Page 2 of Liberator

I was on high alert even as we celebrated the marriage.

My gaze shifted as I drank to the loving couple. Vikki stood in a corner. Her hands held a long-stemmed glass of champagne, but she wasn’t drinking.

She looked hollow eyed, thin, and nervous. The borrowed dress hung loosely on her body. She needed to eat more to heal properly, Doc said. It didn’t look like she’d been complying.

I’d asked her to stay at the wedding so that some of the happiness could wear off on her, yet I may have made a mistake. So far, it didn’t seem to be working. If anything, she appeared sad and uncomfortable.

I’ve always heard that if you save someone, you become responsible for them forever. I figured that’s why I felt it was my job to make sure she got better.

Since the moment I’d lifted her writhing body from the nastiness of the shipping container, and she’d clung so tightly to me, I’d been protective of her. It didn’t make sense then, nor did it now. I didn’t know her at all.

Once the baby came and we reached a hospital, she had been removed from my life. I guess catching her baby as it slid out of the most intimate place on her anatomy gave us an unbreakable bond. It was weird.

I’d seen more of what laid between her legs than I had her face.

I started over to her to see if there was something I could do for her, but Liz, her constant companion, beat me to it. She took Vikki by the hand and led her to the front of the crowd to watch as Sweet and Jemma cut the cake. Her delicate face finally lit with a genuine smile when Jemma smashed a slice of cake in Sweet’s astonished face, and he began to chase her around the table to retaliate. I thought Vikki may even have giggled when Jackson blocked his mother to allow Sweet to smear creamy icing onto Jemma’s lips and kiss it off.

After eating my share of cake, I was ready for the dancing to begin. Sitting still and waiting wasn’t my kind of thing. I was far more used to moving around. I spent most of my time on my ride going from place to place to get the goods our clients wanted.

I spent more time on the road back and forth to Mexico than anywhere else.

Looking over my shoulder for trouble was a way of life for me. There were prying eyes everywhere.

Since I already knew Vikki wanted to leave, I decided to give her a break. She was still here because I’d made her promise to give me a dance. I figured if I made the first one hers, then she was free to go ahead and get gone. I worried that I’d made a mistake in asking her to stay in the first place.

Though, she smiled at the appropriate times it was obvious she wasn’t actually happy.

I approached her with caution. The last time I’d touched her was to carry her out of her filthy prison and deliver her baby. She’d been too preoccupied with the pain to give a damn who did what to her. But now I’d be asking her to allow me to hold her in my arms for a few minutes without that preoccupation between us. I wasn’t sure how she felt about that. All of us, the Sinners, were sort of a scary group to someone like her.

She jumped slightly when I came up behind her and said, “Would you like to dance now?”

Her eyes flitted from side to side as if she was searching for someone to get her out of her promise. I watched as she set her shoulders back and drew courage from within herself. It was admirable, and I understood it. I’d been there a time or two myself.

“Sure, why not,” she finally answered.

She was stiff as I put a hand on her waist and connected our other hands. Her steps were rigid as we began to move.

“You don’t seem too sure about this at all,” I mentioned. “We can stop if you want to. I didn’t mean to force you into anything. I think you’ve had enough of being forced to do things already.”

My words brought her eyes up to mine. She replied, “That’s true. But because you understand that I can do this with you. You’re hold on me is loose which gives me freedom to escape if I need to. That says you won’t harm me or force me in any manner. I just need to relax and let myself enjoy the music, but it’s so hard.”

“Seeing others have a good time when your heart is heavy can be suffocating. It can make you tense all over. I’m sorry for all you’re enduring, especially letting the baby go. I can’t imagine just how tough that is,” I admitted.

She stumbled and I steadied her. “Does everyone know about that? Are they all judging me for it?” she demanded.

“No, Vikki. That’s not what I meant at all. Yes, a few of us know what choice you made, but no one is judging you for it. We’ve all made hard choices and sacrifices before. We get it, even those who might have chosen differently. We’re all doing our best with bad situations. Your choice has to be the right one for you to live with.”

“No, it has to be the right one for my baby. My choices have nothing to do with me,” Vikki responded a bit testily.

I shook my head as I led her around the floor lightly.

“I suppose that makes sense. Most sacrifices don’t make the one doing them happy. It’s usually about someone else. I didn’t think of it that way. I should have, considering I’ve made a few in my lifetime, and I’m still suffering the consequences. You’re pretty smart for being so young,” I answered.

“You think of me as little more than a kid, don’t you?” she asked.

“Absolutely not. After what I saw the night we found you there’s no fucking way I’d think of you as a kid. All that shit made you an instant adult.”

“Thank you for that. I needed to hear it tonight. It’s good to have someone I can talk to without censoring myself. Other than Liz, I’ve never had that luxury before. And thanks for the dance, too. It feels good to be normal for a few minutes,” she replied as the song ended, going seamlessly into another.

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