“Police! Get down on the ground!”
I dropped the gun and sank to my knees, staring in disbelief as men rushed past and entered the hallway to the rest of the building.
I shot someone. Numbness spread inside my chest, leaving me detached from the action. I hadn’t meant to pull the trigger.
A man with a trimmed mustache and a vest with “Detective” emblazoned across the chest approached. “Liberty Tilset?”
I nodded, unable to speak from the overwhelming emotions that raged through my mind. Paramedics flooded onto the scene and knelt next to Anton.
“I didn’t mean to shoot him.”
The detective’s sharp eyes flicked between me, the photographer and the gun on the floor.
“Don’t worry about that, Miss Tilset, he doesn’t look critical and we’ll make a case for self defense. I’m Detective Keely, please come with me,” he helped me to shaky feet and took my arm as he guided me out the front of the building.
Too many police cars and SWAT vehicles to count stood in the street outside the building. Sirens flashed from all directions, almost blindingly bright. The detective walked me over to a tent that looked like it had just been erected.
Inside stood Stephen.
“Oh, thank God. Liberty! Are you all right?” He took me into his arms and held me tight. It felt like heaven after the hell I had been through over the past two days. Tension drained from me as I fought to release the pain and fear and depression from my body.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I can’t believe you’re here. How did you find me?”
Stephen’s hand stroked the back of my head, comforting me more than anything else could have. “It took a lot of good work by the detective there. I’ll explain everything later, but the important part is that you’re safe now.”
A blanket came from somewhere and Stephen wrapped it around my shoulders, covering up my nearly naked body. After so long dressed like that I’d forgotten I wasn’t appropriate.
As much as I never wanted to leave Stephen’s arms, reality set in. Despite my protestations that I was fine, paramedics ushered me into a waiting ambulance where they took my vitals and ensured there was nothing wrong with me.
Only then was I cleared to sit with Stephen in the command tent, wrapped in my blanket and with a mug of coffee. Detective Keely had disappeared once more into the building, and there were a few people in the tent coordinating the efforts of the men inside the building.
By the time my examination was complete the raid team secured the building. All that remained was to sort through the prisoners and lock down the men who had been working for Paul.
“How were you able to track me down?” I asked Stephen. “I want to know everything.”
“I got your messages after I met with my friends the other night. I waited for you to tell me when you finished the shoot, and it never happened.” He gave me a grim look. “It bothered me you didn’t get in touch when you said you would, so I called and sent you a couple messages but got nothing back. I didn’t want to play the overreacting jealous boyfriend, so I let it go until the morning.
“When I couldn’t get a hold of you then, I got worried. You’d never gone so long without answering my messages. I checked with the staff at Dorgo’s, but no one had seen or heard from you since the day before. After that I got a hold of Lacy and we used the spare key you gave her to get into your apartment and saw you weren’t there.”
He paused and grimaced.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Even though it turns out you were in trouble, saying it all out loud makes me feel like the worst control freak. Not hearing from you for half a day and I’m tracking down and interviewing everyone you know.”
I took his hand in mine and kissed the back of it. “Don’t worry about that. I told you I would call you and come over that night, and then you didn’t hear from me at all. You were justified. And if you hadn’t then I would be dead by now considering how things were going when the police arrived on the scene.”
Stephen nodded. “Okay. So when we ran out of places to look, I did the only thing I could think of short of calling the police. I didn’t want to go there until I knew more, so I called one of my friends at Uber and made him do something he could get fired for—pull your account’s records. From that I got the address you went to the night you vanished.”
“Thank God I use Uber instead of taxis,” I said. “Otherwise there would have been no trace. And you called the police after that?”
“Uh, not exactly.” Stephen shifted. “I went there myself.”
“What? Stephen! These guys were not messing around, you could have ended up in the river with a cinder block tied around your feet.”
“I know that now,” he said. “But I still didn’t know for sure there was any foul play involved. When I went to talk to them and ask where you were, they denied knowing who you were and said you’d never been there. I didn’t press them too hard since I could tell they wouldn’t hesitate to cause trouble, but it gave me enough to go to the police and get them to start an investigation.”
“We aren’t at the warehouse where I went for the photoshoot,” I pointed out. “How did they figure out I was here?”
“Hard work, luck. Some guesswork. Your phone was a dead end—they must have smashed it and left it somewhere else. The detective went to the warehouse and asked questions, but they weren’t giving anything away. There was no sign of you or any of your stuff, but it was obvious they were hiding something. Detective Keely didn’t want to make arrests and ruin the possibility of them leading us to you, so the police waited and tailed every person with any connection to the warehouse.
“One man drove into this neighborhood but then the tail lost him. The police drove up and down the streets for a while until they saw a bright red bra hanging out a window on this building. It was suspicious enough to hang around. They camped outside and sure enough soon they saw the photographer from the warehouse waltz in. At that point it was just a matter of time to pull together the raid team and then wait for the perfect moment to carry it out.
