Page 96 of Taming Liberty

“Liberty, I—”

“On your fucking knees,motherfucker.” My gun shakes with my fury as I point it at him. Finally, the hatred I feel for this man floods me.

He puts up his hands and gives a cowardly gasp before lowering to his knees. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to go through with it, I swear. Ramos threatened that if I didn’t sell you, he’d kill me.”

I roll my eyes. I’m past being surprised at what Angel is capable of, but this lie reeks of desperation.

He closes his eyes, his bottom lip quivering. The sight is so pathetic, I get the strong urge to just put a bullet in his head and walk away.

“While I was on the island, I thought a lot about the things I wanted to say to you. I both hoped and feared that you’d show up at the manor so I’d get my chance.” I walk the last step to Robert and press the barrel to his head. He lets out a cry.

“Now I realize you’re too weak of a man to bother with.”

“Don’t,” he whines, his voice cracking. His eyelids clench like he’s bracing for the bullet. “I-I can help you.”

I laugh dryly. “I don’t need you to bribe me, you piece of shit. If your girlfriend doesn’t go to the police, which after what I’ve told her I doubt she will, then I might stick around. Elsie and I are the sole heirs to your fortune. Your prenup can’t save you anymore.”

His face twists with confusion, and he chances a squint. “Ramos let Elsie go too?”

My breath hitches as a sinking feeling starts to take hold. “What are you talking about?” I growl. “She’s at a friend’s house.”

He opens his eyes fully, hope igniting. “Ramos didn’t tell you, did he?”

“Tell mewhat?”

Oh no.

No, it can’t be.

He laughs, but it’s more relief than humor. “She was taken to the island a week ago. But I can get her back! Just put the gun down, and we can—”

“What?” I scream. The barrel scrapes Robert’s skin as my hand shakes. My stomach bottoms out, the room tilting and swaying.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

Elsie isn’t on the island. Shecan’tbe.

Angel would’ve told me. He would do a lot of things, but making my niece a manor whore isn’t one of them. He couldn’t do that to me.

Unless…Unless he doesn’t know.

“It’s okay, we can get her back,” Robert says, his hand cautiously reaching for the gun. “I’ll call Sawyer Hansley right now. We can go pick her up as soon as tonight.”

I jerk back when his hand gets too close to the gun. My mind is reeling, and my lungs seem to have shrunk with as little air as I’m able to get in them. Robert looks so hopeful. So relieved.

He sold his niece into sexual servitude. His beautiful, smart niece who’s set to attend Yale in only a couple of months. Robert is not my family. My parents are barely my family.

But Elsie? Elsie is family.

My nose tingles with oncoming tears, but I hold in the cry and try to think of a plan, think of some way to undo this.

I can’t just call Angel and ask him to ship Elsie back. He’s made it clear that releasing me is as far as he's willing to go.

I have to get back onto the island. The thought makes me want to cry, but giving in to that fear is weak, and Elsie needs me to be strong. So does Naomi and every other woman there. It was weak to ever give up on them, and now the thought disgusts me.

Would Angel at least come pick me up? No. No, surely not. I can’t even ask because I can’t take the chance that he’d stop me.

So then I have to keep Robert alive… But how? How will we board a plane with my gun on him? Even if we, by some miracle, made it to the island, there would be guards there who would laugh their asses off at my attempt.

---