Taming liberty, p.1
Taming Liberty, page 1
Taming Liberty
Liberating Deceit Book Two
Nicole Cypher
Edited by
Kim Bookjunkie
Copyright © 2023 by Nicole Cypher
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Also by Nicole Cypher
For a comprehensive list, check out Nicole’s website
* * *
The Darker Places Series:
DESIRED
DEPLORABLE
DETHRONED
DEMOLISHED
JULIUS
* * *
Soulless Kings MC:
FENDER
JOKER
* * *
Gruco Crime Family Series:
HIS PROMISE
HIS PET
HIS PRIZE
HIS PUPPET
HIS PROPERTY
HIS PASSEROTTA
* * *
Liberating Deceit:
CAGING LIBERTY
TAMING LIBERTY
CLAIMING LIBERTY
* * *
Standalone Novels:
UNHINGED
VICIOUS KNIGHT
Contents
Hold up
1. Angel
2. Liberty
3. Angel
4. Liberty
5. Angel
6. Liberty
7. Angel
8. Liberty
9. Angel
10. Liberty
11. Angel
12. Liberty
13. Angel
14. Liberty
15. Angel
16. Lib
17. Angel
18. Lib
19. Lib
20. Angel
21. Lib
Thank you
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Also by Nicole Cypher
About the Author
Hold up
Hey reader! Before you begin, be sure you’ve read the first installment of Liberating Deceit, CAGING LIBERTY. This is the second installment of Liberating Deceit.
* * *
If you have, and you’re ready for another mind fuck… Enjoy!
1
Angel
“Lib!”
I call her name a second time while striding toward the open door leading to the balcony.
She doesn’t turn to look at me, but then again, I don’t expect her to. She’s been dodging me for days. My biggest surprise is that she isn’t trying to get away from me now. Instead, she stands still, gripping the railing and peering down at the ground two stories below.
“Lib, we need to talk,” I say, my tone hard and commanding as if that will do the trick.
My shoe crunches when I step through the door, and I look down at a pile of dirt and a broken flowerpot. A putrid smell slaps me in the face, sending my hand lifting to cover my nose on impulse. I spot the source of the smell … vomit mixed in with the soil and yellow, battered flowers.
My eyes shoot back to Lib, but I look past her when I register the loud voices below.
“Lib?” I call again, my voice quiet now, no longer demanding attention but seeking answers.
She spins to face me, her baby doll lingerie fluttering. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and blood caking her nostrils stands out on her ghostly white face. Her hands shake at her sides.
“Angel,” she whispers. She turns to look at the ground below, then back to me, her head shaking profusely. “I didn’t mean to.”
The hairs on the back of my neck raise, and I look over my shoulder at the men storming our way. On instinct, I slam the door closed.
I rush to the edge of the balcony and peer over the side. My eyes widen when I spot a woman lying motionless on the patio. Her head rests in a pool of blood that seems to grow in the seconds that tick by. I can make out long blonde hair and a neon orange dress, but I can’t see the woman’s face. Still, I don’t have to guess too hard at who it is.
My lungs seize, morphing from sacks of air to cinder blocks. I blink, and Desiree’s body is no longer there. It’s Beth’s, and for a moment I don’t have to spare, I’m back there all over again.
I blink again in an attempt to change the image, as if I’m looking through a kaleidoscope.
“It was an accident,” Lib says, her voice trembling. “I didn’t mean to…”
I drag my eyes from the dead woman on the ground to Lib. Her arms are wrapped around herself as she looks between me and the guards on the other side of the glass balcony doors. They stare with enraged faces but stay put, regardless.
How the hell am I going to handle this?
I look down at the body again... Still Beth. I rub my eyes, willing my mind to stop tricking itself, but the image doesn’t change. It’s Beth’s long black hair that’s matted with blood.
“Please help me,” Beth begs, her soft lips brushing my ear. I close my eyes.
“Angel.”
At the tug on my sleeve, my eyes shoot open. I turn to Lib, flicking my gaze between her face and her dainty hand on my arm.
“Please,” she says, and it’s just now that I realize the voice wasn’t in my head, and it didn’t belong to Beth. It’s Lib.
She needs my help.
I swallow and blink a few times, the noise around me suddenly intensifying as I come back to the present.
I turn to Lib and cup her face in my hands. “I did this. I’m the one who pushed her over the ledge, do you understand?”
She studies my eyes for a moment, then nods.
“We need to go.” I look at the men through the glass. “Now.”
I take Lib’s hand and drag her toward the door before flinging it open and stepping back inside the manor. She hides behind me, latching onto my back with her trembling hands digging into my shoulder blades.
“What happened?” Sawyer asks, appearing at the back of the crowd.
I ignore him and press on, the mob parting with each step I take. I know I’ll need to have a conversation with Sawyer, but right now I want to get Lib to my house as fast as I can. Besides, I’m having a hard time thinking straight, so I don’t trust myself to try to explain anything right now.
