Page 192 of Pretty Ruthless Monsters: Complete Series

“Because you’re going to die if we don’t get the fuck out of here really soon,” Killian rumbles. “Which one sounds like the better option to you?”

She trembles against me, but some of the fight drains out of her. “He’ll find me. He always does.”

“Not this time,” I promise. “Not ever again.”

Celine looks from me to the guys and back again. “If you’re not here to kill me, then what do you want?”

I ease the pressure of my blade but keep hold of her arm. “We’re getting you out. But you have to work with us.”

“The men you killed?—”

“Were working for a monster,” Killian cuts in.

“Your husband traffics people,” Nico adds bluntly. “Women. Children. You know what he is.”

She shudders. “Yes.”

“Then you know what he’d do to your baby,” I say quietly. “Boy or girl, that child would never be safe.”

“He said—” Her voice shakes. “He said he’d make the baby his heir.”

Atlas makes a disgusted sound. “Yeah? Like he made those other girls his ‘employees’?”

Fresh tremors run through her body. “You know about that?”

“We know everything,” I tell her. “By morning, he’ll be dead. Along with everyone loyal to him.”

“Arturo’s enemies?” Real fear enters her voice. “You’re with them?”

“Yes.” No point in lying now. “But I’m not like the others. I don’t kill innocent people.”

“Then why did they send you?”

“They ordered me to kill you. I chose to do something else.”

She turns to face me, rubbing her throat. “But… why?”

“Because I’ve done some fucked up shit,” I say. “But I won’t add killing an innocent woman and her baby to that list.”

Nico moves closer. “We can protect you. We’ll get you somewhere safe.”

“But we need to move fast,” Killian adds. “Before someone realizes those guards missed their check-in.”

She looks between us all again, desperate hope outweighing the fear in her eyes for the first time. “If you’re lying…”

“We’re not,” Atlas says softly. “Quinn doesn’t lie. And honestly? We wouldn’t go through the trouble.”

Celine sways slightly, and Killian steps forward to steady her. She flinches but doesn’t pull away.

“When is the baby due?” I ask, trying to build some connection.

“Three months.” Her hand drifts to her stomach. “I haven’t… he wouldn’t let me see a doctor.”

“Fucking bastard,” Atlas mutters.

“We’ll get you proper care,” I promise.

“He always finds me,” she whispers. “I tried running before. Three times.”

“What happened?” Nico asks, although his tone suggests he already knows.

She pulls up her sleeve, revealing cigarette burns. “He said the fourth time, it wouldn’t be me he punished.”

My jaw clenches. “He won’t touch you again. Either of you.”

“You don’t know him,” she says. “His reach?—”

“We know exactly what he is,” Killian cuts in. “A fucking coward who preys on people weaker than him.”

“But he’s not weak anymore,” she argues. “The things he can do, the people he knows?—”

“Won’t matter when he’s dead,” Atlas says flatly.

She searches my face. “You really think you can protect me?”

“I know we can.” I hold her gaze. “But you have to trust us. Can you do that?”

“I—” She swallows hard. “What choice do I have?”

“There’s always a choice,” I tell her. “But only one leads to freedom.”

Tears fill her eyes. “I want my baby to be free.”

“Then work with us,” Nico says gently. “Let us help you.”

She nods slowly and takes a deep breath. “What do you need me to do?”

“Is there cash here?” I scan the room. “Anything valuable we can grab quickly?”

Celine’s eyes dart to a painting on the wall—some abstract piece that’s probably worth more than most people make in a year. “Behind that. There’s a safe.”

“You know the combination?” Nico asks.

She nods, then pales. “But I can’t—he checks the cameras. If he sees me touch it?—”

“Hey.” I catch her gaze. “He’s not checking anything anymore. That money’s yours now.”

“He’ll kill me.” Her voice shakes. “Last time I even looked at it too long?—”

“Celine.” Atlas’s voice is gentle but firm. “He can’t hurt you anymore. We promise.”

“The cameras,” she whispers.

“Already looped,” Atlas assures her. “No one will see anything.”

Killian moves to the painting. “Show me where.”

She approaches slowly, like she’s fighting against invisible bonds. “Right here. Behind the left edge.”

He lifts the painting down carefully, revealing a wall safe. Her fingers tremble as she spins the dial.

“Seven right,” she murmurs. “Twenty-three left. Nineteen right.”

The safe clicks open. Inside, stacks of cash and jewelry spill out.

“Holy shit.” Nico’s eyes go wide. “That’s got to be at least half a mil.”

“Take it all,” I tell her. “Every fucking penny. You’ve earned it.”

She stares at the money. “I never—he wouldn’t even let me buy my own clothes.”

“Well, now you can buy whatever the fuck you want,” I say. “Consider it payment for everything that bastard put you through.”

