Page 91 of Velvet Chains

“Oh, he’s good,” Julian replied, flashing me a genuine smile. “You’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thank you.”

“I’m not doing it for you,” he said. “I’m doing it for her.”

“I know.”

And we sat there a moment longer, pretending everything was fine, as our daughter played and my heart fucking broke. But if it meant keeping her safe…then fuck it. I would do whatever it took.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Kieran

Ididn’t hear from her.

Not that day. Not the day after. Not the one after that.

I knew better than to expect anything else, but it still fucking gutted me.

I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything…but it still made me angry. I hated how she could act like I hadn’t touched her, hadn’t bled for her, hadn’t made her come better than any other man possibly could. I watched her meet with her ex-husband and I thought about all the ways I could make him hurt. I considered picking up Rosie from school and telling her everything.

But I waited.

Because I knew.

Ruby wasn’t pulling away because of me. It wasn’t just about the sex or the history or the damage. It was strategic. Controlled.And that scared the shit out of me more than any shouting match ever could’ve.

She knew danger was coming…and she probably knew it was coming from my brother. Which meant that torturing Julian to death or kidnapping Rosie wouldn’t do a damn thing.

I needed to deal with Tristan.

I stood on the balcony outside the top floor of my house, smoking a cigarette I didn’t really want and which wasn’t doing anything for me, watching the lights of the city flicker on like they were trying to convince me the world was still turning. It didn’t feel like it. It felt stalled. Tilted. Like something was about to go wrong.

Again.

I ran a hand through my hair and looked at my phone. Nothing. Just the same silence she’d left me with.

I could’ve called Liam. Could’ve called Tristan. Could’ve started asking around about what the DOJ was sniffing after, or who was putting pressure on who.

But I didn’t want strategy.

I wanted her.

I wanted to bang on her door and ask her why she let me touch her like that if she was just going to walk away again. I wanted to scream at her for inviting me back into her bed just to shove me back out of her life.

I wanted her to be safe.

And I wanted to be the one who kept her that way.

The phone rang. I looked at it for a second, hoping to see her name. But it wasn’t her; it was Liam.

“Hey, little brother,” I said, picking up the phone. “What are you doing?”

He sighed heavily. “You know…cleaning up loose ends. Standard,” he replied. “What about you? Are you coming to the club tonight?”

I should have. Going to work kept me sane and less preoccupied with her and distro was profitable work, even when the cops were watching me like a hawk.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I haven’t thought about it.”

“Need me to pick you up, bonny lad? Head to the club together? You could really use some perspective, right? You’ve been cooped up in your place for way too long. I can get you and then we can stop for a drink before business. Might be a good idea.”