And Lib... Jesus, what is she feeling?
I glance at her over my shoulder as I hurry toward the staircase, but she doesn’t meet my gaze. She stares ahead, her eyes glazed and face pale. Is that how I looked the night Beth died?
I look straight, blinking the thought away. Sawyer’s right behind us, and he speaks, but I can’t hear what he’s saying because screaming below us draws my attention. I spot a petite woman with a scrappy ponytail and glasses that are crooked on her nose. She’s charging up the stairs while we descend.
“You murderer!” she screams, her eyes directed behind me. Lib’s hold on my jacket tightens.
When the woman reaches us, she tries to circle me, but I turn to shield Lib. She beats a fist against my chest.
“You killed her!” she wails.
I hold her at arm’s length and narrow my eyes. “Enough.”
She doesn’t let up, rearing back for another swing. I catch her fist just before it reaches my shoulder. She sobs and cries out her pain, and I finally recognize the woman as Lily, Desiree’s friend.
There are too many people around, too many voices, and it’s becoming overwhelming, too chaotic for my head to handle in this state. I spin and grab Lib, hauling her over my shoulder before hurrying past the woman down the steps. I stride through the manor, the roar of voices gradually receding behind me. The people I do see along the way avoid eye contact, slinking out of my way as I draw near.
When we get outside, I stride across the courtyard, forcing myself not to look over at Desiree’s body. There was a crowd surrounding the body when I looked down from the balcony, but now there’re only a handful of lurkers pushed farther back by a couple of guards. Abandoned sandals litter the poolside, and American pop music plays for no one.
It isn’t until I’m through the gate to my house, no one at my back, that I realize I can set Lib down. I stop and slowly put her on her feet. I try to meet her vacant eyes in the dark, but she stares through me.
“Hey.” I cup her chin. Still nothing. I open my mouth, consider saying more, but I can tell she’s lost within herself. Her shaking has stopped. Her tears have dried. She could maybe walk, but she’s on autopilot.
I pick her back up, cradling her in my arms this time as I walk the rest of the way to my house. When I get inside, I take Lib straight to the couch and lay her down as gently as I can. She stares off into space, her head turned slightly.
“It’s going to be okay,” I murmur, although I don’t know if she can hear me.
My chest tightens when I touch her shoulder. I close my eyes and try not to picture Beth, try not to relive my past. Not now. Not when Lib needs me here in the present.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper again, this time for my benefit.
I open my eyes and smooth my hand down Lib’s arm then back up again.
My front door opens, and I shoot up to see Sawyer walking through, Jasper on his heels.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl.
Sawyer’s eyes widen with astonishment, and he puts his hands up in an ‘I come in peace’ gesture. Jasper stands to the side, his hands in his pockets and a nearly imperceptible smirk on his f
Sawyer tries to peek over the couch at Lib, and I walk around to stand in his way.
He frowns, genuine concern shining in his eyes. “Is she all right?”
“No, she isn’t.” I look over my shoulder at her, then turn back to Sawyer. “She just watched me murder someone.”
Sawyer’s eyes narrow with skepticism. Jasper laughs, and my glare snaps his way.
“Come on, Angel. You’re kidding, right?” He elbows Sawyer. “Even Sawyer here isn’t going to buy that bullshit.”
“She’s just a woman,” I say. “She isn’t capable of throwing someone off a ledge. I realize how it may have looked, but I also don’t care. Now get the fuck out of my house.”
“What did you just say to me?” Sawyer asks incredulously.
“We will,” Jasper jumps in. My eyes move to him. “But the girl’s coming with us.”
My hands ball into fists, and my jaw clenches until my teeth protest.
Jasper puts up his hands and chuckles again. “Hold on a second before you lose your shit. You’re claiming to have just murdered a manor whore... I lost my borrowing privileges because I smacked one around, but you think you can take a girl home with you the same night you kill one? How does that make sense?”
When I take a step toward Jasper, Sawyer cuts in front of me and puts a hand on my chest. “Don’t,” he says to me, his eyes serious but also imploring. He turns to Jasper. “You’re not helping.”
“What is it you want me to do, mate?” Jasper asks Sawyer. “You asked me to help you get the girl back to the manor. Do you think it would help if we asked nicely?”
“What?” I grab Sawyer by the collar and jerk him toward me. “What the fuck did you ask him to do?”
“Calm down,” Sawyer huffs out, grabbing my hand and pulling it away from his shirt. He backs up a step and raises his hands. “Please, just let me talk for a minute, all right?”
I don’t respond with anything but a glare.
“Look, I’m not here to hurt anyone. Not Ivy and not you. But someone died tonight, Angel. Someone who was my responsibility. So I need to know what happened.”
