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Bill was waiting outside, and I was hopeful he’d rescue me from my lunatic boyfriend-gone-mad. But he stood back as Ronan dumped me into the back seat and climbed in next to me.
Bill pulled away from the curb, all hums and smiles.
“Bill! Ronan’s kidnapping me. Pull over.”
He caught my eyes in the rearview mirror. “You kids are so cute. I always knew the two of you would end up together.”
I kicked the back of his seat in frustration. “He’s kidnapping me. We’re not cute! Don’t you work for me? Stop the damn car.”
Bill chuckled like I’d just told him a hilarious joke. He was being purposefully obtuse.
“Actually, Bill is paid by LSS, so he tends to do what I say.” Ronan’s thigh pressed against mine, and his hand had claimed my knee, less affectionate and more to ensure I wouldn’t throw myself from a moving vehicle. I was pissed but I wasn’t stupid. I’d throw myself out as soon as it stopped.
Loudly Snoring Snakes
“This is so fucked up, Ronan. I can’t believe you think this is okay.” I wrapped my arms around my middle, inching toward the door away from him. If I didn’t find some room, I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from slapping him.
“It’s not okay, I’ll grant you that. But you left me with no other option when you insisted on behaving like a little brat instead of using your brain.”
My head jerked back like he’d shot me with a bullet. Those words sounded so much like my dad, I pinched my hand to prove to myself I was awake and not trapped in some nightmare.
“Grow up, Iris. Your tears are wasted on me.”
“When are you going to realize you’re shaming your entire family? Stop being so selfish.”
“Do you even have a brain? Has it atrophied from all that noise you listen to in your room? How can you be my daughter?”
He squeezed my knee and dipped his head closer. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean that and shouldn’t have said it.”
I couldn’t look at him. If I did, I’d cry, and I was done crying over mean, controlling men. In the front seat, Bill shook his head. Whether he disapproved of me or Ronan, I couldn’t say, but I was practically writhing to get out of this car and find some room to breathe.
Bill stopped at the curb in front of Ronan’s building, and Ronan slipped out of the car before me. I refused to give him my hand or even look at him, sliding past without touching him. He wouldn’t give me the space I needed, though. As soon as he closed the SUV’s door, his arm went around my waist, latching on with an unbreakable hold.
He escorted me upstairs, boring a hole into the side of my head the entire time. We were both tight-lipped, silent, angry at each other but refusing to crack.
Inside his apartment, I walked a few feet into the entryway, then whirled back on him at the door.
“This is my prison now?”
His marble frame blocked the door. He stared back at me with an expression of barely contained rage. His hands were tucked into his trouser pockets, but I would have bet they were in tight fists.
“I’m going to talk to the detective now.” His nostrils flared as he sucked in a deep breath. “Please don’t leave this apartment. If you go, I’ll be forced to find you and—” He closed his eyes and ground his teeth, his jaw ticcing. “Just stay here, Iris. I’ll be back soon.”
He turned and left, locks clicking and clicking as he tucked me away in my pretty gilded cage. I paced in front of the door for several minutes, at war with myself. I didn’t want to stay here, not after the way Ronan had tossed me over his shoulder like property.
But then I remembered the way he’d swept me into his arms and held me the minute he’d walked into my door. How secure I’d felt when moments before I’d been numb with terror.
I plopped down on his couch, chewing my nails to death. Anger simmered in my blood, but it wasn’t only pointed at Ronan. Whoever was fucking with my life—Logan, most likely—was the biggest target of my ire.
My independence wasn’t up for grabs, and I refused to give it away. Not even to the man I trusted with my life.
