Page 89 of The Pakhans’ Curvy Prize

He stammers something, but I don't listen. I open the door and point toward the exit. He scrambles past me, nearly tripping over his own feet in his rush to leave.

I stand in the empty office, my hands shaking with barely controlled rage. The situation is spiraling. Marla's name is being thrown around like gossip. Zach is actively hunting for her. Arina is suspicious. And the leak in my organization is still unidentified.

Everything is fucking falling apart.

I leave the Ivory Wolf and drive back to the cottage, my mood darker than it's been in weeks. The sun is setting by the time I pull into the driveway, casting long shadows through the trees.

Alex is waiting outside before I even reach the porch. His expression tells me something else has happened while I was gone.

"What the fuck is it now?" I ask, my voice rough.

Alex's jaw tightens. "Marla is getting antsy and wants out of the cabin."

36

MARLA

I hear Nick's SUV pull up outside, followed by the low rumble of voices on the porch. Alex and Nick are talking, their words muffled but clearly about me. Again.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table pretending to work on my laptop, but I've been staring at the same paragraph for twenty minutes. The walls of this cottage feel like they're closing in on me.

"She's been complaining all afternoon," Alex says from outside, his voice carrying through the window. "Says she needs to get out, see people, do something normal."

"Normal isn't an option right now," Nick replies flatly.

That's it. I slam my laptop shut and march to the front door, yanking it open hard enough that both men turn to look at me.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not capable of thinking for myself," I snap.

Nick's expression doesn't change. "We're discussing the situation," he says, walking past me into the cottage. Alex follows, closing the door behind him.

"The situation?" I repeat, my voice rising. "I'm not a situation. I'm a person who's been locked in this cabin for days while you three rotate babysitting duty like I'm some kind of liability you have to manage."

Alex crosses his arms, leaning against the porch railing. "You are a liability. That's not an insult. It's a fact."

"Then let me leave," I fire back. "I'll go somewhere else. Somewhere far away where I'm not your problem anymore."

"That's not happening," Nick says, his jaw tightening and his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Why not?"

Nick steps closer, his green eyes cold and calculating. "Do you really need us to explain this again?"

No, I don't. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm losing my mind trapped in my cabin. Sure, I chose this place for the solitude and privacy it offered, but that didn't mean I wanted to stay locked inside for the rest of my life.

"Hiding forever isn't a solution," I argue, my frustration boiling over. "What's your plan? Keep me locked up until he gets bored and moves on? That could take months. Years. I have a life, Nick. I have work."

Russ's SUV pulls into the driveway, distracting me from my tirade. He walks inside, takes one look at us standing in a circle like we're about to throw punches, then slowly closes the door.

"What now?" he asks.

"Marla wants out," Alex says.

Russ glances at me, then back at Nick and Alex. He doesn't take a side, just leans against the door and waits.

Nick takes a step toward me and it's all I can do not to take a step away. Not because he actually scares me. I don't think he'd physically hurt me. At least not for standing up to him. If I threaten his family or betray him... well, all bets off, I guess. Still, he's so intimidating, stalking me like he's a predator and I'm his prey.

"Word about you is spreading," Nick says. His voice is low and even, maybe a little softer as if trying to diffuse my temper. "Even my sister has heard rumors. She doesn't know who you are yet, but it's only a matter of time."