Being Free (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lee Rose

  She felt someone squeezing her hand and she turned toward them. Blake was looking at her. Concern filled his beautiful green eyes. “Are you okay, Anna? We’ve been here for a minute but you were lost far away.”

  She tried to smile but she was afraid she failed so she just nodded yes and stepped out into the sunshine. Her sunglasses were covering her red bloodshot eyes. David and Blake flanked her on each side and she knew Victor and Sam were around somewhere. David had two men waiting outside on the front steps of the building to escort them inside.

  She was only about a hundred feet from the front of the building when she heard loud popping noises that sounded like firecrackers.

  Before she could realize it was gunshots she was hearing, Anna found herself face down on the hot pavement with Blake’s body covering hers. She could here rapid shots being fired from several guns all around her. She couldn’t breathe with Blake’s heavy weight on top of her but he wasn’t budging. She wanted to lift her head and see what was going on but Blake lifted her and dragged her to hide behind a parked car. He told her to stay lying down.

  “It’s coming from across the street.” David yelled out loud and she assumed he was talking to his men since Blake was unarmed.

  It took several minutes for the sounds to stop. “Get inside!” David yelled and Blake wasted no time in just picking her up and heading for inside. Once Anna was standing on her own two shaky feet, she saw several agents had gone outside to help. Her heart was beating so loud that she was sure she was having a heart attack. Her body was shaking and she felt cold.

  Blake wrapped her tightly in his arms. “It’s okay, Anna. You’re inside the building and safe.”

  She buried her face in his chest and felt the tears coming. She looked up at Blake’s angry face, knowing he was just scared that they could have gotten hurt. “Sam and Victor?”

  He whispered in her ear. “I’m sure they are fine. They were out of sight. It’s you who could have gotten shot, baby. I wish that coward was right here in front of me. I should have gone with Sam’s plan.”

  David walked up to them, looking just as angry as Blake. “Me, too, buddy. We did get one of his men, though,” he said in a satisfied voice. “My guy got clipped on the shoulder but he’ll be okay. Everyone else is fine.”

  Anna let out a sigh of relief that Sam and Victor were okay.

  They proceeded to the office of David’s boss on the ninth floor, escorted by more agents. David got her a glass of water and gave her a minute to gather herself and calm down. When she was ready, he led her to the office along with Blake.

  Mr. Morrison was in his sixties with short gray hair. He wasn’t too happy with Blake being present for the meeting but Blake refused to budge.

  Mr. Morrison sat at his desk looking over the documents. Anna felt like she wanted to throw up and her palms were sweaty but she sat quietly. His forehead was wrinkled but he stayed quiet as he studied the papers in his hand. Blake reached over and grabbed her hand and she tried to concentrate on how warm his hand was and how good it felt when he touched her. That helped to make her feel calmer, Blake was here supporting her. She wasn’t alone.

  Finally after a few minutes he looked up and nodded his head. “We can get warrants based on this information, Miss Lopez. In the meantime, you will have to go in to hiding until the trial is over. Did David explain all this to you?”

  Her heart felt heavy at the thought of being far away from Blake. She knew it was the best decision but it still hurt. She wanted to demand they allow Blake to go with her but she couldn’t uproot him away from his business and family. They had known each other less than a week.

  “Yes, sir, he did.” She gave her answer in a resigned voice. The decision was out of her hands now. She was about to put her life in the hands of a bunch of strangers and that alone was a daunting thought.

  “I am going with her,” Blake stated it as a fact, knowing where this conversation was going. He looked angry and ready to argue with Mr. Morrison and anyone else who stood in his way.

  “You are not her husband, therefore you can’t go with her, Mr. Murphy. It won’t take long for us to do our investigation and bring this to trial. Once the trial is over, she can do as she pleases. We already know Mr. Martinez had the bank manager notify him as soon as someone accessed the safe deposit box. I’m sure he assumed you would be the only one to do that, Miss Lopez. How he found out you would be here this morning is still a mystery but we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “How long do you think this will all take before it’s over?” Anna sighed, feeling like she was going to burst out in tears. Everything was happening so fast and although she wanted Santiago out of her life for good, she wasn’t ready to say good-bye to Blake yet. She wanted to add her demands that Blake be allowed to go with her but she knew it was futile.

  “Maybe sixty or so days. Maybe sooner if all goes well,” he answered. David had remained quiet but then he looked at Blake with sincerity in his eyes. “I’ll be with Anna where ever they send her and you know I will protect her for you, Blake. It will all be worth it in the end.”

  “I’ll let you three talk for a moment.” Mr. Morrison stood up. “I’ll get the ball rolling on all this.”

