Twisted Freedom

by J Grayland

  “Hey, you don’t know he’s going to get out.”

  “Yeah, I do. I’m not sure what it is, I just have this feeling,” I said, shaking my head.

  I watched as that little muscle in his jaw twitched with tension. “If he gets paroled, I will have you on the next flight out of here, okay?” he said, bringing my hand to his mouth and placing a kiss on the top of it. Feeling the strength of his words and reassured by his presence, at that moment, I felt lighter.

  Chapter Six

  Nate

  It was late by the time we got back to the house. Flynn wasn’t around, so we just had a shower and got into bed. It had been a full day of activities, and one that I would remember for a long time, not just because I was getting a tour of such a huge and amazing country, but because of my tour guide. This woman amazed me every day with her strength. We had to make this trip under pretty terrible circumstances, and to be honest, getting a tour of her home city was not on my agenda at all. Yeah, it’s cool being in Australia, but I didn’t want her feeling obligated in any way to entertain me. I just wanted to be here for her, and once again, she blew me away with her unselfish personality. This woman was always giving…always strong.

  Pulling her as close into my body as humanly possible, it wasn’t long until her breathing changed into the calming, light, deep breaths of slumber. Having this woman in my bed next to me every night, I got a peaceful pleasure from watching her as she slept until I fell asleep myself. Except for tonight. My body was physically tired, but my mind was unsettled. I didn’t like her being here, and I didn’t like the thought of her having to stand up in front of a parole board, dragging up all that shit again. Casey was just starting to get a hold of it, get control of it, and I hated the way that she looked and felt out of place here.

  Slowly sliding from the bed, trying hard not to wake Casey, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed my phone, and headed downstairs to the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge. I opened the glass sliding door and went out onto the back patio, sitting down on the carved wooden bench leaning against the wall of the house as I flipped the lid off my beer. Searching my contact list, I brought up Paxton’s number and pressed “dial.” It took a few minutes for it to connect, and on the fourth ring, Paxton answered.

  “Hey, Nate. How’s it going there?”

  “So far, so good. How are things there?”

  “Smooth sailing, just working on the final touches on the West contract.”

  “That’s great, it should be good to go as soon as I get back then?” I asked him.

  “Absolutely. Any idea when that will be?” he asked after a strategically placed pause. I knew he didn’t want to push, but really, he did.

  “I’m going to call the airlines to try and get us on a plane on either Saturday or Sunday.” I smiled into the phone, knowing that the news would make him happy.

  “That’s great. So, how’s Casey doing?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Surprisingly good. Better than I thought, although the house is a little weird.”

  “Weird? What do you mean?”

  “Not so much the house, just the atmosphere of the place, you know? I mean, Casey has lived here for years, but there’s none of her in the place. No photos of family or friends, and she looks kind of lost and uncomfortable in her own home. I don’t know. It’s pretty sad, Paxton.”

  “Well, you can’t blame her for no family photos, Nate. She doesn’t really have any great memories that she would want to relive there,” Paxton said matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah, I know. I guess I thought in her home, I would see more of her in it. Does that make sense?”

  “I guess, but isn’t that a good thing? I mean you don’t want her to become comfortable there and want to stay, do you?”

  “Fuck no! I’d drag her ass back to Portland kicking and screaming, but believe me, that’s not going to happen. She’s made it clear that once the parole hearing is over, she wants to leave.”

  “Good, because Lynda is driving me nuts with all the constant questions and updates she insists on getting 24 hours a day,” he said, laughing.

  “Yeah, Casey is missing her, as well. She said she was going to call Lynda tomorrow night after we get back from picking up some mysterious box from her old family home.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, it’s something to do with the people who bought her family home after her parents passed away. They were doing some renovations and found an old box that belonged to Casey’s parents, so we’re driving up to this place called Gosford, about an hour’s drive away, to pick it up.”

  “Hmm, that sounds sinister.”

  “Well, let’s hope it’s not, for Casey’s sake.”

  “Just let me know when your return flight is,” Paxton said.

  “Sure thing. How’s Emily?”

  “Great. Keeping us on our toes, but I wouldn’t change it for anything, I’m pretty sure she misses her Uncle and Aunt though.”

  His comment made me smile. “Good, ‘cause I’m the only one she has.”

  “Oh, and Nate, the papers came through for the house. Everything is finalized. She’s all yours.”

  “Good. Okay, well, I’m going to get going and call the airlines, and I will speak with you soon. Give my love to Lynda and Emily.”

  “Aww, what, no love for your little brother? Now, that’s not fair,” Paxton said in an over the top baby voice.

  “Fuck you.”

  “Yep, I love you too, bro,” Paxton said before I disconnected our call. Stepping back into the kitchen, I was just about to check out available flights on my phone when I noticed a dim light coming from the living room. Walking over, I stopped when I saw Flynn leaning over the coffee table, which was covered in papers and folders, his eyes scanning over them intensely with both of his hands scrubbing through his hair in frustration. He lifted his head toward where I was standing in the doorway.

