A Liberated Decision - COMPLETED!

Chapter 23

Ashley hadn't slept much throughout the night. Every position she had gotten in had resulted in pain shooting through her body. There was no escaping the agony. Tom had tried to get her to take some Ibuprofen or Tylenol to help ease her sore muscles. She had refused, not wanting to risk being fuzzy from the mild medication if something happened. Liv had understood her reasoning and had stayed out of the conversation out of respect. That action had made Ashley feel a little bit more at ease with her. An enemy would have pressured her into taking something that resulted in her being less on guard. It was a small gesture, but an important step.

She could feel the bruises now more then before. They had formed to every place where she had expected them, and more. Part of her regretted not taking the meds, but she was too stubborn to think they were a good idea.

Sun rays filtered in through the curtains that were loosely covering the windows. The living room had gotten warm throughout the night and Liv had gingerly propped a window partially open. Ashley couldn't help but appreciate the thoughtfulness, even though it had probably been more for Liv's benefit than hers. She looked over at the sleeping woman. Curious as to what her story was. She hadn't seen her before, but had heard her name from time to time. Not usually with good things tied to it. However, seeing her sleeping vulnerably nearby made her appreciate the peaceful deadliness of the young woman.

A phone quietly buzzed and Liv's eyes shot open quickly. She reached into her jacket pocket that was crumpled up next to her and pulled out a cell phone. "Hello." She said more alertly than Ashley had expected – it made her wonder how asleep Liv really had been. Dangerous and lethal. Not vulnerable. Liv picked herself up off the rocker, letting a blanket fall to the floor. She gave Ashley a semi-apologetic look as she walked to the edge of the room.

Ashley knew that it was wrong for her to try to listen in, but she had nothing better to do. Anything that took her mind off of constantly bumping a new forming bruise was welcomed. She stretched her arms out slowly and yawned. She watched Liv's body tense before shooting her a look that Ashley couldn't read. It didn't look good though.

Liv quickly looked away and turned her body more away from Ashley. "The bastard! You gave him hell for it right?" Her voice was sharp and angry, but she kept it quiet and low.

Ashley struggled to swallow calmly. Her throat felt thick and raw as her memory lingered back to when Eddie had his fingers wrapped around her throat to hold her in place for Trent. She blinked a few times to get the thought out of her mind. Her fingers gently rubbed the bruises darkening up her neck.

"Yeah... yeah, I'll tell her." Liv irritably agreed on her phone. Whoever she was talking to got her more riled up then Ashley had expected. She knew that Liv was a deadly, silent killer, but death was edging her voice a lot faster than she would have anticipated. "You put me in a hell of a position, Zeke." She paused for a moment, listening to the man's voice on the other end. "You did what you had to do. I'll kick his ass later for this."

Ashley swallowed a smile that was trying to inch its way across her face. She had an appreciation for the intenseness of this girl. They were similar. She couldn't help but like that. She had someone who would understand her. It was a lethal game she was playing though.

"No, I'm going to stay with her. She'll need someone to watch out for her." Liv looked like she was listening more intently then maybe what the conversation was worth. She leaned against the door post to the room. "If he complains about it have him call me. I don't really give a shit. He knows I'm not doing anything that I don't want to do. If he doubts that than he needs to swallow his own tongue." She slammed the phone shut and jammed it into her pocket. A heavy sigh shuddered her shoulders as she turned around.