Page 59 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
“Help! Help me! I’m being kidnapped!”
“Okay, that’s quite enough of that,” he said and ripped the sleeve off his T-shirt.
“Don’t you dare fucking gag me,” she yelled.
She held her mouth closed, but he gave a pinch to a sensitive spot on her shoulder, and her mouth fell open, allowing him to get the material into her mouth and tie it in place.
“Enough, Maeve, you know you can’t be out here alone. Even if I don’t turn you in, some people still want you dead,” he said as he pulled her to her feet. “We can talk about us when you’re calm, but if even one camera picks up your face, they will find you and kill you.”
She didn’t seem to hear him as she continued to yell that she didn’t care if she died and for him to fuck off through the material in her mouth. Her eyes were beyond rageful. They were telling him that she wished he was dead. He’d never meant for things to get to this point between them. He’d hurt her back at his house, and he didn’t realize how much until now. But as her eyes glistened in the light with unshed tears, the fury and pain coming off her in waves was hitting him in the face harder than any punch could.
“Stop. Please stop fighting me. I only want to keep you safe.”
“Neeveeerr,” she said, the sound muffled. Wolf gave up and tossed Maeve over his shoulder, and even though she was still struggling, he put her in the back of the Hummer.
“Hummer auto drive on. Resume follow the truck, and lock voice activation until code word nineteen is used.”
Closing the door and leaving Maeve to cool off in the Hummer, he got into the truck and returned to the ranch with the black vehicle following like a shadow in his wake. He pulled the truck up to the front of the house and made his way to the Hummer. He could hear her still raging inside as a boot thumped against the glass.
Wolf took a deep breath. This was not how he saw his night going when it started, but here they were.
“Hummer code word Awinita.”
“Code word initialized.”
Opening the door, he stepped back, not wanting to get a boot to the gut. Reaching inside, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her out with her still screaming wildly. It was like she’d gone feral on him. Her thrashing resulted in her boot barely missing his crotch, and he groaned, knowing that was going to leave a mark as her heel connected with the inner part of his thigh.
“Fine, you want to act like a wild animal? I’ll treat you like one.” He marched past the house and down to the barn. He had two large stallion stalls built specifically for those who like to climb walls and doors. Opening the door, he sat her down on one of the spare bails of straw that were stored in the space and pulled the gag off of her mouth.
“I fucking hate you! I hate you. I hate you. I. Hate. You!”
He knew she was lashing out, but the words pained him, and that was exactly what she wanted.
“Well, I don’t hate you,” he said softly.
“I don’t fucking care how you feel! I just want you to leave me the fuck alone, you asshole!”
Her eyes locked onto his, and that same wild desire that controlled her was back. He hadn’t seen it this bad since their ride to the ranch, and last time it was pure lust. This time, it was mixed with a hatred that burned bright. She was panting so fast that her chest was heaving with a drastic intake of breath, and he knew it wasn’t all from struggling and yelling.
“I think it’s time you faced your demons, Maeve. I’d normally never handle it like this, but there is something in you that is desperately trying to get out, and you need to let it. This reaction is way over the top, and it’s not you. The person I’ve seen under all this is wild but in a free-spirited and beautiful way.”
“This is the real me. Now let me go. I don’t want your stupid help. I just want you to leave me alone. He pulled his knife, and she flinched.
“Don’t you fucking dare touch me! I never want you to touch me again.”
He ignored her as he grabbed her legs and cut the zip ties around her ankles. She didn’t disappoint and tried to kick him, but he was ready for it. She was so inside of her own maddened mind that her movements were not strategic. They were like that of a scared alley cat.
Forcing her to stand, he walked to the stall door and turned her around, so her back was to him. With one swift motion, he cut the ties binding her hands and closed the door in place. The heavy steel lock clicked as it slid home. Her arms shot through the bars of the small window and tried to scratch at his eyes.
“Let me out of here!” Grabbing the bars, she slammed on the door, the walls vibrating with the abuse of her blows, but this stall would easily hold her.
“You need to cool off and face the demons that are making you act like this.”
He turned and walked away, and as he did, Maeve screamed wildly. The horses outside raised their heads and looked in the direction of the building as it banged and crashed, with her slamming herself against the door.
He ran his hand through his hair as he walked into the house and grabbed a bottle of water.
“Shit,” he swore and kicked the cupboard. “Shit, shit, shit.”