  He closed his office door. Blake stood up, looking angry. “I know you’ll protect her, David, but I don’t want to be without her for thirty minutes much less thirty days. I’m the one who should hold her hand when she is scared and comfort her.”

  Anna’s eyes filled with tears and spilled over. Blake loved her! She could see it on his face. She stood up and threw herself in his arms and cried. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

  “Geez, Anna,” Blake mused, but he held her tight, rocking her in his arms. “Is the news that I love you that horrible?”

  She giggled. “No, it’s the most wonderful news I have ever heard, Blake. We just met but I know I love you, too. That is why I am doing this. I want a life with you, Blake. One where I don’t have to look over my shoulder every minute. A life where we can be safe. And your family, too. I’ve been all alone except for Ben, I would like a family and friends again.”

  David left them alone, closing the door behind him.

  Blake put his hands on Anna’s shoulders. His eyes were filled with emotion and shining with unshed tears. He leaned down and devoured her mouth in a hot kiss. He explored every inch of her mouth and she was sure she was going to melt in a puddle at his feet. They were both breathing hard when he finally finished kissing her. He leaned his forehead against hers and she could feel his breath on her skin. It made her feel secure and like she belonged. Finally she belonged to someone. That’s what she had thought she found with Santiago but he had fooled her. He wanted a robot to command in every aspect of her life. He wanted to own her, not to love her. Blake cared about her and wanted to take care of her, and it wasn’t with money but with emotions. He wanted to keep her free from fear and comfort her in hard times. That was real love, not material items that someone bought. She had been so blind but no more. She would be strong for Blake’s sake.

  “I want a life with you, too, Anna. I want to cherish you and see you smile. My parents will love you and spoil you. My mom will nag you about grandbabies but we can ignore her until we’re ready for that.”

  “Are you sure, Blake? You said you didn’t want another girlfriend after Jenna and we’ve only known each other a few days. Maybe you should take this time that I am gone to think all this through,” she suggested, fearing he would change his mind once she was out of his sight. More than anything, she wanted Blake to be happy.

  “I don’t want another girlfriend that is true. This time I want a wife, a lover, a friend. I want you, Anna Marie Lopez.” His voice held such confidence that she smiled tearfully but they were tears of joy. Overwhelming joy and love. She wanted to laugh out loud and grin like a sappy fool despite the long hard road she was facing. If she knew Blake was waiting for her at the end of that road,
she would walk through hell’s fire smiling.

  “I know it happened so fast but maybe that was good. I was so set against getting emotionally involved that maybe Cupid just had to shoot his arrow in my butt to get my attention. I knew the moment I saw you that I would not be able to resist you for long. You were like a sexy goddess standing there but I could see sadness and tiredness in your eyes and that’s when I knew you were dangerous to my heart,” he explained. “I know that I want to spend the rest of my life making sure I never see that in your eyes again.”

  “You just gave me the confidence to get through this, Blake. I can do this. I want Santiago out of my life forever. I want us to start our life on a clean slate.”

  Blake sighed, seeing her point of view. “Okay, but I’ll miss you and if you don’t come back I will hunt you down and kidnap you and tie you to my bed.”

  Anna kissed his cheek. “Promise?”

  “Yes.” It was a simple word but said as a vow and she believed him. That promise would get her through the upcoming days without him. They would be hard, lonely days without Blake but now she had a goal to work toward.

  Once everything was set, they gave Anna a few extra minutes to say good-bye to Blake. He hugged her and she could feel the tremors go through his big hard body. She swallowed back her tears and gave him a shaky smile. “Don’t forget me, Blake.”

  “Never,” he swore. They took her out of the office. She had no idea where she was going or what would happen but she now had hope for the future. Hope was amazing. It made her feel strong when you knew she was weak. As the elevator doors closed, she looked at Blake one last time with tears spilling down her cheek.

  Chapter 15

  Three months later

  Anna hugged David outside the courthouse. They were both smiling happily. Finally it was over. She felt like a huge weight was off her shoulders. It had taken a lot longer than they had planned. Santiago had hired men to attack the safe house she was placed in and they had to move locations and delay the trial but finally it was done. Ben’s mother, Sarah and her husband had flown in just for the trial. Anna had apologized for involving Ben in her problems but Sarah had not harbored any bad feelings for Anna.

  “Ben loved you. You were always his little sister,” the older dark-haired woman told her, giving Anna a hug. “I remember him telling me he was going to take care of you. He said he didn’t like how sad you looked. He was eight or nine years old.”

