Boss Daddy, page 12
But other than that, this place was lovely.
You don’t want to leave him.
She pushed that thought from her mind. That had nothing to do with her regret. She might have thought about Mr. Markovich at least two hundred times since he’d dropped her off at home on Saturday afternoon.
And yes, she might have checked her phone at least that many times to see if he’d texted.
But it meant nothing.
Nothing.
She just wanted to know that he was all right, that was all. To make sure that he hadn’t been caught up in another attempt to hurt him.
That thought made her feel ill.
She didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
Grumbling to herself, she itched at her nose. Shoot. She was peeling. She hated peeling.
She grabbed her key from her backpack. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside. Only to come to a stumbling stop as she noticed too late that the RV wasn’t empty.
“Who . . . who the hell are you? What are you doing in here?”
He was sitting in the back of her RV on her bed with . . . eww, a pair of her panties in his hand.
Shit. Shit.
“You need some better panties. These are plain and boring.”
“Sorry my panties aren’t up to your standards. I’ll do better next time.” She dropped her backpack and took a step backward.
“Don’t even think about it,” he snarled. “Shut that door and stay right there.” He gestured at her with his other hand. That’s when she noticed the gun he held. He’d had it hidden in her bedding.
Oh, hell.
“Don’t even think about screaming, bitch,” he snarled at her. “I won’t hesitate to shoot. Supposed to bring you in so the boss can ask you some questions, but you can still talk with a bullet in your leg.”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “If you shoot me now, then I’m going to lose a lot of blood, go into shock . . . your boss will have trouble getting me to talk then.”
He scowled at her. “Just don’t fucking yell. Or boom.”
Right. Got it.
If she yelled she went boom-boom.
She gulped. Fear held her frozen. At this point, she wasn’t even certain that she was breathing.
Get it together, Dahlia.
Think. You have to think. Save yourself.
“Pull all the curtains,” he commanded.
Fuck. He’d been sitting on her bed because she’d left the curtains drawn in that part of the RV. Why had she done that?
“Now,” he snapped.
She moved around the RV, drawing all the curtains and shades.
“Who . . . who are you?” Was he the guy who had been asking Mr. Hubert about her?
“None of your business, bitch. I’m here to take you to the boss. Try to escape and I’ll end you. Try to scream and I’ll end you. Try anything at all and—”
“You’ll end me. I get it. You’re not exactly imaginative with your threats.”
Where had that come from?
Get on his good side, Dahlia.
The last thing she needed to do was rile the asshole up. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t like the feel of a bullet entering her flesh.
“I’m going to throw up.”
“You fucking throw up, bitch, and I swear I will rub your face in it.”
Eww. How was that going to help anything?
“How did you get in here? W-what do you want?” She curled her hands into fists. She had to stay calm.
Giving in to the panic threatening to override her would not help.
“You left the back window open, you stupid bitch. Don’t you know you’re just asking to get robbed?”
Fuck. Had she? She didn’t even remember. She glanced around, searching for her courage. Her gaze landed on Ricky Rhino, her only toy from her childhood. Her mother hadn’t really believed in buying her or her sisters toys unless they were educational. But her father had brought Ricky Rhino back from a business trip for her.
And she adored him.
He needed her.
She couldn’t freak because Ricky Rhino needed her.
She couldn’t just give up.
It wasn’t just about her now. There was Ricky and the others to think about.
She had no idea who this guy worked for or why his boss would want to talk to her. But if it was anything to do with Mr. Markovich, then she didn’t intend to tell him a thing.
Not that she knew much.
Unfortunately, she had a very low pain tolerance, so she knew she wasn’t going to be able to withstand any sort of torture. And if they found her ticklish spot, then she was toast.
Which meant she had to rescue herself and Ricky Rhino.
And in the future, she really had to remember to shut and lock all of her windows.
She knew better. But she’d been excited about her mission today. And about testing out her new bike.
Idiot. You’re an idiot.
“Now what?” she asked. “You’re not going to get me out of here without Mr. Hubert seeing.”
“That old fart. He’s been fucking patrolling around all day, making it hard to get near this place. I finally managed to sneak in once he went in to watch the game.”
She regretted every bad thought she’d had about Mr. Hubert. She just wished he had no interest in football, or was it baseball? She had no idea. But it was likely something with a ball.
Unless it was synchronized swimming . . . no wait, that wouldn’t be considered a game.
“Yo, bitch. Are you listening to me?” he snarled.
She really hadn’t been, but she nodded anyway.
“That fat dick isn’t going to see me because you’re going to drive right on out of here.”
“What? You want me to drive us?”
“Yes. And hurry the fuck up. You took forever and I was fucking bored as shit sitting in here.”
“Sorry. Maybe you should bring something to do next time you decide to kidnap someone. Like a crossword or sudoku. They’re really good for your brain, I’m sure you don’t want to be doing this job forever. Feels like it would be high risk.”
