Rescuing Liberty: Perseverance Book 1 Read Online Free Page B

beyond redemption. It’s by
grace you are saved, not by your works.” I said the words out of
habit, and immediately regretted opening my mouth.
    “ Grace?” Connor
asked. “Grace from whom? From a God who has turned His back on the
people He created?” He snorted. “Open your eyes. If there was a
God, would He allow His people to become … this ?”
    Since it seemed a bit hypocritical for
me to preach to someone while threatening them with a weapon, I
lowered my knife and took a step back.
    “ You think this is God’s fault?” I
shook my head. “That’s rich. Exactly what I’d expect from an
attorney; blame someone else. You can’t paddle away from the
lifeboat, and then blame it when you drown.”
    Connor chuckled. “Great. Stuck with a
religious nut.”
    “ Religious nut?” I spat.
“Stuck?”
    The most annoying smirk spread across
his face.
    I eyed him. “A society without
religion is like a vessel without a compass.”
    Connor’s eyes widened. “Napoleon?”
    “ Surprised?” I snorted. “I realize
that this will probably defy all your beliefs about women, but yes,
it is possible to have both: a chest, and brains.”
    Trust this infuriating
man? What are You trying to do to me? Trust him? Are You
sure? Yet there was something comforting
about having an argument with someone who wasn’t trying to kill me.
Hunger and desperation hadn’t morphed Connor into some sort of
brainless brute, like it had so many of the others I’d encountered.
His eyes were clear, his words made sense, and I had the strange
feeling he was testing me. That, more than anything, made me want
to leave. I didn’t know what his game was, but I had my own role to
play and Canada was calling my name.
    “ If you’d just open
the door, I’ll leave and you won’t have to worry about
being stuck with this religious nut any longer.” My body trembled with anger and
frustration, and my face flushed. I don’t
want to trust him. What I want to do is scratch out his eyeballs,
throw him on the ground, and step on his throat to crush his
larynx! I took a step toward the door and
reached for the handle.
    “ No.” He held his arm in front of
me.
    “ Excuse me?” I glared at
him.
    “ No.” He shook his head. “I’m not
going to let you go out there and kill yourself. Too
dangerous.”
    Manic laughter mixed with
desperation and fear escaped from my mouth. “And you’re going to
prevent my death?” I shook my head. “You? You’re not exactly the
white knight type, you know, so please forgive my doubt. There are
enough enemies out there. I don’t need to be stuck in a safe with one.”
    I’ll show him
stuck.
    I clenched my fists. “By
the way, if someone locks you in a safe against your will, they
really shouldn’t be allowed to refer to the experience as
being stuck with
you.”
    “ I apologize.” He sighed. “That might
not have been the best word to use.”
    “ Ya think?” Why did
my first interaction with another human being who wasn’t trying to
kill me or run from me have to be this man? He wasn’t a human, he was a
dog. No, my dog had been sweet and loving. Connor was more like a
wolf, and I was no Little Red Riding Hood to be taken in by his
smooth talking. Sure, he’d saved my life, but why? He was a
big-shot attorney. They never worked pro-bono, and it required more
hope than I could muster to assume he had done anything out of the
goodness of his heart. I didn’t need or want the company of a man
who would stab me in the back. I just wanted to get to Canada,
where I’d find Michelle and some semblance of a new
life.
    “ This may come as a surprise to you
but hey, I’m alive. I’ve survived without your help this far, and
I’m pretty sure I don’t need it now.”
    “ I didn’t mean for it to come out that
way.” He leaned back against the door of the safe.
    “ Please open the lock so I can leave.”
I could feel tears well up in my eyes. I was trapped and the walls
were closing in on me,