Page 111 of Coercion

That she didn’t.

She didn’t even attempt it.

She put her own life above mine, decided I wasn’t worth risking her own skin for.

My anger flares, the grief that I’ve carried all this time twists inside me. “Was Jett with you this entire time?” I ask.

She nods. “We got out of the country, we had allies in Europe who we knew could help us.”

“What about me?” I scream, as my anger suddenly takes over. “What about me?”

She wrings her hands, her face contorting with guilt. “Levi had you. We couldn’t get you out, to even try would be…”

“What?” I cut across her. “What would it be?”

She gets up turning her back to me, staring out the window as if it’s suddenly all too much for her. As if she expected this reunion to go better, that I’d be so overjoyed she’s alive, I’d overlook the fact she left me for the jackals.

“Do you know what they did?” I ask. “Do you know how they treated me?”

“I couldn’t do anything, Ruby.” She says so calmly, like my pain means nothing to her. “I would have, believe me.”

“I don’t.” I say crossing my arms, feeling the way my skin protests at how my muscles move underneath it. “You left me to Levi, you let them hurt me, beat me, rape me.”

“No.” She hisses, covering her ears like that will make it all go away.

“You did that,” I shout. “You let them do that.”

The door slams open. Jett comes in as if he’s suddenly her loyal defender, her knight in shining armour.

“You’re awake.” He says, stopping at the end of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“How, how am I feeling?” I repeat, looking from him to her.

Is this a joke? Is this all some god awful joke?

“I feel like shit.” I scream. “I just found out that she’s alive, that you both have been, and apparently you were safe and well this entire fucking time.”

“Ruby.” My mother says, telling me off like I’m still a child. Like she has the right to parent me.

“You need to calm down.” Jett states.

“No.” I say, pushing my body up, forcing myself to move. “I need to go back. You’re taking me back.”

I can’t trust these people. I can’t trust anyone.

My legs sway under me as I force myself to stand.

I’m wearing a pair of shorts so at least my bottom half is decent. My head spins for a second and I grab hold of the bedside table to steady myself.

“Not a chance.” My mother says dismissively.

“You really want to go back to him?” Jett sneers. “After what he did to you?”

“You’re one to talk.” I growl. “You abandoned me, you left me for dead. I doubt you cared what happened to me.”

“We couldn’t get you out.” My mother says.

“Did you even try?” I say, as my tears spill down my cheeks.