Chapter 43
Bruce walked closer, a wicked smirk on his face as he greeted me with false pleasantries. “Well,
well, look who decided to show up. How have you been, Coco?”
My jaw clenched as my anger simmered just below the surface. I had hoped to avoid
any unnecessary small talk, but I couldn’t ignore the taunts. “Cut the act, Bruce. You called me here,
now state your demands,” I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.
Bruce’s smirk widened, and he leaned in closer, reveling in my difort. “I have to admit, I didn’t
think you’d ever amount to anything. But seeing you on the news, winning that court case, made me
realize you might have something to offer me,” he said, his eyes glinting with greed.
My blood ran cold at the mention of the court case. “And now you want my earnings?” I asked, not
masking my irritation.
Bruce chuckled darkly, circling around me like a predator closing in on its prey. “Yes, Coco. I want a
share of your winnings. You owe me after what you did,” he said, his wordsing out in a hiss.
“You seem fine,” I said, looking him over. “Still dodging you daily showers, it seems.” Bruce
chuckled. “I always did enjoy your humor, Coco.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not, Coco?” he persisted, his eyes darkening. “Hell, I don’t speak a lick of French, but damn
are you as darling as the word suggests.”
“God!” I huffed and forced my hands to my sides, suppressing the need to strangle him. “What have
you even been doing alll these years, Bruce? I mean, I besides extorting people.”
Bruce nced around and shoved his hands in his pockets, “I’ve been trying to get back on track.
Especially after you left home so suddenly. You really broke my heart, you know?”
“Didn’t know you owned one of those,” I muttered. “And you barely answered my question.”
His eyes narrowed. “If you’re wondering about your dear ‘ol stepmom, she’s doing
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all right. A little shaken still after step–douche died.”
My body shook at the mention of my father. I had almost forgotten about Laura, although she wasn’t
exactly receptive to my existence half the time. She had been pretty disturbed by my father’s death,
however.
“Are you still living with her?” I asked. I wanted to add if they were still in my father’s house, but I
honestly didn’t want to know.
“I swing by from time to time,” Bruce said, grinning. “She’s changed the ce up quiet a bit. With
your dad gone, she figured it was time to switch it up a little.”
I hadn’t nned on returning to that house, but the thought of Laura tossing out his belongings, and
likely my own, disturbed me. I had left so abruptly that I hadn’t had the time to really collect
sentimental items. It could have been Bruce trying to rile me up, but it didn’t feel outside of Laura’s
character to do this.
She hadn’t even reached out after I disappeared that horrible night.
“I’ve dappled in various odd jobs around town,” Bruce continued. “After paying for all those hospital
bills, it’s been a little difficult trying to get my life together.”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you expect me to feel bad for you? Sorry you never applied yourself when you
had the chance!” I retorted.
Bruce hesitated for a moment before his face twisted into a sinister smile. “Believe what you want,
Coco. It doesn’t change the fact that you owe me,” he sneered.
“I owe you nothing, Bruce. You were the one who made my life a living hell, and I’m done being
manipted by you,” I dered.
Bruce’s smile faltered. “You always were the naive one, Coco. Thinking you could escape your past
and start anew,” he taunted.
My anger surged, and I fought to maintain myposure. “I’m not naive anymore, Bruce. I’ve
grown since then, and I won’t let you or anybody else control. me ever again.”
As Bruce looked down at me with a heightened curiosity, my stomach churned with unease.
Coming out here was starting to feel a little less sensical, but part of me wanted to know. He had
survived after all, but he was returning with a
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vengeance.
If I hadn’t won, what would his intentions have been then? He had been contacting me even before
then. Of course, I shouldn’t fool myself into believing that his interest in me was strictly mary.
“You think I owe you something after everything you put me through?” I spat back, my anger
bubbling to the surface.
Bruce snorted. “Oh, you owe me, Coco. That little knock to the head you gave me left some
personal scars that need to bepensated for,” he said, his voice dripping with venom.
“I didn’t do anything that you didn’t deserve!” I snapped. “And it seems you lost a few brain cells
after the fact.”
Suddenly, his fist was gripping the roots of my air and I was being mmed against one of the
storage units. My vision shed white as my head hit the sheet siding of the building and I groaned
in pain.
Bruce leaned in, his sour breath invading my nostrils. “Still mouthing off I see.” His finger and thumb
took hold of my chin as I attempted to look away.
“Don’t act like you didn’t miss me,” he whispered. “That little boyfriend of yours could never
measure up. Admit it.”
“Get the fuck away from me!” I gave him a hard shove, sending him stumbling backward. “I’d rather
douse myself in fire than let you touch me, you filthy asshole!”
In that moment, his smile disappeared, and his shoulders hunched over. I took a few steps away
and crossed my arms over my chest.
“I’m not giving you any money,” I stated. “So go crawl back into whatever gutter you came out of.”
Anger shed in Bruce’s eyes, and he lunged towards me, demanding, “Don’t make me ask again!”
Common sense seemed to finally kick in right then. Right as he reached out to grab me, I turned
and sprinted down the long pathway. Bruce began shouting my name and I could hear his heavy
footsteps behind me as he gave chase.
“You could’ve made this a lot easier for me, Coco!” he yelled between pants.
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I turned the corner, finally reaching an opening. There was some relief in seeing. my car left
untouched and still in the lot. As I struggled to get my keys, I felt something hard hit the back of my
head.
A shockwave of pain rattled my skull, and I stumbled forward. My vision blurred and I reached to
touch the back of my head before losing the strength in my legs.
I copsed to the ground, my face smacking against the concrete. Bruce’s footsteps. grew slower
as he approached, his boots the only thing in my line of sight.
“Change of ns,” he grumbled. After nudging my legs with the tip of his boot, he sent a hard kick
into my ribs, causing me to cry gasp for air. He then
out and grabbed my arm and hoisted me up.
As darkness enveloped my vision, thest thing I heard was Bruce’s maliciousughter echoing in
my ears as my eyelids fell shut.
I had walked right into his trap.
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