Liberated Read Free Page B

into the Liberators’ eyes, his first and only thought had been of Kendra. Of how he could possibly keep her safe. The thought never occurred to him that she was thinking the same thing about him. His mind still couldn’t wrap around the reasons why.
    He would never forget the overwhelming feeling of horror that engulfed him when he saw her step out of the truck and take aim. Time had stood still and his heart ceased to beat. Unable to stop her in time, he’d watched helplessly as the events unfolded.
    And when he was finally able to make his way to her and push her back into the truck for safety, what did she do? She snatched up more shells and crawled out the other side of the truck! If he could have grabbed her at that moment, he would have cheerfully wrung her neck.
    God! Kendra was exasperating and infuriating. And he wanted her desperately, madly. More than he had ever wanted any other woman before. The feelings he had for other women in the past never came close to this. She was everything he could have ever hoped for in a woman. Even as terrified as he was for her today, he couldn’t have been prouder. He knew deep inside it was so much more than a physical attraction. He burned for Kendra.
    But he couldn’t have her.
    In his heart, he knew that to continue the relationship would be wrong. She deserved so much better than him. Kendra deserved more than to be drawn into a life of firebombs, shootings, and murders. A life of being afraid and always watching over her shoulder.
    Flint didn’t want her to ever feel afraid again. Not like today.
    He wanted her to be able to go out on vet visits with an open, trusting heart like she always had before. Without having to worry if the Liberators might be waiting for her in a secluded barn or even back at her house. Just the mere act of being with him would put her at risk.
    Back at the cabin, Kendra had told him about how hard she had worked to get through college and then vet school. She loved her family, her job, and her life working with the animals. For him to come in and steal some of that joy away because of his involvement with the Steel Infidels wasn’t right. A few days with him and her life had already been turned completely upside down. And now that the war with the Liberators was cranking up full force, it was only going to get worse. He hated to think what the next few days or weeks would bring. None of it would be good.
    He had to end it with Kendra before it went any further, even if it killed him to do it. The thought ripped his heart out. Being with her felt so right. But he knew the longer it went on, the harder it would be to break it off. His feelings would only grow stronger with time.
    With any luck, maybe Kendra had come to the same conclusion. She couldn’t have been thrilled about everything that had happened the last few days. From being pressured into taking care of his gunshot wound to being caught in the middle of a gun battle, she would probably be very relieved for Flint to end it so she wouldn’t have to.
    Flint hoped so. Walking away from a woman like Kendra would be a next to impossible thing to do. Depressed and dreading the task ahead of him, Flint drained his beer and grabbed another one.
    When Jesse came into the kitchen a little while later, Flint was still sitting at the table with his eyes closed.
    “Hey buddy,” Jesse said, clapping him on the shoulder as he walked past him to the refrigerator. “Any beer left for me?”
    “A couple,” Flint answered. “Everything taken care of with the SUV?”
    “For now,” Jesse answered. “We were able to get it over to the chop shop. They’ll have it in a million unidentifiable pieces by the end of the day. Luckily, there weren’t many people out on the roads because of the ice. What about the Liberators? Everything okay on your end?”
    Flint nodded. “The bodies will never be found. Ever. We made sure of that.”
    Jesse studied him for a moment without speaking. He grabbed a