Chapter Five

Driving back to Bec's home, Marnie felt like she was being watched. Again, she could've sworn she saw a white truck in her rearview mirror, and knew it had to be him. Trying to ignore the fear, she briefly thought about calling the police. It was the knowledge she would have to drag Rebecca into this mess that stopped her. She would never do anything to jeopardize her sister.

It wasn't until she locked the door behind her that she felt safe. She cooked a light dinner then took a shower and put on sweats just as the distant sound of thunder rolled. She loved storms, the wildness as they buffered the land. Rebecca would always turn the stereo up to drown out the booming thunder, but Marnie would dance in the rain. Stepping outside, she leaned on the deck railing to watch the tempest brewing on the horizon. Lightning briefly lit up the sky, the jagged arcs a powerful yet deadly beauty.

A gentle pawing on the glass door caught her attention and she turned. The cat meowed, even though she couldn't hear it, and she smiled. Heading back inside, the cat wove around her legs, begging as only a cat could. Marnie smiled and headed for the pantry.

"Are you hungry again? Making up for lost mealtime? I know. My sister is a terrible sitter."

She opened a can of wet food and the cat jumped onto the island. Marnie sat the can down and the cat practically attacked the food. She stroked the soft fur and the animal pushed its rump out to maximize the petting.

"If this was my place, I wouldn't allow you on the island. But it's Rebecca's so I'm not going to worry about cat cooties."

Marnie left the cat to eat and headed upstairs to shower. She gave Bec forty-eight hours before she started bugging her sister to return. Here she was, once more saving her sister's butt, the good and reliable twin whose sister always walked all over her.

She quickly showered, lathering up her hair before rinsing off all the soap. She headed into her bedroom to slip on some pajamas before drying her hair. The cat came into the room, jumping up on the bed as Marnie slipped between the sheets. With the feline purring loudly, she fell asleep.

Dreams about the dark-haired sexy thug traipsed through her mind. She tossed and turned a lot as arousal shot through her body. A noise woke her up, her heart rate thumping out of control. As she rose up on her elbows, a hand covered in cloth suddenly slapped over her mouth. A pleasant, sweet odor wafted through her nose, blanketing her thoughts. Plunging her back into dreamland.

****

She woke up slowly, her mouth feeling like cotton. A sweet taste lingered in the back of her throat. As she blinked her eyes open, the unfamiliar décor acted faster than any cup of coffee. She sat up, her head spinning a little, and as she moved, her gaze swam a little.

The unfamiliar room was large, with an en suite bathroom attached. A large recliner rested in one corner. She lay on a king-sized bed but when she tried to get off it, she realized her leg was shackled to the bedpost. Not with chain links, but thick steel cable wire attached to a leather cuff lined with sheepskin. They didn't dig into her skin despite the thick padding, proving that she was being held captive.

Fear tried to take over. Although she didn't know who kidnapped her, it wasn't much of a stretch to figure out it was Mr. Psycho. How did he get her? She thought back. Standing on the deck, turning to see the cat, and … damn it! She forgot to lock the deck door. Trying not to think about her blunder, she instead thought about how she was going to get away. The man was clearly deranged and who knew what he was capable of, but if she gave into terror, she wouldn't be able to keep her wits to escape.

"Hey!" she yelled as loud as she could get. "Hey, asshole!"

A moment later, she heard footsteps outside the door, and she crossed her arms. Mr. Psycho opened the door, holding a plate and a glass of water. Part of her hated how good-looking he was. A tight Henley outlined his huge muscles. Jeans rode low on his hips. He was barefoot, and even his damn toes looked good. One eyebrow lifted over beautiful dark eyes, framed by thick black lashes.

"You rang?" he asked, setting the plate and glass on the nightstand next to her. She saw it was a cut-up loaf of bread.

"You kidnapped me!"

"I did."

She blinked. "Why?"

"To stop your attempt to blackmail Dan."

