Page 98 of Coercion

How the fuck could she work for them? After what they did to her family?

I snarl, slapping her hard across the face. My hand leaves an imprint that’s vivid across her cheek. I’m not above hurting women when it’s needed, when it’s called for. They may be called the fairer sex but they’re just as capable of violence when the situation calls for it.

And my wife here is proof that they can be just as untrustworthy.

But somewhere deep inside, my heart twists, because I fell for it. I fell for this creature of deception.

She lets out a whimper as she comes back around. As her eyes focus on me she starts to tremble enough that the chain above her rattles.

She looks horribly drunk now, she looks like she’s at the stage where she’s not fully in control of herself and yet reality is biting so hard.

Her eyes dart about the stark room then they settle back on me. Fear flashes in them. Maybe it’s finally hitting her how truly fucked she is.

She licks her lips, her hands twisting against the ties I know are cutting into her skin.

“What the fuck have you done, Ruby?” I growl.

She shakes her head.

“Tell me.” I shout.

Her chest is rising and falling heavily. The little slip of a dress she has on should make me feel something akin to sympathy after everything we’ve been through, but right now, it just makes her look more like a she-devil.

“What were you lying about?” I ask. “What information did you pass onto Gunnar?”

She shakes her head more violently. “I didn’t. I promise you, Preston…”

My hand slaps her again. I don’t want to hear her pleas, I don’t want to hear the way she says my name. She betrayed us, she openly admitted it and now, suddenly, she’s trying to pretend otherwise?

“Please…”

“None of that.” I growl. I don’t want to hear how sorry she is. I don’t want to hear her beg. There’ll be time for that later. Rightnow, she needs to tell me how involved she is and what else Gunnar is up to.

“Did you help him plan the attack today?”

Her eyes widen. She gulps. “He didn’t…” She swallows. “I tried to stop him.”

“Like hell you did.” I snarl.

She squirms in the restraints. Her body jerks. The chain twists and her feet lose traction on the floor. She kicks out falling backwards, crying out in pain as her arms take the full impact of it.

I grab hold of the front of her dress, yanking her back.

“If I have to beat the answers out of you, then I will.” I say.

“I don’t know anything.” She cries. “I don’t know what he did…”

I grab her jaw, forcing her to look at me. “You already told me you do.” I state. “You already admitted you’ve been lying to me.”

Her eyes flash with fear. She sobs harder but no matter how many times I slap her, she refuses to admit anything.

I step back, already knowing what I have to do, what will make the girl give me the answers I want.

Ordinarily, we have Blaine for this kind of work.

He likes to get his hands dirty.

But I’m just as effective as he is, though his methods might be more crazy than mine, when I need to, I know exactly how to extract information, how to make someone talk.

---