He sighs like I’m the one being unreasonable.
“You always were emotional, Holley. It’s exhausting.”
Tiffany jerks her restraints. “Get away from her, you sick bastard.”
He turns toward her slowly. “And you—little Hellion. You’re going to fetch a nice price. I’ve got buyers who love fire.”
She spits at him again.
He dodges it this time.
He smiles.
The kind of smile that makes my stomach twist.
“We leave in twenty minutes,” he says. “Be ready.”
He gestures to one of the men. “Tape their mouths.”
The man steps toward Tiffany first.
“Don’t,” she says sharply. “Don’t touch me.”
He reaches anyway.
And Tiffany’s knee snaps up where she managed to sneak and break the ties on her ankles—slamming him square in the groin.
He drops with a guttural cry.
Eric swears. “Enough.”
He steps toward her himself.
Something in me snaps.
“Touch her and I swear?—”
“What?” he interrupts with a laugh. “You’ll kill me? Holley, stop pretending you’ve ever had that kind of spine.”
He grabs my jaw again.
And I feel it then?—
Something deep.
Something old.
Something I thought he had broken.
A spark of self that refuses to die.
“She’s tougher than you,” I hiss. “So am I.”
His eyes darken. Anger, pure and cold.
“You got nothing here, Holley. No leverage. If I didn’t want the money so bad, I’d make you feel my wrath. Make yourselves presentable,” he dismisses me , stepping back toward the door. “Our transport arrives shortly.”
He leaves without looking at us again.
