13. Chapter Twelve
CHAPTER TWELVE
MARGERY
A whole day had passed since she woke up in Max’s house. He had been true to his word and fed her several times while also keeping an eye out for Ethan. Max didn’t know his name or any details besides that there was someone after her.
The storm had let up several hours ago, but Max didn’t want her to leave yet. She had tried to, and he threatened to restrain her to the bed, even showing her the cuffs. That made her quiet. She didn’t want to be tied to the bed when she didn’t know Max very well.
What if he decided to do something to her? What if he decided he wasn’t going to let her go? She didn’t want the possibility of that so she stayed quiet. if she had to go to the bathroom, he would let her go, but besides that, she would have been stuck in bed.
“Can I leave now?” she asked. “The storm has let up, and it’s sunny. I feel a lot better. ”
Max looked at her for a couple of seconds. She started to fidget, not really liking his stare. It didn’t feel right.
“I can take you into town. Your car isn’t working and won’t work unless you want to spend thousands of dollars fixing it,” he replied.
She groaned and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. While she had money saved, it wasn’t saved for her car.
“I so totally didn’t need that to happen,” she mumbled to herself.
“Then you shouldn’t have been driving to begin with. Do you know how foolish that was? You could have been seriously hurt. You could have died.”
Margery glared at him. “I don’t use my car a lot.” That was information he probably didn’t need to know. “And I was trying to get away from my stalker, remember? It was either be kidnapped or killed or driving in the rain, and I picked driving in the rain. Was that foolish? Absolutely. Did I know that? Yes. It was better than staying and getting killed or kidnapped.”
Margery normally wasn’t the type of person to talk back, but he was getting on her nerves. He was being rude and saying things that were true were uncalled for. They didn’t know each other, and he was acting like they had known each other their whole lives. It was just a little too weird for her.
“You live in New York City?” he questioned. “Before you get all panicky on me, you said you didn’t use your car a lot. Which means you either work from home or you live in the city and walk everywhere.”
“Yes, I do. I walk everywhere.”
He made a tsking sound and gave her a disapproving look. What was that for? There was nothing wrong with living in the city or walking everywhere. It kept her kind of in shape and also let her be outside. If she didn’t walk anywhere, she wouldn’t be outside at all.
“Do you walk alone?” he asked.
Margery gave him a weird look. “Umm, yes, I do.”
“Such a bad girl. You shouldn’t be walking alone in New York City. Anything could happen.”
“That’s why I carry a knife in my purse.”
She had safety precautions. She wasn’t glued to her phone when she walked so that she could be alert. When she first moved to her own place, she started to take self-defense classes. Did she last long? No, but she did learn a couple of moves.
Not that it mattered. It obviously didn’t do her any good because she had frozen the other night when Ethan grabbed her. Margery blamed it on being shocked he was alive, but she froze when the guy at her house had a gun to her head.
“A knife isn’t going to do much if it’s in your purse. You’ll have to grab it and open it. By that time, they could already have their hands around you and hurt you.”
“I can’t believe you are lecturing me about this! You don’t know me!” She raised her voice.
“Someone obviously needs to do it. You aren’t, so I’ve decided that I am. Get over it.”
Her mouth hung open. Did he really just say that to her?
“I don’t give you consent to! You can’t do this!”
“Good thing I don’t need your consent to give you a scolding. You have put yourself in so much danger that someone needs to step in. You can’t take care of yourself!”
Okay, he might have a point, but he didn’t need to be calling her out on it. He wasn’t going to be the one to make sure she was safe and secure or check that she wasn’t doing anything dumb. She didn’t know him, and if he was acting like this right now, she didn’t want to get to know him.
Would he be an abusive if they got to know each other more?
That wasn’t something Margery wanted to find out or even consider.
“I think I should leave now,” she gently said. “I’ve overstayed my welcome, and I need to leave.”
“The only way you are going anywhere is if I take you. You are still hurt and shouldn’t be walking several miles until you hit another person’s house. Not happening.”
Margery opened her mouth, but before she could speak, there was a knock on the door.
“Were you expecting anyone?” she asked.
She prayed he was, and it was a friend. There was no way out of this house besides the front door or window next to it. What if it was Ethan? How was she going to get out?
“No, I wasn’t. Probably a neighbor or the sheriff asking if I’m all right. Give me a second,” he replied.
