Read Online Liberty At Last (The Liberty Series) by Leigh James - Free Book Online
Authors: Leigh James
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said.
“After a shower. And a steak,” I said. My stomach roared at the thought.
John managed to smile when he heard my stomach. “Yes,” he said. “After a shower and a steak. Not necessarily in that order.”
I never thought food eaten in the back of a van, eaten with plastic silverware from a styrofoam container, could taste this good. I’d gone into the back with Catherine. I asked John to stay up front, so he wouldn’t watch me shovel food into my mouth like an animal.
“Liberty, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said.
“I’m gonna try to get her to eat, too,” I said, jerking my head towards the back. She’d been staring out the tinted back window since he’d cuffed her. Her mouth was still taped and she was sitting at an awkward angle because her foot was propped up, but she seemed to be more calm. Maybe she was just taking a timeout to plot her revenge.
“Hey,” I said, sliding along the metal floor of the van towards her. I had my open container of food in front of me — well-done filet mignon, baked potato with sour cream, and asparagus. I’d only eaten about a quarter of it, and I wasn’t sure I could hold down anymore, at least right now. My stomach had probably shrunk to the size of a tennis ball over the past month. It was going to take time adjusting to real food again.
I closed the cover of my container and slid Catherine’s meal over to her. It was identical to mine.
She looked down and me and glared. Her beautiful clothes were muddy and torn from all the fighting and her escape attempts.
“You want your food? It’s good,” I said, trying to extend her more courtesy then she’d ever shown me.
She shook her head and went back to staring out the window.
“You know, if you want to try to escape again, you’re gonna need to keep your strength up,” I said lightly, kneeling up and grabbing the edge of the masking tape. “No yelling or it goes back on. With a slap,” I added, under my breath, as I ripped the tape off.
“Ow,” Catherine said. I just raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Really, Catherine? Really? I have cigarette burns up and down my arms and you’re complaining that I just pulled the tape off too roughly?
We just contemplated each other for a second. At least she had the decency to not scream.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said, “but I really don’t want to talk to him.” She cocked her head towards her father. “His ‘good daddy’ routine is getting on my nerves.”
I shook my head: okay. I wanted to spare him the pain, not her. My desire to protect him was greater than my desire to irk her. For now.
“I guess I’ll have some steak,” she said.
“Good girl,” I said. She gave me another dirty look but I ignored her. I cut up a small piece and put it into her mouth.
“This is like Freaky Friday ,” she said as she chewed. “Now you’re me and I’m you.”
“I’ll never be you,” I said and smiled at her sweetly. You bitch. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see John watching us. This must be bizarre for him — his young, dirty girlfriend feeding his slightly older, slightly less dirty, bleeding, handcuffed daughter a steak.
“Can I help?” he asked. I knew he wanted to. I knew he wanted to be the one back here, feeding her and talking to her. But I had to get somewhere with her. I was the one who’d found her; she was my cross to bear. She clearly wanted nothing to do with John. I had to fix that.
I turned and smiled at him. “We’re good,” I said. I turned back to Catherine and she was scowling at me.
“Really? You think we’re good?” she asked quietly.“Just don’t expect me to start calling you Mommy anytime soon.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said to her, and roughly shoved another piece of steak into her mouth.
It was starting to get dark again. “We’re stopping soon,” John called back to us. He’d told me they wanted to get as far from the border as
“After a shower. And a steak,” I said. My stomach roared at the thought.
John managed to smile when he heard my stomach. “Yes,” he said. “After a shower and a steak. Not necessarily in that order.”
I never thought food eaten in the back of a van, eaten with plastic silverware from a styrofoam container, could taste this good. I’d gone into the back with Catherine. I asked John to stay up front, so he wouldn’t watch me shovel food into my mouth like an animal.
“Liberty, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said.
“I’m gonna try to get her to eat, too,” I said, jerking my head towards the back. She’d been staring out the tinted back window since he’d cuffed her. Her mouth was still taped and she was sitting at an awkward angle because her foot was propped up, but she seemed to be more calm. Maybe she was just taking a timeout to plot her revenge.
“Hey,” I said, sliding along the metal floor of the van towards her. I had my open container of food in front of me — well-done filet mignon, baked potato with sour cream, and asparagus. I’d only eaten about a quarter of it, and I wasn’t sure I could hold down anymore, at least right now. My stomach had probably shrunk to the size of a tennis ball over the past month. It was going to take time adjusting to real food again.
I closed the cover of my container and slid Catherine’s meal over to her. It was identical to mine.
She looked down and me and glared. Her beautiful clothes were muddy and torn from all the fighting and her escape attempts.
“You want your food? It’s good,” I said, trying to extend her more courtesy then she’d ever shown me.
She shook her head and went back to staring out the window.
“You know, if you want to try to escape again, you’re gonna need to keep your strength up,” I said lightly, kneeling up and grabbing the edge of the masking tape. “No yelling or it goes back on. With a slap,” I added, under my breath, as I ripped the tape off.
“Ow,” Catherine said. I just raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Really, Catherine? Really? I have cigarette burns up and down my arms and you’re complaining that I just pulled the tape off too roughly?
We just contemplated each other for a second. At least she had the decency to not scream.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said, “but I really don’t want to talk to him.” She cocked her head towards her father. “His ‘good daddy’ routine is getting on my nerves.”
I shook my head: okay. I wanted to spare him the pain, not her. My desire to protect him was greater than my desire to irk her. For now.
“I guess I’ll have some steak,” she said.
“Good girl,” I said. She gave me another dirty look but I ignored her. I cut up a small piece and put it into her mouth.
“This is like Freaky Friday ,” she said as she chewed. “Now you’re me and I’m you.”
“I’ll never be you,” I said and smiled at her sweetly. You bitch. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see John watching us. This must be bizarre for him — his young, dirty girlfriend feeding his slightly older, slightly less dirty, bleeding, handcuffed daughter a steak.
“Can I help?” he asked. I knew he wanted to. I knew he wanted to be the one back here, feeding her and talking to her. But I had to get somewhere with her. I was the one who’d found her; she was my cross to bear. She clearly wanted nothing to do with John. I had to fix that.
I turned and smiled at him. “We’re good,” I said. I turned back to Catherine and she was scowling at me.
“Really? You think we’re good?” she asked quietly.“Just don’t expect me to start calling you Mommy anytime soon.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said to her, and roughly shoved another piece of steak into her mouth.
It was starting to get dark again. “We’re stopping soon,” John called back to us. He’d told me they wanted to get as far from the border as
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