Liberty's Promise (Savage Cinderella Novella #5)

Liberty's Promise-Chapter 1

LIBERTY'S PROMISE

Chapter 1

"What the hell happened to you?" Dani asked.

My friend and current roomie, Daniella Hernandez, who had recently been promoted to detective on the Atlanta P.D., welcomed me into her family's home, a small brick Cape with bright red shutters and pots of leggy pansies on the doorstep. Situated in a middle-class neighborhood of Brooklyn, the house looked well-cared for and cozy, but the details—as well as her question—were all but lost in the fog of fatigue.

I'd been flying since early morning and hadn't slept the night before, concerned about Dani's cryptic call for me to come to New York asap, and dreading traveling by air—my least favorite mode of transportation. My deep breathing and meditation techniques I'd been learning from my therapist, Doctor Carlson, had done little to make me less anxious on the three-hour flight.

"It's a long story," I answered with a weak smile. Her eyes widened, and a grave expression covered her face when she took a good look at me.

"Holy crap, Brinn, you look like you've been beaten to within an inch of your life."

I dragged my suitcase into an entryway that led to a small family room with pale yellow walls and parquet wood floors. The dining table sat in the center of a high-ceilinged room, surrounded by six chairs and loaded with paperwork and unopened mail. A slightly dusty chandelier hung above the table, and it was clear Dani had been rifling through papers searching for something.

I briefly explained the events of the past several days, leaving out the most harrowing details and the number of times I could have been blown up or killed at the hands of Derek and Billy Ray Dutton. Even filled with the satisfaction of having saved a girl's life, I couldn't find peace in my mind. The throbbing in my shoulder and eye, and the sting of a split lip reminded me of how close I'd come to being dead. I rubbed my temples and winced at the tender bruise on the side of my face.

The scenes of the past few days on the mountain played on a constant loop, leaving me questioning whether I'd made the right choices, followed my training correctly, done what any good cop would have done in the same circumstances. I'd taken risks that cost me a memorable beating, but I'd successfully—with a little help from my friends—brought down a couple of dangerous drug-dealers and rescued a girl from a life of addiction and abuse.

At least now she had a sliver of hope.

The thought brought a flicker of a smile, paining my split lip but softening the knot in my stomach. My relief came from, first, knowing I'd been able to give the girl a second chance at a life worth living. Second, that Justin and Cody—regardless of any confusion over feelings—cared enough to once again put their lives on the line for me and team up to come to my rescue. And third, that I'd made my first official collar as a rookie cop on the Atlanta, P.D.

Dani's request for help was the reason Justin and Cody had followed me up to my cabin—a stroke of luck for me. Things might have turned out differently with the Dutton brothers and Angie—the young girl the two thugs had held captive—if Justin and Cody hadn't tracked me down. Dani had reached out to Justin for him to get a message to me that she needed my help in New York.

Immediately upon my return from what was supposed to have been a restful retreat to the mountains I once called home, Justin booked me the flight to New York City without hesitation. He had wanted me to stay home and recover for a few days—as did my parents—but they all knew it was futile to try and stop me from helping a friend, and he was as worried about Dani as I was.

"Sorry I couldn't have been there to back you up," Dani said, genuine concern and regret behind her eyes. "Unfortunately, I'm needed here." She tossed a hand up at the stacks of envelopes and papers strewn across the table. "My mother asked me to find my father's life insurance policy. He says he won't rest until he knows she has it." Dani's plump lips turned upward slightly. "My mother has been a schoolteacher for thirty years, yet she's never been able to teach my father a thing about record keeping. He insists he has a 'system.'" She air quoted the final word and rolled her eyes.