Page 33 of Caging Liberty

I close my eyes and take a deep breath before stepping out of the heels. They fall over onto the carpet, and I use my foot to slide them to the side.

“Now lay down on the bed,” he commands. And he does say it like a command. His voice is stern, full of the authority I heard in the playroom, and although I’m unsure of it or of him, I obey. If for no other reason than my mind is so fucking confused about what to do right now. For the first time since I arrived here, I genuinely am unsure what the best move is. I didn’t have to think before this moment. The best move was to fight. To show them they couldn’t break me. To prove tomyselfthat they couldn’t break me.

Now I’m not so sure.

“Under the covers,” he says once I’m lying down flat on the bed.

I scoot up and pull the top sheet over me before lying on my back again. I study the ceiling and listen to my heart thump in my ears.

I can see Mr. A out of the corner of my eye, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. I know what he wants... I don’t know if I’ll give it to him.

When he backs up out of view, I turn my head and watch him head on. He pauses at the door before flipping off the light. “Goodnight, Ivy,” he murmurs.

He steps through the entryway and clicks the door shut behind him.

10

Angel

Wind whips through my hair as I look up at the sky while Julio pleads with Sawyer, his hands out in front of him and his back to the cliff. The cold steel of a handgun presses against my back where it’s tucked into my waistband.

It looks like it’s going to storm. I can smell the rain in the air and can’t see a single star as hard as I look, although the moon peeks through the clouds just fine, illuminating the cliff with the help of the bright manor lights a couple hundred yards away. I lower my head to glance between Julio and Sawyer.

“Boss, I swear to you. The bitch is lying.”

“Why did she hit you then?” Sawyer asks.

My jaw tightens while I stare at my best friend. It’s annoying that he’s even listening to this explanation let alone asking for it.

“Because she’s fucking crazy! You’ve been around her. You know. She attacks anyone who comes near her.”

Sawyer glances over at me and gives me a look that tells me he isn’t fully convinced of what I’ve told him. He thinks Lib is lying too. Apparently, Julio has been, “nothing but loyal,” and he has, “never been a problem.” I don’t know if Sawyer has become oblivious or if I’m the one being naïve. It doesn’t make much of a difference either way. The outcome is the same.

“Look,” Sawyer sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe she’s lying, and maybe she isn’t. Either way, you’ve gotten Mr. Ramos here pissed.” Sawyer drops his hand and looks between us, already extending an invisible olive branch. “I think we can all agree, Julio, that you need to be moved to another position. The boat goes out for another shipment tomorrow anyway, and when you come back, we can sort all this out.” Sawyer locks eyes with me and raises a brow. “Fair enough for you, Mr. Ramos?”

No. No, it isn’t.

I pull the gun from my waistband and aim it at Julio’s head. His eyes widen, but I pull the trigger before he has a chance to say another word. The gun blasts like thunder, which is fitting for a night like this. Julio’s lifeless body falls to the ground, and blood drips from the bullet hole in his forehead.

“Goddamn it, Angel,” Sawyer grumbles, sounding more angry than surprised.

I walk to Julio’s body and aim the gun at his chest. I fire off six shots, an unnecessary amount but enough to ensure that his lungs are fully punctured and there’s plenty of blood oozing out for the sea creatures.

I wedge my shoe underneath him before rolling him closer to the ledge. When he’s almost there, I shove him forward with my foot then lean over to watch as his body soars to the rocks below.

Once before, I stood at this very ledge, searching for another body below, and when I found it, I cringed. Puked on the ground, my body physically rejecting the horror of that night.

Now I don’t even blink.

Sawyer comes up beside me, bristling while leaning over to see. Julio’s body has already sunk below the water, but there’s a darker patch on a rock, marked with his blood. It’ll take a day to fully wash away the evidence. Not that anyone would care.

Sawyer shakes his head and sighs. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I told her I would.”

“Ah,” Sawyer huffs. “Well, then you made the right call. How awful it would have been for you to go back on your word.”

I glance at him and frown. “Did you believe him? Honestly?”