Page 29 of Taming Liberty

“Right, I just figured you–”

“Just business.” I smile to dull the sharpness in my interruption.

I check my watch like the time matters. “We should get going soon. I don’t want to have to rush you once we’re there. I do have some work to get done later…”

“Right.” Her mouth curves upward but the smile is strained. She claps her thighs before standing. “I’ll go get changed.”

8

Liberty

“Do you think it’d be all right for me to see Naomi soon?” I ask, staring at Angel’s glistening back as I hike behind him.

It’s weird seeing him like this, bare-chested with nothing but a loose pair of athletic shorts hanging off his toned hips. I’ve seen him dressed casually, but right now he looks like a stranger. Less refined but sexier.

He throws me a look over his shoulder. “Yeah, maybe. How soon?”

“Just whenever.” I smile like I’m grateful he’d even consider it, though my instinct is to pull away from him, maybe even sneer. It fucking hurts to have toaskto see my friend, and I hate him for not automatically realizing how difficult it is for me to need permission.

But I can’t push. I can’t sneer. I can’t do anything that would put a strain on our relationship. He needs to think I’m happy with him because otherwise, any conversation I try to have will be stilted.

I need to use him. Whether I actually can or not is up for debate, but I have to try. If not for myself then for Naomi.

I’m worried about her. I don’t know all that she’s going through at the manor—Ihatenot being in the loop—but I know that if Naomi is talking about a chaotic revolution, it isn’t great. On top of that, I have no idea if Naomi is going to wait for a well-thought-out plan or if she’s going to get desperate and do something stupid. Either way, I’m not there to talk her out of it, and I’m not there to talk about if any of this is even possible.

It feels too ironic to me that I wanted so badly to get away from that place, but now I’m dying to get back in.

I wait for Angel to say something, but after a few moments, I realize he’s already moved on from my request.

“Has, uh, has Sawyer mentioned anything about her?”

Twigs snap under my feet as I duck beneath a low-hanging branch. My heart pounds, and beads of sweat roll down the back of my neck. This hike is so much harder than I thought it would be. All the time indoors has me horribly out of shape.

“What is there to mention?”

I stay on his heels as Angel veers to the right, taking a moment to think through my words. I don’t know how much Angel would tell Sawyer about what I say.

“Nothing,” I finally say. “I just wonder how things are going with her at the manor.”

“I’m sure you would know more than he would.”

“Sure, but…”

But she’s planning to kill all of you. You’re still all oblivious to it, right?

“But what?” Angel asks.

“But I’m not at the manor, so I don’t know if she’s like ‘behaving.’ Jasper really fucked her up, and I just hope Sawyer gets that. You know what I mean?”

“No, not really.”

I roll my eyes. “Never mind.”

Angel looks back at me, his steps slowing. “Do you need a break?”

To protect my pride, I want to say that I’m all good, but when I try to quiet my breathing, it’s more effort than it’s worth. I slow to a stop and brace myself against a tree, swiping the sweat off my forehead.

Angel pauses and looks back at me, his gaze scrutinizing enough to make my skin crawl. I’m the furthest thing from appealing at the moment, and as much as I wish my appearance didn’t matter, it does.

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