RUBY'S POV
Dominic Rutherford's growl shocked me just as much as it shocked Julia. I sprang back, pressing myself against the corner of the bathroom. The water from the sink still burned against my throat, and I coughed and spluttered to get it all out. Julia froze, her hands trembling as she backed away from me. Her confidence seemed to crumble under his sharp glare, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I saw fear in her eyes. Dominic Rutherford stepped further inside, his presence consuming the room. “I asked you a question, woman, and for your own good, you'd better answer me." “I—I wasn’t—” Julia stammered, but Dominic Rutherford cut her off with a single, biting word. “Enough.” He turned to me then, his eyes locking into mine just enough to make my knees wobble. Before I could speak or even breathe properly, his strong hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me up with ease. The heat of his touch startled me, but it was his scent that undid me. A heady mix of dark amber and cedarwood, spiked with a hint of something smoky and dangerous. It was intoxicating, pulling me in even though I wanted to resist. No, no, no, no! My mind screamed. Why did it have to be him? Dominic Rutherford didn’t so much as glance at me as he positioned me behind him, shielding me from Julia as though I were some damsel in distress, which I wasn't. Why was this hulk of a man treating me like some baby? The thought grated on my nerves, but I couldn’t deny the slight comfort his towering frame brought. He fixed his gaze on Julia. His face was passive, but there was something burning in his eyes, and it scared even me. “Why were you demanding a key from her?” Julia opened her mouth, but no words came out. “I’m waiting,” he grunted. Julia swallowed hard. “It’s... n...none of your business!” “Wrong answer.” Dominic Rutherford took a step closer to her, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator cornering its prey. “I’ll ask again: why were you trying to drown her? What’s so important about this key?” Julia stuttered. "Like I said, It Is none of your business." "I will make it my business if I want to." “It—it’s personal—" “Personal?” Dominic Rutherford echoed, his lips curling into a dangerous smirk. “You mean personal enough to commit attempted murder in a public place?” “I wasn’t trying to kill her!” Julia protested, her voice rising in desperation. Dominic Rutherford cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, so holding someone’s head under water is your idea of a joke? Forgive me if I don’t find it amusing.” Julia took a step back, her heel hitting the tiled floor with a faint squeak. He tilted his head, studying her with a cold intensity that made my skin prickle. “You do realize I know how to find you, don’t you? If you lie to me again, I will make sure you, and everybody related to you, regrets it.” Julia’s face went pale. “I—I didn’t mean to hurt her!” Dominic Rutherford’s laugh was humorless. “Funny. You looked pretty determined when I walked in.” I stood frozen behind him, watching the exchange like it was some twisted play. My throat still burned from the water I’d swallowed, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Dominic Rutherford. He was commanding, ruthless, and utterly terrifying—but he was also strangely captivating. Julia’s gaze darted to the door, and I saw the exact moment she decided to run. “Don’t you dare—” Dominic Rutherford started, but it was too late. Julia bolted toward the exit, shoving past him with surprising force. Dominic Rutherford moved fast, his reflexes sharper than I would’ve imagined for a man his size. He grabbed her arm, spinning her around with enough force to make her stumble. “Let me go!” she shrieked, clawing at his grip. Their struggle was chaotic, bodies twisting and colliding in the small space. Then, in the chaos, Julia’s hand shot up and caught the edge of his mask. The thick golden material tore away, clattering to the ground like a fallen leaf. And for the first time, I saw the man beneath the mask. The entire room seemed to go still. The music from the ballroom outside was muffled now, distant and irrelevant compared to what I was seeing. Dominic Rutherford froze and straightened, his hand still gripping Julia’s arm. His face was as striking as I’d imagined—but it was the left side that stole my breath. And there it was—a long line of serrated, jagged flesh, running down the left side of his face. Julia seized that opportunity to turn and dash out of the bathroom, but I didn't care anymore. My eyes were fixed on the man before me. Dominic Rutherford bent down