Page 59 of Forever Mine

"Obviously," he snorts.

The food and alcohol arrive. Marcus shoves a basket toward me containing a burger and fries.

"Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

He slaps me again.

"Do as I tell you to, Monica."

My face is throbbing as I grab a french fry with trembling fingers and bring it to my lips. I can't even taste it. We eat in silence. Marcus requests another triple whiskey, and I watch as he guzzles it down. He's begun to mutter incoherently to himself. I hear words like 'respect' and 'honor,' then 'responsibility' and 'family.' I'm baffled.

"I gotta take a piss. You fucking better still be here when I get back, Monica," he says as he grabs both our phones and saunters out of the back room. I wait no more than thirty seconds before I dart to the door. My hand is on the doorknob as my hair is yanked harshly. "What did I just fucking say, you stupid bitch? God dammit, Monica! Can't you follow simple directions?"

He drags me back into the back room and throws me down, kicking me hard in the stomach. The wind has been knocked out of me as I curl around my stomach in pain. He rolls me over and stomps on my ribs. I'm trying to scream, but I can't find the oxygen. I'm wondering if he broke a rib. He grabs my hair again and pulls me to a standing position.

"I don't know what I did to make you so angry, Marcus," I stammer. He backhands me again.

"Of course, you don't, you fucking stupid bitch! Jesus! I had you exactly where I wanted you, Monica. It was fucking perfect, and you had to go fuck it all up and go after that other guy," Marcus snarls.

I'm confused.

There's no other guy.

Other than Marcus, I haven't gotten laid since I left Oklahoma. I mean, I've had a couple of instances with Gabriel where we've kissed, but I'm not telling him that. And me dreaming about Gabriel technically isn't cheating. Well, mostly. I cheated on Marcus in my dreams all the damn time, but I'm not about to tell him that.

"There's no other guy, I swear," I whimper. My voice doesn't even sound like my own. I've never been so scared.

Marcus stands over me, leering at me with disgust in his eyes.

"Your asshole boss, Mon. I know you're fucking him," he growls. My eyes widen in shock. Does he know?

"The hell I am!" I shout. My shout is strangled and nowhere near as loud as I can be. He's rattled me and hurt me beyond comparison today.

"Oh, come on. All the late working hours? The trip up to Boulder to that conference? That shit doesn't even exist. I'm not that fucking stupid," Marcus says, rolling his eyes.

"I swear to you, Marcus. I'm not sleeping with my boss," I tell him clearly.

"I can also confirm she is not sleeping with me, Marcus. Not for lack of hoping on my part, though," a deep voice announces from the doorway. My eyes whip to the entrance to see Gabriel leaning against the doorframe, his posture relaxed and composed. To anyone else, he looks completely relaxed. But to me, I can see the tension emanating from his body. His eyes are laser-focused as he takes in the scene. I have no idea how he even found me.

Within moments, Gabriel has Marcus subdued and has me cradled in his arms. I vaguely remember a conversation in his car before I passed out, but I can't remember what was said. Wait. Did I call him Daddy? Shit.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Gabriel

I have no idea how Emily found my number, but I’m so thankful she did.

As soon as Emily realized Monica wasn’t at home, she reached out to let me know something had happened with Marcus and how they were worried for her safety. I knew he was bad news. I’m hoping the police have enough evidence to detain him.

Monica passed out in my car on the way to the hospital. I was a nervous wreck waiting for them to triage her. I’ve been patient. I’ve understood and accepted her desire to do things her way.

That ends now.

That asshole was either going to beat the shit out of her, kill her, or take her away from me. I don’t know which, but I overheard just a snippet of his snide remarks to know there’s more to the story than I understand.

When the nurse tells me Monica is sleeping peacefully in her room, I ask if I can sit with her. The nurse begins to tell me no, that visiting hours are over, but I interrupt her.

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