Page 90 of Claiming Liberty
Fire has this place lit up like we’re literally in Hell, but all I can see is red.
I climb on top of him and thrust my hands against his throat, squeezing as hard as I can while blood thumps in my ears.
On more than one occasion recently, I’ve been asked to kill this man.
Never did I think I could.
But seeing him with her… Knowing now what he’s capable of…
I’ve never wanted anything so badly.
He tugs at my wrists while my hands shake with intensity.
“Stop it!” Lib screams, yanking on my arms. “Stop, please!”
I don’t.
I can’t.
She takes my face, then jerks it so I’m looking at her.
“He saved me and Elsie.” The words rush past her lips, her voice cracking. “He saved all of us.”
Saved you?
Heenslavedyou.
He ordered yourdeath.
He killed Beth.
He tried to kill me.
My eyes water, causing her image to blur. When Lib puts a gentle hand on my arm, I let go of Sawyer’s throat.
He gasps for air, clutching at his throat and rolling onto his side when I climb off of him.
“Go!” I say to Lib, my finger stabbed the way I came.
She shakes her head.
“Go,now,” I roar, my hands shaking with fury. Not at her. Never at her. Hopefully she knows it. She moves her eyes between Sawyer and me, then hesitates a few moments before turning and running the opposite direction.
I stare down at Sawyer who’s laying on his back, his bloodshot eyes looking sad. Defeated.
He makes eye contact but doesn’t speak.
“Why did you do it?” I ask, my voice low, pained. “Why did you kill Beth?”
He closes his eyes, creases jutting out beside them like he’s pained by the memory. When he opens them, he peers up at me. “Chaffer was using her to get information from you. He wanted to blackmail us to gain more control of the island.”
“So you killed her?”
My chest quakes as I suck in smoky air. I don’t for one second question this because instantly, it makes sense to me. All the prying. All the fights. The feud between Sawyer and Chaffer.
Beth was trying to play me.Chafferwas trying to play me.
And as always, Sawyer was ten steps ahead.