swiftly, snatching the mask off the floor and placing it back over his face. His movements were sharp, deliberate, as though hiding his scar could erase the moment it was revealed. But I was already very curious. “What happened to your face?” I asked, taking a cautious step forward. His head whipped around, blue eyes blazing. “It’s none of your concern.” His tone was a warning, but I wasn’t one to back down easily. “I’m just asking a question. You don’t need to bite my head off,” I replied, folding my arms. "You can tell me." A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Stay out of things you don’t understand!” he snapped. That should have been the end of it. I should’ve shut up, turned around, and walked out of that bathroom. But the stubborn woman in me refused to let him have the last word. “Wow,” I said, with a bitter laugh. “You save someone’s life, bark orders at them, and then act like you’re God’s gift to the world? Hate to break it to you, but you’re not as intimidating as you think.” His eyes darkened instantly to an almost black colour. He took one step closer, and I stumbled backwards in surprise. “You don’t know when to stop, do you?” he growled, giving me a lazy once-over with his eyes. "You're a feisty woman." “Maybe if you weren’t such a control freak, people wouldn’t feel the need to push back,” I shot back at his face. That was it. The thread holding him together snapped. In a flash, he was in front of me, his movements a blur of speed. And before I knew what was happening, his hand was gripping my neck and pressing me against the wall.RUBY'S POV "You are such a stubborn woman!" He growled, his breath heating my face. "I like my women subservient—" "Then maybe you should leave me alone!" I spat. "—but there is something about you," he continued, as if he didn't hear me. His lips moved, trailing a heated line from my ear, down my neck and back. His hand was still around my neck, holding me in place. Excited goosebumps were spiralling down my body at this point. "You need to be punished." He said suddenly, letting go of my neck. The force of his words left me speechless for a second. "Punished?" I whispered. "Yes." He replied. "For being so feisty." And with one sweep of his arm, he lifted me in the air and placed me to sit on the sink. Kiss me! I screamed in my head with a strange, unfamiliar need, completely captivated by him. I was staring openly at Dominic Rutherford's Cupid's bow mouth now, utterly mesmerized, and he was looking down at me, his gaze hooded, his eyes darkening. I knew I shouldn't be doin
RUBY'S POVTaste. Those lips. That tongue. I didn’t need any more encouragement. My hands began to travel, over my neck, back over my breasts, pressing them together, my nipples peeking through my fingers. Dominic Rutherford leaned forward and ran his tongue over them, one peak and then the next. Lick, swirl, lick.My hands went to his hair. His name whispered from my lips.More licking, a delicate scrape of teeth, and then he leaned back. “Show me more. Where do you need me?"Oh, I needed him all right. The fingers of one hand slid seductively down my stomach, through my underwear and the triangle of curls above my clit. I touched myself, stroked my clit, slid my fingers into the wet heat dripping from my core. "Here," I said. “I need you here.”He pressed my legs wider and pushed my panties until they slid down my legs. Then his strong fingers brushed up and down my thighs, slow and seductive. His lashes lowered, head tilted as he watched me caress my sensitive flesh, until he cov
RUBY'S POV What the hell did I just do?I leaned against the cold sink in the bathroom, my hands trembling as I tried to steady myself. My reflection in the mirror looked just as lost as I felt. My red lipstick was smeared, my hair was a mess, and my dress clung to me in all the wrong ways. How had I let myself get carried away like that?Dominic Rutherford. His name echoed in my head like a curse. A stranger. A man I had barely known for all of five minutes, and yet I’d let him pull me into something reckless and stupid.Unprotected sex!This wasn’t me. I wasn’t the type to lose control, to throw caution to the wind. I was sharp, calculated, and independent. But somehow, around him, I became a version of myself I didn’t recognize—soft, pliant, and completely at his mercy. What had he done to me?I quickly adjusted my dress and reached for my mask, pulling it over my face. The voices outside the bathroom grew louder, and panic bubbled in my chest. I had to get out of here. I had to p
