Page 23 of Claiming Liberty

I squint at her, trying to picture her as a prostitute. A well broken in prostitute at that. I can’t see it, and the more I look, the more unlikely it seems. She’s far too shy and scared to have been in that type of profession for long.

What does that mean? Did she lie, did Sawyer lie, or am I just wrong?

“Are you feeling sick?” I ask, noticing the pale color of her face.

She shakes her head.

I stare at her another few moments, trying to sort through this,her. Who she is and how she got here. “What kind of drugs are in your system?”

She looks up at me, a squint in her eyes that makes me think she doesn’t know what I’m talking about, then she looks down.

“I don’t know,” she whispers.

What do you mean, you don’t know?

Amari clears her throat, and I turn her way. She eyes me for a second before addressing Prudence. “I can take it from here. Go back to your room.”

Without a word, Prudence darts from the bar. She hurries out of the playroom, unable to get away from me fast enough, yet again.

“Has she heard about me?” I ask Amari once Prudence is gone.

Amari continues with the glasses. “Doubt it. The new ones are scared in general. It probably has nothing to do with you.”

I lean onto the bar, bracing myself on my forearms. “She was a whore before. Why would she be so frightened? This has to be better than where she came from.” My words don’t sound convincing, even to my ears.

Amari’s lips pinch, but she says nothing.

“What kind of drugs is she detoxing from?” I look toward the door. “She looks sick.”

“That’s a question for Sawyer.”

My head slowly returns to her, confusion washing over me. “What does that mean?”

Again, she says nothing.

“Amari…”

She puts one last glass down before gripping the edge of the bar, her eyes downcast. When she looks at me, I see something in her expression I haven’t seen in a very long time… Fear.

“I like you,” she says, her voice low. “I’ve always liked you. You make a point to be kind to me, and I appreciate that. But please, whatever interest you have in Prudence, leave me out of it. I don’t want any trouble.”

I rear back. “What are you talking about?”

She goes back to the tumblers.

“I would never get you into trouble.”

She huffs.

“Hey.”

She flinches at my harsh tone, and I instantly regret using it.

I pull my arms in and relax my shoulders. “I’m not going to say anything, I just… Something doesn’t feel right about her. Sawyer told me she’s a prostitute looking to get clean. Just tell me … is that true?”

She looks up at me. Her face is serious with a hint of fear in her eyes. Seconds pass before she brushes her hands together, then imaginary dust from her shirt. She walks from behind the bar then heads for the exit.

I sigh, thinking that’s as far as I’m going to get with her, but she pauses and looks back at me.