DOMINIC'S POV Something in my frigid heart melted at her words.Ruby stared at me, bright green eyes blazing with emotions I could not name. Her hands caressed my face, sliding down my jaw, and in that moment, I felt safer than ever.I'd asked for a label, and she'd given me much more than that."Sex over the kitchen island," I murmured in a tease. "That's a first."She laughed, the sound like music to my ears. "Not even with your other women? Don't think I don't remember what Ariel said about that."I scoffed, thinking about my daughter. "Ariel doesn't know what she's talking about."Without giving her time to answer, I slung my arm around Ruby's waist, pulling her into my arms."Dominic!" She yelped, and I shot her a wide grin."What do you think Ariel would say if she found us half naked in the kitchen?" I asked. "Come on, time for bed."Ruby giggled as I carted her all the way to the door of her room before setting her down gently. Ruby threw her arms around my neck, and the warm
DOMINIC'S POVEarly the next morning, I slipped out of my bed, leaving Ruby in it. I took a quick shower and headed downstairs. Today was the day I'd finally meet with Damien ever since my travel to Italy with Ruby.I texted the address to Damien and slipped my phone into my pocket. The cool morning air brushed over my face as I stepped outside. My driver was already waiting by the car, and he straightened his posture when he saw me.“Would you like me to take you, sir?” he asked.I shook my head, pulling open the door. “Not today. I’ll drive myself.”He nodded, stepping aside without question.Sliding into the driver’s seat, I started the engine and pulled out of the compound. Damien was expecting answers. I’d told him that his sister now resided in Illinois, which wasn't a lie in itself, but which didn't feel like the complete truth either. I'd told myself, promised myself even, that I would end this whole web of secrets. Ruby deserved the truth, and so did Damien.But the timing co
DOMINIC'S POVThe silence after Damien’s exit was oppressive to me. I sat at the table, phone in hand, trying to calm the rising panic in my chest. My thumb hovered over his name in my contacts. Finally, I hit “Call.”No answer.I tried again, and again, but each attempt was futile; I kept getting his voicemail. Frustration made me groan and drop my phone on the table. Damien wasn’t just ignoring me; he was shutting me out completely.I couldn’t let it end like this.One more time.“Damien,” I said when his voicemail clicked on again. “Look, I get that you’re upset, but you don’t understand the full picture. I know I’ve been holding back, but I swear, it’s for a reason. Call me back when you get this ASAP.”I hung up and gripped the edge of the table. Damien wasn’t just my friend, he was one of the few people in my life I could call family. If he walked away from this, from me, it wouldn’t just be a temporary fallout. This could destroy everything.After a few more futile minutes of s
DOMINIC'S POVI got into the car and shut the door with a firm click. Easing out of the driveway, I turned onto the road, heading toward The Basement. That’s what we called it: my home base for the things we didn’t discuss in polite company. It wasn’t just a hideout. It was where I handled my enemies. And right now, Ruby’s stalker was my biggest problem.As far as I was concerned, anyone who threatened her was an enemy of mine.The drive to Chicago was quiet. I stayed focused on the road, my mind already on what was waiting for me. Eventually, I reached a deserted neighborhood and parked a few houses down from The Basement. I shrugged off my jacket, loosened my tie, and stepped out of the car.The Basement was an abandoned warehouse by the river. It looked like nothing from the outside, just rusted metal walls, broken windows and a strong smell of stagnant water carried on the breeze. It was the kind of place people avoided without even needing a reason.I walked down the cracked side
AMBROSE'S POVThe car rocked slightly as we sped down the highway, and I gripped the armrest with agitation. My driver drove like his life depended on it.I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temples. “Gabriel,” I muttered the under my breath like a curse. How many times had I told him to stop? How many times had I told him to leave Ruby alone? But Gabriel was a mad man who never listened; he had always been. His theatrics were going to ruin everything."Sir," the driver called me cautiously, eyes on the road. "Are you sure you want to confront him now?""I've been too lenient," I snapped, glaring out the window. The city blurred past, buildings melting into streaks of gray and white. "He thinks this is a game. That he can push Ruby to the edge and scare her into submission. He doesn’t understand subtlety and I’m done cleaning up his messes."The box sitting beside me caught my eye, and a fresh wave of disgust rolled through me. It was a plain and nondescript cardboard box, except for the na