RUBY'S POV "Ugh! You stink like you drank the entire bar!"I jolted awake with a gasp. The first thing I felt was an intense pain in my temple. My head pounded as if someone were using my skull as a drum. I squinted against the sunlight pouring in through the curtains and groaned, pressing a hand to my temples. My mouth tasted like I’d chewed on a sock soaked in cheap whiskey.Turning my head slightly, I realized I wasn’t on the couch where I’d passed out last night. No, this was a bed—a soft, inviting bed that smelled faintly of lavender. Ariana’s bed.“How…?” I croaked.“You were a mess last night,” Ariana’s voice came from across the room. She was perched on a stool before her vanity, her face smeared with some white, creamy substance that made her look like a ghost. “Drinking yourself stupid at the bar. Your driver had to half-carry you here. Do you remember?”Ah, yes. I remembered that much now. Vaguely. The bar, the drink I demanded, the suffocating noise… and then nothing.I s
DOMINIC'S POV "We're here, boss." I didn’t bother answering my driver. Instead, I motioned for him to leave. “Get out and take a smoke. I need a moment.” “Yes, sir.” He nodded, turned off the ignition, and stepped out into the drizzle. I watched him walk a few feet away, his silhouette barely visible through the rain-splattered windshield as he moved under a shade and lit a cigarette. Once I was sure he was out of earshot, I pulled my phone from the pocket of my jacket. My thumb hovered over a secure app before I tapped it, initiating the call. The line clicked after two rings. “Don Dominic,” came the familiar rasp of Rocco’s voice. Always too casual, too comfortable. “What’s taking so long?” I snapped. "Tuesday was what you promised. Today Is Friday." “Ah, buona sera, boss,” Rocco replied smoothly, as though we were old friends chatting over wine. “I see you’re in one of your moods again.” “This isn’t about moods,” I said sharply. “Five years, Rocco. Five years I’ve ke
DOMINIC'S POVThe rain hadn’t let up. It kept hammering against the roof of the car like an impatient messenger. I stared at the image of Ruby on my laptop screen, trying to arrange my tangled, messy thoughts.I should tell Damien.The logical part of me knew that keeping this information from him would be a betrayal. We’d been friends for well over a decade, and finding Ruby had been Damien’s obsession for years. He deserved to know that his sister was alive, safe, and living her life in plain sight.But then there was the other side of me—the selfish side. The side that wanted Ruby close, where I could see her, where I could have her. And that thought made my stomach churn, because I wasn’t sure I could control myself around her.My phone buzzed on the seat beside me, jolting me from my thoughts. I glanced at the screen.Damien.“Of course,” I muttered under my breath. As if the universe had decided to test me at the worst possible moment.I stared at the screen, debating. Answering
RUBY'S POVI woke up feeling strangely energized, though my body ached in a way that only reminded me of the tiring night of the masquerade ball.Stretching lazily, I glanced around Ariana's bedroom. It was a little chaotic, clothes spilling out of her closet and shoes scattered on the floor, but it was so her. Ariana was just that: familiar, warm and safe. I got up and rifled through her closet until I found an oversized sweatshirt. I pulled it on, comforted by its soft fabric and the faint scent of Ariana’s floral perfume.Padding downstairs, I caught the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. I didn’t even need to hear the words to know who it was—Ariana and Lilac. My two best friends. They were probably dissecting some random gossip or laughing about their latest antics.As I reached the doorway, I paused, leaning against the frame.“Oh, come on, Lilac! You should’ve seen her talk about it,” Ariana’s voice rang out, excited and slightly dramatic, as usual. “Ruby and Dominic Ruth
RUBY'S POVI walked back into the kitchen, trying to mask my irritation. Ariana and Lilac were still leaning against the counter, but their laughter faded as they noticed me walking in.“What’s wrong?” Ariana asked immediately. "Who was on the call?"I leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. “I need to head home and get ready to see Ambrose tomorrow. He wants to ‘talk.’” I curved my fingers into air quotes at the last word.Lilac raised an eyebrow. “What’s this about?”I groaned, running a hand through my hair. “He called to check on me, said he’d been trying to reach me since he heard about the divorce. Then, instead of supporting me, he started listing reasons why I shouldn’t have left Gabriel.”“What?” Ariana’s voice rose an octave, her eyes wide. “Are you kidding me? After everything Gabriel did?”“That was my reaction too,” I chuckled dryly. “Apparently, because Ambrose introduced us, he feels the need to play marriage counselor.”Lilac tilted her head. “What exactly did he say
