Twisted Freedom

by J Grayland

  “Well, any day next week will be fine.”

  “Okay. I’ll get on it today, and I’ll give you a call and let you know when.”

  “Thanks, Paxton, for everything.”

  “For you, Casey, anything.”

  After hanging up the phone, I took Chance out for a walk on the beach, and he decided to take a swim. I had to admit, he looked like he was having a great time trying to bite at the frothy waves along the shoreline. Just watching him with his mouth wide open, tongue hanging out aimlessly, snapping at thin air made me laugh so much I almost peed myself a little. Taking him back up the back deck stairs, I gave him a spray with the hose to get the sand out of his fur, then started to rub him down with a beach towel. When I heard my phone ring in the kitchen, I was torn between answering it and letting him inside still wet. I let it ring out and finished drying him off. When I got back inside, I picked the phone up off the kitchen island. Looking down at the screen, it showed a missed call from Carmel, so I pressed her number.

  “Casey?” she answered, sounding a little annoyed.

  “Carmel, are you okay?” I asked, concerned at the tone of her voice.

  “Yes, honey, I’m fine. I just wanted to call and let you know I might be late. My damn car got a flat, and I had to call triple A. I’m waiting on them now.”

  “That’s a pain in the arse. Are you alright, though?”

  “Yes, sugar, I’m fine. Just not sure when I’ll get there.”

  “Well, are you close to your apartment?” I asked her.

  “About ten minutes, why?”

  “Once your flat is fixed, why don’t you just go home? You will be exhausted.”

  “That’s okay, honey, I don’t mind.”

  “Well, I do. I would be much happier if you went straight home.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m fine. Nate will be home tomorrow,” I said, giving her as much reassurance as I could because I knew how stubborn this woman was.

  “I don’t know, Casey…I promised Mr. King,” she started to say, but I quickly cut her off.

  “Please, Carmel, I’m fine. I promise. In fact, I think I’ll be having an early night tonight.” After a short pause in the conversation, I heard her let out a sigh.

  “Well, if you’re sure about this?”

  “I’m sure, Carmel. I would rather you go home and get a good night’s sleep after such a long day than drive all the way down here to babysit me,” I chuckled.

  “Well, okay. Just as long as you call me if you need me, okay?”

  “I promise. Just send me a text when you get home safe.”

  “I will, sugar. You make sure you lock up the house,” she said, her voice taking on a stern, motherly tone.

  “I will.”

  After locking up the house so securely that a fly couldn’t even sneak in, I made myself a bowl of chicken soup from a can in the cupboard and sat on the couch in the living room, flicking the TV on to watch the local news and weather. Later, after cleaning up and taking a shower, I was just coming out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, when I heard my phone ringing again. I rushed to get to it without slipping on the floor with my wet feet. I grabbed it, pressed the green button, and put it to my ear.

  “Hello?” Nothing, just silence. Looking down at the screen, there wasn’t even a name or number on the screen. Lifting it back up to my ear, I tried again. “Hello?” Still hearing nothing, I hung up and dropped the phone back onto the kitchen table. Maybe it was just a wrong number, unless Nate was trying to call me from the phone in his hotel room? Thinking that the caller was most likely him, I made sure I took my phone with me into the bedroom, placing it on the bedside table. I changed for bed, and with Chance already staking his claim on the bottom half of the bed, I clicked the lock on the bedroom door and slid in between the sheets. Then, I reached into the drawer and pulled out the diary. I’m not sure why I seemed to be so compelled to read it, but I was. I felt like it was some kind of history that I needed to know even if it was a hard one to read. But as I opened it up to the last page I read, I just wished that I wasn’t so hungry for information from this woman I once called mother.

