Page 96 of Deserving Maisy
The chains fastened to the cuffs were affixed to the wall at about hip level, and were roughly three feet long. Long enough for her to stand up and move around a little, strong enough that she wouldn’t be able to rip them out of the wall or anything else heroines in movies typically did to save themselves.
“Don’t piss or shit on the floor. If you do, I’m not cleaning it up. Go in there,” Jason said, pointing to a bucket against the wall within her reach. “I’ll be back later. Be good.” Then he laughed before turning his back on her.
“Jase, please! You don’t have to do this,” Maisy told him desperately.
Her brother turned. “How many fucking times do I have to tell younotto call me that?”
Then he left without another word, shutting the door behind him. Thankfully, it locked from the inside, not the outside. He couldn’t actually lock her in, but the chains attached to the wall kept her from getting to the door to lock him out. Besides, it wouldn’t do her any good. If she locked herself in the room, she was still screwed. Yes, Donand Jason couldn’t get to her, but she’d eventually die of thirst. Once upon a time her parents had stored months’ worth of provisions in this room, but those were long gone.
Putting her back against the wall, Maisy slid down until her butt touched the floor, then she wrapped her arms around her knees and cried. Cried for the brother she used to know. Cried because she was scared. Because she knew when Jack got back to their room, he’d freak out when he found her gone.
But then she took a deep breath. She had no idea what had spooked Jack earlier. Why he was so out of sorts. But she had complete faith in him. As soon as he realized she wasn’t down the hall visiting with his friends, or anywhere else in the hotel, the first place he’d think to look was here. He’d come for her. Even if he’d decided he didn’t want to be married to her, that she was too much trouble or he just couldn’t forgive her after all, he wouldn’t leave her in the hands of her brother. She had no doubt about that.
She had to hang on until he and Brick and Tiny came for her. She just hoped whatever it was Jason was doing took long enough for the cavalry to come to her rescue. Before her brother could return to torture her.
The craziest thing of all was, once upon a time, if Jason was the brother she remembered, if he’d justaskedher, she probably would’ve gladly shared her inheritance.
Swallowing hard and wiping her cheeks on her arm, Maisy lifted her head. She couldn’t waste any more time sitting here like a freaking damsel in distress. She needed to figure out a way to escape. When Jason returned, she’d do whatever she could to get away. If she could manage it,she’d tell the cops everything, then hopefully go home to The Refuge with Jack. They could work on whatever it was that was bothering him.
She wasn’t ready to give up. She loved Jack with all her heart. Would fight for the right to stay by his side.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“What the hell are you doing?” Brick growled.
Stone ignored him as he clicked on the link Ry had just sent. It hadn’t taken him long to realize he was being an idiot. He’d let Maisy’s asshole brother’s words get to him, just like the man wanted.
He’d been running on the treadmill in the small workout room at the hotel and literally came to an abrupt halt, barely preventing himself from being thrown against the wall behind him by the fast-moving tread. He wanted to kick his own ass.
Somehow, Jason had known exactly how to make Stone doubt not only himself, but Maisy as well. He wasn’t weak. Shit, he’d survived something most men wouldn’t have been able to last five minutes through. He’d been tortured by fuckingterrorists, and yet, here he was.
He and Owl had been through hell, and they’d somehow managed to find women who didn’t pity them, didn’t think they were lesser men because of what they’dgone through. They loved them exactly as they were. And their experiences made them the men they were today.
He’d been such an ass. Maisy had needed him to be supportive and encouraging, and he’d fucked that up completely. He hadn’t been there for her when she’d talked to the detectives, and that had to have been extremely hard for her. He hadn’t insisted he stay by her side while she told her story. Hadn’t done a damn thing.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he’d rushed back up to their room to apologize. To grovel. To tell Maisy what a dick he’d been—but she hadn’t been there. Stone hadn’t panicked, not at first. Had simply gone down the hall to Brick and Tiny’s room, having no doubt that’s where Maisy would be found.
But she wasn’t there either. He was confused for half a second—then terror set in.
Jason had gotten to her.
Sure, maybe she went down to get ice, or to the lobby for a snack, but deep down, he knew she wouldn’t do either of those things. Not by herself.
There was only one person in the world who had a reason to hurt Maisy. Her own damn brother. And Stone had left her alone and vulnerable. Another mark against him. Another thing he’d have to make up for.
Brick had rushed off to search the common areas of the hotel. And while Tiny had tried to reassure him, offering reasons why Maisy could be gone and where else she might be—eating by herself down in the restaurant, swimming in the pool—Stone had been busy texting Ry.
Unbeknownst to his friends or Maisy, he’d had a long talk with the woman before they’d left for this trip. He was intrigued by her abilities. And since he’d been uneasyabout bringing Maisy back to Seattle, he’d wanted to see if she had any suggestions for keeping her safe.
Ry did.
“Seriously, Stone, what the fuck are you doing? We need to go look for Maisy.” Also from Brick, who’d returned a few minutes ago, his search unsuccessful.
“I know where she is,” Stone said as he stared at the map in front of him.
“What? How?”
“Where?”
