RUBY'S POVPulling out of me, Dominic lifted me in his arms and took me towards the hot tub itself. He set me down and my legs shook slightly. I stared at the hot tub in hesitation. I wasn't about to step into a large tub of water after I'd just showered, but then the thought of fucking this man while surrounded with so much warmth was inviting.“I’m not letting you out of this.” He said as if he'd read my mind, and pointed to the bubbling water that was probably as hot as the blood pumping through his veins.“Then, by all means, let’s do it.” I inhaled in courage, then stepped into the hot tub."Oh, fucking God!"Dominic laughed as he followed me into the tub. "That has to be the first time I've heard you curse."I let out a high-pitched laugh as I felt a jet of water against my belly and back. “Water is hitting me from every angle.”He smiled without teeth. "Do you like it?""I do!" I squealed again as water hit somewhere between my legs. I did like it, as long as I didn’t allow ugl
DOMINIC'S POVThe next morning, I closed Ruby’s door quietly, careful not to make a sound. She’d finally drifted off to sleep after what felt like hours of her restless tossing and turning. I stood in the hallway for a moment, letting out a slow breath. For the first time that morning, the house felt still and peaceful.But not for long.I pulled out my phone and immediately noticed a string of unread messages from Damien.DAMIEN: Where the hell are you?DAMIEN: Any updates on my sister?DAMIEN: You’ve gone radio silent. Call me.I scrolled through the messages, feeling the familiar weight of guilt in my chest. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Damien wanted me to help him find his sister, completely unaware that she was here with me. On the other side of the world in Italy, no less.I smiled bitterly at the thought. Lying to my best friend wasn’t something I ever imagined I’d do, but this situation was complicated. Still, I couldn’t keep this up forever.Not that Damien would make it easy
RUBY'S POVThe streets of Milan were alive with energy, and I was enjoying every second of it. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe. Even the thought of Gabriel was like a fading memory.Dominic and I walked side by side, and though his face was blank, I could see the amusement in his eyes every time I reacted to something.“Oh my God, look at that!” I exclaimed, pointing to a street artist sketching portraits near a cathedral. “Dom, do you think he’d draw me?”He glanced at the artist’s work, then at me. “Only if he has enough time to get all your details right.”I laughed but ignored his words, skipping down the street instead.Dominic guided me effortlessly through the streets. He didn’t need a map; he seemed to know Milan like the back of his hand. Eventually, we found ourselves in front of a small, tucked-away shop. The window display was filled with glass figurines that drew my eye.“Let’s go in,” I said, already stepping toward the door.“You’re like a magpi
DOMINIC'S POVOne week later, we were on our way back home. The drive was silent except for the occasional soft murmur of the driver updating us on how long it would take to get there. Ruby’s hand was in mine, her fingers loosely in between my own. I’d never been the type to like physical touch, but with her, it was different. It wasn’t an invasion of my space. It felt like a comfort.“It’s bittersweet, isn’t it?” she murmured.I turned my head to look at her, watching the way her eyes wandered over the Italian city fading behind us. “What is?”“Leaving.” She smiled faintly. “I mean, I know I’ll carry this one week with me, but I’ll miss it. The last time I was here was the worst one week of my life. But this one is the best. I'll miss everything about it.” She turned to me and smiled. “And, of course, annoying you.”I chuckled. “You’ve gotten very good at that.”She laughed. “You’re welcome, I guess.”We pulled into the hangar moments later, and Ruby’s face seemed to brighten up as s
DOMINIC'S POVIt was the Sunday after our trip to Milan, and we were back in my Seattle mansion. A plate of toast sat in front of me, beside my signature coffee. Beside the plate was my laptop, open to a Skype video call page.I bit into a corner of my toast as I spoke. "Go on, Matthew.""A lot of work was left unfinished before your trip, Mr Rutherford." Matthew notified me. "I was wondering when we'd be able to get down to it.""When I come to the office." I dropped my toast and took a sip of my coffee. "Which will be later this week; Wednesday, most probably."Gregory opened his mouth to speak again, but was silenced by the sound of footsteps coming down the staircase behind me."Would you like us to reschedule a meeting for you, Mr Rutherford?" Another worker named Mrs Bellick asked. "It seems you have a visitor.""I do." I replied. "I will inform my secretary to schedule a physical meeting on Wednesday and send you all the memo. Thank you."Without waiting for a reply from them,
DOMINIC'S POV“Who the hell is that?” Ruby whispered curiously. "Are you expecting visitors?"Ruby looked even more of a mess than I realised. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her lips were swollen and pinkish from my kisses. Her bathrobe even rode high on her thighs, and her eyes squinted toward the front door where the knocking had only grown more insistent.I cursed under my breath. I hadn’t even told her about Ariel. How could I have forgotten? Guilt stabbed me in the chest as I realized the day had arrived far quicker than I anticipated. Ariel was here.“That,” I said, attempting to sound composed, “would be my daughter.”Ruby’s eyes widened. “Your WHAT?!”“I’ll explain later,” I said quickly, waving her off. “Just fix yourself up.”I rushed to the front door, barely sparing her another glance. My heart pounded as I twisted the handle and pulled it open.Standing there, suitcase in hand, was Ariel. She looked just as I remembered: tall like me, her waist-length brown hair flo
RUBY'S POVThe moment I stepped out of Dominic’s house, tears began to fall from my eyes, and I didn’t bother wiping them away. Let them fall. Maybe they’d take some of the anger and hurt with them. I hated this. I hated feeling so exposed and so raw. Why was it so easy for the people I cared about to keep secrets from me? Was I the problem?The streets were busy. People were bustling past me as I walked aimlessly, clutching my phone like a lifeline. I didn’t care about the odd stares I got from strangers. My thoughts were a mess, tangled between how much I cared for Dominic and how tired I was of being the one left in the dark.First Gabriel, now him. How many times would I let someone shut me out before I learned my lesson?I kept walking until I realized I took nothing from Damien's house, no bag or clothes, not even my favorite lip balm. Just my phone. Great.I pulled it out and stared at the screen, debating my next move. Calling Dominic was out of the question. The thought of li
RUBY'S POVI sat across from Lilac at the little café on the corner. I’d just finished unloading everything on her, from Dominic's dead wife to his daughter and the money. Every little detail spilled out of me like a flood.Lilac as usual, sat calmly, listening without interrupting. It was one of the things I loved most about her. She never cut me off or tried to fix things too early. She just listened.When I finally stopped, my voice was hoarse and my throat was dry. Lilac motioned for the waitress. “One cappuccino and a bottle of water, please,” she said softly, then turned back to me.“You done?” she asked.“Yeah.” I slumped back in my chair, suddenly exhausted. “I think that’s everything.”Lilac nodded, her eyes scanning me carefully. “And you’re sure you’re not leaving anything out? Because this feels like one of those drama series where there’s always one last bombshell.”“Very funny.” I rubbed my temples. “No, Lilac. That’s it. His dead wife, his secret daughter, and the freak
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