You're Mine, Maggie by Beth Yarnall Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Beth Yarnall
stolen gift cards. There was a wall of TV screens with different camera angles all over the store. I sat down in a wheeled office chair and scooted forward to watch Super Agent make his way out of the hallway and onto the sales floor.
Damn that man was sexy. The way he moved, like a panther, all sleek darkness and tightly packed power. My lady parts sat up like begging dogs, panting, tongues lolling. I reached out and touched his image on the monitor. I wished I could be the right kind of girlfriend for him. He deserved better than me. I guessed I was just going to have to work harder at it.
As Super Agent disappeared into the employee lounge, I switched my attention to the melee going on around the Estelle Landers counter. Lance was now sitting up. Tabitha held a cloth to his nose. I hoped it was broken. More people had joined the crowd and there was some jockeying for position.
Xavier was going to be sorry today was his day off. When this hit the news my phone was going to explode. Too bad I didn’t have it with me or I could FaceTime him footage from the security cameras. He’d like that.
My gaze tracked to the stockroom where Shasta had been killed. The camera angle on the other door was odd. If you opened the door, it would block you from being seen and then wouldn’t pick you up again until you were on the other side of the floor. Whoever rigged that shelving unit had to have known about that discrepancy.
“Hello, Maggie.”
I spun around in my seat. I’d been so wrapped up in my conspiracy theories I hadn’t heard the door open.
“Hey, Daryl.” Oh, crap. He was here to fire me. I could see it in his face. “I’m so sorry about what happened with Lance. I really didn’t mean to hit him. If you’d heard—”
“I know what he says about you. And to you. He’s a pig.”
“So, I’m not in trouble?” I went limp with relief. I really needed this job. And I suddenly realized how much I really liked it too.
“Oh, you’re in trouble,” he said, inching closer. “I saw you with that man. Who is he?”
“It’s okay. Security knows all about him—”
“No. Who is he to you?”
“He’s my boyfriend. I probably should’ve talked to you—”
“Should’ve? Of course you should’ve. You should’ve broken it off with him when you accepted my gifts.” He was close enough now that I could smell the coffee on his breath. “You’re mine, Maggie. Only mine.”
Ho-ly shit .
I’d worked with this man for almost two years and never thought…never saw. He seemed so harmless. This man with his mousy looks and timidity had killed Shasta. Because of me.
I cut my gaze to the monitors, hoping to see Super Agent on his way back, but the first floor was virtually empty now. The cosmetics department on the second floor was crammed with people. A fight had broken out between some of the reporters. I watched in dawning horror as the remaining first-floor employees filed onto the escalator to the second floor. Super Agent would be my only hope.
“He’s not coming,” Daryl said, regaining my attention. “I jammed the door. No one’s coming. It’s just you and me, Maggie. Forever.”
He reached out to touch my face. I leaned as far out of his reach as I could and came up against the counter.
“Ouch!” I reached out to touch the twinge in my side as Daryl showed me the syringe in his hand. “What did you…?”
My last coherent thought was that I wouldn’t get to make a better mistake than this tomorrow.
Chapter Twelve
I woke up all at once, gasping as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over my head. I tried to move but soon realized I was tied to the rolling chair from the security office. Daryl had secured my forearms to the chair arms and my feet were tucked up under me and strapped to the underside of the chair. He’d even bound me around the waist, cutting into my sore ribs. I wasn’t gagged so he must not have been too concerned about me screaming my head off.
I
Damn that man was sexy. The way he moved, like a panther, all sleek darkness and tightly packed power. My lady parts sat up like begging dogs, panting, tongues lolling. I reached out and touched his image on the monitor. I wished I could be the right kind of girlfriend for him. He deserved better than me. I guessed I was just going to have to work harder at it.
As Super Agent disappeared into the employee lounge, I switched my attention to the melee going on around the Estelle Landers counter. Lance was now sitting up. Tabitha held a cloth to his nose. I hoped it was broken. More people had joined the crowd and there was some jockeying for position.
Xavier was going to be sorry today was his day off. When this hit the news my phone was going to explode. Too bad I didn’t have it with me or I could FaceTime him footage from the security cameras. He’d like that.
My gaze tracked to the stockroom where Shasta had been killed. The camera angle on the other door was odd. If you opened the door, it would block you from being seen and then wouldn’t pick you up again until you were on the other side of the floor. Whoever rigged that shelving unit had to have known about that discrepancy.
“Hello, Maggie.”
I spun around in my seat. I’d been so wrapped up in my conspiracy theories I hadn’t heard the door open.
“Hey, Daryl.” Oh, crap. He was here to fire me. I could see it in his face. “I’m so sorry about what happened with Lance. I really didn’t mean to hit him. If you’d heard—”
“I know what he says about you. And to you. He’s a pig.”
“So, I’m not in trouble?” I went limp with relief. I really needed this job. And I suddenly realized how much I really liked it too.
“Oh, you’re in trouble,” he said, inching closer. “I saw you with that man. Who is he?”
“It’s okay. Security knows all about him—”
“No. Who is he to you?”
“He’s my boyfriend. I probably should’ve talked to you—”
“Should’ve? Of course you should’ve. You should’ve broken it off with him when you accepted my gifts.” He was close enough now that I could smell the coffee on his breath. “You’re mine, Maggie. Only mine.”
Ho-ly shit .
I’d worked with this man for almost two years and never thought…never saw. He seemed so harmless. This man with his mousy looks and timidity had killed Shasta. Because of me.
I cut my gaze to the monitors, hoping to see Super Agent on his way back, but the first floor was virtually empty now. The cosmetics department on the second floor was crammed with people. A fight had broken out between some of the reporters. I watched in dawning horror as the remaining first-floor employees filed onto the escalator to the second floor. Super Agent would be my only hope.
“He’s not coming,” Daryl said, regaining my attention. “I jammed the door. No one’s coming. It’s just you and me, Maggie. Forever.”
He reached out to touch my face. I leaned as far out of his reach as I could and came up against the counter.
“Ouch!” I reached out to touch the twinge in my side as Daryl showed me the syringe in his hand. “What did you…?”
My last coherent thought was that I wouldn’t get to make a better mistake than this tomorrow.
Chapter Twelve
I woke up all at once, gasping as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over my head. I tried to move but soon realized I was tied to the rolling chair from the security office. Daryl had secured my forearms to the chair arms and my feet were tucked up under me and strapped to the underside of the chair. He’d even bound me around the waist, cutting into my sore ribs. I wasn’t gagged so he must not have been too concerned about me screaming my head off.
I