Page 33 of Tied to You

Turning my head, she’s now hunched over, moving a bale around, unaware I’m watching her. My body’s riddled with something other than anger. I try my fucking hardest to bury the need to go over there and reprimand her for being so reckless. She falls from that height; she won’t be able to work for months. And that’s no fucking good for any of us.

When I turn to look at Mick, he’s gone.Fuck.I let out a deflated breath. My head is running wild all of a sudden. When I look up to the heavens, no answers appear. I shut my eyes, wondering what’s themorethat Mick wants me to have. A woman? A family? Is there some unwritten rule somewhere that says by a certain age you should have achieved certain milestones in your life? Sounds too conventional to me. And way too fucking convenient. Mymorelies with the Rippers. I’ve always known that. Is it that hard for other people to accept that sometimes people are content with what they’ve got?

Frustrated, I reach the bottom of the pile of bales and instinctively look up. I’m no longer able to see her. Damn. Means I’ll have to climb up there. I’ve avoided running into her like a coward for fourteen days. Now, here I am, physically about to haul myself up to her.

Rolling back the sleeves of my shirt, I listen for where she might be.

She’s humming.

Beginning my climb, I follow the dulcet tones until I find her, my heart skipping when I do. I suppress a smile, watching her with a pitchfork in her hand. Her head is lowered, but she can’t hear anything because of the headphones that are in her ears. There’s a hammering beat pulsating in the air. How the fuck can she think with screaming in her ears? I like heavy music, but that’s just fucking noise.

I step up onto the last bale, towering over her from behind. Her tattoo pops out, and I see black words swirled across her skin above an image of a flower. It makes me swallow. Everything inside me turns to mush seeing it.

Catching me off guard with a deathly howl, Mollie spins, forcing me to step back to avoid the fucking pitchfork being aimed at me. I miss the edge of the bale.Motherfucker.Unable to right myself, I slip—just like my thoughts, and tumble like a sack of shit to the bottom of the pile.

Mollie leans over the edge, ripping her headphones out as I manage to stop my eyes from spinning, catching her gaze. She looks stunned. Shocked. Scared. But mostly, she just looks amused, her hair hanging down either side of her face. I don’t miss the twitch in her darkened eyes as she peers down at me on the ground.

Flustered and angered, pieces of straw dangle from my hat, and I try to swat them away, refusing to drop my hold on her face. Thatfuckingface. If she so much as fucking grins, I’ll—my body tightens, smoke bellowing from my ears.The little bitch. Scrambling to my feet, I go after her.

Her face hollows as comprehension dawns.

That’s right, Baby Doll. I’m coming for you.

She doesn’t move quickly, then I remember her fucking foot. Shit. I really shouldn’t be chasing after her. When she laughs excitedly, any concern I may have had evaporates to dust, knowing she’s enjoying this.

When I reach where I’m expecting her to be, I freeze. She isn’t there. I turn to my right, waiting. Listening.

Then a rustle comes from behind me. “Hands where I can see them.” Isshe joking with me?

I turn slowly, and the sight of her face dropping, makes me feel significantly better. I must look murderous. Good. I fucking feel it. I’m angry. Not just with her, but with myself too.

Mollie looks over her shoulder, contemplating her escape. There isn’t one.

“Don’t move. Last fucking thing I need is you falling to your death.”

She blinks. “Like you?” she chides under her breath mockingly.

Childish. “You’re walking a pretty thin fucking line, Baby Doll.” I take a step toward her, and the woman inches back. “I said, don’t move.” Can she not see how close to the edge she is?

“Fuck off.” Mollie goes to take a step away from the edge, but pauses when she looks at me. She frowns dubiously. “Like you care what happens to me.”

I scoff like a complete arsehole, furiously limiting the already small space between us. I don’t have fucking time for this. “You’re none of my concern.”

Unexpectedly, a silence drops as quickly as her face does. It screams so loudly; my ears start ringing. “Liar.”

I balk, shocked, all too aware she’s right. Seeing a crimson haze of annoyance, I open my mouth before thinking. “You think I care about you, Baby Doll?” I say like a dick. Without realising, I’ve taken another step closer to her, my face now dangerously close to hers. Mollie holds my frantic stare. Challenging.

I shouldn’t be getting closer to her. I should be ignoring her, let her carry on with her work here and make myself gone. Damn my fucking feet. And damn the blinding pain now burning in my chest.

Chapter Eight

MOLLIE

Defiantly, I stare at him, unable to back down, wondering what he’s about to do next. Seeing him tumbling to the bottom of this pile of bales stirred something deep within. He’s human after all. I was stupidly worried he may have been hurt.

Two whole weeks have passed since I last saw him. Quite frankly, it’s been a welcomed break. I’ve gotten closer to Mick and Janette, learned more about what I’m meant to be doing here. But I have no clue how to handle the raging monster before me. I don’t know what I’m doing, nor do I know what his problem is.

When he unexpectedly showed up and witnessed my accident with Blackjack, I thought we might have gotten the chance to talk. I’m an idiot, though. I can see that now. I let myself believe that his moment of intimacy on the sofa was something more than it actually was. Maybe I just wanted more? Saw something that was never there. Either way, as soon as the moment came, it was gone.