Page 59 of Obsession

“I’d forgotten the damn thing was still here.” Irritation whirred from Tucker as he rose, clutching the buzzing phone in his hand. “I’m surprised it hasn’t run out of power.”

“Who is it?” Her words rushed out in one long gasp as she gripped the cover closer to her chest. “Is it Alexander?”

Who else could it be?

Her query was answered with one searing glower from Tucker, her heart plummeting as he pressed the button to connect the call.

It has to be my dad. Panic ballooned in her chest at the conclusion. Who else would even have the number?

Holding her breath, she couldn’t decide if she wanted Alexander to swoop in and save her or just do what he should have done from the very beginning and leave her the fuck alone.

“Who is this?” Tucker answered in his conventional gruff tone. He turned to the window as he spoke, the gesture doing nothing to assuage Ella’s rising concerns.

There was a pause as the person on the other end of the line answered, and while she couldn’t hear who it was, she recognized another male tone.

“What do you want?” Tucker’s tone was a sneer as he paced toward the counter.

Alexander. Her throat dried as she watched the interaction play out. In her experience, few others could produce such hostility in only a few words.

Tucker’s dry laughter snatched her attention back to him. Still topless and with his trousers pushed down past his hips, his hard body was an awe-inspiring vision.

“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to, asshole?” His gaze flitted to her before he stalked toward the fire. “We had a deal. You don’t get to tell me anything.”

Her heart sped up at Tucker’s menacing tone. A deal? Were they talking about her?

“What I want is no concern of yours.” Tucker stopped at the chair by the hearth, his knuckles blanching as he gripped the back of the furniture.

“Oh.” He chuckled darkly after another brief pause. “Is that right?”

“Sir.” She mouthed the word as she slid slowly to the edge of his bed. Whatever the two men were discussing, it didn’t appear to have pleased Tucker.

His gaze darted to her as his free palm rose, and one finger called for her to wait. She might have been irked by the gesture, by his thinking that she could be contained with one raised finger, but something about his brooding expression squashed any thought of insubordination. The emotions flashing in his blue gaze spoke of a new and unspoken threat.

“You’re out of your fucking depth, Bennett.” Tucker’s growl confirmed her suspicions. He was definitely speaking to her father. “You’ve forgotten who you’re talking to.”

Rising to her full height, Ella wrapped the cover around her naked body as she risked a step in his direction. Something was clearly wrong between Tucker and Alexander, but perturbingly, she found herself more called to support Tucker than she was to hear Alexander’s point of view or take the logical step of seeking escape. The door was still unlocked, and all of her abductor’s focus was captured by the phone’s intrusion. She could have taken the opportunity to flee now that the afterglow of their intimacy had been well and truly wrecked.

But she didn’t want to.

“I don’t fucking think so.” The venom in Tucker’s voice commanded her attention to his face. His eyes spoke of ill intent as he turned from the dancing flames. “Yeah, you’ll find out.”

Ending the call, he threw the device to the floor. Her pulse accelerated as he lifted his huge, muddied boot and brought his foot crashing down on top of it. The noise of the plastic splintering filled the air, and Ella watched in horror as the phone was crushed beneath his sole.

“Fuck.” The hand that had been holding the phone balled into a huge fist.

“What’s wrong, sir?” She wondered if he heard her over the loud thud of her heart beat.

“Fucking, Bennett.”

She tensed at the way he spat her second name.

“What’s he done?”

Taking a step toward him, she hoped the legacy of whatever they’d manifested before the call would protect her from Alexander’s latest injection of poison.

“He wants you back.” Tucker’s tone was low as his gaze fixed on her. “Says he has the money, and he’s coming to get you.”

“Oh.” Her pulse raced as she contemplated Alexander’s rescue. Tucker had told her on more than one occasion that her stay in the cabin was only temporary until Alexander paid up. So, why was he so angry about her imminent departure? “I thought you wanted the money, sir?”

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