  July 1st, 1985

  I haven’t been well enough to write anything in this journal, which is a real shame because I do find it very cathartic after a long day in court, which is what I had today. I spoke to David about the child, but he is not interested, which is alright for him because he’s not having to put up with all the relentless lethargy and sickness. I did tell a few of my closest friends, who were very happy and excited for some reason, so I just gave them my best smile when they congratulated me. Why someone would be so excited about the indignity of going through childbirth and then being stuck with another responsibility for so many years, I have no idea. I need to put it out of my mind because just the thought makes me feel even sicker.

  Chance shifted on the bed and moved up closer to me. For a moment, I wondered if he sensed the tension radiating through my body. Leaning my head against the headboard, I placed my hand on the top of his head and softly stroked his thick fur, the action bringing me some well-needed comfort before I picked up the book again. The new entry jumped almost two months ahead.

  September 10th, 1985

  Well, I am starting to grow out of my clothes. This disgusting bulge has made it impossible to wear any of my pants, and I really don’t want to go out and waste money on maternity clothes. After all, they will never be used again. I spent the afternoon looking through my wardrobe, and I have managed to find some loose-fitting dresses and some skirts with a little more room in them, so tomorrow, I will go into town and purchase a good, strong fitting corset. That should keep this bulge under some control. I really hate my body at the moment. David said that we will need to employ a nanny to look after the child when it is born, but that will not be happening. Mrs. Dawson, the housekeeper, has agreed to look after it through the week, so I will just look for a babysitter for the weekends. I have promised myself that I will not allow this child to cause any undue disruptions to our lives, and I plan to keep that promise.

  Closing the book, I slipped it back into the drawer and then pinched the bridge of my nose, searching for some kind of understanding and tolerance for this woman somewhere deep inside, but I came up empty. I had nothing, so I pulled the bed covers up around me, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

  The next time I opened my eyes, it was still dark outside, and I wondered what the time was, but before I could pick up my phone to check, Chance jumped up into a sitting position. His ears pricked up, and a low growl emanated from deep in his belly, causing me to sit up as well. Stroking a hand down his back to calm him, I said, “Hey, boy, what’s the matter?” But he didn’t move from his rigid stance, his eyes still locked on the bedroom door. Cautiously, I got up from the bed and turned on the main light before moving to the window. Chance jumped down onto the floor and sat in front of the door. Moving the blinds away from the window, I looked out onto the back deck. I couldn’t see anything, but something was bothering him. opening the closet I pull out Nate’s baseball bat and slowly click back the bolt the lock on the bedroom door. Opening it and quietly making my way down the hall turning lights on as I go.

  Chance bolted out and ran ahead of me as soon as the door opened, and he started running from window to window, jumping up at each, pushing his head under the blinds, growling. His persistent agitation was starting to make my stomach roll with anxiety as I moved over to the back door and peered through the glass pane. I turned on the outside security light, illuminating the back deck only to see a dark figure jump over the side of the deck railing and take off down the side of the house. The shock of actually seeing someone out there made me jump back from the door with a yelp.

  “Chance, come,” I commanded as I almost ran back up the hall and into the bedroom, slamming the door and locking it behind me. Grabbing
my phone, I saw that it was just after 5 a.m. “Shit, shit, shit,” I cursed as I pulled up my contacts list and scrolled through until I found Paxton’s number. I tapped it, and it started to ring. “Come on, come on,” I chanted as it kept ringing.

  “Casey?” Paxton answered groggily.

  “Paxton, someone is at the house.” I spoke fast and urgently enough for him to realize something was wrong.

  “What?” he asked, now sounding wide awake.

  “Something woke me up, and Chance was growling. I turned on all the lights, and when I looked out onto the back deck, I saw someone jump over the rails.”

  “Okay, where are you now?”

  “Locked in the bedroom.”

  “Stay right where you are, I’m on my way,” he said, and I heard Lynda’s sleepy voice asking what was wrong and Paxton telling her that everything was okay. “Stay on the phone with me, okay?” he said, and I heard the muffled sounds of him moving around and then the jingle of the keys. He talked to me as he got into his car, then put me on speaker phone once I heard him start to drive. Within ten minutes, he said, “Okay, I’m pulling into the driveway now. Just stay in the bedroom until I look around.”

