Rescuing Liberty: Perseverance Book 1 Read Online Free

confirmation of who I
was looking at.
    “ Connor Dunstan,” I breathed his name.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
    I could tell my response amused him by the
vibration of his chest. The jerk was laughing at me. I opened my
eyes and stared at the cover-boy for all things corrupt and
impious. I’d never actually met him, but everyone knew Connor. His
face was plastered on the sides of buses, on park benches, and in
commercials with slogans like, “At the law offices of Brayer and
Dunstan, we'll help you get justice for your injustice.” Justice …
right. Even before the fall of the US, the man I was currently
pinned under had been a life-sucking, money-grubbing,
ambulance-chasing, shady-deal-making fiend, aka personal injury
attorney. And that had been while he was at his best. I had no
desire to see him at his worst.
    Connor Dunstan stood for everything I
loathed. My knife felt heavy. I closed my eyes and silently
prayed, My sister’s family is dead and yet
this? This is who you choose to let live?
    “ You okay?” Connor asked.
    ‘ Trust me. Trust
him.’ I felt the call respond to my prayer.
    I nodded to Connor, unwilling to commit to
dialogue. Before me stood a greedy, heinous, detestable excuse for
a human being … who had just saved my life. The world would be
vastly less complicated if the bad guys could just be consistently
loathsome.
    Is that really too much to ask?
    My muscles were cramping when Connor
finally stood and offered me his hand. I scowled at him and pushed
myself up, refusing his assistance. Dagger clutched in my right
hand, gun tucked in the back of my pants, I gave him my best
apprehensive glare .
    Connor dismissed my scowling, grabbed
my left wrist and started walking. I jerked my hand back, but his
grip was tight and held firm.
    “ Where are you taking me?”
    “ Quiet. It’s not safe to talk here.”
He pulled me behind him like some sort of puppy on a
leash.
    I considered reaching
behind me for my gun, but I couldn’t defy the call. When something consistently
saves your life, you learn to just shut up and do what it tells
you.
    I really hope You know
what You’re doing, I prayed.
    We walked for a little while, then
Connor told me to stay put, dropped my hand and disappeared into
the busted up window of a vandalized computer parts store. I
scanned the area, preparing to make my escape, when his arms once
again enclosed me and constricted my knife hand to my
side.
    This is getting
old.
    I kicked and writhed as he pulled me
into a walk-in safe, kicked the door closed behind us, and released
me to spin the dial. By the time he turned to face me, I had my
dagger pointed at his throat.
    “ Give me one reason why I shouldn’t
kill you,” I growled, angry that he’d successfully pulled off the
same move on me twice.
    “ You don’t know the combination. Kill
me, and you’re going to die in here.” He glanced at me, glanced at
the knife, and with all the cockiness of an overpaid, inflated
attorney winked at me. “Now put that thing away before you hurt
yourself.”
    My face burned as his
indifferent attitude riled my temper.
“You — ”
    “ A simple thank you would suffice, you
know.” Connor leaned against the door to the safe.
    “ Thank you for what? Kidnapping me and
shoving me into a … a … where are we anyway?” With my free hand I
gestured to the room we occupied.
    “ I saved your life.” He shrugged. “Do
you think we could start over? Maybe even in a civilized
manner?”
    “ You realize that’s like asking me to
break bread with Adolf Hitler?” I asked.
    “ Wow,” he replied. “That has to be
painful.”
    I raised an eyebrow at him in question.
    “ That stick, shoved so far up
your—”
    “ Demon spawn.” I took a step
closer.
    “ Pretentious prude.” He leaned toward
me.
    He was right. I mentally
slapped myself for being so self-righteous. I was judging him with blood dripping
from my hands. I
studied Connor. No horns sprouted from his head, and he