His face grew red. “Just fucking drive us out of here. I’ll give you directions once we’re out of here.”
“I have to disconnect the power, though. And pack up my stuff.”
Her beautiful bike and her rescues. What would they think if she abandoned them?
He raised the gun so it was pointing at her thigh. “I can incapacitate you and drive myself. Makes no real difference to me. You might bleed out. But that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
Okay.
It wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.
Her heart raced so hard she thought she was going to pass out. She wasn’t made for this sort of stress. She stumbled toward the driver’s seat. To get to it, she had to pass the asshole. She turned side-on, but she still brushed up against him. Her skin crawled. Nausea bubbled in her tummy.
You can do this. You got this.
For Ricky Rhino.
Oh, Lord. The panic threatened to pull her under. Her breathing grew rapid.
“Fuck me, your body feels good. I don’t even mind that you’re a bit skinny.” He grabbed her breast as she moved past, and she lost all control over the panic.
It engulfed her. She gasped for breath, unable to fill her lungs.
Suddenly she was back there. With him.
Unable to fight back. Unable to say anything. Unable to find anyone who would listen to her.
Believe her.
“Fucking stop that!”
A keening noise penetrated the fog in her ears. Who was making that noise? They sounded so scared. So lonely.
“Shut up, bitch. If anyone comes over here, I will kill them.”
What? Who?
Oh, God. She couldn’t breathe.
Something landed against her stomach. Something hard that sent pain radiating through her body. What little air had been in her lungs escaped on a whoosh.
She curled up into a ball as another kick landed against her thigh.
A sob broke free. She gasped in a breath. One. Then another.
“Fuck! Can’t even kick you properly in this fucking shitty tight space.”
Wow. Really? Was he expecting her to apologize for not being able to kick her properly?
“Get the fuck up, bitch. Fucking weirdo.”
She was a weirdo for having a panic attack over him groping her?
Asshole.
But he stepped back and she managed to get on her hands and knees. She guessed him kicking her had stopped her panic attack from getting a hold of her.
Dahlia managed to get her feet under her, but she swayed as she stood and had to lean against the kitchen counter.
“Come on, bitch. I don’t have all day.”
Then maybe he shouldn’t have grabbed her. Or kicked her. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she limped toward the driver’s seat. Ricky Rhino was in the bed at the back of the RV. She wished she could have him with her, but she wouldn’t put it past this asshole to hurt him.
He had that sort of vindictive air.
“Mr. Hubert is going to know something is wrong when I just drive off without disconnecting the power,” she pointed out.
Also, he had her credit card number, so no doubt he’d charge her a hefty fee. Well, she guessed that was fair.
“Don’t give a fuck. Once we’re driving, he’s not going to come after you.”
He had a point. Mr. Hubert might call the police to complain about her, though. Especially if she drove erratically.
She could not let this asshole take her back to his boss.
If he did, she was dead.
She started up Lady Marmalade. It turned over three times before it caught. Shit. She should have been starting her every day. She didn’t like to sit for long without moving.
“What the fuck? How does this thing even go? It’s got black smoke coming out the exhaust.”
Yeah, the poor old girl needed some work.
She put the RV in reverse and then slammed her foot down the accelerator. The RV smashed into the power pole behind it. The guy stumbled then snarled at her.
“Do that again, bitch. I dare you.”
Damn it.
“Sorry, that was an accident,” she lied.
He grabbed her hair, twisting it tight until she whimpered. Then he pressed his gun into the back of her head. “Drive, bitch. Now.” He’d crouched down so he wouldn’t be seen through the front window.
Mr. Hubert came out of his house, puffing and yelling as she took off through the campground. She kept it as slow as she dared without the asshole behind her getting trigger happy. Mr. Hubert threw his fist into the air and was clearly yelling something at her as she drove past.
The asshole with the gun behind her started laughing. “Stupid old coot. Hope he has a heart attack and dies.”
She gasped. “That’s a terrible thing to say.”
“Newsflash, lady. I’m not exactly one of the good guys. And I don’t give a fuck about some old bastard running a campground.”
Right. She tried to breathe evenly, her mind fighting with her body. She had to stay in the here and now. She couldn’t hide. She couldn’t panic.
Her body ached from where he’d punched and kicked her, and she was struggling to keep her eyes on the road.
Don’t hurt anyone. Just find a way to get free.
“Go right,” he directed. “We’re getting out of this Podunk town. Bunch of crazies live here.”
Actually, she thought the majority of people who lived here were lovely.
Maybe she’d played her hand too early by slamming the accelerator down. If she could time it when Lady Marmalade really had a tailwind behind her and he was relaxed into a false sense of security, then maybe she could get out of this.
Reaching for her seatbelt, she secured it over her.
“What are you doing?” he snarled. “Why are you putting your seatbelt on?”
“Um, because it’s the law,” she said. “You don’t want me to get pulled over for not having a seatbelt on, do you? I mean, I’m willing to take the chance, but I figured you wouldn’t be.”
