Faith, Honor & Freedom by Shannon Callahan Read Free Book Online

my eyes open.
    “Hey, you don’t look so good,” he says as I lay my head up against the window.
    “Gee, thanks Hoss. You really know how to make a girl feel beautiful,” I mutter, eyes closed. I feel him reach over and pull my belt around me. I don’t protest. I’m seconds away from passing out.
    “Why didn’t you guys call me last night? I could have at least brought you better coffee than that hospital swamp water,” he says.
    “It was hard enough to form a coherent thought,” I say yawning. “I thought I told you to go and have a good night anyway.”
    “I was worried about you all night, so I waited for you to call me to come pick you up.”
    I yawn again. “Don’t worry about it. I made it home just fine,” I say, vaguely aware that I’m falling asleep.
     
    I wake up to Hoss scooping me up under my legs and pulling a strong arm around my back. I tell my mind to argue, but I just can’t seem to get the thought processed from my brain to my mouth. I sigh and lay my head against his chest.
    “You smell good,” I mutter, without thinking. I feel his chest rise and fall as he chuckles. His keys jingle, and soon he’s carrying me into my house.
    “Whoa, Lana wake up,” he shouts, as he sets me down roughly. I start to sway and open my eyes curiously.
    We’re in my bedroom where my pillows are thrown on top of my dresser; picture frames are knocked over, blankets and sheets thrown across the room. Unfortunately, that’s not even the worst of it. The satin ties that bound my wrists and ankles are still attached to the bedposts. Luckily, the rest has disappeared along with Alec. I look over at Hoss, who has gone into full detective mode, gun drawn as he starts searching my room.
    “Easy there, Colombo,” I say, plopping down in my bed. I’m far too tired to be mortified. “I left it like this.”
    “What the hell do you mean you left it like this?” he snarls.
    “Look, thanks for the drive home. Must sleep now.” I curl up into a ball, wishing I had picked up my pillow and blanket first.
    “Lana, mind telling me what the hell is going on here?”
    “I did what you do every night. I made it a good one. Now pass me my blanket and pillow, and leave me be,” I whisper.
    I hear Hoss shout, “Fuck!” just before I hear him slam his fists into my beautiful, pale yellow walls.
    “What in the hell!” I yell, rolling over to see the damage.
    “Who?” he hollers back at me. “Who in the hell ties up a girl?” He is absolutely furious, and his face shows no signs of remorse for the damage he did to my poor wall.
    “Oh, like you’ve never done it. Don’t act all high and mighty on me, Weston Hoss. Get out of my house now!” I shriek, using all the energy I have left in me.
    He picks the blanket up off the floor and chucks it at me. “This conversation is not over! Did you even know the guy Lana? Do you know what kind of fucking sickos are out there? I do! I deal with them every single day,” he growls, storming out of my room.
    I groan in frustration and then roll over, falling asleep without a second thought as to what an idiot friend I’m stuck with.
     
    I wake up sometime later, feeling incredibly thirsty. I stumble out of bed, use the bathroom, and brush my teeth before heading into the kitchen. I grab a glass and fill it from the tap. I turn to sit down at my kitchen table and notice the time. Seven o’clock! Holy crap, did I seriously sleep that long? And did Hoss actually punch a hole in the wall? I forgot to look on my way out.
    Hypocritical maniac.
    My house phone rings, and I grunt. I pray my next mom didn’t go into labor weeks early. I’m so not ready to deal with that right now. I check my caller ID, and as luck would have it, it’s my mom.
    “Hey Mom,” I answer.
    “Hey Lana, finally. I’ve only been calling for the last five hours. Where have you been?” she asks, worrying in her typical Mom fashion.
    “Asleep, Mom. I was at the hospital last night; Gavin had