AMBROSE'S POVI climbed into the backseat of the car and slammed the door hard. From the window, I watched Gabriel and Julia step back into their car. Gabriel leaned over to murmur something, and Julia threw her head back, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.Even from this distance, I could tell they were mocking me. Gabriel always had that smirk, that smug tilt of his head like he thought he was untouchable. It made me so angry that I gritted my teeth.“Back to the city, sir?” my driver asked.“Yes, yes!” I snapped.As we pulled away, I sat back and let out a frustrated breath. How many times had I cursed the day I let Gabriel into my life? Too many to count.I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to remember. It had been more than a decade ago when I first met him. Then, he was a scrawny nineteen-year-old boy, shivering on the streets of Chicago with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. He had been timid then, all wide eyes and desperation. He wasn’t much to look
RUBY'S POVDominic pulled up in front of the local government office. He turned off the ignition of his car and we both stared at the building. It looked plain and almost unassuming, with its beige walls and narrow windows. Yet to me, it felt like the doorway to my real truth, a part of my life that my father had tried so hard to bury away from me.I shifted in my seat, my palms clammy despite the cool air from the car’s vents. I had spent my entire life piecing together fragments of my father’s stories, trying to build an image of the woman who had disappeared so completely from my life. I knew she was a redhead and she was not a U.S citizen from Ambrose, but that was hardly information one ought to know about one's mother. Now, with no other options left, I was here.Dominic reached over and his large hand covered mine, his thumb drawing slow, soothing circles on my skin. His touch was warm, grounding me in a moment where I felt anything but steady.“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
RUBY'S POVThe second I stepped outside, I fell apart. My legs gave way, and I dropped onto the cold steps of the government building. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears came hard and fast, leaving me trembling as I buried my face in my hands.All I had was her name. Just a name and nothing else. It felt cruel, like the universe dangled a lifeline in front of me only to yank it away.The pain was suffocating me, I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t care who saw me, who heard me. I was tired of feeling like this. I was tired of feeling lost, small and abandoned. I had no family.A hand on my shoulder made me flinch. I looked up, and Dominic was standing there.“You waited?” My voice was hoarse and broken.“Of course.” He sat on the dusty staircase beside me, even with his expensive pants, and placed his elbows on his knees. “I wasn’t going to leave you.”That was all it took for the tears to start again. He sat down next to me and pulled me against him. His arms wrapped around me, s
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
Dominic's POVThe world around me blurred the moment I saw the news. Only three words rang in my head. Ambrose was free. Ambrose was free!And if he was free, I knew without a doubt that there was only one thing he would want.Revenge.“Dominic!” Damien yelled, and I gave a small start.I looked up in horror. “Ambrose escaped.”His entire expression changed immediately. The chatter in the room faded as the other men picked up on the shift in atmosphere.“What the hell do you mean he escaped?” Damien took my phone from my hand and skimmed the article. The longer he read, the thinner his lips turned. “Son of a bitch!”I ran a hand down my face, trying to tell myself to stay calm. “They set fire to the penitentiary and used the chaos as cover. The authorities haven’t been able to track him down.”“Of course they haven’t.” Damien groaned and closed his eyes. “Ambrose was never the kind of man to just sit and rot in a cell. He planned this, I know he did.”I nodded, already running through
Dominic's POVFive years later..."I don't see why this meeting can't be handled over a conference call, Damien."I pushed open my office door with my shoulder, my phone propped between my ear and my collarbone. With one hand, I shrugged on my jacket while the other gripped my briefcase. "It’s not like we haven’t done this a hundred times before."Damien’s sigh came through the line. "Dom, you know how these high-rollers are. They like to see who they’re dealing with, shake hands and size up the competition. You want to lock this deal down, we do it my way.""Your way? Why the fuck? My way is better.""Because," Damien said on the other end, "when you're dealing with potential buyers for a deal this big, you look them in the eye. You gauge their reactions. You see if they're hiding anything."I sighed. "We have people for that.""And people can be wrong," Damien countered. "Come on, Dom. I already set this up. Look, the least you can do is to just show up and listen."I reached the fr