“Fine, bitch. I’m going to be sitting right here, though. Don’t try anything or I’ll—”
“End me. I get it. Again, you’re not very imaginative with the threats.”
He sat on the small seat behind the passenger seat. It didn’t really fit his long legs, so he had them in the aisle.
Shit. What was she going to do?
They were heading out on one of the quieter roads that lead away from town. There was little likelihood that they’d be stopped or seen by anyone. She wished she could get hold of her crowbar or stun gun, but they were both in her backpack which she’d stupidly dropped.
Please let Mr. Hubert have called the cops.
That was the best-case scenario. Could she reach her phone? It was still in her hoodie pocket
But she didn’t think she could take it out without him seeing. Maybe she should try though.
Kind of dumb of him not to check whether she had her phone on her.
She checked and saw he was looking out the back window. As quickly as she could, she drew it out and brought up the last message she’d sent to Mr. Markovich.
Dahlia: SOS
She slid the phone back into her pocket as they headed up a hill. Coming down the other side could be her best chance at getting away.
“Fuck, this thing is a piece of junk,” he said.
It was. But she didn’t appreciate him insulting Lady Marmalade.
They reached the peak of the hill and Lady Marmalade shuddered.
Come on, Lady M. Don’t fail me now.
Instead of easing off the accelerator, she kept her foot heavy on it. Because if she lost control, then she was at as much risk as he was.
“Fuck, slow down, bitch!”
“Sorry!” she called out. “Oh fuck! What’s that?”
“What?”
“That! That! Look!”
She waited until he stood up, then turned the steering wheel to the left then right as she slammed the brake with a scream.
She was shoved up against the seatbelt. The breath smashed out of her as Lady Marmalade started moving from side to side. His body fell past her, hitting the windshield with a crunch.
With a terrified yell, she was shoved to the side as Lady Marmalade rolled onto her side with a groan.
Fuck!
13
Dahlia moaned.
She hurt. Everywhere. What the heck had happened?
Even her toenails hurt. That wasn’t normal.
She opened her eyes. What . . . what was going on? Panic flooded her. Where was she?
She glanced around and it took a while for her brain to take everything in.
She was in the driver’s seat of Lady Marmalade. But she was sitting sideways.
Why would she be sitting sideways?
That made no sense.
But neither did her sore toenails . . .
She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but her ribs complained.
Shaking, she reached for her seatbelt. Thank God she’d had it fastened, she’d hate to think what might have happened otherwise.
Glancing around, she whimpered with a mix of pain and confusion. Her body was trembling and there was glass everywhere.
What happened?
It came rushing back at her. Someone had been hiding in the RV. With a gun. And he’d insulted her panties. Jerk.
Okay, he’d done more than just insult your panties. There are more important things to focus on.
Oh, God. He could be anywhere.
Move, Dahlia.
It took her several attempts to undo the seatbelt. Her hands were trembling so hard she thought she was never going to manage it. Finally, it gave way, and she let out a sob of relief even as she fell against the passenger seat, bruising her arm.
Well, what was another bruise, right?
Finally, she managed to scramble up onto her hands and knees. Her head was throbbing and she felt ill.
Where was he?
She had to get out of here. What if it caught fire? A rush of cool wind hit her and she realized that the windshield was smashed.
Focus, Dahlia.
Get out.
It took longer than she would have liked to reach the back of the RV. She had to climb her way through the mess. It felt like the whole thing had been shaken apart and there was stuff everywhere.
But thankfully, not that asshole with the gun.
Her chest hurt, she was guessing from where the belt had bit into her. That could have been what saved her life.
She searched through everything frantically. Where was he? Where was Ricky? Finally, she saw his gray form and she let out a sob of relief as she grabbed him. Now she just had to get out of here. The RV was lying on its side so the door couldn’t open. She needed another way out.
Window!
Feeling pleased with herself for thinking that, she looked around. Part of her was aware that she wasn’t thinking clearly, but she couldn’t get rid of the panic and fear rocking her.
Adrenaline surged, giving her the energy she needed to keep moving.
Reaching up, she managed to open one of the windows. Then she pushed herself up and out. By the time she was sitting on top of Lady Marmalade, her entire body was trembling and she was gasping for breath.
Pushing aside her pain and fear, she glanced around. The RV was partially blocking the road and it was growing dark and cold.
And she still had to make it down the side of the small motorhome. A cool wind whipped through her, making her shiver. But she was most definitely not going back into the RV to get something warmer to wear.
Nope. She was never going in there again. That asshole had ruined her safe place.
Bastard. If she could, she’d kick him. See how he liked it.
Right, there was no other hope for it.
“We’re going to have to slide down, Ricky Rhino,” she told the stuffed toy.
Ricky Rhino looked at her doubtfully. She got it. It wasn’t her first choice either. “We can do this, Ricky Rhino. We’re tough. We’re strong. We’re brave.”
