Read Online Liberty Begins (The Liberty Series) by Leigh James - Free Book Online

He looked back over his shoulder at one of his men who was standing there, waiting. “We need to move. Keep her safe — that’s the most important thing.” I saw him take a gun out from a holster hidden under his jacket. My whole body turned to ice. This was it — he really was crazy.
    “John, don’t!” I screamed, but then all I could hear was loud bangs, like fireworks, as the young guy behind me jumped on me, knocking me to the ground.
    “John!” I screamed again, and I saw him run towards someone or something with his gun out. There was smoke in the club, and people were screaming and running. The guy on me slid off and pulled me by the backpack towards the bar so we wouldn’t be trampled. “Let go of me!” I yelled, and turned around to beat him off me. I had to go warn the girls. I had to go get John. We had to get out of here. But I might as well have been beating a mountain, because that’s what his chest felt like. He didn’t budge.
    “Easy, Liberty,” he said. He seemed pretty unfazed given the chaos that surrounded us. He was in his late twenties, with thick blond hair and a nice suit that now had wet, black smudges all over it from the floor.
    “Let me go — they’re shooting! I have to tell my friends! We have to get John!” I tried to wrench myself away from him but he took both my hands and held them behind my back so I couldn’t move.
    “John will be fine,” he said and laughed. “Trust me. He loves this! And your friends will be fine. This will all be over in a minute.”
    “You’re hurting me,” I whimpered, and he relaxed his grip a little. Just what I needed. I wrenched my arms free and ran for it, into the smoke and the sounds of shouting.
    “Dammit! Get back here!” Blondie yelled, but I ignored him, ducking when he reached out for me, and booking it towards the center of the room.
    “John! John!” I yelled. I couldn’t see anything. There was smoke and people were everywhere, running for the exit, huddled on the ground. It was like a war zone. I heard more shots and I ducked again.
    “John, PLEASE!” I yelled again, this time huddled on the floor.
    A pair of big strong arms lifted me up and threw me over a huge shoulder. Unfortunately, it was the wrong shoulder. “Are you trying to get me fired?” asked Blondie, obviously annoyed.
    “Matthew!” yelled another voice. “Get her to the car! NOW!”
    I looked up and saw John sitting in the middle of the floor, tying up the guy who had grabbed me earlier. The grabber’s mouth was taped shut.
    “See you in a minute,” John called to me, cheerfully. I didn’t pass out then, like I wanted to, but I did close my eyes and stop thinking. I needed to. Today had to stop. It had been the craziest day of my life, and that was saying something.

 
     
    This is no car, I was thinking, looking through the window at the early morning sky, where there were still a few stars fading into the gray light. This is a tour bus. I was on tour with a group of suits with guns — and a kidnapping victim with olive skin, a firm grip, and a taped-over mouth. Darius was lucky in one respect: at least he knew where he stood. I had no idea if I’d just been saved or if I’d been hijacked.
    John was next to me, sleeping. His hand was on my thigh, which felt wonderful. I was torn between being thrilled that he had survived and that his hand was on me, and being petrified that he carried a concealed weapon, took prisoners cheerfully and had his hand on me — and that I liked it.
    I had no idea what had happened to Alex or the girls.
    Matthew was driving the bus. We were in the second row of seats behind him, where he had put me when we left the club. I had kept my eyes closed and ignored him when he put me down; I hadn’t been able to talk anymore. Maybe I was a little in shock.
    I estimated that there were ten other men on the bus, not including the prisoner, which one of the other guys had carried, fireman’s carry style, onto the bus. That