“When Paul Goldsmith showed up and entered the building that was it—catching such a high-profile man inside is a dream come true for the detectives working this case—you aren’t the first model to disappear but the only one who left behind enough clues to follow.”
“Wow,” I said. “Such a big mess. And if I hadn’t tied that bra to the bars over my window, you might not have found me in time.”
It didn’t bear thinking about. The important thing was that I was safe, and I was back with Stephen.
“Come on,” he said, “let’s go home and we can take your mind off it for a while.”
“Stephen?”
I walked into the penthouse kitchen and found him chopping vegetables on the island.
“There’s my gorgeous lady,” he said, smiling at me. “Good news?”
I’d just gotten back from a meeting at the agency. I kept my face devoid of all expression.
Stephen’s smile faded. “Liberty? Is everything all right?” He put the knife down.
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. “You’re looking at an agency model!” The grin I’d suppressed fought its way onto my face and I bounced around the counter to jump into Stephen’s arms. “I did it!”
He kissed me hard, his smooth lips covering mine just the way I liked it.
“Congratulations baby,” he held my face in his hands, the smell of peppers on his fingers an odd counterpoint to the intimate moment. “I knew you would get it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Did you bribe someone? Is that how you knew?”
His eyes widened in astonishment. “Of course not! I knew you’d get it because you are devastatingly pretty and you have an amazing body. They would be morons not to give you a contract.”
He sent a flutter of delight up my spine. I would never tire of hearing the man of my dreams say those types of words. “You know exactly what to say to p
ut me in the mood.”
“Is that right?” He hugged me closer against his chest. “Are you up for celebrating? It’s been a great week for you. Between this and the case against Paul, everything’s coming up Liberty.”
I’d given my testimony two days before against Paul, damning him as the kingpin of a massive human trafficking network. The evidence stacked against him—the police raid had been so swift that none of the criminals had enough warning to delete a single piece of information off any of the computers in the building. The footage from the cameras in the cell had all been present, including the feed from my cell which corroborated my version of events.
He was due to receive his sentencing within a few weeks, and the expectation is that he would be locked away for dozens of years if not life.
“It’s been a good week,” I acknowledged. “Wrapping things up and putting them behind me, starting on new paths.” I traced my finger down his chest. “I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’ve been so proud of you, Liberty,” Stephen said. “I love you so much.”
The words raced through my body like a gunshot—I’d never tire of hearing them. I pulled his head down to mine and showed him exactly what I thought of that.
“I love you too,” I said when we broke apart. “It’s still hard to believe you want me.”
“Of course I do,” he said. “How could I not when you’re… you? One more thing—will you move in with me? I’d love to have you here all the time.”
It was another no brainer. Stephen and I had spent months together growing close and enjoying each other’s company—physically and mentally. I loved my independence, but I spent almost all my non-working hours here already. I could almost reach all four walls of my tiny studio apartment from the middle of the room and spending any time at all there made me feel claustrophobic.
“Yes, of course I’ll move in with you!” I said. “Half my clothes are here anyway.”
He picked me up and set me on the edge of the counter so that my head was level with his. I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him close as we kissed deeply.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he growled into my ear. “My model deserves to live in luxury.”
He moved his mouth to cover my neck, and I gasped as he gently bit the soft skin hard enough to feel it but not enough to leave a mark. He was a master at walking the fine line between pain and pleasure.
Stephen ran his hands up my thighs, dipping underneath the hem of the short dress I’d worn out. He gripped my ass and lifted me off the counter, carrying me across the apartment to the master bedroom, vegetables forgotten.
I clung to his neck and worked to get his shirt off on the move, freeing it and throwing it to the floor in the hallway. By the time I’d undone the top button on his pants he’d reached the bed and tossed me on top, following like a lion stalking his prey.
Palms on the insides of my thighs spread my legs, and the dress rode up to my waist to reveal the delicate panties underneath.
I gripped his hair as he teased me, nibbling the skin on either side of the lacy fabric and grasping my ass to pull the cheeks apart ever so slightly.
I flung my head back against the bed as he pulled the panties off, exposing me to his passion. His hot breath washed over me moments before his tongue made contact.
“Stephen,” I breathed. Electric shocks ran along my skin from where his mouth played over me, his tongue barely making contact but still feeling impossibly good.
He spent long minutes between my legs, taking his time building my passions into a roaring fire, riding the bucking of my hips as he brought me to the edge and over. I pulled his head against me and clamped my thighs against his ears as I came.
“Oh God! Right there! Don’t stop!”
Stephen always knew when to stop and pull away before I became too sensitive. Waves of pleasure washed over me, leaving me oblivious to anything else.
