Page 39 of Caging Liberty
He hasn’t. Or this round, maybe he has. I’ll do what he says right now, and I’ll try to, “play nice,” but this only makes me more desperate to get off this island. And when I do, it’ll be me with the memento.
But for now, I need to focus on staying alive. And that currently depends on Mr. A.
“Good girl,” Sawyer says, rustling my hair like I’m a dog.
He steps away from me and points to a door a few feet in front of us. “Your new room. Go before I regret this.”
I hurry to the door, open it only enough to fit my body, and squeeze through. I close it and hold the knob with a shaky hand, waiting to see if Sawyer will come in after me. When he doesn’t, I let go of the knob and slowly back away, not turning away from the door until my calves hit a bed.
I spin and face another room full of women, this time all staring at me, most wearing curious expressions.
My eyes lock onto another familiar face, and I deflate with relief when Anna’s eyes light up.
“Ivy!”
12
Angel
Igather the papers for a contract Sawyer and I have been working on for the last hour and a half, and I tap them on my kitchen table to straighten the stack.
Sawyer stands with his hand on my open refrigerator door, surveying the food. He chooses a pear, bites into it, and swings the fridge door shut.
He loudly chews while strutting over to the table where I arrange the papers in the folder.
“I think you should be the one to go,” Sawyer says once he’s swallowed.
“Not a chance in hell.”
“I’m a man short here, and I’ve got some hiring to do. It’d be irresponsible for me to leave right now.”
I lift my eyes from the folder before sliding it across the table to him. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Mmm,” Sawyer’s lips twist, and he looks up as if he’s contemplating it. “Not a chance in hell.”
I chuckle at his mocking tone and shake my head. “I’ve gone the last six times.Six. And you’re much better with people in these situations.”
“By ‘situations,’ you mean canning people from a job they’ve worked at for years? Yeah, I doubt they care who’s firing them. You hand them their last check, then go on your merry way.”
I plant my hands on the table and lean over it as I pretend to hear Sawyer out. We’re just about to seal the deal on a string of crummy hotels in Massachusetts called The Charlotte. I visited one the last time I was in the States.
The chain isn’t exactly pretty, but the competition is low in several areas, and a remodel would do it wonders. If the owner had the money to redo the flooring and buy some decent mattresses, I suspect it’d double his occupancy. But he can’t afford it, which is where Sawyer and I come in.
Some of the people who work there will get to keep their jobs, and the others will always have the option of reapplying when renovations are done and the help is needed. The management, however, has to go. And while firing men with overinflated egos in menial power positions doesn’t exactly ruin my day, telling immigrants and single moms they have to find a new minimum wage job to support their families doesn’t sit right with me. I come off too direct, whereas Sawyer can somehow make it seem like he’s doing them a favor.
“I’ve thought it over,” I say, “and, no. I’m staying.”
“We’ll both go.” Sawyer shrugs before taking another bite of the pear. When he swallows, he sets it on the table and drums on the wood with his hands like he’s getting excited. “We can take the jet to New York before we leave and go to that club Gaumond told us about. It’ll be fun.”
Sawyer and his clubs. This isn’t a dance club we’re talking about, it’s a sex club. You would think the owner of this island would want a change in scenery, but not him. Still, I’d normally be happy to travel together. I don’t mind being alone, but Sawyer makes mentally draining business trips exciting. He’s always been able to do that.
But I’d rather not leave Lib. It’s too risky. For one thing, she could get hurt by another guard or even one of the manor guests. Probably not since the guards know what happened to Julio and why. I’d be shocked if someone tried to pull that shit again.
What I’m really worried about is her acclimating without me. At some point, she’s going to get comfortable here. The idea of her doing that with another man sends red hot jealousy through my blood.
“That’s an idea.” I nod as if I’m considering it. “But I think I’d rather stay. I have a lot of work to do, and you have a habit of distracting me.”
Sawyer groans, pushing off the table. “Whatever.” He spins around and walks to my liquor cabinet. “Maybe I’ll hit Gaumond up anyway. Let him know how his wife’s doing.”