Chapter 11

Liberty shook the captain’s hand and moved into the small tube that was supposed to carry them through the air. She quickly counted eight tan chairs and wondered which one she should take.

“Go ahead and sit wherever you want,” Jovan said, and it startled her; she wasn’t projecting her thoughts, but somehow he knew what she was thinking.

Sitting down in one of the chairs, she felt the fine material beneath her fingers. It was soft and smooth, and something that she had only felt in the Hummer vehicle and on the couches of the magnificent house they had just left. When the captain sat down in the pilot’s chair, she leaned across the aisle to Jovan.

“What is this material?” she whispered.

“It’s called leather,” he said quietly.

She ran her fingers over it some more and wondered if they made clothing out of it, and if so, perhaps she would get some as she imagined that such softness against her skin would feel wonderful.

A moment later, a female with long hair and a nametag that read Suzette approached them wearing a uniform and a wide smile. She asked them if they wanted anything to drink.

“I’ll have two shots of whiskey, and so will she,” Jovan said.

Liberty looked out the window. She had never tried whiskey, but it had been ordered many, many times at the club where she toiled.

Jovan reached across the aisle and pulled down a small table from the seat in front of her, and Suzette set down two small glasses that contained amber liquid. She watched as Jovan picked one up and drank it all in one long swallow, then did the same with the other.

Liberty picked up one of the small glasses. As she sniffed the brown liquid, she felt a burning sensation in her nose and her eyes watered. She wasn’t sure she wanted it, but then the door to the plane closed and the rumbling of the engines made her seat vibrate in the slightest way.

Her fear rose and she glanced over at Jovan. “It will relax you,” he said with a small smile.

Looking out the window, she saw that they were now moving. She took the small glass and drank it in one swallow as she had watched Jovan do.

The liquid burned her mouth, her throat, and made her eyes water. After she swallowed, she began coughing. When she finally got that under control, she noticed a slow warmth blossoming from her stomach outward, almost as if her bones were taking a warm bath, and relaxed.

After a moment, she looked out the window and noticed that they were airborne, and she found herself only slightly uncomfortable. Taking the second glass of whiskey, she drank that the same way as the first, except this time she didn’t cough as much.

The warmth throughout her body became stronger, and her brain began to fog in a very pleasant way. She put her head back on her chair. Turning to Jovan, she smiled.

“I do believe I like this whiskey,” she said lazily, and felt her eyes begin to close.

 

 

Jovan watched Liberty sleep and realized what a horrible caregiver and role model he was. Uncomfortable? Have a shot.

Or two.

Hungry? Macaroni and cheese or a Subway sandwich. Not that the sandwich was bad, but he imagined that his fellow Warriors could do a little better.

Yes, he was certain they could. He had spent so many years taking care of himself and distancing himself from everyone that he didn’t have much practice in taking care of others. He wasn’t equipped to have others in his care. Hell, he was barely able to keep all his mental ducks in a row.

What he needed to do was get Liberty back to the silo and let Abby and the other females take over and show her the ropes of life on Earth, and then he could go back to doing his own thing.

Alone.

A bad feeling was cooking in his gut ever since he laid eyes on Liberty.

He turned to look out the window and sighed.

That guy back there reminds me a little bit of that Hudson guy who I had sex with in the bathroom . . .

Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the thoughts of the flight attendant. He didn’t need or want to hear her garbage, especially if it concerned Hudson. All he wanted was a little bit of peace.

That guy in back is hot, but I’m not sure what the girl is to him. A sister?

Grabbing his head, he seriously wondered where he could sign up to get a lobotomy.