Page 110 of Lovely Venom

The light from my television flickers on Ruby’s face, but she’s not watching. She’s staring blankly at the screen, fingers drumming against her knee. I notice she’s in ratty sweats and not her usual scandalous Daisy Dukes with a tight-white T-shirt she never pairs with a bra.

“Hey, you,” I say gently to not startle her.

Ruby turns to me, blinking fast like I’ve pulled her out of a trance.

“Ray!” She drops her vape, leaps off the sofa, and dives into my arms. Her grip on my neck is tight, but her hands are shaking just enough for me to notice.

God, something is very wrong.

“I’m here.” I hug her back.

She yelps and turns white as a sheet, seeing Connor. God, please don’t tell me they know each other. Did Ruby give him a lap dance or something else?

“Ruby, it’s okay. This is Connor.” I leave off his last name. This is not about him. “The guy I met in June.”

“Oh, hi,” she says, and her voice tells me she’s never met him.

“Nice to meet you,” he says in a lethally protective voice.

“Same.” She picks up her vape and plops back down on the sofa, puffing away on it.

I sit next to her. “Talk to me. What had you so freaked out this morning?”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“Did something happen with your dad? At work?”

“Not at the club.” Ruby shakes her head. “I had a special client.”

I slide a glance at Connor, hoping he didn’t catch that. “Where?”

Her eyes lift to mine. “Off-site.”

Fury courses through me, and I lose my cool. “Ruby, that’s dangerous!”

“No kidding,” she says under her breath.

I exhale and shake my head. “Ruby, did a client hurt you?”

“You can say that.” She sneaks a glance at Connor and then back at me. “But he got it worse.”

“Tell me what happened.” I squeeze her hands and sharpen my tone. “Just talk to me.”

Her entire body flinches and I see the start of a bruise on her neck.

“Oh, Raina.” Her chest rises and falls.

“Breathe, honey. It’s me. You can tell me anything.”

Nodding, she says, “We were in his car. It was late, around two thirty in the morning. We were parked in this lot near the East River.” She swallows hard. “I was giving him head. And he was moaning, then he started cursing and pushed me off.”

“Why?” I ask about the abruptness, and not that the creep suddenly didn’t want a sweet mouth on his cock.

“I wasn’t sure at first.” She lets out a choked sob. “Then I saw them. They surrounded the car. Three of them.”

“What, what happened?”

“They pulled me out first.” Ruby’s voice cracks. “Threw me to the ground. They wore masks. I couldn’tsee their faces.”