Page 18 of Echo
“Get back in your fucking car, turn around, and leave.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His lips dripped with arrogant disdain. “I’ve been so worried about you. I’m glad I found you safe.”
How did he find me? Was there a tracker on my car? Had he really been following me the entire time?
“Leave.”
He chuckled, and the urge to run thrummed through my veins tenfold. “Oh, baby. You’re here, so I’m here too.”
“I have a right to defend my property.”
“It’s a nice chunk of land, that’s for sure.” He nodded to himself. “Nice and secluded. Have you met any of the locals yet?”
It was amazing how casually he could make a threat sound. Like we were discussing the weather.
“Yes,” I hissed. “People know I’m here.”
He clicked his tongue at me. “I own you now, so I own this land.”
My stomach tied into knots. “What do you mean?”
He pulled a piece of paper out of his suit jacket. “I have guardianship over you.”
“How the fuck could you have guardianship of me?” But I knew the answer to that. A slimy lawyer that won his cases in the most unsavory way possible would have no problem getting that.
“You’re mentally unstable, Madison.” He clicked his tongue. “Someone has to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.”
“You can’t do that without proof.” Most people did, but he wasn’t most people.
“You can when the judge owes you a fuck ton of money.” He sneered, pointing a finger at me. “You are mine.”
“Can’t own anything if you’re dead.” I put my index finger on the trigger.
“Madison.” He threw his head back and laughed. “Do you really think I walked onto this soil without a plan? If you kill me, you’ll go down to hell with me, sweetheart.”
What did that mean? It was enough of a warning to keep me from squeezing the trigger though.
“Put the gun down, my love. We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt,” he said slowly, like I would have trouble understanding.
My sanctuary was gone. There were no options left now. He’d planned for me to hurt him. He’d gotten a court order to haveevery ounce of control over me. I’d never get another chance to escape. I’d be lucky if he didn’t chain me to the bed this time.
“I hate you,” I told him, letting the gun fall behind my back.
He stepped forward and put his hands on my face. I jerked away, but he grabbed my chin in a bruising grip. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. You could hurt my feelings.”
Ranger snapped his teeth and snarled, forcing Mark to take a couple of steps away from me.
“I didn’t.”
“You’ll learn to love me again.” He shrugged. “It’s your fault you feel this way. If you’d simply done what I told you to, we’d still be living happily ever after. You just had to go and ruin things.”
“Who knew an affair could shatter such a perfect, beautiful picture?” I forced a fake smile.
“That never happened, honey.” His fingers tightened suggestively around my throat. “There you go making things up again.”
“So what’s the play? You drag me back to Miami kicking and screaming?”
“Something like that. I’ve got a court order. So you can either come quietly, or I can call the cops to remove that fucking animal and transfer you back to my care in Miami.”
