Page 15 of Fool's Gold

I finally nod, slicing through another section of egg and lifting a forkful to my mouth, even with my stomach flipping in mad circles. “Whatever,” I mutter, biting down hard on the eggs.

The salty taste and soft texture might have been great if we weren’t here right now. If this were a vacation rather than an escape.

“You have to finish the movie,” Marcus starts in a low tone, the words harsh and sudden, like a gun going off. “And I need to ensure its success. The movie is the only thing that matters right now. Stop being a spoiled brat.”

“Yeah, I know, you said yesterday. I’m not brain dead. I remember.”

He furrows his brows together in a harsh line. “Are you going to let me finish? Eat your damn breakfast.”

“I’m the one who deserves to be mad here. Not you,” I bite out, pointing at him with the fork.

We stare each other down, both waiting for the other to settle first, but I’ve learned a thing or two from him. We’ve come too far for me to not. I’m not going to just roll over and show him my belly.

He might have been in charge of me before, but not now, with the legal documents signed and in order. I’m my own person. If he doesn’t start respecting my autonomy, then—

I groan, stabbing the fork through the eggs again. I can’t even come up with a good threat.

“Once the movie wraps, once it does well, you’re free to go off and do your own thing. I won’t stop you. For now, I’m trying to save both of our lives. Listening to me is going to keep you safe.

“The man in charge of the movie is a terrible person. The kind of scum better off wiped from the earth, and unfortunately, he’s got both of us by the balls. We’re not going to be able to make it out of this unless we play the game by his rules, and I’m the one who knows how to navigate it. You don’t. You’ll only make things worse if you try to fight it.”

“Like a choke collar.” The more you struggle, the harder those metal prongs dig into your skin.

I swallow down over a hiccuping sob, and the eggs turn into sawdust in my gut.

“Exactly.” Marcus grimaces and grabs one of the strips of bacon, lifting it to his teeth and ripping it in two pieces.

“Screw you. This is just another ploy. You’re not laying all your cards on the table. You’re telling me the exact same bullshit you’ve already told me.”

Rather than sitting there and listening to him feed me another line, I push up from the table.

He’s never going to be able to come clean, not in any meaningful way.

There are too many secrets, layers and layers of them all pressing down on each other. He probably doesn’t even know the truth anymore because of all the lies. Or worse, he’s started to believe the lies instead of the truth, and he actually thinks he’s telling me everything.

“Do whatever you want. I’m out of here.”

Marcus grabs my hand before I’ve managed to step away from the table. He towers over me, glaring, fury and frustration rolling off him.

“It’s not a ploy. I’m being honest.”

“Growling isn’t going to make me believe you.” My brow ruts into several lines.

A muscle in his jaw ticks, visible beneath his stubble. “It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. The movie is the most important thing,” he repeats.

“I heard you the first time.”

“Heard me but you don’t listen to a fucking word.” Still keeping hold of my wrist, he drags me over to the side of the bed and the zippered duffel on the floor. Black, the kind of thing dudes keep in their car.

With a flick of his wrist, he’s got the zipper pulled back, the script right there on top of his clothes.

He grabs it, then shoves it against my chest, basically forcing me to take it or let the pages drop and scatter. “You’re doing the movie, and that’s it. I promise I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Just get through this.”

The dark intent in his words takes me right back to the scene we’d filmed after hours, with me naked, no intimacy coordinator on set, and my much older costar staring me down.

“Don’t you get it?” My voice trembles. “I had a really bad experience. If you want to protect me, then keep your word and get me out of the movie.”

I shudder, and Marcus loosens his grip, sliding his thumb over my wrist and my frantic pulse.

---