She reaches for the cash with shaking hands. I dig out the duffel bag we brought and help her load it up.

“The jewelry too?” she asks.

“All of it,” Killian nods. “Everything you can carry.”

As she works, I keep watch on the door with my gun ready. Every second we stay increases our risk of getting caught, but I’m not going to rush her. Not when it comes to securing a future for herself and her baby.

A soft meow breaks the silence, and Celine freezes mid-reach. “Princess. Oh god, I forgot?—”

A sleek Siamese cat emerges from under the bed holding its tail high. Because of fucking course there’s a cat. Like this wasn’t complicated enough already.

“We can’t—” I start to shake my head, but Killian interrupts me.

“We’ll handle it.” There’s something in his voice that makes me turn.

The cat winds between his legs, purring, and his face softens in a way I’ve only seen a couple of times before, and only when I’ve been alone with him.

“Really?” Celine asks, hope creeping into her voice.

He nods. “We’ll make sure she’s looked after. I’ll make sure.”

“Fine.” I sigh. “Get her carrier if she has one.”

“In the closet,” Celine says, already moving. “Princess, come here baby.”

The cat settles into her carrier without fuss, like she knows something’s changing. Maybe animals can sense shit like that.

“Thank you,” Celine whispers to Killian. “She’s all I had, some days.”

He just nods, but I see something deep and wounded flash in his eyes. Sometimes I forget that under all that muscle and violence, he’s got his own scars and demons. His own need to protect the innocent.

“Time to die,” I tell Celine, pulling out the bags of blood we’ve brought for the final phase of our plan. Her eyes widen until I explain. “We need everyone to think you’re dead, or they’ll never stop looking.”

“Where’s the best place?” Nico asks her. “Where would someone expect you to hide?”

She swallows hard. “The bathroom. He—he always said that’s where he’d do it. When I stopped being useful.”

“Fucking bastard,” Atlas mutters.

“Show us,” I say gently.

She leads us to a massive bathroom, all white marble and gold fixtures. I tear down the shower curtain while Nico starts working with the blood bags.

“It’s pig blood,” he explains when he sees Celine watching. “Close enough to human to fool the people who will come looking for you.”

“We need to make it look like you fought back,” I tell her, smearing bloody handprints across the shower wall.

We work together, adding the little touches that make a scene feel real. Overturned bottles. Blood spatter at the right height. A few strands of her hair pressed into the “blood.”

“Enough?” Killian asks after we’ve used both bags.

I step back, studying our work. It looks like someone died here. Violently. “Yeah. This would convince the hell out of me.”

“What about my… my body?” Celine says nervously.

“Don’t worry,” I assure her. “That’s what’s next. Unfortunately, it’s also the hardest part. We need to carry you out like you’re dead. Covered in a blanket.”

Panic flashes across her features. “What if someone stops us?”

“They won’t,” Nico says, simply.

“But if they do,” Atlas adds, “we’ll handle it.”

Killian steps forward and begins draping a clean sheet across her body. “I’ve got you,” he says quietly. “Just stay still and trust me.”

“Still as a corpse,” she whispers, trying to smile.

“Exactly.” He wraps her carefully, then lifts her like she weighs practically nothing. “Is this okay on your stomach? Can you breathe?”

“As long as we don’t have to go too far.”

“We’ll do our best to make it quick,” he says. “Just keep your breaths shallow.”

“The cat—” she starts.

“She’s in good hands, I promise,” I say. “We’ll keep her safe.”

A tear slips down Celine’s cheek as she nods. I pick up the carrier, and Nico grabs the bag full of money and valuables. Atlas takes point as we head back to the service elevator.

We move silently through the penthouse hallway, past the storage closet where the guards are stashed. The elevator arrives quickly and empty, just like before.

The ride down feels like it’s never going to end, and my heart is pounding faster with each floor we pass. Celine stays perfectly still in Killian’s arms, playing her part. Even the cat seems to understand the need to stay calm and quiet.

Finally, we reach the ground floor. The service corridors are still empty thanks to Atlas’s perfect timing between security rounds. We retrace our steps through the maintenance areas quickly and efficiently, constantly moving until we make it back to my waiting car.

The trunk is already prepped with blankets. Not ideal, but better than the alternative if she’d stayed up in that penthouse.

“Just for a little while,” I promise as Killian lays her inside. “Once we’re clear, we’ll move you somewhere more comfortable.”

She nods bravely. “Thank you. All of you.”

I close the trunk and hand the cat carrier to Killian, who takes it with surprising gentleness. As we pull away from the hotel, I can’t help thinking about all the dangerous shit we’ve done tonight. But this time we did it to save a life instead of take one.

“You did a good thing,” Nico says, resting a hand on my thigh.

“We did a good thing,” I correct him with a tired smile. “And we’re not done yet.”