Page 48 of Stepson

Running out of Gabe's room, I run downstairs and find Maggie cooking lunch. She’s a sight for sore eyes and even though she and I aren't very close, I know she'll help me.

"Well, good morning, Mrs. Price. Can I get you something to eat?"

I shake my head. There’s no time. "I need your help, Maggie. Gabe was arrested last night and Marcus was the one who called him in. I need to get into Marcus's upstairs office." It’s where I know he keeps his account passwords away from me. I need to get the money to bail Gabe out and then pick up the truck.

I might be married to Marcus, but his accounts are hidden from me. The only money I have is what Marcus wants me to have.

Her soft eyes plead with me before they turn to stone and stare behind me. Then she quickly gets back to cutting up cucumbers as if I’m not even there.

Panicked, I turn around and come face-to-face with Marcus. His jaw is hard and his glare could burn holes into mine. Fuck. I’m too late.

“Bentley, can I speak to you privately?” Marcus asks through gritted teeth.

I don’t want to, but I know I won’t be able to get away. Nodding, I step up to him before he roughly grabs my arm and pulls me into the living room and out of earshot of Maggie.

“What the hell are you doing? Trying to break into my office so you can bail my criminal son out?!”

“I was just trying to do the right thing. I’m your wife and didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Exactly. You’re my wife!!” He screams, making me jump. “You might think I’m blind, but I know exactly what you’re doing and what you’ve done. I could destroy you with one signature, Bentley.” He blows out a breath before he runs a hand through his hair. “Tell you what… Since I’m feeling so generous this morning, I’ll make a deal with you. If you promise to never see or speak to my son ever again, I’ll bail him out.”

A sob lodges itself in my throat as I stare up into my husband’s eyes. He’s a stranger to me, and I hate him for making me choose. I’ve wanted Gabe since the night I met him, and now I’m faced between choosing his freedom or choosing to keep seeing him. If I chose the latter, I may not be able to see him because he’ll still be in jail. If I leave and Marcus divorces me, I’ll have no funds to bail Gabe out.

“Fine,” I whisper as I swallow hard, holding my glare on Marcus’s gaze.

“Fine what?”

I look away from him. “I won’t see or speak to Gabe ever again.”

The words are painful to speak, but I need to say them for his freedom. Marcus will always win and that knowledge makes the pit of my stomach heavy. He’s a fucking monster.

He grabs my jaw roughly, forcing me to look at him. “Good girl. Now go take a shower. I can fucking smell him on you.”

Pushing my jaw away, I swallow back a sob and saunter out of the living room. I know he can’t smell Gabe on me since I’d taken a shower at the hotel room, so it’s obvious he’s saying it just to be spiteful. Tears fill my eyes as I climb the steps, knowing my life is over. I’ll be stuck with Marcus for as long as he wants me, and there isn’t a thing I can do about it. I’m right back to where I was when Gabe never called me back, but this time, I’ve fallen harder for him.

Chapter twenty-five

Gabe

Islept like shit last night. These fucking jail beds are miserable pieces of shit, and I don't miss them at all. Who the hell can sleep on these things? The floor is probably more comfortable.

It probably doesn't help that I thought of Bentley all night either. She’s probably worried sick, and I left her all alone at the hotel with no vehicle and no word from me. Fuck!

All I can think about as I sit on the edge of this shitty bed is her. I recall what she smells like, what she tastes like, and how her body feels against mine. There’s no bed in the world that can compare to the one I've shared with her. And looking around, I know I'll have to get used to my surroundings again. There is no way these pricks are letting me go without bail, and who the fuck will bail me out?

My hands tighten into fists as I think about Marcus. This arrest stinks of him, and I know in my soul he made this happen. He might be halfway around the world right now, but that mother fucker did this. He knows I’m getting too close to Bentley, doesn't he? The bastard!

An officer walks by, making me shoot up from the bed.

"Hey! Where's my one phone call?!" I call out to him.

He stops and grins devilishly at me. "A phone call? Buddy, the only place you're going is back to the pen." Then he turns and continues on.

I smack my hands on the bars and growl out my frustrations. Back to the pen, huh? No fucking way will I go back there. I wasted seven long years in that hell hole, and I never plan on going back. There has to be something I can do, but without that phone call, I can't even call my lawyer.

After pacing for what feels like hours, another officer walks down the hallway, and I rush back up to the bars when I notice he’s coming to me anyway.

"Do I get my phone call now?"

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