  “Please, Paxton, be careful,” I said as I sat in the middle of the bed, holding onto Chance’s collar as he growled at what was now Paxton outside.

  “I can’t see anyone, Casey. Everything looks okay out here. You can come open the door and let me in.”

  “Okay.” I hung up and unlocked the bedroom door. I made my way to the front door, turning the lock and opening it to a frazzled-looking Paxton. His hair was messy, and his shorts and t-shirt looked like they were on inside out, making me feel instantly guilty as he walked inside.

  “I’m so sorry, Paxton,” I said, looking down at my hands twisting nervously together.

  “Shit, Casey. No, don’t be sorry. I’m glad you called me. Come here.” He pulled me into his arms and hugged me hard, rubbing his hands up and down my back. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, it was just unexpected, I guess. Maybe it was a stray dog or something,” I said, second guessing what I saw outside, wondering now if I had made a mistake.

  “Not sure, but there’s nothing out there now.”

  “Let me at least make you a cup of coffee before you leave. I feel like such an idiot.” I led him into the kitchen where I fixed us both a cup of coffee. As we sat down at the kitchen table, the sun just started to rise outside.

  “I thought Mrs. Winters was staying with you?” he asked.

  “She has been, but she had a flat tire on her way back, and she was waiting for Triple A. She was closer to home, and I didn’t want her to drive out here after that,” I said, shrugging.

  “You should have called me earlier. I would have come out and got you to stay with us for the night,” he said with a scowl.

  “I was fine, Paxton, and I have Chance with me.”

  “I guess. So, has anything else been happening? You know, anything out of the ordinary?”

  “Not that I can think of. Oh, wait! Not sure if this is anything, but I have had a couple of phone calls where no one talks. They just hang up.”

  “What the fuck, Casey! When?” he demanded.

  “Last week. Then one last night.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I don’t know. Last week, I thought it was probably one of those telemarketers. I thought the one last night might have been Nate trying to call me from the hotel phone in his room.”

  “Jesus, fuck…,” he spat out as he pulled out his phone.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Calling Nate.”

  “No, Paxton. He’ll be back today. If you call him now, he’ll be pissed off the whole trip back. Please, just let me tell him when he gets home.” I was pleading with him, and I watched as his face changed with understanding.

  “Fine, but if you don’t tell him as soon as he gets back, I will,” he said as he rubbed a hand through his hair in agitation. “Fuck. If he finds out that I didn’t tell him, he’ll kick my ass.”

  “I promise I’ll tell him,” I said with the sweetest smile I could manage as I took a sip from my cup.

  After some persuasive talking on my part that it was now daylight, and I would be perfectly fine, I managed to convince Paxton to go home to his family. Giving him a thankful hug and promising once again to talk to Nate as soon as he was back, he finally left, and I let Chance outside to take care of his business before I jumped into the shower and relaxed under the hot water.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Nate

  London is a beautiful place to visit, but the next time I travel here, it will be with Casey. This whole being apart from each other, even if it was only for four days, was unsettling. A very unusual feeling for me after all the traveling I’ve done over the years. I had never experienced such a feeling of emptiness like I had over these past four days. The job itself was a piece of cake. No drama or being asked to supply anything illegal for the senator’s pleasure. In fact, Barrett Adams was one of the good guys. He was married with a couple of kids, and I could see that he was just as anxious to get home to his family as I was.

