Page 79 of Coff

He laughs again. I swear if I ever see him in person, I’ll smack that smile off his face. The man towers over me, so the likelihood of that happening is slim. But it’s an image I need to focus on to get through this call.

“Delaney, I really don’t want you dead. You’re a gorgeous woman, and it would be a shame for you to die over something you really don’t know much about. I have a proposal for you.”

I sit on the couch to brace myself. “What proposal?”

“A divorce.”

My ears perk up. He knows that’s exactly what I want.

“What’s the catch?”

He swallows a few times, which confirms my belief he is indeed drinking my dad’s scotch.

“You give me everything. Well, all the businesses. You can keep this house and whatever you have in any bank account. But the construction business and everything else will be signed over to me.”

I lean back as Logan and Duke stare at the phone I’m holding. Duke shakes his head. He would never give up the business. But what choice will he have if he’s in prison? I don’t care about any of it, but I’m not letting Nelson have it that easy.

“Duke needs to be cleared before I’ll consider your offer,” I say.

He doesn’t reply.

“Nelson?”

“I’m here. I don’t think you’re understanding. This isn’t a negotiation. If you don’t take this offer, I won’t stop the hit that’s out on you. And frankly, if you die, I’ll get everything. So maybe I’ll just let everything play out.”

Duke jumps up and walks to the other room. Logan shakes his head and presses his finger into his hand, indicating I should end the call.

“I’ll think about it and get back to you,” I say, then end the call. Then I stare at the phone. “Can he trace this?”

Logan scratches his head. “No.”

“That son of a bitch!” Duke yells. “Everything he said was bullshit. I knew the moment he laid a hand on you that he was a lying sack of shit!”

Logan jumps up. “How many times had he hit you before that day in the office?”

“Once,” I say.

Duke steps back into the room and right up to Logan. “You were there that day in the office? And you didn’t stop him?”

I step between the two men. “He did stop him. He threw a rock and broke the back window of his car,” I say.

Duke grins. “Really? You hurt his car? Okay, maybe I do like you after all. Sorry about the grave thing.”

Logan clenches his fists, and it’s clear he does not accept the apology, but there is nothing he can do about it now. He takes a deep breath, then sits down. “Delaney, do not agree to the divorce deal. It’s a setup. Like he said, he gains more if you’re dead.”

I hate hearing his words, but he’s right. Nelson would probably lure me somewhere to sign documents, and bam, I’m dead.

“As for you,” Logan says to Duke. “We wait for the investigation to finish. Hopefully, there will be more evidence to clear you than just what I witnessed.”

“Won’t that be enough to clear him?” I ask.

Logan shakes his head. “The prosecution will dig, and if they find out we have a history or that we all hid out together, they’ll say I’m lying.”

Duke falls back onto the couch, rubbing his eyes. “The only way out of this is if Nelson is dead.”

I turn to him. “How does that help clear you or stop Ruiz’s men from coming for you? And who is Ruiz?”

Duke stares at the ceiling. “Ruiz is a man I hope you will never meet. If you do, promise me you’ll run.” His stare is intense, and I know he’s worried about me.

---