  Anna laughed, remembering him with joy now. “I remember him taking my books at school and saying I was too little to carry them. I got offended and kicked him in the leg. I got detention and he was waiting for me after school saying he would walk me home so no bullies would bother me. I couldn’t get rid of him after that.”

  Sarah laughed and leaned on her husband. She sniffed into a tissue. “I didn’t mind, Anna. I got two kids to care for after that.”

  Anna burst into tears and Sarah hugged her. “Be happy, Anna. Ben would have wanted that for you.”

  The jury hadn’t taken long to find Santiago guilty of many crimes, including Ben’s murder. He and his men would be gone for a long time. It wouldn’t bring Ben back, but it made her feel good knowing he got justice for his death.

  David had talked to Blake weekly and kept him updated on what was going on. Anna had not been allowed to talk to him. She had spent many nights crying from missing him and wondering if he still felt the same or if he decided he liked being alone better.

  “Now what?” she asked. Sarah and her husband had left for home. Anna had promised to keep in touch with them.

  “Blake ordered me to bring you home,” David told her with amusement.

  Anna beamed with happiness, all the clouds disappearing from her eyes. “Really?”

  David chuckled. “He is one impatient bastard and he has missed you, Anna. He has had time to think all this over and he still wants you with him. I suggested he wait a few days so you could relax. I told him how tired and stressed out you were but I won’t repeat the words he used.”

  “I do want to buy some new clothes,” she said, looking down at the jeans David had bought her. She had left all her clothes behind at the hotel but she didn’t mind. It was time for her to dress how she wanted. She looped her arm through David’s. They had become great friends over the months. “Let’s go shopping.”

  David groaned but led her away to the mall. She spent the night at his house so they could fly to Shady Grove in the morning.

  * * * *

  “I’m nervous,” Anna admitted as they drove out to Blake’s place in his rental car. She looked down at her jeans and pink short-sleeved blouse. Even though it was autumn, it was still warm outside. She had left her hair loose and applied light make-up. When they pulled up to the garage, the doors were closed. Blake was waiting for them in the front. He smiled when he saw her in the car, and she let the breath she had been holding out. He looked happy to see her.

  She jumped out of the car and ran into his open arms. He wrapped his strong arms around her and twirled her around in a circle, making her dizzy. She heard him laughing with joy and her heart felt as if it would burst from happiness.

  He set her on her feet and caressed her cheek softly. “God, baby, I have gotten gray hair worrying about you. I don’t want you to leave my sight ever again.”

  Anna smiled. “I don’t want to be apart from you either, Blake. I was so afraid you decided I was too much trouble.”

  He squeezed her tightly. “Never.”

  He kept his arm around her shoulder but turned toward David and shook his hand. “Thanks for taking care of her, David. I owe you.”

  David smiled. “I’m glad you found someone as special as Anna. Take care of her, Blake. Victor has promised me a night on the town so I’ll be at his house.”

  Blake and Anna went inside to his apartment after saying good-bye to David. They sat on the couch together with not even an inch of space between them. He moved her long hair out of her face, frowning at the dark circles under her eyes. He kissed her forehead and held on to her so tightly, surrounding her with his strength and his warmth.

  Anna couldn’t stop the joyful tears trailing down her cheek. Finally she was home in Blake’s arms. “I love you, Blake Murphy, and I missed you every second I was gone.”

  He used his thumb to wipe her tears away. “I love you, Anna Marie Lopez, and you’ll never be that far from me again. Those were as good as any marriage vows, so does sex come next?” He looked hopeful and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

  “I hope so. I have spent the last three months planning on all the things I wanted to try.” She kissed his neck and nipped his earlobe lightly with her teeth. She smiled as she felt his jeans bulging with his erection.

  “My parents expect us for Sunday dinner in three days. They are anxious to meet the love of my life. Melody has been bugging me to bring you to see her, too,” he explained, talking as he stood up and led her to his bedroom by the hand. “But I say we hide until Sunday. We do nothing but eat, sleep, and make love. How does that sound?”

  Anna eagerly followed him, feeling her belly tighten with desire and the moisture gather between her legs. It felt good to feel all that again. “It sounds perfect.”

  Blake turned his head and looked at her behind him. “You’re perfect for me, Anna. Finally you’re home where you belong.”

  Anna thanked God that her truck picked Shady Grove to break down in. It must have been destiny. Here she had met her soul mate and found her freedom. And here she would live her life out in happiness.

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I have always loved reading, especially romances. I believe in a happy ending and that love does indeed conquer all. Now I love writing romance stories just as much. When not writing I spend my time with family and friends. I enjoy hearing from my fans, who can look me up on Facebook.

  For all titles by Lee Rose, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lee-rose

 
Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com