I swallowed a retort and did as he asked. Instantly, my spine crawled. I didn’t like having him behind me, unable to see.
His fingers latched around my wrists.
I tensed, then relaxed a little as the tight twine slowly loosened, sliding off one wrist altogether.
I looked over my shoulder, waiting to be freed completely, but he tied a new knot around one wrist, tugging it until I turned back around to face him.
His teeth flashed in the golden light bulbs. “Can’t have you running now, can we?”
I glowered at the leash he’d formed, binding my arm into his control, tethering me to him while giving my other arm the relief of coming forward and working out the kinks in my shoulder.
“I won’t run.” I itched with the need to undo the knots imprisoning me.
“Don’t take it personally, but I don’t believe you.” Pulling me forward, he grinned as my body pressed up against his, my arm forced around his waist with the aid of the rope.
Lowering his head, he nuzzled my neck.
I shuddered with repulsion.
“Now that I’ve got you, I’m not letting you go, Elle.”
Doing my best to breathe slow and steady, rather than give into the overwhelming desire to scream, I said, “You don’t have me, Greg. You’ll never have me.”
“Well, I don’t see anyone else here claiming you.” He kissed my cheek. “You’re mine, and you’re not going anywhere.”
“I don’t need someone to claim me. I claim me.” The CEO in me came out. I looked down my nose with arrogant authority. “What do you hope to achieve here, Greg? You can’t keep me prisoner for long. They’ll find me. Whatever sick and twisted idea you have of marrying me to gain access to Belle Elle is riddled with flaws. Even married to me, I’d never give you part ownership of my company, and no judge would ever grant you my property if I said you forced me.”
My mouth ran away with things I’d promised myself I wouldn’t say. “And what about our fathers? Do you honestly think they’ll let you get away with this? My dad will either have you murdered in your sleep or thrown in jail, and your dad will have to live with the shame of what you’ve done.”
My free hand swooped up. I tapped him in the temple as if he were a simpleton and needed a good slap to wake up. “Think this through, Greg. Release me now, and I won’t press charges. I’ll tell our fathers to let it go. I’ll inform everyone that you had to get whatever jealousy you felt about Penn out of your system and then everything can go back to normal.”
His face didn’t change from the cordial playboy I knew and tolerated. His dark blond hair cascaded over one eye, giving the illusion he was easy to play and manipulate. “Normal, huh?”
I nodded. “With no repercussions. Think about it.” I tugged my wrist, jiggling his hand where he held the other end of the rope. “Release me, take me home, and we’ll forget about all of this.”
He pursed his lips as if contemplating my proposal. Then a dark veil fell over his eyes. “Too bad for you, I don’t like normal.”
Stomping forward, he jerked me through the kitchen and out the backdoor. Stumbling down the steps toward the forest edge, I swallowed my fear as his stride headed straight toward the looming forest.
What the—
Where is he taking me?
The cabin wasn’t wanted, but it was a damn sight better than traipsing through a jungle late at night.
“Greg—”
“Shut up, Noelle. You’ve had your little speech; now, shut the fuck up.” He yanked a small flashlight from his pocket and turned on the ray of illumination as we crunched through bracken, entering the world of looming leafy giants. “You think you have me all figured out, huh? Bet you thought I was a fucking moron for bringing you to my dad’s cabin.” He laughed coldly. “Bet David is already on his way here. Too bad for him.”
He laughed harder as he broke into a jog, dragging me behind him. “I’m not a fuckwad, Elle. I’ve been planning this for months.” Beelining toward an old shed tucked up against ancient trees, he skidded to a stop.
Looking back with victorious smugness, he wrenched the unlocked padlock off the rickety doors and slithered the chain from around the wooden handles.
The rope leash lashed tight around my wrist each time he moved, giving me no slack to run. Cracking open the doors, he pulled me through and shone the flashlight onto the one thing I didn’t want to see.
Another car.
Clean and new—something that would guarantee to work and not break down in exhaustion.
A black Dodge Charger.
Pulling me around to the passenger entry, he opened the door and shoved me inside. “We’re only half-way there, Elle. This was the decoy. The real destination is where no one will guess. A place only I know. A place where we’ll finally get to know each other.”
My heart switched from pissed off to manic.
Greg slammed the door in my face, locking me inside.
Oh, God, what should I do?
Jogging around to the driver’s side, he hopped in as if we were honeymooners about to explore. Inserting a key into the ignition, the car woke up with a loud grumbling growl.
He placed his hand on my knee. “A place where we’ll get to know each other very well.” Throwing the car into gear, he shot forward and rammed the shed doors wide, not caring about marking the vehicle or ruining his father’s retreat.
We fishtailed on the mulchy ground as the engine roared. He stomped on the accelerator and drove rocket-ship style through the small trail, past leering trees, over broken branches, and exploded onto a dirt track, leaving all phones, cars, and well-known cabins behind.