Page 45 of The Dominator

“Tia, what the fuck!” he growled.

My scalp prickled, “What’s wrong?”

“Where’s your fucking phone?”

“In my purse.”

“I’ve been calling you!”

“I must not have heard it. The music was loud.”

Tessa pulled into a parking space in a strip plaza, jumped out, and dashed into a bakery.

“My sister picking you up was not authorized, Tia. The guy on duty was a fucking bonehead for letting her drive out of there with you. It’s not safe.”

My heart was pumping directly in my ears, it seemed. Time stood still for a beat.

Oh my God. OH MY GOD! I have a chance to get away. There was no one else in the parking lot. There were no bodyguards with us! I looked around me. I was in a suburban strip mall and there were no goons with guns watching me.

“Hello?” he called out impatiently.

“I’m here.” I slowly looped my purse strap over my shoulder, stepped out of the SUV and closed the door. I looked around, surveying the area. Should I run? This might be the perfect opportunity. This might be the only opportunity.

Someone had let me off the property with the wrong person, a sister who clearly didn’t know I was Tommy’s prisoner. I looked in the van and saw the sleeping baby and the game-playing tot. I chewed my cheek.

“Where’s Tess? It’s quiet,” he asked.

“She’s uh--- driving.”

“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Remember my rules. Yeah? Remind her not to stop anywhere. Go directly to my father’s house. It’s not safe for you to be out there unguarded.”

“Kay.” I frowned.

“You’re still wearing the ring?”

I looked down at it. “Uh huh.”

I could see his sister at the cash register, talking animatedly with the cashier.

“Okay, baby. I’ll see you soon. Be good. Text me when you’re inside Pop’s house so I know you’re safe.”

“Kay. Goodbye, Tommy.” I hung up.

I stood still, feeling like my pounding heart was inside of my ears. I pulled the ring off my finger.

Goodbye Tommy.

Tessa came out of the store holding three white bakery boxes. She passed them to me, so I opened the door and put them on my seat with the ring.

“Oh, just a sec. Let me get the trunk open. You can’t hold those on your lap.”

I passed her the phone. “Listen, it was nice to meet you, but I’ve actually gotta go. I wanted to leave the second you were in there, but I wouldn’t have left your babies alone.”

She looked at me weirdly. I started to walk away.

“Wait a second,” she called after me. “What’s going on? Did you and my brother have a fight?”

“You could say that,” I called back. “Sorry. He’s a psychopath, Tessa, he really is. I can’t do this, can’t be his prisoner. I am outta here.” I started walking faster. She was standing there looking confused.

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