Free Forced: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (The Blackthorn Brothers Book 1) by Cali MacKay Page A

and you’re getting married. It’s the only way to keep you safe from my enemies. And if you need some motivation to get you down that aisle, just know that you won’t see a dime of your inheritance or your trust fund if you don’t get married. I’ll cut you off completely—and I’ll die worrying about you.”
    Just in case his threat wasn’t enough, he could always fall back on good ole guilt.
    “That’s really nice. Just couldn’t resist throwing that one in there, now could you?” I cursed under my breath—and at this point, I’d agree to just about anything to get out of this house.
    “Given my declining health, you’ll be getting married this weekend. So I suggest you use the time wisely to find yourself a nice dress.”
    This weekend? He was giving us no time to back out of this.
    “You can’t be serious, Dad.” I wanted to scream—not that it would make a difference.
    “You know I am.” My dad then shifted his attention to Ash. “The men who killed your father and are threatening your family will be dealt with as soon as your marriage is official.”
    Ash nodded, even as I got to my feet, thoroughly done and desperate to leave, my anger finally breaking free. “Well, I’m glad the two of you are getting your way—and to hell with what I want.”
    My father just shrugged. “One day, you’ll thank me.”
    By the time we got out of there, I was so frustrated and angry, I could burn the world down. Yet Ash just drove us away, letting me curse and rant until I could no longer find any words, and I just sat there in silence, stewing in my fury. Forty minutes later, we were pulling up to a secluded home tucked away in the woods.
    “Welcome home, little bird.” Ash killed the engine and gave my hand a squeeze. “Though if you prefer we stay elsewhere for now, I can arrange that too.”
    “No… This place is as good as any.” Until I could get the hell away from this nightmare and back to San Francisco.
    I followed Ash up to his front door, his home an eclectic mix of modern yet rustic charm, designed, no doubt, to take in the beauty of the wilderness that surrounded the home, with large walls of glass, the nearest neighbors and roads too far away for privacy to be an issue. And the interior was no less impressive. “This is really nice, Ash.”
    “I’m glad you like it—though if you want us to get a different place that’s both of ours from the start, we can do that too.” He set aside our bags and pulled me into his arms, my body’s reaction to him immediate.
    “This is fine—especially since I’ll only be here for a few months.” As soon as my dad was gone, I could go back to living my life the way I wanted, instead of being dictated to and manipulated into a life I wanted no part of.
    “Wren…do you really think your dad’s going to let you back out of this marriage, even after he’s gone?”

 
     
     

     
    I knew Patrick Turner well enough to know that there’d be no way he’d let Wren wrangle her way out of this marriage as soon as he was gone. “I guarantee you he’ll have put some sort of stipulation into his will that forces us to remain married. And since he knows you well enough, I’ll bet it also states that we need to be living together.”
    “Are you fucking kidding me?” She glared at me as if this was all somehow my fault, but as her eyes shimmered with tears again, I couldn’t help but pull her into my arms even as she fought me. “Let go of me, Ash. I fucking hate this.”
    “I know, love.” I brushed her tears from her cheeks and let her go, needing her to come to terms with our situation without trying to force her into it. She was already showing signs of coming around and hating me less, and I didn’t want to ruin what progress we’d made. “But like I said, I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy—because seeing you upset has been fucking killing me.”
    “I get that this isn’t your fault—but it doesn’t make it any easier to