  The KLM flight left dead on time from Heathrow Airport at 6:30 a.m., and as the plane took off, we left a pretty dark and rainy London behind as we climbed into the clouds. This trip had only one stop in Amsterdam for almost an hour, then connected to Delta Airlines for the remaining twelve-hour flight, getting me back into PDX just after midday. I was not even going to think about the time difference. All I knew was that I intended to slip on some earphones, lay back and watch a movie, and hopefully fall asleep until we landed. That hope went right out the damn window because as soon as I closed my eyes, all I could see was Casey sitting on the beach, tossing the ball for that mutt while we talked on the phone yesterday afternoon. We had managed to fit in a few short phone calls through the day, but damn, it was hard to hear her voice and not be able to touch her warm, soft skin as we talked. It might have only been for four days, but it was four days too many. I guess I had to admit that I was just addicted to the woman, and that was an addiction I could live with. Three glasses of scotch later, I finally fell asleep with the thought of my girl in my mind.

  After landing at PDX, it didn’t take long to grab my bag and head over to the secured parking lot to pick up the Audi. As I pulled out onto the road home, I pressed Paxton’s number on my phone and put it on speaker. He picked up on the second ring.

  “Nate?”

  “Hey, Paxton, I just landed, and I’m heading home unless you need me to call into the office on the way?”

  “No, everything’s good here. Glad you’re back. How was it?”

  “Fine. Everything ran smoothly. Glad to leave the miserable weather behind though.”

  “I bet you are. You just head on home. We’ll catch up later. I’m sure you’ll be ready for some sleep.”

  “I’m ready for something, but I can tell you right now that it’s not sleeping.” I grinned to myself.

  “Alright, keep your dirty bed play to yourself. I’ll call you later,” he laughed.

  “Okay, talk later.” Hanging up, I concentrated on the road and not the painful ache between my legs that was growing exponentially with every mile.

  I pulled into the driveway, my anticipation almost killing me as I dialed Casey’s number. When she answered, I just said, “Baby, I’m almost at the front door, so you had better lock that mutt in the spare room.”

  “What?” was all she could sputter out.

  “You heard me, do it now,” I said and hung up just as I pulled to a sliding stop on the gravel outside. I jumped out of the car and ran up the front steps. I reached the front door as she opened it, and I was dazzled by her beautiful smile. Before she could say a word, I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her close to me. My mouth
crashed down on hers, and I took it with the ferocity of a starving man because that’s exactly what I felt like—starved for her. Snaking my arm around her waist, I pulled her hard against my body as I took all that I needed from her mouth.

  With our mouths still connected, I ran both my hands down to her plump ass and lifted her up before moving back and sitting her on the entry table. “I’m so glad you’re wearing a dress today,” I growled into her ear before gently biting the lobe.

  “Why is that?” she asked breathlessly.

  I answered her by lifting up the short sundress, slipping a hand into her panties, pulling them down her legs, and dropping them onto the floor. “Because I need to be inside of you right now,” I said, taking her mouth again with mine and drinking her in. I felt her own urgency in her hands as she reached down, undoing my belt and the button of my jeans. She slid the zipper down and fisted my hard erection in her soft, warm hand, sliding it up and down twice before I needed to take over. Nudging her legs further apart, I slid my shaft over her sex, coating it in her hot, wet juices. As she wrapped her legs around my waist, I plunged into her with one swift move, fully sheathing myself in her warmth from root to tip, causing her to let out a small squeal. “I’m sorry, baby, are you okay?” I asked, panting out the words.

  “Yes,” she breathed, and I started to pump into her with long, hard, deep strokes. Our mouths and tongues danced against each other, mingled with the sounds of pleasurable moans and heated breaths, losing ourselves in each other. Breaking the kiss, she threw back her head and screamed out my name, her thighs tightening around my waist as her sex throbbed and pulsated, causing me to lose myself in her. Thrusting into her one last time, I reached my own frenzied climax and came deep inside her body. Leaning my forehead against hers, both of us panting, she said, “I guess you missed me then?”

  “That is a fucking understatement,” I said, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. “That will never be happening again.”

  “What, the spontaneous sex at the front door before I even get a hello?” She grinned wickedly at me.