Page 7 of Liberator

“By my count, you said at least six curse words,” Jackson giggled.

“Ah hell, I’m fucking exhausted. I’ll do better after some sleep,” Rage vowed.

Jackson was laughing out loud when I told him, “Go take your shower, and don’t follow Rage’s bad example. I’d hate your mom to get a note from the school the minute she gets back.”

My words didn’t faze Jackson. He continued to laugh all the way to the bathroom.

Rage did look like he was exhausted. His shoulders drooped. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was weaving as if he was ready to fall down. He was sweaty and covered with road dust. I doubted he had the energy to take a shower and wash it all off.

“I’m glad to see you’re back safe,” I told him.

“You look as if you haven’t slept at all while you were gone. Is there anything I can get you that will help, water, whiskey, aspirin?”

“Water and aspirin would be good,” he answered.

“Come in and take a seat before you fall down. I’ll go to the kitchen and get them. You’ll rest better if you’re hydrated and the pain I see in your face is numbed a little,” I said.

He nodded and took a seat on the only chair in the room. I was happy he hadn’t fallen onto my bed. It would have made me uncomfortable, and then there was the chance that he’d have fallen asleep while I was downstairs.

I ran down the steps as fast as I could in order to reach the kitchen before anyone else began stirring. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt which covered all the essentials, but I didn’t have on a bra. My post pregnancy breasts were larger than what I’d had before, and my nipples were clearly visible beneath the shirt.

In my haste, I’d forgotten to cover up. It was bad enough that Rage saw me this way, but how was I supposed to deal with the fact that a twelve-year-old boy had gotten an eyeful of my boobs? I hoped he hadn’t noticed in the darkness of the hallway.

Rage’s head was hanging down to his chest when I got back, so I decided he wasn’t looking at my chest at all. He was too tired. I woke him up and handed him a glass of water and three aspirin.

“Was it bad?” I asked him.

“It was long and hot, but no one followed me. The cartel didn’t send anyone after me or try to keep me from entering Mexico. Our contacts aren’t happy that we want extra. They asked for more money because they claim they’re having to turn downmore profitable deals. I managed to get them to see the error of their ways, if you know what I mean. They’ll have the next shipment ready without trouble when I go back.”

“You didn’t stop to sleep or at least rest, did you?” I confronted him.

“I can’t. I go alone so that I bring less suspicion onto us. That means there’s no one to watch my back while I sleep. I get in and out as fast as I can. That’s the best I can do,” he answered.

“It’s my fault. You have to make these runs because of me,” I stated.

“That’s not true. We asked the mafia for help to retrieve Jackson. We’d owe them a debt whether or not we found you.”

“It shouldn’t all be on your head, though. Can’t someone else do a few runs so you can rest?” I asked.

“They could, but I won’t allow it. I’m the Road Captain. I don’t want to risk anyone else’s life when I’m capable of handling it alone. Besides, the men I meet on the other side trust me. It’s a more dangerous situation when someone else goes. I’ll be fine. I’ll sleep all day and be ready to head back tonight,” Rage said.

“Tonight? No way! You need more rest than that.”

“It’s safer to go again now than it will be later on. I want to get in as many of these runs as I can before the cartel learns about them. Zigzagging through backroads to avoid them will make the runs last longer and get me even less sleep. I might make a mistake and get myself dead if I get soft and wait too long in between runs,” he replied.

I sighed and gave up. “Then, let’s get you to bed. You need as many hours to sleep as possible.”

He didn’t argue about it, not even when he realized I was going with him to keep him on his feet. He fell onto his bed fully clothed and without turning down the bedding.

I promised myself I’d clean up his bed while he was away. For now, I went back to my room and grabbed a blanket that I covered him with.

My hero never knew that I kissed his forehead and prayed for his safety.

Chapter 6

“I’m fine going againby myself, Prime. It’s less noticeable that way. If there’s a fucking caravan we’ll draw unnecessary attention from everyone. The guards at the border will be suspicious and search the truck more carefully. They’ll find the false bottom and we’ll all be screwed. How many times have I come and gone safely without any damn bodyguards?” I argued.

“You’ve slipped in and out of Mexico for years without a lot of trouble. You were only searched once that I remember, and even then they found nothing because they weren’t on their toes. But it’s different now. Rumors have reached me that the cartel is on the move again. They’re replacing what we blew up and supposedly gathering more girls. They’re too smart to use the same holding location again, so freeing them isn’t an option at this point.”

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