"Oh my God," she groaned. "I told you he was fired."

"Not good enough. Especially when you threatened to tell his wife on Monday."

She was going to wring Rebecca's neck for this mess. "Then what would convince you?"

"We're gonna get it in writing."

She blinked. "What?"

"On Monday we're going to my lawyer to draw up a nondisclosure agreement, then you're free to go."

"That's two days away!" she exclaimed. Then there was another thought. "And Monday is a holiday."

It was his turn to look a little stunned. "Fuck."

"Let me go and I'll meet you there on Tuesday."

His lips settled in a frown. "Yeah, like I'm going to trust you," he snapped.

She didn't want to throw her sister under the bus, but she wanted to be a captive even less. She had to tell him.

"I'm not Rebecca!"

"Really?" It was obvious he didn't believe her. "Then who are you?"

"Her twin. I'm Marnie. Didn't your sleuthing uncover that we're identical twins?"

He cocked his head. "Sounds like the plot of a bad movie."

She rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot as well as an asshole."

"And you're a prostitute. Probably not a smart one since you thought a fireman could afford a five-thousand-dollar fuck."

"You are so … so … irritating!"

"Pot, kettle."

"Ug!" she growled and banged her head on the headboard. "If you let me go now, I won't press charges. We can forget all about each other."

"Except for Tuesday, right?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied quickly.

Maybe a bit too quickly as his gaze narrowed. "And will you forget Monday?"

She blinked. "Sure."

He tilted his head. "You don't remember your ultimatum?"

"No, because I'm not Rebecca! I've never talked to your friend or seen him."

"You said you'd ruin his marriage on Monday."

"Oh, my fucking God," she moaned in exasperation, and Rebecca's words came back to her. "If your friend was or is cheating on his wife, then perhaps his marriage was already over. Why is it never the man's fault for sleeping around?"

"Granted, he's a moron," he replied with a nod of his head. "But extortion is completely different from fucking around."

She sighed. He was never going to believe her. "Listen. If I promise to drop his bill, and all the blackmail goes away, will you fuck off forever?"

A slow grin spread across his lips. "Yes. But I have a feeling you're just saying that."

"I will convince Rebecca to do it." She held up a hand when he opened his mouth. "All you have to do is check my social media page. You'll see pictures of me and Bec. We're named after Alfred Hitchcock movies."

He paused. "I always liked Marnie better."

"Me too," she said, with a small smile. "And not just because it's my name."

They stared at one another, and for a moment, something flared between them. Not animosity, something else. An awareness, or more like a connection. She wished she could say something to make him believe her. Initially, she didn't tell him about her sister in a misguided sense of sisterly devotion as well as protection. Now, however, all she wanted to do was make him realize the colossal mistake he'd made.

"Please let me go," she whispered. If she had to beg, that's what she'd do.

He ignored her pointing to her shackles. "That's long enough to reach you bathroom, but not the door."

Then he turned to leave.

"Wait!" she cried and he paused. She nodded to the bread. "Is that the only food I'm getting?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a book?" she asked. "Or a television?"

"No."

"So, I'm to just lie here and twiddle my thumbs?"

"Yes."

"You're a dick."

Any softness he had shown toward her was gone. "I think we've already established that."

She huffed. "What's your name?"

"None of your business."

"People are going to miss me, you know. I have multiple jobs. And there's a cat in the house that'll starve."

He raised an eyebrow, as if he didn't believe her. "Your clients are going to be disappointed. I'm sure that used and worn cunt of yours is a-okay with giving it a break."

His vitriol hung like poison in the air. She may not be the high-end prostitute he thought her to be, but he did have those thoughts about her sister, and she refused to give him any more ammunition. She may not like Rebecca's choice of work, but she would defend her until her last breath.

"I hate you," she whispered.

"Yeah? Good. You should hate Dan, too. He's the reason you're here."

He flipped off the light and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone in the dark to plot how she was going to strangle Mr. Psycho.