By the time I recovered enough to gather my senses, Stephen had climbed on top of me and kissed me deeply. I ran my hands along his back, feeling the powerful muscles ripple under his skin as he held himself up.
“You are far too good at that,” I told him when he broke the kiss. “You should give lessons to men less orally gifted.”
“Is that right?” he asked. “Help make the world a better place for women everywhere?”
I grinned. “It might bring on world peace. If everyone felt this good all the time, what would anyone have to get angry about?”
As I spoke Stephen lined himself up with my entrance and spread me apart with his manhood.
“Oh! Fuck, that feels so good.”
We had done away with condoms early in the relationship, and I was grateful every time we had sex. The sensuous feeling of smooth skin sliding against each other was heavenly. Already primed by his tongue, his cock slid inside without a hitch.
“I love feeling you wrapped tight around me,” Stephen said, his low voice throbbing in my ear. He pressed deeper, so that his pubic bone pressed up against my clit and his head reached deep inside of me.
I moaned in agreement and slid my hands down so I could urge him on with my hands. He pumped inside of me and covered my neck with his mouth until I lost myself in a sea of sensation.
We rose together, driving each other higher with touches, moans and words.
Stephen stared into my eyes as the peak drew near. “You’re mine, Liberty.”
His words pushed me over the edge, the raw power and possessiveness of his voice leaving no doubt.
I nodded back as I came. “Take me, Stephen!”
After a few more hard thrusts, Stephen slammed his hips against mine and drove himself to the hilt inside of me. His cock grew even thicker and pulsed, the warmth of his seed filling me and feeling like nothing else could.
He collapsed on top of me—not heavy enough to crush me but his body covering me in a comforting way.
“I love you,” I said when I caught my breath.
He raised himself enough to look at my face. His eyes were dark and intense. “I love you too, Liberty. So much more than I can express.”
“Nice day.”
It was gorgeous out. The perfect day for an outdoor wedding. Just like I had envisioned when I was a little girl—if smaller.
I looked at Lacy. “It is, isn’t it?”
“Are you ready?”
My heart beat heavy in my chest, but the nervous tremors in my arms had melted away in the warm sun. “I think so. It’s not like there are that many people to get up in front of.”
Lacy laughed. “That’s a fact. I wonder if they’ve ever set out so few chairs for a wedding here before.”
“Well, I have no family. No immediate relatives, anyway. And I’m not close to any of my cousins or aunts. Stephen has his brothers but their parents are gone. That leaves my friends, and I have only a few close ones.”
Lacy was my maid of honor, and I didn’t bother with any other bridesmaids. I’d invited John from Dorgo’s and a few of servers. After a handful of the models and others from the agency there were less than ten guests on my side of the aisle.
Stephen had kept his invite list to the same number. Derek was his best man, and most of his guests were friends from medical school.
The great thing about such a small wedding was no need to stand on ceremony. Traditions didn’t matter to me, so instead of someone giving me away, I was walking alone.
“Shall we?” I asked Lacy.
She poked her head around the corner of the big building toward where the ceremony waited and gave the signal wave. The music changed subtly as the piano player entered the opening strains of the processional.
I waited twenty seconds after Lacy left before starting my approach. Calm, measured steps brought me into full sight of the guests. I barely even noticed them because all I could see was Stephen.
He stood at the front, devastatingly handsome in a fitted black tuxedo. His eyes caught and held mine, his face split in a wide grin.
>
The walk was taking too long—I wanted to be beside him.
Screw this. It’s my day and I can do whatever I want.
I gathered my train up in my hands and ran down the short aisle. Once I got to the front I pulled Stephen to me and kissed him. To the piano player’s credit, he finished the song with a flourish. A wave of laughter and clapping came from the crowd.
“Hi,” I said with a grin as I stepped back to my side of the arch.
“Eager?” Stephen asked with a wink.
“Maybe a little.”
The minister waited with a bemused look on his face for us to finish and compose ourselves.
The rest of the ceremony played out without a hitch. We’d planned it to be short and sweet and to the point—a few words by the minister, the vows and rings. With such a small audience filled with only close friends, there was no need for anything long and elaborate.
At the end of it all, Stephen pulled me in for our first kiss as a married couple while our friends clapped.
“I love you, Liberty.”
“I love you, Stephen.”
Thank you for reading Capturing Liberty. If you skipped to the novella first and have not yet read Taking Flight, please click here to be taken back to the beginning of the novel.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
D.G. Whiskey is a world traveller who uses experiences earned and relationships forged on the road to create vivid portraits of humanity. Number of countries visited is at 18 and rapidly climbing, with innumerable friends made along the way.
The heroes are always hot alphas and the heroines are clever and independent. The writing is confident, sexy and layered.
Taking Flight (A Devereux Novel) Page 27