Except these men, of course. Hunter would probably insist on standing right beside her while she completed the whole process.
Only one other excuse came to mind. Something that might make Hunter uneasy enough to just let her go—that or take her to Mack.
“Well, since you are so damn nosy—” Marley crossed her arms and made sure to put extra attitude in her voice, “—I can’t sleep without him. Besides, he hasn’t given me a good night kiss.”
There was a brief pause.
“I don’t think so, Princess. Mack Grey hasn’t been with a woman in years. He can manage one night without you. Whatever fairy tale you’ve dreamed up is dead wrong. Mack lives and dies by the team.”
Marley bent over and grabbed Hunter’s fingers, trying to peel them off her skin. “That was before me, asshole.”
Maybe this guy really did need a boot in the face. How could he be so callous? How could he not realize that Mack was a human being with wants and needs?
Hunter didn’t loosen his grip in the least. Shit, shit, shit. If she hadn’t stopped cussing after Maddie was born, she’d say the words out loud instead of just in her head. Maybe if she stomped on his arm with her leg.
A deep sigh filled the air. Marley froze, her fingers levered beneath the tips of Hunter’s—which hadn’t budged even a little.
“Let her go, man. If she is lying, you really think she’ll make it very far in this jungle in the middle of the night all alone? And if she’s telling the truth, Mack probably does want her by his side. We saw how protective he was of her,” Riser said, his voice light but strong enough to carry.
God bless that man. She’d have to give him a hug after everything was said and done. Other than Mack, he was the only one on her side.
“Riser—” Hunter threatened.
“Let her go. I’ll follow her if it makes you feel better, to make sure she gets to Mack safe and sound.”
With a low growl, Hunter released her ankle and Marley had to resist the urge to shake out her leg. She did the most prudent thing instead and thanked Riser before beating a hasty retreat toward the edge of the woods.
“He went the other way, darlin’,” Riser’s voice grated. Marley did an about-face, this time circling around the group of men so as not to get trapped again. She made it about three feet into the woods before she allowed herself to breathe again. Needing to release the adrenaline pounding through her veins, she found the nearest tree she could find and collapsed against it, hands on her knees, panting for air. As if the close proximity to her pocket triggered something in her brain, Marley peeled open her pocket and fumbled for her phone.
Remember Maddie. You’re doing this for Maddie. Mack can save her.She swiped the screen and unlocked it. She just needed to see her baby’s face and then she’d turn her life over to Mack’s strong capable hands. The first thing that popped up was the last text message, Ramsey’s terrible words threatening her even now. Marley gulped, the bile rising in her throat at the thought of any harm coming to her daughter.
Mack would know what to do. He always knew what to do.
“I should have known.”
Marley choked to see Mack’s brutal visage lit up by the light from her phone, his features stark.
“Mack—”
He snatched the phone from her hand and scanned the screen. His lip curled and she felt any hint of warmth drain from her body. “I was coming to tell you—”
“Shut up. Don’t open your lying mouth again.”
“But—”
“Shut your mouth!” Mack roared.
Marley instinctively cowered, her hands trembling. Oh God, she had to make him listen. She had to make him hear the truth. “Please, Mack, please listen to me.”
Mack turned the phone around, grabbed the back of her neck, and shoved the screen within an inch of her face. “This message tells me everything I need to know. You were lying to me the whole fucking time. I believed you. I…” Disgust dripped from his every word. His intense gray eyes were nearly black in the darkness.
Marley felt her hope for the future crumble. “It’s not how it looks. I don’t work for him.”
Fingers loosened the tight hold on her neck and he flung her away, violence radiating from his pores. He gave her his back, shoulders heaving with harsh breaths ripping through the night air.
He wouldn’t believe her. She wasn’t sure she would believe her either. She’d stayed silent for too long, and the most plausible reason was that she had worked for Mankel the whole time.
This man who never trusted anyone had opened up to her and she’d betrayed him. Completely betrayed him. Oh, God.
But she couldn’t give up, not now. Not ever. She had to make him believe her.
Marley threw herself at his knees, clasping her hands around his legs. Mack tried to shake her off, but she wouldn’t let go. She would never let go. “Mack, he’s got Maddie in his crosshairs. He said I had to lead you to that location or he’d kill her. You have to believe me.”
Mack glared down at her, his lips curled in the same snarl as before. “You know, I really thought you loved your daughter. But no mother would use her child as an excuse. I bet you don’t even have a daughter.”