  “Nate, what’s up, mate?” he asked, slightly surprised by my presence.

  “Just couldn’t sleep, that jet lag really knocks you around,” I said, sitting on the couch across from him. “What about you?” I asked, motioning at the mess of papers on the table.

  He leaned back against the couch and let out a breath. “Just wanted to make sure everything is ready for Thursday.”

  “And is it?”

  “I fucking hope so,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “So, what is it, Flynn?” I asked him, staring right into his eyes, making him look a little uncomfortable and perplexed at the question.

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said, his brows furrowed.

  “Okay, let me put it this way. What is it that you know, but aren’t telling Casey?”

  With a pause, he looked down at the papers, back up to me, then shrugged. “Nothing,” he finally said.

  “And I think I’ll call bullshit on that statement,” I said, raising a skeptical eyebrow his way.

  Flynn glanced around the room like he was searching for an answer that he thought would satisfy me, but then I saw the spark of defeat in his eyes as he realized that he couldn’t hide anything from me.

  “You know, I’ve tried almost everything to keep this fucker locked up for as long as possible, and the thing that has finally beaten me is time.”

  “Time?” I asked.

  “Yep, time. As far as the government is concerned, he’s done his time. He’s been a model prisoner, accepted God into his life, and all the shit that goes with it, and I’ve racked my brain, trying to find some loophole to keep him there longer, but I have nothing, Nate. He’s going to get parole, and there’s not a fucking thing I can do to stop it,” he said, his words filled with anger, pain, and defeat as he continued. “You know, I’ve protected Casey for so long, I’m not sure I can handle not being able to control this.”<
br />
  “Flynn, there’s no point in beating yourself up, okay? Casey already has a feeling he’s getting out, and I’m pretty sure she’s dealing with it in her own way, but man, don’t torture yourself. Nobody would have ever done for her what you have, and she knows it and respects it, so now we’ll just deal with it and help her, okay?” Flynn took a moment before he gave me a nod.

  “You know, I had to prepare myself to meet you,” I said. “The way she talks about you and the bond you two share. I used to think that no man, unless he was deeply in love, would go to the lengths that you have for a woman, until I saw you two together, and I realized that you may not be blood-related, but you have a stronger bond with each other than I’ve seen in some families.”

  “Yeah, well what can I say? I love her. I would give my life for her,” Flynn said with a strong determination. As he realized what he said, he quickly put up both hands. “Not like that, okay? Like a sister.”

  I grinned at him. “Yeah I know, and that is what we have in common.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I love her more than life itself. I would give my life for her, and I will never let anyone hurt her again, so I’d say she’s pretty well protected with the both of us here, right?”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Nate. I really needed this chat tonight,” he said, grinning.

  “Any time, Flynn, but I am curious about something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When are you going to tell me what you really do?”

  “Not sure what you mean, mate. I’m a lawyer,” he said casually, shrugging off my question.

  “Hey, it’s okay, I understand. But I have a brother who is a lawyer, and he’s damn good. Lots of connections that I don’t even want to know how or where he makes them, but you…” I said, pointing a finger at him. “I’m pretty positive there’s a lot more going on. I mean, you managed to wipe out Casey’s whole history and give her a new identity that was almost impossible to dig up. So here’s the deal. I’ll tell you what I think because I just want to get it out there, and I don’t expect any answers, okay?” Flynn slowly nodded, so I continued. “I’m not sure if you’re undercover or you work for someone or something a lot bigger than your standard run-of-the-mill law firm, but what I am sure of is that you are very important to my girl. That makes you important to me unless you’re involved in something that may ultimately hurt her. Then, that will be a whole different scenario, you get me?”

  Flynn smiled, slowly shook his head, and said, “Yep, I get you loud and clear.” With that, I had all the answers I needed, so I turned and walked upstairs, slipping back into bed next to Casey’s warm body. As she turned and snuggled into me, I let out a huge, contented sigh.

  Chapter Seven

  Casey

  Pulling out into the speeding traffic on the M1 freeway in Flynn’s huge Jeep, I looked over at the horror on Nate’s face as the lines on his forehead deepened from what I was sure was fear. “You okay?” I asked him with a chuckle.

  “What? Yeah…sure,” he said.

  “You don’t look okay, you look terrified.”

  “Who, me? Now, why should I be terrified? I mean, what could go wrong with a sweet, tiny woman driving this huge beast of a thing on the wrong side of the road?”

  “Like I told you before, babe, it’s you Americans that drive on the wrong side of the road, so just relax, enjoy the scenery, and I promise I will get you there in one piece.” I gave him a huge, confident smile to try and put him at ease. Somehow, I didn’t think it worked, because he seemed to have a death grip on the door handle for the whole trip to Gosford.

