Page 7 of Coercion

Iknew this day would come. I wasn’t stupid. I knew my uncle only kept me alive as cannon fodder. Something to use. A spoil of war to be traded when the right opportunity presented itself. And I’ve played the game as best I could; kept my head down, kept away from him and all his men. I’ve become so compliant I’ve forgotten who I am now. Who I was too. My father must be turning in his grave at the perfect obedient daughter I’ve pretended to be for the man who murdered him.

But not anymore.

I can’t do it anymore.

If I stay, if I let them get away with this, I’ll become just like her, like my mother. My life will be a repeat of hers. Sacrificed for the greater good of my family. Shackled to a man, forced into a marriage I don’t want, forced to endure the brutality and violence and everything else that comes with this life, with being Mafia.

I gulp, trying to steady my nerves. My hands are shaking. My heart is hammering as I stand here waiting in the shadows. I just need a little bit of luck and perhaps the entire trajectory of my life will change.

Dear Uncle Levi had me packed and onto a private jet this morning, surrounded by his men, naturally. I’ve been guarded better than the crown jewels. Whoever it is I’m marrying, Levi is definitely getting a hefty payday from it.

As soon as we landed, I was shoved into an SUV and driven to this nondescript house. The only saving grace is Finn is here. Over the years he’s gone from lackey to trusted guard. And between us a friendship has grown. He’s protected me when he can, when it won’t put himself at risk, and for that alone I’m grateful.

But tonight he was the one who approached me. I don’t know what made him do it. I haven’t really stopped to question it, but when he said he could get me out, I didn’t hesitate to follow him.

His head pokes up between the stacked up barrels. “Let’s go.” He whispers.

I get to my feet, shadowing his footsteps. I don’t know this compound, I don’t know where the cameras are and where the blind-spots are. I won’t risk putting a foot in the wrong place and ending up caught.

I haven’t got anything with me. I didn’t have a bag to pack or anything to put in it. All I have is the battered old jeans and top I’m wearing.

“Climb in.” Finn says lifting the tarp off the back of one of the trucks. I hesitate for a millisecond.

He thinks we can simply drive out of here?

“They’ll let me pass.” He says, answering my unspoken question. “Just keep silent. Once we get to the city we’ll get you on a train and away from here.”

I nod. Get on a train. That sounds as likely as flying to the moon right now.

But I don’t voice that. I just clamber in, huddle up, praying that some greater power is looking out for me right now.

He straps it back in place and I sit in the strange hue of light created by the plastic covering me. I don’t know how long this journey is going to take. I don’t even think we’re near the city. The compound we’re in is isolated. I didn’t see a single building nearby.

As the engine roars to life, I can feel the base beneath me vibrate. I doubt there’s much suspension in the back. This is going to be a seriously uncomfortable ride but it doesn’t matter.

Nothing matters.

If I had to be strapped to the damned wings of a plane to get away, then I would do it. I would risk everything.

And in truth, I am.

I’d rather die than let myself be sold on like this. Be used like this.

No, they’ve taken enough from me, stolen enough.

I’m done playing along like the little victim.

I’m done letting these arseholes dictate my life.

Preston

It’s late in the evening. I’ve spent most of the day clearing the house, making it secure. If I’m going to be sharing it with a potential spy then I want to make sure I’m not leaving us wide open to attack. Not for the first time I consider renting somewhere else and sticking my new wife there, but I get the feeling Nico will not be happy about that - he’s already said he wants to keep an eye on her. And besides, it hardly fits with the whole happy marriage thing, does it? I need to at least put on a show.

As I’m locking the last of some papers away into the safe, the knocker goes. I know Sidney will answer it so I don’t bothermoving but I look up when I see Nico standing there in the doorway with a bottle of whiskey in one hand.

Normally we meet at the bar to discuss business and anything urgent he would have called ahead, so though I know this isn’t a good sign, whatever he wants, it can’t be a complete catastrophe.

I gesture to a chair and he struts in the same way he enters everywhere; as if he owns the place and if he chose, he’d have it wiped off the face of the earth with barely a second thought.