Page 123 of Coercion

Half the ground gives way beside us leaving a gaping hole that I know is littered with spikes, and we’re now trapped between it and the raging river behind.

“Ruby.” Preston murmurs.

A second later gunshots go off. I duck, hiding myself against his body but he’s not just lying there, he’s pointing, shooting, fighting just as much as everyone else is.

“Run, Ruby.” He says.

I shake my head. “Not without you.”

“No one is going to hurt you.” He states. And we both know the reason why that is, that I’m the prize, the reason all this shit is going down.

I can see Preston’s men now. I can see Nico, coming out of the trees. And that man, Blaine, he’s practically dancing in the hail of bullets like he’s the very god of death himself.

My mother’s men fire back. Even she has her own gun and is busy taking pot shots.

I can’t tell who is winning or losing but we’re pinned here, trapped, while the shooting goes off around us.

“Run, Ruby.” Preston growls again.

“I won’t leave you. I won’t.” I state.

“You’ve already done enough.” He murmurs, cupping my cheek. “You already told me over the phone what this is.”

So he did hear it. He did understand.

Relief spreads across my face at the fact he knew I wasn’t setting him up. That I was doing whatever I could to warn him.

And then that smile is wiped right off my face as a white hot searing pain hits me from the collar. I scream out, wrapping my hands around it, as the tears stream down my cheeks.

“Ruby.” Preston shouts.

A shadow covers us and, as the pain recedes I lie, panting, staring up at my mother.

“You never were obedient.” She chides me. “Perhaps your new husband will do a better job of teaching you than your old one has.”

“I’m her husband.” Preston growls, throwing his arms around me protectively. “No one is taking her from me.”

“No?” My mother muses. “What if we were to takeyoufrom her? Eliminate you from the equation.”

“Stop,” I gasp. “Please, please just stop. You can have the diamonds, you can have it all. I just want Preston. I just want…”

“I don’t give a fuck what you want, Ruby.” My mother hisses. “This isn’t about your wants, this is about mine. What I need. What I deserve.”

“And that’s a cold hole in the ground.” Preston spits.

My mother laughs. “No, I will have so much more than that. Now that Levi is dead, I will finally have what I set out to gain five years ago.”

“Take it.” I hiss. “Take it all, just leave us alone.”

She scoffs. “Like your husband and Nico Morelli would ever allow that.” She spits. “You think I don’t realise they’re already trying to secure my mines, trying to take it all.”

I frown, glancing at Preston and I can see from his face that it’s not a lie.

Heistrying to take it, he’s trying to claim all my family’s inheritance.

My mind flits back to that conversation, when we found out Levi was dead, when I told him he could take everything from Gunnar and he refused to even discuss it.

Has he been lying this entire time?