Page 54 of Forbidden Boss

“I can’t access anything off-network,” I lie again. “And not from an unfamiliar device. You need a hardware token Lev controls. You need the intranet. We’re not in the office.”

He tilts his head. “We can be,” he says.

“He’ll notice,” I say. “He’ll see my badge, my IP, the access attempt.”

“He’ll be busy in the wrong places,” he answers. “If I know him, he’s running the garage and the townhome and screaming at his men. He’s hotheaded when the target is personal. He’ll burn time on noise.”

“He’ll find us,” I say.

“He might,” Marcus says. “But he’ll be too late. And by the time he gets smart, the money will be gone, and so will you.”

I flex my fingers and breathe. My wrists are swelling under the plastic. I test the chair. It’s cheap. The back is screwed into the seat with four bolts that aren’t flush. The metal bites my skin when I curl my hands. If I work the tie against the bolt head, I can saw through it. It will take time. Time is a resource.

“I don’t accept your terms,” I bluff. “I’m not just going to do this for you on the off chance you’ll let me live until after my baby is born. Let me go. I’ll convince Lev to forget about you. What’s a few million dollars to him? I’ll get you your money only if you give me my freedom.”

“Why would he listen to you?” Marcus laughs. “Do you think he actually cares about you?”

I don’t answer, but my face must give something away because he starts laughing harder.

“You’re even more naive than I thought! He doesn’t care about women. He never has. He only gave a shit about you once he knew you were carrying his heir. Trust me, you’re better off dead than following him around like a sad little puppy for the rest of your life.”

“You’re wrong,” I yell, hoping it covers the sound of plastic against metal. “He told me about Tatiana. He wants to raise this baby with me. He’s been protecting me since the day you sent that picture of me outside the compound. Why would he do that if he didn’t care about me?”

“Because he cares about control, you stupid child,” Marcus shoots back. “He’s obsessed with you. Don’t delude yourselfinto thinking it’s anything more than that. You should have just walked away when Agent Cole showed up at your door.”

He stands up and brings the laptop over to me.

“Now you’re going to get me into these accounts, or you’ll be taking a very unfortunate spill down the stairs.”

Tears burn at the backs of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I’m not going to let him hurt my child. I’m not going to let him hurt me, either. I just have to keep fighting long enough to get away from him. He’s said it himself that I’m smarter than he gave me credit for. Stronger, too. Maybe even a little stupid. I just have to find a way to use all of that to my advantage.

His phone buzzes.

He answers with a grunt. “What?” He listens, eyes narrowing. “No, you don’t engage. You keep your head down and you wait for my word.”

I can’t imagine what’s happening on the other end, but my hope tells me that Yuri and Lev are looking for me. Maybe they’re in the wrong place for now, but either they’ll find me or I’ll get out of here. That’s the only thought I can cling to.

The tie on my right wrist has been worn down to a thin band. I flex my hand and it bites deep. A little more. Another scrape. A slow pull. It holds. I grind again and feel the first give. If I get it off, I can’t stand and run. He’ll shoot me before I cross the room.

I need a plan. I need to find a weapon or a distraction. Preferably both. He’s physically stronger, he’s proven that, but can he outwit me? Probably not.

I hear him grunt something else into the phone, and then he hangs up. I’m running out of time. The zip tie is just about to snap when he turns his focus back on me.

“Don’t get too excited,” he sneers. “Lev’s got men at my townhome. He’s so goddamn predictable. We’re out of time, so what’s it going to be? Your life or your baby’s?”

“I can’t help you like this,” I say, shrugging to show that my hands are still behind my back.

“You talk, I’ll type,” he says, sitting back down at the table and turning the laptop back around. “I’m not dumb enough to untie you.”

“What does it matter?” I ask, forcing my voice to break just a little. “You’ve made it clear there’s no way out for me. Either way, I’m going to die, so I’m not going to fight you. But I can’t just rattle off passwords and numbers. I need to be able to type them. It’s a muscle memory thing, it’s just how my mind works.”

“It’ll have to work differently today,” he scoffs. “I’m not going to untie you until I’m ready to move you, and I don’t plan on you being conscious when that happens.”

A shudder goes through me, and my head begins to throb again. I’m quickly running out of options, and I realize he’s probably right. There’s no way for me to get out of this. But if I can’t make it out alive, I’ll go down swinging. I won’t just be compliant in his game.

“If you won’t let me do it on my terms, then I won’t help you,” I say calmly. “So you do what you need to do. Kill me and get it over with.”

His jaw tightens, and he says nothing.