Easier said than done.
Another thirty minutes came and went. I was pacing the floors as Charlotte took the girls upstairs to read a couple of bedtime stories and tuck them in for their sleepover. She was just closing the door, standing at the top of the stairs when someone began pounding on the door.
Our eyes met.
I shook my head, gesturing for her to back up and she did so quickly as I peeked through the door. Maxwell’s friend Fitz was standing with two other men I didn’t recognize. It didn’t slip my notice that they were armed. Max had sent them to pick me up.
All my worry and panic hadn’t been for nothing. Maxwell was far too narcissistic to let me walk away. Kind of pissed me off that no one listened when I’d said repeatedly that he was a psychopath.
The knowledge that I was about to be taken to that controlling bastard should have made me feel panicked or scared but a sense of calm washed over me as I opened the door and stepped out, hearing the lock click into place as I pulled it shut. There wasn’t any point in delaying the inevitable. If Fitz and his men forced themselves inside, the girls and my sister would be in grave danger. I did what I had to do and raised my chin, staring the goons down.
“Take me to Max.”
“He said you’d come willingly,” Fitz spat. “Always so obedient. Aren’t you, Cara?”
I didn’t reply.
“Wonder if we could have a little fun with her first,” one of men, a stocky guy with a buzz cut suggested. “She’s pretty.”
“I like her lips. Bet they would wrap around my cock nice and tight.”
“As least as good as her pussy,” Buzz Cut agreed.
“Knock it off. We’ll find you a couple of playthings later. Maxwell wants to see her right away.”
The two thugs didn’t hide their disappointment as Fitz grabbed my arm and hauled me toward a white van parked in the driveway. “Front seat. No funny business.”
I climbed inside and shut the door, clasping the seatbelt around my waist.
He smirked when he saw it, ticking his head toward the house. “Anyone else home?”
“No,” I lied smoothly. “Everyone went for ice cream. I was tired and stayed home to rest.”
“We saw a car leave an hour and a half ago.”
“Yeah, I know, Dill.”
So that was the other guy’s name. The one without the buzz cut.
“Let’s move. Maxwell doesn’t like it when he’s kept waiting.”
The drive out of town took about an hour. The entire time I kept thinking it was odd that they didn’t try to blindfold me or put me in the back of the van. For the most part, I was ignored. Fitz kept talking to Buzz Cut and Dill as they made crude jokes. I’d heard plenty just as bad in the clubhouse from the MC brothers when they didn’t think any women could overhear. It was nothing new.
When we pulled up, I slid from the van and walked behind Fitz toward the warehouse that was situated in a long row of industrial buildings, many no longer in use. Providence used to be a town filled with factories, but cheaper labor overseas drove a lot of those
jobs away. Advances in technology over the last decade ruled the companies nearly obsolete. What remained was blocks of warehouses, buildings, and rows of businesses that were nothing more than a shiny metal graveyard.
Ushered inside the massive structure, I glanced up at the fading sunlight and vivid hues wondering if I was witnessing my last sunset. It wouldn’t surprise me if Max planned to get rid of his troublesome fiancé. I caused problems and Maxwell hated complications. The fact that I ran from him only made it worse. He didn’t like to be made a fool.
The inside of the building was mostly gutted. Dusty machines and hunks of metal, random tools, and the scurry of rats proved no one had been here for quite some time. Interesting place to meet considering he could have chosen one of the buildings with offices instead of all this junk. Maxwell always did have a flair for the dramatic. Maybe he thought it would be intimidating or scary to come here instead.
His reasoning didn’t matter. I stopped as I approached the center of the room, just feet from where my abuser stood. Fitz nudged my back and I took a few steps but kept my distance. The man I knew as my fiancé was unpredictable. I had no idea what he planned and that was the only thing about this moment that was frightening.
Maxwell smiled coldly as our eyes met. “You’ve been opening that big mouth, sweetheart, and it hasn’t been for the right reasons.”
I didn’t dignify his words with a response.
“I think it’s time you learned a valuable lesson about loyalty.” He gestured to Fitz who grabbed my arm and yanked me forward until I stood only a couple of inches away.