him, so I tried to smile reassuringly.

  “I have everything I need, except you.”

  He looked down at his hands that were clutching mine desperately, his brow deeply furrowed. “I wish I could come with you.”

  “I know, I wish you could come too, but we agreed that if Riley is coming home, the three of us on a plane together for twenty-four hours isn’t such a good idea.”

  “It would be an awkward flight,” he agreed, his face twisting with anxiety.

  “I’ll be back in a couple of weeks at the most. And I have my dad and your dad to keep me safe. Okay?”

  He nodded, but didn’t raise his eyes.

  “Hey,” I said, squeezing his hands so he would look at me. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving my heart here for safe keeping.”

  He half smiled. “Yeah, but you’re taking mine with you.”

  I knew what he was worried about, we had discussed it for half the night. Lying in each other’s arms, he had finally opened up and shown me what had been on his mind since I’d received the life-changing news that Riley was alive.

  Taking a moment, I thought back to last night.

  Unable to sleep, I slipped out of bed and went down to the living room to pace the floor. What I really wanted to do was play the piano until my nerves settled, but we didn’t have one in the apartment and it was too late to go down to Songbirds.


  I stopped by the window to gaze out at the ocean from twelve stories up, as the full moon lit the tip of each wave when they rolled into shore. Maybe I should get dressed and slip out to Songbirds. Cole had been restless but had finally drifted into a troubled sleep. If I was quiet I could leave and come back without him even knowing.

  Cole’s presence filled the room behind me before he made a sound.

  “You don’t need to be up for a few more hours, babe,” he whispered, wrapping his strong arms around me from behind. “Come back to bed.”

  Pressing my body back into his, I took comfort in the warmth of his skin. “I can’t sleep, I’m too worried about this trip.”

  “Who said anything about sleeping?” His hot breath in my ear gave me goose bumps. “I can stroke your hair, help you relax.”

  “I feel like I need to play, I wish we had a piano here.” I paused, contemplating what to do. “Maybe I’ll go down to Songbirds.”

  Cole squeezed me tighter, kissing my hair. “Just stay with me, it’s our last few hours together.” He said it with such finality that I turned to face him.

  “Last few hours before I go away, but I’m coming back.”

  Cole diverted his eyes. “Maybe.”

  Placing my hand on his cheek, I turned his head back towards mine. “What do you mean ‘maybe’? I’m not moving to Kabul permanently.”

  “I know, but you may not be coming back … to me.”

  I sighed. After everything we’d been through how could he doubt how much I loved him?

  “I just don’t want to be alone tonight. There are going to be too many nights of sleeping alone,” he said sadly.

  Taking his hand, I led him over to the couch and lay down, leaving enough room for him to lie beside me.

  “This feels familiar,” he said with a smile. “Back to where it all began.”

  “Is this where it began?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “This is where I realised I was in love with you. Before then I knew I had feelings for you, but I didn’t really understand them.” He chuckled softly. “I know I acted like a complete jerk sometimes, I just didn’t know how to deal with what was going on in my head, and my heart. I tried to tell myself it was just lust. I was desperate to spend time with you, but I convinced myself I only wanted to get into your pants.”

  I slapped him playfully on the chest. “Good thing I didn’t give in to you then, isn’t it?”

  He grabbed me and pulled me into his side, squeezing me close. As he gazed up at the ceiling, his mood seemed reflective. “I guess so, although if you had we would have been together a lot longer.” He draped his other arm around me and I gladly snuggled in. “It was when we were laying like this and your body was wrapped around mine, I realised you were the perfect fit.

  “Do you remember the first night out here on the couch? You dribbled all down my neck,” he chuckled.

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe you remember that,” I said, recalling how embarrassed I’d been.

  “I remember everything,” he replied softly. “Every glance when you thought I wasn’t looking. Every smile, every hug where you squeezed me just a little bit tighter, or kissed my cheek and held it for a few seconds longer than a friend should. All those little things are what kept me going. They gave me hope that we would end up together.

  “Pops kept telling me not to give up on you, that I would never fall in love with someone the way I love you, and he was right.”

  He was grinding his teeth, his jaw clenched.

  “What’s wrong, babe?”

  Concern was etched all over his face as he looked down at me. “I always knew I had you on borrowed time, but I wanted longer, it hasn’t been long enough. I haven’t had enough time to make you fall in love with me, I mean really fall in love, the way you loved Riley.”

  And there it was, the crux of the problem.

  Leaning up on my elbow, I peered down at his gorgeous face. His eyes were boring into me, looking for answers, for reassurance.

  “I love you, Cole. I think in a way I have loved you since we used to cuddle on the couch. I just couldn’t express it because I couldn’t betray Riley.”

  “But now he’s back. Back in your life, and you’re going to be spending the next couple of weeks with him.” He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s going to drive me crazy not knowing what’s happening.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen.” My hand was resting on his chest. I could feel his heart beat racing under it. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re together now. I’m not with Riley.”