“Why is he here?” I gesture to Jasper.
Sawyer lowers his hands and aims a scowl at Jasper. “For the record, I didn’t ask him to come, he volunteered.”
He turns back to me. “You’ve been so damn stubborn lately, I thought it would help to have someone back me up for once. So please, let’s just talk. What happened?”
“It can wait until tomorrow.”
Sawyer frowns. “No, it can’t.”
I look between the two men, wondering how the hell we didn’t kill each other when we rented that shitty three-bedroom back in college. It feels like a lifetime ago.
“Ivy?” Sawyer calls, looking around me.
No response.
I glance over my shoulder at the couch, the back of it shielding Lib from view. I turn back to Sawyer. “She’s in shock. If you want to hear from her, you won’t be able to tonight.”
I take a deep breath, willing my anger away, and when I let it out, I gesture to my kitchen. “Okay. Let’s talk.”
Sawyer leads the way to the kitchen table, and I wait for Jasper to follow before I bring up the rear. We sit down, my chair closest to the living room.
“What happened?” Sawyer asks, his face frozen with dismay. Jasper’s face is stone too. I can’t tell if he’s pissed or hiding his pleasure.
I rap my fingers on my thigh as I take a moment to think.
This is Sawyer, my friend. My brother. Why am I questioning telling him the truth? My eyes drift to Jasper.
“Do you really need to be here?” I ask.
His lips twitch like my anger amuses him. “Am I not welcome?”
“No, you’re not.”
“Ouch.” He puts a hand over his chest. “All this time, I thought we were friends.”
I don’t respond. I’m not sure how to. My initial reaction is to snarl at him, treat him like the enemy I currently view him as.
But a month ago? We were friends. At the very least, we respected each other. Now I could kill him, and honestly … why? For wanting the same woman?
Yeah. That’s enough for me.
“You should wait outside,” Sawyer says, turning to Jasper.
Jasper smiles at me sinisterly, taking his time staring me down before he rises from the table and exits through the back door.
“There, happy?”
I shake my head. “Not in the slightest.”
“You’re pissing off our contract killer. You realize how stupid that is, right?”
“We can question my intelligence later. What is it that you want to know? I met Liberty on the balcony, Desiree came out. She started her typical whining. She pushed me, I pushed back. Here we are. Anything else?”
Sawyer eyes me carefully. “Are you telling the truth?”
I put both my hands on the table and lean toward him. “What reason would I have to lie?”
“If you think you’re protecting Ivy by lying, you shouldn’t. You should be more concerned about yourself.”
I angle away from him. “And why’s that?”
Sawyer runs his hands through his hair. I squint and notice bags under his eyes, hinting at days’ worth of stress. I haven’t spoken to him since he left for Shanghai, and now I’m questioning what happened there.
Later. We’ll deal with that later.
Sawyer sighs. “You need to let this girl go, Angel. She doesn’t want you.” He peers down at the table instead of meeting my eyes. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I’m not going to kill her, regardless of whether tonight was an accident or not. You can try to convince me that you’re the one who did it, but I know you wouldn’t…” He clears his throat. “After everything that happened with Beth, I know you wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.”
My breath hitches at the sound of her name, but I focus on the present.
Finally, he looks at me. “In any case, I’m not going to hurt her. I actually think I might like her. But obviously, I can’t keep her at the manor. I mean that this time, so please don’t try to change my mind. It’s already done.”
“What are you saying?” My eyes narrow to slits, but I’m more confused than angry. What does he expect her to do … stay here?
This time, I do understand his adamancy about her being out of the manor. I know I can’t fight that anymore. She’s been too much drama for him.
But she can’t stay here.
Right?
Fuck.
He takes an impossibly long time to answer, his eyes drifting to the back door.
“Spit it out, Sawyer.”
“I sold her,” he says, his voice low.
My chest tightens. “What?”
He scrubs his face with his hands and hangs his head. “I’m sorry. I know you’re pissed, but I just … can’t.” He sits up straight and forces eye contact. “I spoke to her tonight, and she doesn’t want you. She made that perfectly clear to me, so please believe me when I say I’m doing you a favor. This obsession isn’t getting you anywhere. It’s not healthy, and frankly, I’m fucking worried about you.”
Inside, panic blooms, slow at first, in my stomach, but when it spreads it’s like an explosion. And still, my hands are steady.
“You sold her…” I point toward my patio door. “To that?”
Sawyer rears back like he’s insulted. “God, no. He doesn’t even know about it. Trust me, he’ll be equally as pissed as you are. No, it’s just a regular at the manor. He’s asked me about buying her several times. I’ve already looked into it, and he doesn’t have a history of cruelty. She’ll be fine. Probably happier…”
The panic subsides. If it were Jasper, it’d be a fight, but this is an easy fix. But something else creeps in to replace the panic … pain.
