The Bed You Make, Chapter 6c
The back door of the limousine opened. “What was that abou-” Dara gaped at the man who slid in beside her. “I don't believe this!” she managed. “You know, when we first pulled over, I wondered if it might be something like this. But only for a second because I knew that you weren't that stupid!” Dara's voice rose. “How could you abuse your position this way?”
Marcus Taggert was not impressed by her anger. “What is going on, Dara? I talked to Alex, but I obviously misunderstood.”
“The fact that you're here violating my husband's rights tells me that you understood Alex perfectly.”
“Your husband… That almost sounded legit,” Marcus observed. “To someone who didn't know you like I do, Dara.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the leather seat. His body language broadcast an obvious message that he would not move from that position until his curiosity was satisfied. “So, you wanna tell me what's really going on? And please, no more of this bull you're trying to hand me.”
Dara was grateful for the surge of indignant anger that filled her. It provided her with an honest emotion she could feed upon during her confrontation with Marcus. That was a skill she'd developed over the years of practicing law. Dara knew she would need all that and more to convince Marcus that marrying Stefan was a decision of her own choosing.
“I will point out the obvious,” Dara began in tight, controlled voice. “You aren't my father, you aren't my brother, you aren't my lover. And the last time I checked,” she grabbed her purse from the seat beside her, “my driver's license said that I was over twenty-one.” Dara thrust the small plastic card in Marcus' face. “I don't justify my decisions to you.”
Marcus took the driver's license and silently studied it. “Dara J. Cassadine,” he finally read aloud. “You've jumped into this thing all the way, haven't you?”
“Yes, I have.” Dara retrieved her driver's license. She gave it a swift glance and made a mental note to ask her new husband just how the hell he'd managed to get her driver's license changed without her knowledge. Or her permission.
Dara's voice softened. “This marriage to Stefan Cassadine is what I need in my life right now.” Her words were close enough to the truth that she had no problem looking Marcus in the eye as she said them. Circumstances had made her marriage to Stefan a must. “So stop worrying about me. I am fine.”
“Okay.” Marcus stared Dara in the eye and lied to her as easily as she had just lied to him. “I'll accept that you've made this decision of your own free will.” He opened the back door and began to slide out. ‘But I won't stop', he thought to himself, “until I find out exactly why you did.'
