“So, you want me to relieve myself right here,” she said as if it were a real possibility at present. “Are you going to clean it up, since my hands are tied? Maybe that will remind you of the fact that I am your child and the time you actually loved me.” She got slightly sassier with her tone.
“Shut up, you insolent chit!” George lifted his hand in the air, making her squeeze her eyes shut and brace herself for the slap. “Oh, all right,” he muttered in a reluctant voice and hunkered down to untie her ropes.
Melissa felt a wave of hope wash over her as he slowly undid her bonds. She’d thought he would really slap her for a second, but something had made him stop.
Is he having regrets about kidnapping his own daughter?
She wondered if her plan was beginning to have an effect.
“Do not try anything silly,” he said in a stern voice, poking his gun into her ribs. “Let’s go.” He yanked her up roughly, sending hot bolts of pain shooting up her arm.
She felt the tight grip of his hand on her raw wrist and grimaced as he led her outside.
Once outside, she looked around and tried to see if there was anything at all that she could use as a diversion. Daniel’s lessons floated at the back of her mind as her eyes frantically searched for anything useful.
“Hurry up!” she heard her father shout as he took a few steps back and left her behind a bush. “And don’t think I can’t see your every move from here!”
Hunkering down behind the bush as if she were about to empty her bladder, she spotted a tiny mouse scampering away from her foot. The idea fell into her head. She quickly shot up and screamed.
“What in the blazes do you think you are doing?” her father cried angrily as he came rushing forward and pushed the barrel of his gun into her ribs.
“There’s a mouse!” She faked a few tears and clung to his arm as if she were still a child. “It ran over my foot!”
“For Heaven’s sake!” he swore under his breath and began looking on the ground for the offending creature.
Melissa took the opportunity to break free from his grip and started running off in the opposite direction as fast as she could.
“Stop!” George shouted and fired a warning shot from his gun. “Or the next one will be in your leg, my dear!”
His thundering voice made her stop dead in her tracks. She took one last look at the trees around her. Beyond those trees was the freedom she was longing for but had to unfortunately give up. She raised her arms in surrender and turned around. The sight of her father’s hate-filled eyes made her blood run cold. She was trying to be brave and fight back tears, but the mind-numbing fear was making her wonder if she was going to survive this ordeal.
“That was a very weak attempt at an escape.” He sniggered. “You cannot escape your fate, my dear. Now, behave and be the obedient girl I raised you to be.” He grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the cottage.
He pushed her through the open door, then flung her to the ground and swung the door shut behind him.
“Get in the chair.” He motioned with his gun and kicked her foot when she wasn’t moving fast enough to his liking.
Doing as he asked, Melissa sat in the chair and waited for him to redo her bonds, beginning to cry out of frustration more than anything else. “Why are you doing this me!?” she shouted between sobs. “Surely there are other ways you can make your fortune.”
“Shut up!” George growled at her. “Do you really think there is a way for me to make an honest living when you and your sister along with your mother cast me off after the wedding to Darragh?”
“Do you blame us for what happened?” she asked incredulously as she realized that her father was blaming them for his own greed and bad decisions.
“Of course, I am blaming you!” he roared with the same hint of madness that had been in his eyes when he’d held the poker in his hands. “Everything was going great until you lot decided that everything needed to be fair and played by the book.” He raised his hands on either side of his head. “So, what if I did a few things that I probably should have thought through? Is that any reason to ruin a man’s life?” He sat back down. “Enough of your insolent chattering, you’re making my head hurt.”
Melissa wondered if her father had had a mental break at some point in the past that caused him to blame others rather than take accountability for his mistakes. She felt a strange pang of pity as she looked at the man who had clearly taken a wrong turn somewhere in life.
They both lifted their heads and looked at the door as a strange rustling sound came from outside.
George barely had time to reach for his gun once more when the cottage doors flew open, revealing Daniel in all his glory with a full belt of weapons.
“Let her go!” Daniel yelled, storming into the room. “Negotiation time is over!”
“Daniel!” Melissa shouted, tears of relief streaming down her face. She was so happy to see him that she felt a glimmer of hope for the first time since she had been kidnapped.
“Well, well,” George drawled, an evil grin contorting his face. “If it isn’t her knight in shining armor. How commendable of you.”
“Please.” Daniel slowly stepped forward, removing his hand from a dagger on his belt. “There is nae need for anyone to get hurt. Let’s sit an’ discuss this calmly between us.”