Dominic’s POVI let go of her long enough to lead her to the bed. The first order of business was to pull down the bedding. Then I turned back to beautiful Ruby, glad she’d been too busy looking at me to start undressing. I wanted to undress her myself.She was already gathering her dress in her hands, ready to lift. I was at her side in a second. “No, no, no. That’s my job. Have I mentioned how much I like this dress?” She shook her head.“Well, I do.” My fingertips went to her shoulders. So close to bare, and yet those two delicate straps were all that stood between me and seeing those pert little breasts. Tasting them and making those nipples bud for me.I slipped one finger under each strap. “It must have been so hard for the men in your flight to concentrate." I murmured. "One look at you in your sundress and they would have been done for. I can barely even look at you with control. Waiting for the hem to climb up those gorgeous thighs. Picturing what lay beneath.” Ruby's breat
Dominic's POVRuby sat on the bed, legs crossed, wearing that yellow dress that had no business looking as good as it did on her. It stuck to her body in all the right places, and the color made her red hair even more striking.She was a perfect distraction.She smiled at me with a playful glint in her eyes. "I’m going to do my best to take your mind off the obvious problem."I let out a dry chuckle and leaned back against the couch. "I’d love to see how you plan on distracting me from the fact that my daughter is in danger."She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, Dominic. Just play along."I shook my head, but I was already smiling. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"She adjusted herself, resting her chin on her palm. "Tell me about the women in your life these past five years. Since I was gone, I assume you kept yourself busy?"I huffed and laid sideways on the couch. "You really want to hear about that?"She shrugged. "We need something to do while waiting for Damien’s update.
Ambrose’s POVI walked out of the store room and typed out the message. Short. Precise. The kind of thing that would drive a blade straight into Dominic’s chest.“I wonder how it feels to know your daughter is slipping through your fingers as we speak. Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running out. If you ever want to see your daughter again, you will do exactly as I say. Instructions will be relayed to you very soon. I don't want any cops or dumb tricks. You know what to do.”I read it over once, then sent it. A moment later, the screen blinked. The message had been delivered.I stared at Ariel's name glowing at the top of the message. The irony of it almost made me laugh. There was something delicious about making a father’s worst nightmare come true.I slid the phone back into my pocket and sighed, walking to the rusty elevator and taking It back up. When I got up, I walked past the smoking men and stepped out into the cool night air. Chicago was quieter than usual, even though I knew
Ambrose's POVThe building smelled of dead animals. It was an old hotel, now reduced to nothing but dust and silence. I stepped over a broken floorboard, my polished shoe grinding against the dirt under me. The place was barely standing. The ceiling sagged in places and the corners darkened with mold, but it would serve me for now, at least.Some of my old and loyal men were sitting on a wooden slab in the middle of the room, smoking and drinking. When they saw me, they gave me deferent bows. A few of them waved, and I waved back. I had called them together at such short notice, but they still came. It was good to know that they were still loyal to me. I would pay them handsomely once this was over.I walked toward the rusted iron elevator, its metal cage rattling as I stepped inside. The doors groaned as they slid shut and with a shudder, the elevator descended. Dominic Rutherford had taken everything I worked for away from me. Rachael was meant to be mine, but he stole her. And wh
