Page 15 of Bound in Promise
I know it.
I log in slowly, trying to buy myself a few extra seconds to think of my next move. Should I even be cooperating right now? Why can’t I think of anything? Oh, right…
When the account page loads, I’m relieved to see that the balance hasn’t changed.
No deposits.
“Nothing,” I say, but Liam doesn’t believe me, plucking the phone from my hand to take a look for himself.
“Fuck,” he mutters, returning the device to the pocket of his jeans and scowling. “You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?”
I could say the same, but where would that get me?
“Can we leave when you’re done?”
Liam smirks. “Why the rush?”
“This place looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in a year,” I explain, suppressing a shudder. “We’re both going to need tetanus shots and a gallon of bleach to wash ourselves off. Let’s go, Liam. Anywhere but here,” I cajole. The last thing I want is to be alone with him, but it’s better than being surrounded by more slimy strangers. “Do you really want to catch lice or something?”
His face twists. “Oh, the drama, the humiliation.” He rolls his eyes. “I didn’t realize you were such a materialistic bitch.”
I ball my hands into fists instinctively, but deliberately relax them. He can think whatever he wants. It doesn’t matter. “The private college and Lexus didn’t give it away?”
He smirks before glancing down at the watch on his wrist. “I need to make good with this guy.”
“Why? Forget the passport?—”
“I might need the passport if your money doesn’t drop in the next forty-eight hours.”
What happens in forty-eight hours?
“Do you turn into a pumpkin or something if you’re not back in time?” I ask, trying to hide my desperation under a layer of teasing.
“No, but it’ll ruin my plans.”
What plans?
I could strangle him for being so vague when normally he’s an open, boastful book.
So, I take a stab in the dark.
“You’re gonna hate Canada. The winters are harsh and?—”
“Shut up, Vee,” Liam chides with narrowed eyes. “You’re not gonna make me change my mind. I don’t want to be in the States when Angelo realizes I’m not giving him the money we promised him. So the sooner we get you out of here…” He shrugs, as if I can fill in the rest.
He’s not wrong. I can all too easily picture Angelo’s response when he realizes Liam screwed him over. I don’t want to be anywhere close to his reach then.
“Liam!” the emo dude from outside hollers out. “Stop feelin’ up your girl and get out here! The doc’s in.”
My ex scowls at whatever he believes is out there waiting for him, and I can’t help but be pleased. It’s what he gets for doing all this in the first place, his first bit of karma for how he’s decided to deal with the mess he inherited from his father. “I should kill you for shooting me.”
“Let’s just hope they don’t hit an artery or something, right?”
Liam shoves me with his good arm again and growls, “I’ll remember that.”
“So will I,” I return, holding his stare for more than a few moments. I won’t sit back and cooperate blindly, won’t allow Liam to cart me around the world without a fight. He may think I’m his trump card, but I’m a time bomb, just waiting for the right moment to make my move.
Getting me across the border—quietly—is going to be the hardest thing he’s ever had to do.
