Page 8 of Uncaged Obsessions

“Oh, for the love God, Maxine. We’ve been over this. He’s yourfiancé.”

I look around like I’m losing my mind, and maybe I have. “Are we pretending like the last few months didn’t exist? I fucking left. I left you. I left him. I left this entire fucking life and I’m going to do it again.”

“No”—she stands—“You made a mistake. He knows this and is willing to look past your…indiscretions. We will have the wedding, albeit smaller. You’ll fulfill your duty to our family, become Carson’s wife and forget about whatever it is you thought you were doing.”

“I’d rather die.”

“Then, that’s your choice to make.” She shrugs, walking toward the door like she really doesn’t care if I do. “Get changed.”

I really wonderif there’s a way for me to escape before Carson shows up. My room is on the third floor, and the only thing stopping me from jumping from the window is how vulnerable I would be with two broken legs. Deciding that it’s safer for me to find an alternative exit, I turn back and glare at the door. It looks like I don’t have much of a choice—or any—in the matter. At least not for now.

The one thing I won’t do, is change. I’ll be damned if I let anyone here tell me what to do. Not my parents, and sure as shit not Carson. I could try and hide out somewhere in this massive mansion. Unfortunately, I’m sure anyone who works here would sell me out almost instantly and it wouldn’t be worth it. They don’t have any allegiance to me. I’ll choose my small acts of defiance for now.

I’m going to face my reality head on, including the man that’s responsible for bringing me back against my will. When my door opens again, I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting. Reclined with my hands resting behind me, eyes glued to the figure now standing in the doorframe.

Carson clearly expected a different sight when he came in here because he looks around, then the slimy smile spreads across his lips when he sees me.

“Look who’s awake and ready for me,” he greets.

“Why’d you do this?” I can’t help but ask. I thought maybe he would give up and find someone else to torture once I was out of the picture. Clearly, that didn’t happen.

His smile falls. “Not here. We’ll discuss this back at home.”

“And you think I’ll just willingly go with you?”

He steps in, closing the door behind him and my heart rate kicks up. My body preparing on its own to fight.

“You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to? That I don’t know how you’ve been whoring yourself out?” His smile is back. “You think you really got away from me?”

I furrow my brows because there’s no way he could possibly know anything about what I’ve been doing.

“It was cute, your little escape attempt, and I let you have your taste of freedom. But now your fun is over and you’re going to come back home with me. You’re going to marry me and you’re going to be the perfect little wifey I was promised.”

“You can getfucked,” I seethe.

“Aw, missed that, did you?”

I grimace because just the thought of his tiny dick makes me want to gag.

“Don’t worry,” he starts again. “You’ll get what you want. Maybe I’ll even fulfill those disgusting fantasies you had.”

“You’re not going totouch me. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You will. I knew where you were, I know who you’ve been with. I can and will ruin their fucking lives if you don’t do what I want.”

I fight my jaw from dropping, refusing to give him any indication that what he’s saying holds any meaning to me.

“Come with me right now, Maxine. Do what I say and I’ll leave them alone. If you fight or run again, then I won’t.”

“You know nothing.”

“No? Caine Aldridge, his family is a pretty big deal you know? Lots of mutual contacts. He thinks he can be some big shot fighter. I can make sure he never sees the inside of a fighting ring again, and that he has no backup family plan to come back to.”

“Cage,” I correct. “MMA fighters fight in acage.”

“You think I care? Then there’s Adam, he’s the easiest target, obviously no more gym for him.”

“You. Wouldn’t.”

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