Margery watched in fear. She didn’t have a good feeling about it. The ball in her stomach grew and sank down, and she started to bite her fingernails. What if it wasn’t a neighbor or sheriff?
“Maybe you should take your gun,” she said before he reached the door. “Just to be safe.”
He gave her a weird look. “Not gonna take a gun when it’s just a neighbor or sheriff. No point. After I’m done talking to them, we’re going to head into town and find you a ride to the city.”
Max opened the door, and she tried to look around, but his body blocked the doorway. Who was it? Was it a neighbor or the sheriff?
“I’m here for my girlfriend. Found her car close to your house.”
Her eyes went wide, and her blood ran cold. Shit. Ethan was here.
Margery pushed herself to the edge of the bed and stood. Her vision blurred as her head swam. She should have gotten up slower, but she didn’t have time. She needed to hide somewhere Ethan couldn’t find her.
She couldn’t let him see her.
Max turned around as her vision cleared. “Didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend. Here he is.”
The color from her face drained as he took a step to the side and let Ethan into the house. She looked at Max with pleading eyes. He needed to get him out of his house right now. But she had a feeling it was too late already. Ethan was in the house, and he could do anything.
“Do you have a car? She shouldn’t be exerting herself much since she has a concussion. Or I think she does. Got a little training from the military,” Max rambled.
The tension was thick in the room. So thick someone could cut it with a blunt knife. Could Max not tell, or was he choosing to ignore it?
“Yeah, I’ve got a car. Don’t want my Little one to exert herself too much while she’s hurt,” Ethan said, a sweet smile on his face.
Margery didn’t like that one bit. He was up to something.
“Good. I would probably get her checked by a doctor when you get home. There might be some other things wrong that I couldn’t diagnose,” Max continued to talk. “But you already knew that. Did you know she has someone after her? Has she told the police yet? Probably should do that so they can look into it.”
If only he would pick up what she was trying to tell him. Ethan was her stalker. He was the man who she was trying to escape from. The police didn’t deem him a threat but just a secret admirer instead.
“Thank you so much for keeping her safe while I got here. It means so much to me, and yes, I did know she had a stalker. We’ve notified the authorities.”
“Please, help me,” she whimpered.
She needed Max to know this was the guy. His eyes went wide as he looked between her and Ethan.
“Is this?—”
But before he could finish his sentence, Ethan had a knife against Max’s neck. Gasping, she stared at the knife.
“Please, don’t,” she begged.
There was no reason why someone had to die.
“Stop talking,” Ethan shouted.
“Ethan, please don’t hurt him. He hasn’t done anything.”
Ethan’s gaze met hers. “I heard every word. He was planning on keeping you, but he can’t. You’re mine ,” he growled. “You were a naughty girl running from me yesterday. Do you know what happens to naughty girls?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice.
“Naughty girls get punished.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Max growled.
Margery winced. It wasn’t the best time to be asking questions. Not when Ethan had a knife pointed at his neck and could easily kill him.
“Ethan. Ethan Montgomery.”
Max’s whole face went pale at the mention of his name, but her eyebrows furrowed. Montgomery ? She didn’t remember his last name being that. Why did he change it?
“Shit. How did you get involved with Ethan Montgomery?” Max asked.
“I didn’t get involved with him!” She raised her voice. “He’s been stalking me.”
“Just take her. I don’t want her.”
Her eyes went wide. She didn’t know why she was so shocked by Max’s words. Part of her thought he wouldn’t give up so easily. Max had said he would keep her safe, and yet, here he was, giving her up.
“I don’t need permission from you,” Ethan scoffed. “A low life.”
“Just let me go and take her. I won’t tell anyone a thing.”
“You won’t tell anyone. You know why?”Ethan tilted his head and smiled.
She waited for Max to answer, but he didn’t.
“I asked a fucking question,” he growled.
“Because you’ll cut my tongue out?” Max asked.
A thoughtful look passed over Ethan’s face. “No, but that isn’t a bad idea. Maybe I should torture you a little. Make my girl watch as you slowly bleed out.”
“I promise I won’t tell anyone!” Max yelled. “I’ll stay up here for the rest of my life and not talk to anyone.”
“Too bad I don’t trust you.”
Before anyone could say anything, Ethan pulled the knife across Max’s neck. She watched with wide eyes as blood spattered across the room and started to pool out of his neck.
Ethan looked directly at her with a grin. “Now he can’t tell anyone.”