Dangerous Lies(44)

Ripping the duct tape with his teeth, he forced my hands above my head, the motion awkward and painful. Getting into my face, his breath was hot when he spat, “No, I lost my wife, and that pisses me the fuck off.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have been such an abusive prick,” I whispered against his lips, debating biting his nose so hard that I’d rip it off. I was furious with him pulling this shit, no longer afraid, but pissed that he couldn’t let me go.

“Maybe you should have been an obedient wife,” he muttered, pressing his lips to mine.

I shook my head, not wanting his mouth to touch mine. “What, baby? Didn’t you miss me while you were gone? I think I deserve a kiss.”

“You don’t deserve anything,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

He scowled. “I think that’s enough of your opinion.” Taking the duct tape, he ripped another piece with his teeth, forcing it over my mouth. I screamed, but it was no use. The duct tape only muffled my cries.

He stayed hovering over me, his icy eyes glaring down at me. He was spiteful, his animosity for how everything went down clear. He was here to take whatever little bit of spirit I had left inside of me, and the fight I had built up was beginning to fade. My anxiety began to creep up, overpowering my anger and morphing into fear.

“We’re going to have one last night of fun together,” he murmured, leaning down and kissing my forehead.

A tear rolled down my cheek against my will.

“Don’t cry, I’ll be sure to make it fast,” he promised, a sinister smile crossing his lips.

Another tear fell, and I was regretting not trusting Jake. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it the first night, not be patient with my quirks and insecurities about being intimate. If I had stayed with Jake, I wouldn’t be duct taped and silenced, fighting for my life.

Martin moved down my flailing hips and legs, sitting on my thighs to stop them from thrashing. Holding down my arms with one hand, he lifted my shirt with the other, yanking on my bra to reveal my breasts. “Your tits are still shitty.”

Then, a gravelly voice with a familiar accent rang through the room. “I think her tits are pretty fucking amazing.”

Martin’s eyes narrowed, his head whipping around. I couldn’t see past his frame, but I knew the owner of the voice. A sob escaped me, muffled against the tape over my mouth, my eyes clenching closed with hope, knowing whose voice it was.

“Well, if it isn’t internet boy,” Martin smirked. “You can have a piece of her first, but I want her last.”

My body froze. Did I get this all wrong? Were they friends? Did Martin use Jake to trap me? How fucked up of a story would that be.

“I suggest you get off of her,” Jake said in a low voice.

“Or what? You’ll kill me in one of your books?” Martin laughed, squeezing one of my breasts with his hands so hard that I winced.

“You like it,” he shouted, pinching my nipple and causing an excruciating pain.

“Get your fucking hands off of her,” Jake commanded, his tone loud enough for Martin to remove his hand.

Martin’s eyes narrowed, and he climbed off me, standing at the edge of the bed and glaring at Jake.

I gasped into the tape when Jake came into view, my eyes wide when I saw him aiming a gun at Martin. No sign of apprehension was on his face as he cocked the trigger. He was locked and loaded, and terrifying. The brown of his eyes were focused and steady, never leaving sight of his target. Nothing about Jake was friendly and inviting. If anything, he portrayed stone cold killer perfectly. By how skittish Martin was, Jake must not have pulled out his gun until now.

“I didn’t want to have to do this,” Jake warned, pointing the gun at Martin. “At least not in front of Cora.”

“You’ll be a dead man if you shoot me,” Martin laughed, his hands finding his pockets. “I know a lot of people you wouldn’t want for enemies.”

Jake smiled as if he enjoyed Martin’s comment. “The more the merrier, bloke. Let’s go have a talk, shall we?”

Martin glanced at me, then shrugged his shoulders. “Not sure why you’re so upset. She wasn’t faithful to me, so she sure as shit won’t be faithful to you. Not to mention how terrible of a wife she was. Good luck getting laid after the first few months.”

“She didn’t bat her eyes at me once while you were married. I’d say you were the arse in the relationship. Let’s go,” Jake instructed, keeping the gun on Martin.

“I’ll be back, Love,” he said over his shoulder, a softness to his tone that a man holding a gun wouldn’t normally possess. He lead Martin out of the room, leaving me stuck with my hands tied on the bed.

Thankfully, I had the use of my legs, worming my way to my feet from the bed. I needed the use of my hands. No doubt Martin wasn’t alone. I’m sure he hired a thug to be nearby. He wasn’t one who forgot about detail. By how he was sitting here waiting for me, he knew about New Zealand the moment I bought the plane ticket.

With one eye closed from Martin’s blow to my face, I rushed to the corner of the nightstand, maneuvering my wrists so the tape could be rubbed against the sharp edge. I knew I didn’t have much time, so my movement became frantic, the urgency to help Jake fueling my adrenaline.

After a few moments, the tape had been loosened and torn enough for me to wiggle my hands free. Tearing off the tape from my mouth, I winced, refraining from letting out sounds of pain. Tossing the left over tape on the floor, I collected myself, running through options on what I should do next.