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blindly through the forest right now, trying to find a main road to somewhere .
    The closer to home Ed got, the angrier he became.
    Ella had broken their deal and set his alarm off in the process. If she wanted to get home so badly, he would’ve taken her there himself—and collected the $15,000. But by running off, she meant to cheat him out of the reward money.
    It was time Ms. Emerson learned another lesson.
    And when he caught the girl, he planned to teach her a very long and painful one—across his knee.

    * * *

    As Ella ran and ran, one thing became clear: Ed Peters really did live in the middle of nowhere.

    Though she dared not run on the gravel road leading away from the house, she ran parallel to it inside the thick forest. Running in her hiking boots wasn’t easy.
    What I wouldn’t give for a nice pair of tennis shoes, she thought, ignoring the pain in her ankles.
    Mr. Peters’s driveway carried on for miles and miles it seemed, though Ella knew she probably hadn’t yet completed a full mile. She still had her wallet, so she had enough cash for a night or two in a hotel without having to use a credit card.
    After that, she would have to face her family—
    and Brandon Andrews, the fiancé she secretly despised.
    Ella had planned to honor her deal with Ed Peters until simply being around the man had become unbearable. Last night, when he’d visited her in the guestroom, she’d been certain he was about to spank her. But to her delight, not only did he understand, he’d smiled a smile that had melted her heart—only to snap angrily at her before locking the door.
    Breakfast this morning had been torture, silent torture.
    But then he’d shown up in the guestroom with his demeanor changed yet again. Ella suspected Ed Peters was playing a mind game with her—from kindness to coldness to anger to kindness to silence to kindness again. It was all too much. Not only that, but Ella hated how this man’s moods seemed to affect her. Nothing made her happier than seeing him smile…but why?

    Yes, he was handsome and a little mysterious.
    OK, very mysterious. But their relationship had been nothing more than a business deal, she reminded herself. A business deal and nothing more . The thought of Ed Peters exchanging her for money in a few days made Ella want to scream.
    Yes, Ed Peters was heartless. The devil. Worse than Brandon Andrews.
    Ella’s sorrowful thoughts were interrupted by a noise; it was a shout. She slowed just long enough to glimpse Mr. Peters closing in on her. They crashed on the forest floor with a thud . After a brief struggle, Ella found herself pinned down face first, with her hands restrained—in handcuffs!
    Obviously, running parallel to the driveway hadn’t been smart. Shouting obscenities up at Ed Peters probably wasn’t very smart either, but that didn’t keep Ella from vocally cursing his soul to the depths of hell. Oh, she hated the man! The bounty hunter…the devil…the man more heartless than Brandon Andrews.
    “Let me go, asshole!” Ella screeched as she writhed beneath Ed on the forest floor. Pine needles and dirt and weeds stuck to her body. Fallen twigs scratched at her legs as she continued to struggle.
    “Not a chance,” Ed said into her ear. He smelled of sweat and anger.
    “Get the fuck off me!” she screamed, unsuccessfully attempting to kick her legs up.

    “We are going back to the house now,” Ed said, his voice cold and furious. “Are you going to walk, or should I throw you over my shoulder?” The thought of being carried over Ed Peters’s shoulder angered Ella to no end. “I’ll walk myself,” she hissed, and stood up with Ed’s help. He made no move to remove the handcuffs. Ella tried to shake the forest floor from her face, but it was no use. With her hands secured, she headed for the house with Ed trailing behind. It was humiliating.
    As the house came into sight, Ella’s anger gave way to a deep-rooted fear. She’d attempted escape, set the