Page 33 of Liberty

“I love the show; the show was never the problem.” Beside her, Liberty’s eyebrows pinched together.

“I’m coming down. All boxes are stacked nicely in the corner,” I declared as the roughness of the rope caressed my hand. It wasn’t my usual medium, but I could work with it.

“Are you going to come down prettily? Or will I have to beg? I know you like that.” Maggie laughed.

I rolled my eyes. Though Maggie was lovely on the eyes and a dream in the sheets, she always had no filter and too much energy for me. “I’m not sure what exactly you mean by prettily.”

I knew just what she meant. She wanted flips, tricks, poetic dancing in the middle of the air. It was an art, a mindset, and I doubted I could do anything worthy right now when Liberty had my mind all jumbled and fucked. Still, I let the rope dig into my hands as I let all the grace I could muster consume me.

The moves I preformed were basic, mainly a mixture of flipping and holding my bodyweight steady, but still, I could tell that it impressed the ladies. More specifically, Liberty. And I wanted to impress Liberty. I wanted to show her what she was missing. I wanted her to know that I may not have a personality like Ellis or looks like Sterling, but I was worth another glance.

The distance from the beam to the floor came quickly, not nearly the length of space I was used to working with. When my feet touched the floor, Maggie came bouncing toward me. Her arms pulled me into a hug and out of reflex, my arm wrapped around her waist, holding her there.

“I was shocked when you called.”

“Come on now, Maggie, girl. You act like you never hear from me.” I teased her before placing a kiss on her forehead. God, I missed having a woman so close to me.

“Oak, you and I both know you’re rarely in town. The last time I saw you was . . .” She paused, a smirk crossing her face. “The last time I saw you was a lot of fucking fun.”

I laughed at that because the last time I spent an evening with Maggie was a great deal of fun. Physically exhausting, but worth every second. I let my memory dwell on it for a few moments before bringing the subject to what was necessary. “Do you have the stone?”

“You really do owe me, Oak. A hag stone is rare, you know it.” Her brows pulled together as she scowled at me. “You will be in my debt for quite some time.”

“Worth it,” I proclaimed. “Where’s it at?”

“My safe box in the back.” She turned her back toward me. “Follow me; I’ll have you set in no time.”

She walked ahead, and Anita followed, both girls disappearing behind the beaded curtains that acted as a wall divider. When they were out of sight, I strolled toward Liberty. “Are you coming?”

She didn’t budge. “Who was that?”

“Sorry, that was rude. I should have introduced her. That’s Maggie. She’s a local witch, fucking fantastic at it, actually. She owns this supply shop.”

“I know that was Maggie; she introduced herself. But who is she to you?”

She questioned me like it was concerning. “A friend.”

“Just a friend?”

Was she jealous?

“Just a friend.” I tilted my head toward the curtain as I walked. “Now.”

Her hand grabbed onto my bicep. “Now?”

I reached forward and grabbed my shirt from her hand. “Now. Come on, Liberty, you can’t tell me there is not a single person in this world that you have had a history with?”

She bit her lip. “What type of history are you talking about?” I just stared at her, letting my face do all the talking. I knew for a fact that Liberty was smart enough to figure this one out. Telling her Maggie and I used to date, fuck like fucking animals, lay in bed dreaming about a future that we both knew was impossible. Well . . . it wasn’t what I wanted to discuss. The past was the past for a reason.

Her hand fell away from my arm, and I instantly missed the touch. “You staying here or following me?”

“You brought me to your ex-girlfriend to get protection. What if she curses me instead?” She looked genuinely worried, but there was no need. Maggie was as pure as they come.

“We have no hard feelings toward each other,” I stated. “She would never harm you.”

I took another step toward the door and stopped at her words. “Coming from the man of the relationship. I have a hard time fully believing that.”

“Do you think I wasn’t committed, Liberty?” I spoke, but my back was to her. “I wanted nothing more than a life I couldn’t have. A life with a family and kids and happiness, so don’t assume because a relationship didn’t work out, that it’s automatically my fault.”