Dominic’s POV“Oh, my God!” Ruby screamed.She sprang to her feet and started pacing her hotel room. Her hands tangled in her hair, her pants legs flapping against each other as she walked about. I'd told her about everything, from the news of the prison break that I got during the meeting, to Ariel being kidnapped at home, to her boyfriend who was in the house when it happened.“You’re telling me some random guy just waltzed into your house and claimed to be Ariel’s boyfriend?" She roared. "And you let him go? What If he was behind it all?”I squeezed my eyes shut. “He said he was in a long-distance relationship with her. That they met when she was in Switzerland.”Ruby spun on her heel, eyes burning into me. “And you believed him? Dominic, I thought you were smarter than this.”I scoffed. “Hell yes, I am. But he didn’t seem like a threat. If he was dangerous, I’d have known. Trust me, Ruby, I have been around a lot of dangerous people, and that Brandon boy is not one of them."Her a
Ruby's POVJust like that, five years disappeared between us.Five long years, and now I was standing here, face to face with the man I had once given my entire heart to.There was a whole myriad of emotions within me. But more than anything, I felt love. Because despite everything that had happened, despite the distance and the silence and the longing, despite every reason I had given myself to move on… I never really moved on from him.I let my eyes roam over him, drinking in every change that time had carved into him. Five years had really done him good.He was broader now, his body was solid with muscle like he had spent every day training, pushing himself harder. His hair which used to be in a ponytail was now styled into neat, sharp cornrows that framed his face perfectly. A well-trimmed beard lined his jaw, making him look even more powerful and more manly.And God help me, he looked so... fucking.... good!I felt my heart stutter, and for the first time in a long time I was br
Dominic's POVThe Basement was filled with voices but none were louder than mine."Spread out!" I roared, slamming a fist against the table. "I don’t want excuses! I want results! Do you hear me?"The metal rattled under my hand, but I didn’t care. My men scrambled around, some on their phones, others poring over maps and documents. None of them moved fast enough for me. Ariel was missing, and the more time we wasted, the more danger she was in.I knew it was Ambrose. There was no doubt in my mind. That bastard had taken her, and I had let it happen.I balled my fists so tight that they hurt. I kept running last night over in my head, every single mistake, every moment I should have done something differently.I should have never told the men that guarded my house to go home. The house had been unprotected because I thought for one damn second that we could let our guard down. I should have gone home after that call with Ariel, not go to the bar with Damien. I should have..."Sir."I
Ruby's POV"I understand what you’re saying, Martin, but we are not doing another take of that scene."I held my phone between my shoulder and ear, flipping through a thick script with one hand while signing a document with the other. My assistant stood beside me, watching with nervous eyes as I scrawled my signature across the last page."I don't care if the lighting was slightly off," I continued, shifting the phone back into my hand as I turned to grab a bottle of water. "The emotion was perfect. The moment was perfect. If you ask me to reshoot it again, I swear I’ll throw something at you."Martin the director laughed on the other end of the line. "Fine, fine. You win, DanCliffe. You always do.""Exactly."The assistant took the signed document from me and scurried off. Another person approached with a clipboard, but I raised a hand. "Not now. Give me a second to breathe."She hesitated before nodding and stepping back. I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my temples. My head was poun
Dominic's POVThe Chief’s words played over and over in my head. Eight inmates had escaped, and not a single one had been found. It didn’t make sense. How could a group that large vanish without a trace? Someone had helped them. Someone with power and enough resources.I gripped my whiskey glass and set it down hard. The sound made Damien glance at me. He could see the frustration in my face."Dominic," he murmured in warning.I shook my head. "He’s the Chief of Police. How does he not have a single lead? Not even one?"Damien leaned back, stretching his arm across the booth. "Agitating yourself isn’t going to change anything.""So what do you suggest?"He looked at me for a long moment. "We need to get some sleep. We regroup in the morning and think about our next step then."I opened my mouth to argue, but he raised a hand. "No arguments. You know I’m right."I ran a hand over my face. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."We finished our drinks in silence. Damien paid the bill, and we walked out