  “Yeah, but he doesn’t know that. He’s going to take one look at you and think his beautiful fiancée has come to rescue him, so you can run off and get married.” His voice was so full of concern, his face so drawn from stress.

  He had a point, though. While I had taken the time to mourn the supposed death of Riley and move on emotionally, Riley’s head was likely to be in a completely different space. Trouble was, after what he had been through, I had no idea where that space would actually be. He might be withdrawn and completely shut down, or he might see me as his saviour and never want to let go.

  I kissed Cole softly on the forehead, and then pressed mine to his. “I’m coming back to you. This is something I need to do, I can’t leave Riley there with those monsters. I couldn’t leave any of our friends there when I have the means to save their life. But it doesn’t mean this is the end of us.”

  Cole ran his hand gently up my back and into my hair, fisting it lightly.

  “You’re mine, Tara. He had his chance and he blew it. I know what he does is selfless and brave, but he put his career ahead of you. I put you ahead of everything. I’m not letting you go without a fight.” His lips brushed against mine as he spoke. “I love you Tara, with every part of me, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Cole. I am yours, for as long as you want me.”

  “How does forever sound?”

  “Not long enough. Forever with you wouldn’t be long–”

  His lips were on mine before I could finish the sentence. His arm wrapped around me, pulling me on top of him and against his firm body. I couldn’t catch my breath—it was as if Cole thought this would be our last night together, his kiss growing hungrier by the second.

  He ran his hands down my sides to my hips, pushing them down firmly, then rocked his own hips up, pushing himself against me.

  “Just one last time,” he said almost to himself, his kisses becoming ever more urgent.

  I raised my head. “This isn’t the last time. Please don’t think that way.”

  He nodded unconvincingly. “If something were to happen between you and Riley while you’re over there with him,” he hesitated, “you know what I mean.” He waited for me to nod. “But you do choose me, I don’t want to know about it. I know you would feel like you have to tell me, but I couldn’t deal with it.”

  “Look at me,” I chastised. “Nothing is going to happen. I love you and I want to be with you. So enough silly talk and do something useful with that mouth of yours.”

  He grinned. “Yes boss.”

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Cole said, jolting me back to the present.

  I bit my bottom lip playfully. “Just thinking about last night.” I reached up, softly kissing his neck just below the ear, before whispering, “You were amazing.”

  His gaze flicked up to look over my shoulder at our dads for a moment, before meeting mine. “So were you. I could do that every night for the rest of my life, if you’d let me.”

  I was just about to answer when my dad walked up behind me, followed closely by Cole’s dad.

  “Are you ready, Jellybean?” Dad asked, making Cole chuckle.

  “Yeah, Jellybean, are you ready?”

  Reaching around behind Cole, I slapped him on the ass, making him jump. “I’ve told you before, only Dad can get away with that nickname.”

  He beamed down at me and gave me a cheeky wink. “Okay, I’ll let you punish m
e when you get back.”

  “I don’t think I need to hear any more,” Dad joked.

  I was so relieved that the mood had shifted and become lighter. It seemed like the perfect time to say goodbye, while we were all smiling and happy. I gave Cole one last kiss while our dads stood by awkwardly, trying not to look, and then the three of us boarded the plane, leaving Cole, hands shoved in his pockets, standing alone.

  Cole’s dad had contacts, and when I say contacts, I mean get-anything, go-anywhere connections. He had close friends at the Australian Embassy, in government and in the military. He had made calls to everyone and managed to secure us safe passage to the Embassy in Kabul where we would arrange the money transfer and subsequent hostage payment. We knew it was going to be difficult. The Australian government were quite clear on not setting a precedent by bowing down to terrorist demands, so it had been left to us to arrange the money and find a way through the back door, so to speak, to pay it. Victor had called in every favour he had ever been owed and then some, but finally we had worked out a way to do it.

  My dad, on the other hand, didn’t have the political connections, but he was a top-notch lawyer, so if anything did go wrong there was no one I would rather have by my side defending me.

  We took our seats and I checked the time. I knew it was virtually a day’s travel, including a stopover in Dubai. The last time I’d flown it had been to Paris, and excitement had been coursing through my veins. This felt very different. Even though I couldn’t wait to see Riley after so long, my stomach was tied in knots. Telling him about Cole was going to be one of the hardest conversations I would ever have in my life. After everything that had happened to him, most of which my imagination couldn’t even begin to fathom, I was going to have to break his heart. But I knew I had to tell him as soon as the time felt right. I couldn’t keep it from him, nor did I want to.

  “You okay, Jellybean?” Dad asked as he squeezed my hand. “Can I get you anything?”

  Squeezing his hand in return, I tried to smile. “I’m fine, Dad, I just want to get there.”

  But what would I do once we arrived?

  I’d managed to sleep a few hours on the plane, but not a lot. By the time we touched down in Kabul, I was so tired and anxious I had to fight back tears that threatened to fall for the most minor things. I also needed to change. I had been warned that while in Afghanistan I would need to dress conservatively, so I quickly put on a loose oversized shirt and wrapped a scarf around my head, tucking my hair inside.