Page 191 of Push

Adrenaline roared through me, but the throbbing in my head faded to the background, as dull as the yellow-painted concrete under my cheek. All my focus was on escape. On Ian. The burn of his cologne in my nose. The thump of his heart against my back. The crush of his arms around my lungs.

“You and I were made for each other,” Ian whispered. “Genius move,doll.How did you convince my old man to give you themoney? Were you fucking him, too?” He bucked his hips into me, groaning. “No, not you. My Gwenny hasn’t been spoiled. Only Toby’s had his cock inside you. But we can fix that, can’t we?”

I struggled to twist my mouth free from his hand. “Y-yes.” I gasped in a breath.

Unease sunk into my bones when he laughed. “You’re one in a million.” His nose grazed my ear. “Did you know my father left me and my mum fuckingnothingwhen he died? Not one fucking dollar.” A wet kiss pressed against my neck. “I want what I’m owed, Gwen. That’s all. I’m not greedy. I want the life Toby stole from me. I want my money. I want better for my mum. But most of all, I want you. So, listen up, because I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

“I’m listening.” A lie. There was nothing he could offer me, but I needed him to lower his defenses so I could unleash mine.

“Oh, Gwenny. You’re such a good girl.” The crushing weight around my middle loosened as Ian’s hand lowered to tug at the folder wedged under my body. “You have what I need right here, don’t you?” The paper scraped down the wall as he dragged it free.

A gap!

I rocked my hips ever so slightly, left then right. I had enough space to move. Silent, still, I drew in a slow breath, counting the seconds, waiting…waiting…

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” Ian said. “You’re going to sign over”—I jerked up my knee, gritting my teeth through the agony of my skin gouging down the rough wall as I stomped my heel on Ian’s foot as hard as I could—“Fuck!”

Fury roared out of him, but he was too slow. I rammed my shoulder into his chest, and, struggling to wrench my arm free, I wheeled around. The heel of my palm smashed into his nose with a sharp crack. He reared back. His hand flew to his face,muffling the long list of curses spitting out of him but not hiding the trickle of blood dribbling over his lips.

I didn’t stick around to see the mess I’d made of his face. I knew better. I bolted. Liam had prepared me for that moment—rough nights growing up in a rough neighborhood—and it was my sheer determination for the end of my story not to be in a darkened underpass fueling every step.

“Gwen!”

Don’t look back. Just run.

Chest heaving, feet flying, my handbag smacking against my hip, I refused to slow down even when my legs started burning. Footsteps pounded closer and closer, but the end of the underpass rushed into view.

Just a bit further. You can do it. Just run.

Sunlight exploded on my face as I shot out the other side and launched up the stairs two at a time—shit!I stumbled, my palms hitting the ground at the top, but I ignored the sting in my hands and scrambled back to my feet. The street. People. I tossed looks left and right and bolted across the road.

“Gwen!”

Frantic, my eyes bounced over the high-rises looming above me, zeroing in on the one directly ahead. Security manned the building. If Ian kept coming, the men with the close-cropped hair crowding the front desk would help… Wouldn’t they?

I elbowed through the crowd, through the glass doors, sneakers slipping across the marble floor as I sprinted for the sign for the women’s bathroom. I wasn’t risking my fate on a bunch of men I didn’t know. I flung open the door so fast it smacked against the wall, and after shoving my shoulder against it to slam it closed, I steadied my shaking hand just long enough to snap the lock.

I was already digging my phone out of my bag as I fell into a puddle in the corner.

My breath stuck in my throat as each bleep went unanswered… And…then…

“Hey, doll.”

“T-Toby…” Relieved, my head slumped against the wall, but my eyes never left the door. I waited for the hammer of angry fists and kicking feet against the weak wood. Ian could burst in at any second.

“Gwen?” Toby’s voice had gone from laughing to frantic in a heartbeat.

“P-please come—I’m—come get me.”

“Christ. Gwen. Where are you?”

“I don’t know. A…a building…somewhere…off…I don’t know.” I clenched my fist. I was stronger than this. “Barangaroo.”

“We’re going to figure this out.” There was a muffled bark of words as if he were yelling out to someone. Zach. “Don’t hang up. I’m coming. No matter what happens, you keep talking to me, okay?”

Talk? I could talk. Except…maybe I couldn’t. Salty tears rolled down my cheeks in fat blobs.Toby’s coming. “I ran,” I whispered between the hiccups. “I ran as fast as I could.”

“You did good. So good. I’m coming, Gwen. You keep talking.”

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