  As soon as I drove down the familiar roads from my past, my earlier confidence started to drop a little and a coldness started to settle in the middle of my chest. Driving past my old school, I finally pulled up outside the house that I long tried to forget. Most kids have warm memories of their childhood homes, but this was never a home. It was a prison. Turning off the engine, I brushed my sweaty palms against my jeans and turned to look at the house. It was nothing fancy; just a regular looking brick home with a long veranda wrapping around the outside. The roof and fence had been repainted, and the garden was abundant with an assortment of trees, palms, and garden beds full of colorful flowers. The owners were obviously keen gardeners. My eyes roamed over the house, and I found the window of my old bedroom. An involuntary shiver ran through my body.

  My thoughts were broken by the touch of a warm, strong hand that slipped around the back of my neck. Gentle fingers started to stroke the skin of my nape.

  “Baby.” The low growl of Nate’s voice caused me to turn and look straight into his steel gray eyes. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes…yes. It’s just been a long time. I guess I wasn’t expecting to feel anything about it,” I said.

  “And do you?” His brow quirked with concern.

  “Well, I still hate it, so…” I smiled nervously at him.

  “You don’t have to…,” he started, but I cut him off.

  “Yes, I do, Nate. So let’s go pull this Band-aid off quickly, okay?”

  He looked at me hesitantly until I pulled the keys out of the ignition, opened the door, and slid out, my feet hitting the road with determination. Taking my hand in his, he led me up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. There was silence, followed by footsteps, and an older lady opened the door, her gray hair pulled up into a neat bun on the top of her head. She wiped her hands on a towel as she said, “Yes, can I help you?”

  Clearing my throat, I smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Corrine and David Taylor’s daughter, the previous owners. I was told that you found an old box that belonged to them?”

  She instantly smiled when she recognized the names of my parents. “Oh, yes, please do come in. It’s in my office.” She motioned for us to follow her. Nate gave my hand a soft squeeze as he led me inside, following the woman down the hall into the kitchen area. “Please, have a seat, and I’ll get it for you, or feel free to look around. I’m guessing you will have some fond memories of growing up here?”

  I just nodded and sat down in one of the chairs at the small wooden table. When she left the room, I said under my breath to myself, “If only you knew.” But Nate heard me and started to ask, “Do you want to…?”

  “No! I just want the box, and then we’re out of here,” I said quickly.

  “Okay, baby,” he said, resting his large hand on my shoulder, smoothing it in a small circular motion.

  Looking down at where I nervously twisted my hands in my lap, I actually jumped at the sound of the box being placed on the table in front of me. It wasn’t as big as I had expected. It was a little bit bigger than a shoe box and made of some type of wood. Lifting my hand, I ran my fingers over the carving on the lid following the letters that spelled out “Corrine.”

  “The box is locked. I’m sorry, we don’t have a key for it, but I do hope it has something special in it for you,” the woman said as I just stared at it.

  I stood, picked it up, and looked at the kind woman’s face. “Thank you,” was all I could say to her as I walked toward the front door with just the low rumble of Nate’s voice as he chatted briefly with the woman before he came out to see me tossing the box into the back seat of the Jeep and closing the door. He pulled me into his embrace.

  “Hey, come here,” he said as he stroked his hand tenderly up and down my back, making me melt into his hard, warm body.

  “What did she say to you?” I asked into his chest.

  “She just asked me if you were Catherine and always wondered if you were happy,” he said, then continued, “I told her that you were very happy.”

  I looked up into his beautiful face to see his grin before I said, “You’re right, I have you.”

  Leaning his head down, he brushed his lips against mine before saying, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”


  The drive back was a silent one. Nate wanted to drive, but I told him I’d be fine. As I got lost in thoughts of what was in this box sitting behind me, I could feel his eyes watching me closely. Once home and inside, I looked in the kitchen drawers for something to pry the lock open, coming up with an old screwdriver. Nate immediately took it from me and started to pick the lock. I sat on the other side of the table and watched as he stabbed and pulled. Eventually, the box lid sprang open, and he turned it around to face me. Peering into it, the first things I saw were some old black and white photos. I picked them up and looked at them, but I didn’t recognize anyone until I got to a color photo of my parents sitting on the side of a grassy hill. They looked so young in the picture. Placing the photos on the table, I sifted through the papers. There was what looked like my parents’ marriage certificate, some more papers to do with the purchase of the house, but nothing of interest until I found something at the very bottom of the box: a small leather-bound book.

  “What is it?” Nate asked as I just stared at it.

  “Looks like a diary,” I said, opening it up and flipping through the pages. The entries were handwritten with the date listed on the first page as June the 20th, 1985. Skimming through the pages, I took note of each date and realized that it went right through her pregnancy with me up until about a week before they were killed. Closing my eyes, I dropped the book onto the table, a shudder running through my body at the thought of having my mother’s thoughts and feelings documented in this book before me. What the hell was I supposed to do with it?

  “Baby?” I heard the low rumble of Nate’s voice, causing me to let out the breath I had been holding and look up to see his concerned eyes. “What’s in the book?” he asked.

  “It’s my mother’s diary,” I breathed out.

  “What about the pictures?”

  “I don’t really know who they are of apart from the one of my parents. I’m guessing they must be friends or family of some kind,” I said, picking up the old, weathered photos and absently shuffling through them before passing them to Nate.