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Son of a bitch!

I cut him my absolute filthiest death stare and jumped from the sofa to face him.

“No! You will not put those on me, Elias Shepherd! You hear me?”

Crap, crap, crap!

This wasn’t part of the plan. He hadn’t brought out the cuffs since that first night. I thought we were past that.

“Yes, I am. Now settle down.” He made calm-the-fuck-down hand gestures which had the opposite effect.

“Shep, come on. You know how much I hate being chained up. You must trust me by now, don’t you?” Was I the sort to resort to dirty tactics? You bet.

“I do trust you. With everything except bolting from here as soon as I leave. After Franky’s email last night, I’m sure it’s on your mind.”

He stalked toward me like a cowboy preparing to lasso a wild horse. The way he stared me down had me itching to run. It was a reflex action to him herding me. I moved to keep the sofa between us.

Shep paused and shook his head, chin angled low. “Cam,” he warned, “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be. I don’t like this either, but you know I’ve got no choice.” He held the open cuff in one hand and the length of chain in the other.

I dodged left, then right, but he mirrored my every move. Ranger thought it was a super fun game and jumped at Shep’s side trying to bite the chain.Good boy.There was my window.

While Shep brushed away Ranger’s playful advances, I bolted down the hallway to the bedroom. Maybe I could lock the door and push the drawers in front of it. What would that achieve? Nothing but being a pain in his ass. But I was all for that because I was furious.

Halfway down the hall, a pair of viselike arms clamped around me. Shep hoisted me off the floor.

“Let me go, asshole!” My feet kicked the air as I writhed and growled, trying to get out of his hold.

“No! You know I have to do this. Quit your fighting!”

As pointless as it was, I continued attempting to escape his grip while he carted me back to the living room. He dumped me on the sofa with the cuff already around my left wrist. How the hell had he slipped that on without me noticing?

His nostrils flared. “Now, do you need me to get those things on your list, or am I staying here on babysitting duty?”

I bared my teeth like a feral woman. “I can’t even look at you right now.” I stabbed a finger toward the door as tears stung my eyes. “Get out!”

Shep had made things difficult for me, but I wasn’t giving up. I’d find a way out of these chains and continue with my plans. Maybe it was for the best that we parted this way. It made my decision easier to swallow.

He looped the chain through the coffee table and back onto the empty cuff.

When Shep reached the front door, he opened it and paused, perhaps preparing to issue some final words of wisdom. I picked upThe Count of Monte Cristoand pitched the paperback at his head. He was quick to dodge it, but the startled look on his face made the effort worthwhile. First time the damn book had been truly interesting.

He raised his hands in surrender. “Jesus, Cam. I’m sorry. You know I’m keeping you here for your own safety. What do you want me to say?” He looked as goddamn miserable as me.

“Nothing. Don’t hurry back!” I hadn’t spoken to him with so much anger since he first brought me here. Even as I said the words, I regretted them.

He shook his head before calling for Ranger to follow, then closed the door behind them.

As Shep walked out of my life forever, the devastation that we’d spent our last moments together fighting hit me like a wrecking ball.

The crunch of tires over gravel signaled Shep’s departure. The house fell into silence.

The sense of loss was more profound than I’d anticipated. If I allowed myself to think about it for another moment, it would swallow me up. I had to get moving.

I studied the cuff around my wrist and the chain linking me to the coffee table. My plans had turned to shit, but I wasn’t giving up.

The coffee table was coming with me to the kitchen because I needed tools. I grabbed hold of the chain, dug my bare heels into the floor, and dragged it with all my strength.

“Jesus H Christ!” I groaned. This thing was solid.