Page 24 of Painfully Merry

One thing Parker doesn’t have is his ways. Look how well this is going; our prisoner isn’t even tied up, and she could walk out of the house at any point. It makes me nervous that she hasn’t tried anything. I know she’s up to something.

Sabrina’s planning, and I don’t like it.

We’re halfway through our movie when Sabrina gets up and leaves—sending my radar into overdrive. I’ve been watching her ever since Parker got home. She didn’t speak much during dinner, and the beacon was going off, considering how chatty she was before he got home.

“What’s the deal with her? I know you two are planning, and I don’t like it.”

“Chaos.” Parker tilts his head along the chair. “There is no plan.”

“Don’t fuckin’ bullshit me. What was the notebook for? You wouldn’t tell me, and now she’s acting all weird, and you know how I get. If I have to get the info, it won’t end well.” My body vibrates with the thought of what I would do to Sab—tapping my fingers three times on my knees. I have to think of other things.

“Man, it’s for her work, that’s it. It has nothing to do with you. Chill out.”

Chill out. I’ll show him chilling out. I leave the theatre room and search for Sabrina. If I have to chill, so does she. I won’t be holding back tonight. As I walk down the stairs, I rip the strand of Christmas lights off the rail.

“Sabrina, where are you?” Ravelling the lights in one hand, I go hunting—time for her to act like the prisoner she truly is. “Sabrina!” I yell. I have no idea if she’s down here or upstairs, but my gut says she’s down here. I walk toward her office, the light shining from under her door.

I slam her door open, and she jumps from her chair.

“Chaos, what are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” I couldn’t help but laugh. I stalk further into the office, squeezing the strand of lights in my hand.

She pushes away from her desk the closer I get, a slightly panicked look on her face. Just the way I like my prey, scared out of their minds.

I drop the lights, never taking my eyes off her, and watch her swallow hard.

“Joel, what are you doing?”

“Treating you how we should have this entire time. I’ve been thinking, if you’re the prisoner and we’re the bad guys, it’s time to start acting like it, don’t you think?”

She goes to climb out of the chair, but I move fast. Grabbing her hair, I pulled her to the ground. She lets out a loud cry, grabbing at my wrists. I yank her arm back, and she struggles to stay on her knees.

“Stop, please,” she pleads.

“Sorry, once I start, it’s a little hard to stop.” I reach for the strand of lights. Pushing her onto her stomach, I sink my knee into her back. “I love a good fight, don’t you?” I grab her other arm and start tying the strand around her forearm. She kicks at me when I reach for her calves. I haul off and smack her ass hard.

“Don’t move, or it’ll be worse.” I kind of wish she wore a skirt instead of leggings. But they can easily be cut off. Tying her arms and legs together, she won’t be going anywhere. I step back and take in my handy work. I should get into rope tying because, fuck me, it’s beautiful.

“You need to learn a lesson, Sab. Which one should deliver it?”

“Fuck you! You have no right doing this to me.”

“See, that’s where you're wrong. I’m the bad guy, and you’re the captive. Learn your place,” I growled. I lift her over my shoulder and step out of her office, and Parker is waiting in the hallway.

“What are you doing?”

“Teaching her a lesson, should I do the same to you? Keep me in the dark, and you get what you deserve. Now, you are either with me, or you’re not.”

He hesitates, and that’s all I need to know about them. Some friend he is.

“Parker, you can’t let him do this to me. Please help me,” she cried out helplessly.

Parker walks past us, heading for the stairs. At least he knows where his loyalties lie. Sabrina wiggles in my arms as I take the stairs, heading for her bedroom. I tighten my grip until she stops moving. My mind races with all the possibilities of what I would do to her, but I can’t.

I place her on the bed and watch as she tries to wither into a ball. I close my eyes and take a calming breath. She isn’t a hit. I can’t kill her. Parker grasps my shoulder, squeezing it.

“You good?”

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