Page 87 of Longing for Liberty
My opportunity raisedits head one week later as Amos and I lay in bed. He was on his back, one hand behind his head and one cradling me to him.
“This is what it’s supposed to feel like,” he murmured. “Marriage.”
Is that what he felt? His servant in his bed, longing for her actual husband while his wife was off living her best life of faux freedom, albeit a forced-pregnancy life, and his kids were away at academy? Sure.
“Mm-hm,” I hummed against his chest.
My anger and indignation had maxed out so many times that my meter was now broken.
Amos’s phone rang, startling me, and he rubbed my arm when I jumped. “This can’t be good.” He reached over and picked up his phone, groaning. “It’s Sam.” He answered. “It’s nearly eleven. Is there another security breach?”
“Hello to you too.” I could hear his voice clearly from my near vicinity, and I hoped Amos couldn’t feel the chill that prickled my skin.
“What is it?” Amos grumbled.
“I’m having a get-together to celebrate our promotions in the Order.”
My heart kicked in its cage, and Amos’s arm tightened around me. “Elder Wright is barely in the ground.”
“He would want us to be grateful for our positions. You’resecondnow, Fitzy. Doesn’t that feel good?”
“Unlike you, I still work every single day, so I’ve been a little too preoccupied to pat myself on the back.”
Roan laughed at this. “I’ve been telling you to delegate some of your responsibilities. It’s not my fault if you’re overloaded. Sounds like you need to unwind. My place. Saturday night.”
“Sammy, please?—”
“Be there, Fitz.” Roan’s voice was firm. “And bring your little lady.”
Amos’s whole body stiffened. “Fine.”
He hung up and set the phone down hard, letting out a rattled sigh.
“You okay?” I asked, my voice sounding breathy as I begged my heart to settle.
“I’m fine,” he said gruffly. “We’re to attend another…party at the Presidential Penthouse.”
Only this time, Wright wouldn’t be there to stop it. I would.
I forced myself to converse, saying, “You don’t sound very excited.”
“I’m not. Now that Sam is the head elder, I can’t go against his wishes, even small, silly requests. We’ll make an appearance and then slip out.”
Damn. I’ll be on a time crunch.
“Okay,” I said, gently rubbing his chest to try to calm him. Or me. I wasn’t sure. “I’m sure it will be fine.” I kissed him and snuggled down, my mind racing.
Amos’s annoyance didn’t keep him up for long. As he lightly snored, I plotted, allowing my imagination to run through scenario after scenario of me pulling Amos’s gun, grasping the top and sliding it back firmly to cock it, and thenbam, bam, bam. All three of them had to be standing close. I could not hesitate. I had to be fast.
I could only hope it wouldn’t be a wasted effort. Hopefully, the resistance was at a point where it was able to act when chaos erupted. At the very least, they could use the disturbance in leadership command to cause confusion and gain ground. I would tell Kathy to tell them to be ready, and hopefully word would spread quickly. We had three days.
Killing was nothing to be proud of in my eyes, even in times of war. But I knew it was sometimes necessary. These men had done horrific things to get where they were, and it was time to return the favor. In fact, being shot unsuspectingly and dying quickly was a mercy they didn’t deserve.
I closed my eyes and watched my phoenix flying in my mind’s eye straight into the darkness.
FORTY-ONE
STATE NEWS: MEXICO’S LEADER BEGS FOR RECONCILIATION WITH THE STATE AFTER BOMBING THE BORDER!
