Til Debt Do Us Part (Married At Midnight #4)

Chapter 2

Two

Talia

T he engine roars as the speedboat races up the coast. The icy sea spray stings my face. Chilly air fills my lungs as I exhale, almost as if it were providing me with the energy I need to keep going. I watch as the bright sunlight dances across the ocean, the waves lapping against the sides of the boat like a symphony in motion. It is beautiful, but I can't focus on it for long.

It's hard to forget the violent kidnapping I just went through only hours ago. I shiver against the crisp, briny breeze as I replay it in my memory. I squeeze my eyes closed and wrap my hand around my pregnant belly; the memory is sharp and harrowing.

My eyes open and slide from the endless blue ocean over to my captor. Burn stands at the helm of the speedboat, looking startlingly like his twin brother. As he put his hand over my mouth and whispered threats to get me to board the boat, I couldn't help but notice that he even smells like Dare.

Burn turns just a hair to see that I am still slumped against the leather seat behind him. There is a glint of satisfaction that I see in his eyes that gives me a chill. A glint that my husband Dare would have given me not so very long ago. It fills my heart with icy dread.

I swallow, touching the delicate skin covering my windpipe. My throat burns from screaming for help. But now that we're on the sea, no one will hear me out here.

The main question in my mind is how the hell I am supposed to escape this time. I cast my gaze around. It lands on Burn's crumpled black tuxedo jacket carelessly thrown on the seat beside me. I narrow my focus and scoot toward it, wondering if there might be a cell phone tucked inside.

Burn grips the wheel, turning his head briefly to glance at me. "Don't do it."

I flush. "Do what?"

My voice comes out as a surprising croak. Burn shakes his head and stares straight ahead.

"Whatever you're thinking of, Talia. I can practically hear you trying to think of a way off this boat. I'm telling you, don't even bother cooking up a plan."

I scowl at him, my fingers curling into fists. "You can't keep me on this boat forever, Burn. I was at my own party when you kidnapped me. Eventually, your brother will notice that I've gone missing and come looking for me."

Burn chuckles darkly, his eyes remaining fixed on the horizon. "I'd like to see him try."

"What do you want? Where are you taking me?" I yell at him, exasperated and hoarse.

He shrugs a shoulder. Indignation floods my chest. I rise up and lurch toward him. I'm unsure what I intend to do, but I'm full to the gills with ire and fury.

He turns, letting go of the helm, and uses a single big paw to shove me back. I tumble backward onto the deck, falling on my ass with an undignified whoof .After the initial moment of shock, my entire backside throbs.

Burn extends a finger and grits his teeth. "Sit down and be a good little wife or I'll make you wish you had listened."

I scramble onto my knees, my backside burning. Getting back onto my seat is awkward and embarrassing. My entire body is ungainly, my pregnancy getting in the way. I heave myself back into my seat and scowl.

The shore is a thin gray line, fading into the distance. Panic rises in my chest. There's no escape, no help coming. I'm truly at the mercy of this madman.

Burn glances over his shoulder, a smug smirk on his face.

I can feel his eyes on me, like he's taking pleasure in my fear. A shiver runs down my spine, but I refuse to let him see me cower. "What do you want from me?" I ask, my voice trembling slightly.

Burn turns back to face the sea, his expression unreadable. "Dare was too blind to see what a manipulative little witch you are. But I know. I have had my eye on you since you appeared in Dare's life."

"You're insane." I struggle to stand, bracing against the railing. The boat leaps onto another wave, pitching me sideways.

"I'm the father of your baby."

My eyes widen. My mouth goes dry.

How could he possibly know?

"What?" I stammer. “That’s crazy.”

Even to my own ears, my protests sound flimsy and forced.

Burn erupts with a chilling laugh. "For a deceptive whore, you're terrible at lying. You might as well not even pretend. My memory of our night together might be hazy. But I have proof."

He pulls a folded piece of stock paper out of his pocket. He flings the paper at me haphazardly; it catches on the breeze and flutters up, tumbling across the back of the boat.

Out of sheer luck, I'm able to stick my hand out and catch it before it flies off the back. I glare at Burn's back as I unfold it, thinking that the paper could easily have been lost forever.

When I look down at the paper, my breath screeches to a halt inside my lungs. It's a photo booth reel of four quick images that feature two drunk girls stacked on the laps of two brawny guys. Everyone is dressed to the nines and laughing hysterically; from the flush in their faces and the slightly disjointed gazes, I can see that they are extremely drunk.

Olivia and I are the two women, without question. In half of the pictures, Burn and his friend are obscured by Olivia and I grinning at the camera. But in the bottom two photos, we have sat back... and I am clearly sitting on Burn's lap, laughing and having the night of my life.

A sense memory leaps forward in my mind. Burn teased me and tickled me to get me to lean back and let him be in the photo. I remember the cool swish of his suit pants against the bare skin of my back thighs. A cacophony of raucous laughter. The feeling of Burn's fingers tightening around my waist. The almost imperceptible sound of my fingernails scrabbling at Burn’s clothed thighs.

"Oh," I say. The word is so small it's almost lost in the wind that whips around my head.

Burn snorts. "Yeah, oh . I can't believe my brother is such a fucking idiot. He's going to kill you when he finds out that he's not the father. I hope you're ready for the approaching storm."

I open my mouth to fire back a retort. But he just holds up a hand to silence me.

"We're almost to where we're going. Sit back and keep your mouth shut or I'll dump you overboard and let you drown."