Page 23 of Revealing Mark

“You’re going to keep me here until what?” I finally broke my silence, turning around to face him.

“Until I know you’re safe.”

“I am safe. You’re overreacting, Mark.”

His eyes narrowed and he stalked over to me. Taking me by the arm, he led me to a room a few doors down that looked like a study with a desk and bookcase. He pushed me into a leather chair in front of the desk and walked around to take something out of the drawer behind the desk.

He slammed down a folder in front of me and I jumped slightly at the force he used.

“Have a look,” he ordered me with controlled anger.

Tentatively, I opened the folder and was horrified by a photo of a young girl with bruising on her face. When I didn’t look any further, Mark leaned over the desk and turned the photo to show another of another girl with markings over her back.

I swallowed as I took in the violence inflicted, and my eyes raised to Mark’s.

“This is what happens when you don’t take threats seriously.”

“Why would you show me this?” My voice trembled, revealing he had scared me.

“To show you the reality you don’t want to acknowledge.” He straightened before walking around to lean against the desk where I pushed the folder away. “You can’t put your head in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening.”

“You’re trying to scare me. Why would you do that?” I was horrified. I half rose but he put a hand to me and pushed me back down into the seat.

“I want to scare some sense into you.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I know people, I know how to read the signs that aren’t always glaringly obvious. And Jack isn’t as harmless as he seems. We saw it from the beginning.”

I knew the ‘we’ included my brother.

“Jack wouldn’t hurt me,” I murmured, sure he was wrong.

“You think tonight was the only stunt he would pull given the chance?”

I squirmed in the seat. “It’s enough.”

“Take your safety seriously. If not for yourself then do it at least for your family.” The anger that had been strong in every action and word faded. “You can’t take people at face value, Tracy. Most people have far more going on than what can be seen from the surface.”

“So, what you’re saying is I can’t date anyone unless they have had an extensive background check?” I asked sarcastically.

“Even that wouldn’t weed out all the weirdos.”

“What do you want from me, Mark?” I asked, feeling exasperated with his persistence.

“I want you to value your safety and to stop being so careless.”

“How about you bubble-wrap me and lock me up in the spare room. That way nothing will happen to me.”

Despite his seriousness, the one side of his mouth tilted in a half smile. “I may just have to do that.”

“So, what now?” I asked, leaning back into the chair as I resigned myself to the fate he had in store for me.

“You stay here until I’m sure Jack isn’t going to do something stupid.”

“What about when I need to work?” I couldn’t just put my life on hold because he was fearful something could happen to me. I had clients who depended on me and I couldn’t let them down.

It was tough building up my clientele and it had taken a lotof hard work to get to the stage where I had a steady stream of clients.

“I’ll come with you.” He stood.

“That’s going to make my clients really comfortable, having a bodyguard tag along for photo shoots.”