“Kids tend to do that,” I replied dryly. Among the other things about him that angered me, I was still more than a little annoyed that he had insisted on not only inserting himself into our trip but also our lives. I told myself I wouldn’t dwell on it. This weekend was for Kennedy. I wanted to fit as much good and happiness into her life, needing to erase the terrifying week she’d endured.

“What I’m trying to say is she seems like a happy kid. John was adamant that you’ve done a great job with her.”

“Remind me to thank him for the compliment.”

“I do not like your attitude, Shelly.” His voice deepened from lighthearted to dangerous, but I refused to let him intimidate me.

“Bite me.”

Real mature, Sheldon.

I’d no sooner spoke the words than Keenan hazardously turned the car onto the side of the road. I thanked my lucky stars that traffic was light while keeping the panic at bay. We stopped with a screech of tires as rocks and dirt flew around us.

“Have you lost your mind?”

He ignored me as he pulled out his phone. His keystrokes were quick and angry. Whatever message he sent must have been short because he had already pocketed it again.

Shortly after Dash and Q’s cars pulled up beside us. Keenan hopped out and opened the backseat, unbuckling Kennedy’s seatbelt, who by some small favor was still asleep. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, but by the time I made it around the car, Keenan already had Kennedy strapped in Dash’s car.

“What’s going on?” I heard Dash question.

“Sheldon and I need to have a private conversation. Take Kennedy and we’ll follow you.”

“Dash, don’t!”

I expected that if anyone helped, it would be Dash, but when he shook his head, I felt my confidence waver and panic rear its ugly head. “I can’t help you anymore if you’re going to keep giving in. You need to work it out,” he said before driving off.

“How could you just take my daughter?” My rant was cut short when Keenan tossed me over his shoulder. “Stop!” He walked the short distance back to the car, but when he bypassed the passenger and rear door, confusion took the place of my anger.

He quickly popped the trunk, and the next second, I landed inside. The hard impact jarred me and before I could recover, the door slammed shut.

* * * * *

After an hour of riding in the trunk, I suffered from motion sickness. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he purposely weaved in and out of traffic to taunt me. Another hour passed, and I had just begun to drift to sleep when the car came to a hard stop. Before I could brace, I rolled and hit the wall of the trunk, and with a grunt of pain, I settled back into place just in time for the trunk to open.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Keenan’s face was a blank mask of indifference that was far more chilling than anger. At least, when he was angry, I could tell what he was thinking and even predict his next move.

“Are you waiting for an invitation?”

I allowed for my contempt for him to show and then slowly climbed from the trunk. My muscles screamed in protest so I took a moment to stretch and breathe in the fresh air.

“Feeling better?”

“Why did you do that to me?”

“Because you needed it.”

“I needed it? You think I needed to be locked in your trunk like a bag of groceries?”

“I meant you needed time alone to think. You were acting like a child so I treated you like one. Think of it as a timeout.”

“You son of a—”

“Finish that sentence, and I promise you’ll make the rest of the trip feeling worse than a bag of groceries.”

“I hate you.” Surprisingly, saying it out loud didn’t make it feel real—as I would have hoped.

“You don’t hate me yet, but you will. I’ll make sure of it.”

I stared at him incredulously. “Why would you want me to hate you?” And why did I care?

“Because it will make being with me that much harder on you, and then you’ll feel what it was like to be without you.”

“After four years, you still don’t get it, do you?”

“What am I supposed to get, Shelly?”

A part of me couldn’t believe that I would do this on the side of a barren highway, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I didn’t leave you because I didn’t want you. I left you because I realized how much better and stronger I was without you. You, who were cocky, arrogant, spoiled, and unfaithful, you actually believed you deserved—no, you believed you were entitled to me. You weren’t, and you never will be. It doesn’t matter how much pain you cause me or how much control you have. I’ll never truly be yours again.”