Page 84 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters

My mind wanders back to Dax, Leo, and Beck.

Thoughts of them make me move faster, dulling the pain in my fingertips until I manage to jerk the last nail loose. “Almost there, Olivia,” I say to encourage myself. “Almost there, babies,” I add for my unborn children.

No way I’m trusting Marcus with our well-being.

The noose is tightening around his throat. His obsession with me will likely be his undoing. Unfortunately, it could also be mine.

“Ah,” I gasp as I pull the nail out, hurriedly tugging at the window frame until the paint comes loose, chipping along the grooves. “Come on.”

“What the fuck are you doing, Olivia?” Marcus’s voice booms across the small space. I freeze.

Suddenly, the tiny bathroom gets even tinier, the walls closing in around me as I slowly turn my head.

Marcus stands in the bathroom doorway, tall, menacing, and furious.

I didn’t even hear him come in. He’s pissed, and he is going to hurt me, unless I figure out a way to talk him out of it. He’s arrogant and obsessed with control.

Stroke his ego, Olivia, before it’s too late.

“It was stupid of me, I know,” I manage, my voice trembling with raw fear. “But you can’t blame a girl for trying, right?”

“Did you really think I’d let you get away from me again?”

“You outsmarted me. I never learn, Marcus. I’m sorry.”

It doesn’t work. It strokes his ego, sure, but it doesn’t shield me from the repercussions as he dashes forward and grabs me by the neck.

“Time to go,” he hisses as he drags me out of the bathroom.

“Marcus, please, I’ll come willingly,” I try to plead with him. “You don’t have to hurt me.”

But there is no mercy in his grip, no patience in his voice. “Shut the fuck up. You’ll get your due when we’re home,” he growls and forces me toward the motel door.

“No, Marcus. Please, let’s talk about this. It’s not safe for you to leave now, they’re out there looking for you!”

“Yeah, in the wrong place. Jocelyn made sure of it.”

“What?”

No.

The woman’s hatred of me really knows no bounds.

He cackles maniacally as he tightens his grip while simultaneously opening the door. “You’re such a naïve little fool. I have power, Olivia. Even this far from home, I have power.”

“Yes, you have power, Marcus, but people are looking for you right now. They’re looking for me.I’m only weighing you down. They won’t stop until they find me.”

He pauses in the doorway to look at me with flaring, furious eyes. “But you’remine, Olivia, and you always will be. If you want to live, you’ll come along without resisting. Dead or alive, I’m dragging your fat ass back to Devon with me.”

“Marcus—”

“Don’t worry, we’ll put you on a diet once you give birth,” Marcus grumbles. “I like your curves, but you’re getting to be too much.”

He must see the disgust in my eyes. “Don’t worry,” he adds, “you’ll learn to love me again.”

It’s the last straw. I’m done trying to placate him.

“After you kidnapped me, hurt me, and insulted me? Dream on, you delusional fuck!” I snap, my anger bursting into a heatwave that burns throughout my body. I kick him hard in the shin.