Page 7 of Addiction

“So, you’re sticking with me?” Even he heard the unrestrained glee in his tone.

“Yes, sir.” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe she was concurring, although the small smile on her lips said she did. “I’m sticking because you promised to look after me, and I believe you.”

Her admission seemed to steal the oxygen from the room. Her faith was more than he could ever have hoped for.

“Okay.” There was nothing smart or funny to say as his thumb trailed a line from her jaw and over the attire now covering her collarbone. “Thank you.”

For one lengthy moment, he just stood and stared at her. His hand fell to his side, his heart hammering as he straightened and considered her words.

She believed him.

Tucker couldn’t recall anyone’s trust ever meaning so much.

“We should go.” His words burst the bubble of tranquility blooming between them because, ultimately, he was right. Bennett and whatever guns-for-hire he was bringing could arrive at any moment, and his little girl couldn’t be there when they did. She couldn’t be caught in any potential crossfire. He simply wouldn’t allow it. “We should use the daylight to cover as much ground as we can.”

He pushed the disconcerting thought of Ella being trapped in the middle of a gun fight from his mind. The best thing he could do was keep them moving.

Chapter Three

Through the Forest

Ella

“Sir?” Ella heard the panic flying in her tone, but after everything she’d been through with Tucker and so long on her feet, she hardly cared. “How much farther?”

Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, she would have cared. Back then, she’d been a proud woman, wrapped up in designer labels and concerns about which dress to wear to the next party of the season, but colliding with Tucker had changed her.

It had changed everything.

In the last few days, he’d stripped, bound, and ritualistically denigrated her. That was all bad enough. Discovering she actually reveled in his demeaning approach, though, had been something else. Ella was the victim in all of this, but it was increasingly difficult for her to portray herself that way when every time her captor grasped her hand, her heart skipped a beat. Not from fear or trepidation about what he’d do next, but from the touch of his skin. Even though it was insane, she’d started to develop feelings for him.

Stockholm syndrome.

Anxiety furled in her chest at her logical explanation. Could it really be true? Had she fallen for the beast who’d held her as his captive, and if so, how many years of therapy would it take to undo the damage he’d caused?

“Ella.” His tone suppressed what she suspected might be scorn, but at least he was attempting to hide it. “We’ve only been walking for a few hours. Do you need another drink?”

She considered his question, taking his temporary pause as an opportunity to lean against the nearest tree. Running through the terrain when she’d sought freedom had been dreadful enough, but this impromptu trek was worse. He said they’d only been moving for a few hours, but her aching muscles begged to differ. Her weary body was sure it was at least the best part of a day. Wasn’t it time they took a proper break or, even better, found whatever it was Tucker vowed to be looking for?

Christ, could it be possible that she was actually missing Tucker’s crappy cabin? She’d been so desperate to get out of there, yet exhausted in the middle of the wilderness, her prospects didn’t seem much brighter.

“Yes, please, sir.”

She opted for the drink just to lengthen the delay as he scooped the pack from his back and searched inside for the bottle of water. The last thing she wanted was to need another pee out in the open, although she accepted that, at some point, it would be the inevitable outcome of repeated water stops.

“Here.” He thrust the plastic bottle at her, his expression conveying how much effort it was taking for him to keep his cool. Evidently, Tucker didn’t think they needed another pit-stop.

“Thank you.” She reached for the bottle, brushing her fingers against his as she grasped it. “I guess I’m not as fit as I thought I was.” If she ever got back to her gym, she’d be sure to let her personal trainer, Randy, know she wanted a refund. Apparently, all those hours of posturing and flirting hadn’t helped her cardiac health.

“It’s okay.” The eagle-eyed way his gaze searched the trees, though, suggested he didn’t truly believe it. “We just need to keep moving when you can.”

“We will.” She gulped at the water, fighting the urge to follow his line of sight around the tree-littered landscape. Ella had no idea what she was looking for. She’d been lucky to survive her last scrape in the forest. It was probably best that she let Tucker do the navigation. “But can I ask what the plan is, sir?”

She’d probed for the information before, to no avail. Perhaps they were now out in the middle of the woods he’d feel more inclined to share. She deserved that much, didn’t she? Sure, he’d reinforced the fact he was in charge before they’d left the cabin, but he’d been quite the gentleman during the hike, seemingly happy to make small talk and even catching her on the couple of occasions she’d managed to trip on the jutting roots of giant trees. She could almost believe in the imitation of dignity their escape offered her.

“Ella.” His terse tone warned she should drop the point, but how could she?

They were wandering in the middle of nowhere, for God’s sake, with no apparent goal and no guarantee they wouldn’t run into Alexander. Her pulse quickened at the disturbing thought. She didn’t know what the future held, but bumping into Daddy in the woods didn’t sound like her ideal outcome. Tucker gave the impression he knew where they were going, but what if he didn’t? What if he was no wiser than she was? She didn’t see a compass in his hands, and neither of them had access to a smart phone.

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