Page 11 of Coercion

As his scared face appears, my stomach turns and a wave of bile flares up. Of course he would be here, of course he wouldwant one last hit before his fucktoy is gifted away for another to use.

I drop my gaze, shame and revulsion already sweeping through me because, just like always, I can’t do a thing to stop this.

“You were stupid to run.” He says quietly.

Maybe my fear is making me reckless now because I scoff at him, folding my arms, showing him for once the real me, the girl that still exists deep down and not the petrified creature he always turns me into.

He crosses the room, sinking onto the end of the bed and I jerk away, far enough that his disgusting hands can’t touch me.

“Listen to me very carefully, Ruby,” He says. “This is what you’re going to do…”

I blink, listening to the words he speaks as if they’re not real. As if this is all some delirious nightmare of my imagination. God, if only.

“…Marry Preston Civello. Play the good wife, the good whore I know you are. Seduce him, make him believe you love him.” He instructs. “And all the while you’ll pass on every bit of information, everything you can to bring him and Nico Morelli down.”

I grit my teeth so hard I’m surprised they don’t shatter.

Preston Civello? That’s who they’re essentially selling me off to? Oh, I know who he is, I know all about him. They say the man is so cold he’s made of actual stone. That he doesn’t show emotion, that he sees it as weakness - and yet Gunnar somehow thinks I can make him fall in love with me? As if that’s possible. Hell would sooner freeze over than a man like Preston Civello would fall for me.

And worse, I’m meant to spy on them, him and Nico Morelli, I’m meant to pass on secrets; Christ, if they find out they’ll skin me alive, irrespective of if I’m this Preston guy’s wife or not.They’ll torture me, beat me, make sure my death is a warning to the entire world.

I can feel myself shaking, I can feel my fear growing. Seduce him? How can I possibly do such a thing? I don’t even know the first thing about sex, consensual sex anyway.

“Do what I ask and you can have your freedom.” He states, like he can promise me that. He might be Levi’s righthand man but ultimately he doesn’t have the power to offer such a thing. He’s not a Holtz. He doesn’t run this Family.

He shifts closer, placing his hand on my thigh and I shudder a wave of revulsion threatens to erupt from the pit of my stomach.

“Be a good girl, Ruby, be smart and make the right choices.”

Do I even have a choice in any of this? Besides, I don’t doubt the man I’m marrying tomorrow will be just as bad as Levi. Just as controlling and, no doubt, just as abusive.

My shoulders slump as I realise I’m going from one prison to another.

And as his hand begins to move over me, grabbing at me, I shut my eyes, I shut down.

I retreat back into myself and try to ignore the horror of what’s about to unfold.

Preston

Most men don’t dream of their wedding day. Most men don’t even consider what it will be like, if they even have one. But then again, most men aren’t in the line of business I am.

I stand stiffly with Nico beside me. My parents had an arranged marriage, as did my grandparents. It’s nothing unusual with our way of life and yet I’d never considered it for myself. Truth be told, I’d never imagined getting married at all. With death stalking your every move it seems a selfish thing to want to build a family, to want to put others at risk.

Besides, I’d never met any woman that seemed worth it.

Maybe that’s why I’m so stoic about this. I’m not leaving some loved one behind, I’m not making some grand sacrifice, in reality, this decision was pretty easy to make. It was logical. This is for the good of the Morelli Family and it’s the least I can do considering what Nico’s family have done for me.

As the music begins to play out, I don’t react. Nico and I have already agreed how we’re going to handle this. It’s a marriage of convenience, a way to seal the deal and while I’ll smile for the cameras, that’s all this is; a show. I’ll pretend until this alliance falls apart, if it falls apart, and at the least it’ll appease Nico’s conscience to have his goddaughter safely out of the way.

Nico shifts beside me. The church is full. Levi has his side packed as though he really does consider Ruby to his actual offspring. All his men have that trademark diamond pinned to their suit pocket. God knows how much those things cost. Each diamond shows the rank of the man wearing it. The bigger the diamond, the higher up the food chain they are, with Gunnar having a full five carat monstrosity that looks almost ridiculous as it glints under the stained glass window.

On relatively short notice it’s our men that fill out the pews to the right, making this look even more of a shotgun wedding than it already is.

Behind me I can sense them approaching. I can hear the tell-tale ruffles of a wedding dress, but I can hear something else too, above the music, above the merry little tune that’s ringing out around us.

She’scrying.

Something in my chest seems to thaw. I haven’t even laid eyes on her and already I feel something akin to sympathy - as if that’s an emotion I’m even remotely familiar with. Like I’m the kind of man that allows themselves to feel such weakness as that.

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