Page 34 of Suspicion

Rolling her neck around between her shoulders as best she could manage with the hindrance of her clothing half obstructing her movement, Ella couldn’t decide. She was definitely in pain. The ropes cutting into her wrists were no friend, and neither was the gag nor the position Tucker had left her in.

Asshole.

She swallowed as she thought of Tucker. His slow and rhythmic breathing had been coming from the nearby bale ever since he’d turned down the wick and extinguished the oil lamp. He’d done that. Even though she’d implored him for light in the first place, even though he must have realized she’d be scared. Still, he’d snuffed it out. He’d left her in the dark.

Just like he’s snuffed out my freedom.

Her calves tensed at the thought of what else he could do.

“Fuck.”

She muttered the word under her breath, conscious not to wake him, yet at the same time not giving a damn if she disturbed his beauty sleep.

How has this happened?

She’d asked the question at least a hundred times since she’d woken up in the woods, and still, her situation made no sense.

Had her father genuinely offered her to Tucker to pay his debt? Blinking into the shadows, she tried to reconcile what her captor had told her. She wouldn’t put it past Alexander. He was hardly father of the century, but still… to sell her to Tucker in exchange for what he owed—was he truly that awful?

Probably.

Her tummy twisted at the insidious reality. Her father was that terrible, and she was derived from that same miserable source.

But to sell her—to offer her in exchange for money—that was dreadful even by Alexander’s own low standards.

Straining her memory, she struggled to recall what Tucker had told her about her father when he’d found her in the forest, but her recollections were hazy at best. The day had been long and the night even longer. She couldn’t say for sure.

One thing was for certain, though. Ella didn’t belong to either of the men. She wasn’t anyone’s to offer. She was her own woman, and just as soon as she got herself out of this pit, she’d make sure they both paid for their decisions.

“Fuckers.” She mouthed the word as best she could around the plastic ball between her teeth, exulting in the satisfaction of it on her lips. She still couldn’t believe the prick had shoved the gag there or how much her jaw was aching as a consequence, but it was good to be able to articulate something of her vexation.

Men.

Her nails dug into her palms as the word resounded in her mind. Men were bastards. In fact, dangling from Tucker’s blasted ropes, she struggled to think of a single man in her life who hadn’t tried to fuck her over in one way or another. But her father—the one man who should have gifted her unconditional love and support—was undoubtedly the worst of them all.

How could he have done this?

Once more, her thoughts returned to the idea of Alexander’s money and the alleged sum he owed to Tucker. How was that possible? Her dad had always flaunted his cash and never gave her any inkling that he was in financial trouble. How could she have woken up one day and found herself the solution to his arrears?

The ball of tension in her stomach furled at the hideous prospect. Somehow, she’d found herself a victim of the worst kind of people—one who happened to be her biological father and the other the oaf snoring in the hay.

Tucker.

Shifting on the balls of her feet, she tried not to let her thoughts linger on her predicament. Reiterating the fact both her breasts and ass were bared for the hundredth time wouldn’t magic her binds away and enable her to rectify the problem.

Instead, she forced her focus back to the man holding her hostage—a man almost as morally bankrupt as Alexander.

If Tucker had so much money that he could loan it out to cretins like her father, then why was he living in a wood cabin in the middle of nowhere? Maybe he lived in virtual poverty because morons like her dad owed him money, but if that was true, why would he accept her as a down payment? She wouldn’t fix the hole in his roof or build him a new condo. It was just another thing that didn’t make sense.

Her brows knitted as she tried to think around the bewildering conundrum, but it didn’t take long before the effort inspired the start of a headache. The long hours of dehydration and lack of rest were taking their toll. Despite her usual good health and fitness, she wasn’t surprised. No one should have to be treated this way. Ella wouldn’t even consider this behavior for an unruly animal.

A shiver passed through her body at the unnerving thought that was exactly how Tucker saw her—an animal to tie and ultimately tame. The chill wasn’t from the cold, though. It was the high probability that her analysis of Tucker was spot on.

He must be as bad as Alexander if he thinks this is acceptable.

As if the fiend had heard her thoughts, his steady breaths suddenly halted, followed soon after by the sounds of him stirring. She held her breath as he moved on the hay, wondering if he was waking or was only about to go back for more of the sleep he’d denied her.

Her query was soon answered when she heard him exhale and shift from the bale.

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