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“Shell,” Copper said, rising froripped her upper arms “What did he say to you?”

She struggled against his hold He had to stop touching her if there was any chance of holding it together “I was too young to handle that kind of choice,” she said, then laughed “Though I’d choose the same today, sick as that is I never really saw it as a choice at all” Shit, now she was raive life to the words

“Michelle” Copper never used her full na from him Would have been ht because he loved her instead of during theconversation of her life “Tell me what he said to you”

Fat tears leaked from the corners of her eyes Memories of the pain and fear were so intense she wanted to wail and screaain “He told me he’d turn the video over to the police if I didn’t sleep with him whenever he came around He lorded the threat over me for two years Until he went to prison”

Copper released a strangled choking sound, and his hands dropped to his sides The three feet he put between them felt like miles

“Two years?” he whispered

With a nod, Shell whispered, “A few tiirls, he’d show up at le ti joke"

God, how she hated that fucking shtmares, a reminder of a time she’d worked so hard to put behind her Just once, she’d love the chance to punch Rusty right in theonce her story was told, Rusty would take a punch fro him

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

COPPER CAUGHT EVERY word falling fro a htly detached from the reality of it Until she said Rusty threatened to have him sent to prison for murder if she didn’t fuck hih slaut

And it hurt

Physically hurt

His stomach cramped, chest ached, and a throb built behind his eyes “So you did it,” he croaked