Page 44 of Velvet Corruption

Her jaw tightened. Her free hand curled into a fist at her side, nails digging into her palm.

“You don’t get to show up now like you care,” she hissed. “Not after what you did.”

“I don’t give a damn what you think,” I said. “I’m here anyway.”

There was a beat of silence.

Her chest was rising fast now, breath shallow and furious.

“Go ahead,” I said. “Tell me to fuck off. Tell me you don’t need me. But don’t pretend I don’t still know you better than anyone. Don’t pretend you’re not scared shitless right now and trying like hell not to show it.”

Ruby flinched. Not much. Just enough.

Her gaze dropped to her hand again, blood seeping through the makeshift bandage.

Finally, she pulled in a breath and stood up, forcing me to back up a couple steps. “I know you’re trying to help,” she said, voice clipped and bitter. “You can help by leaving.”

Yeah…no.

I wasn’t doing that.

Her chest was rising fast now—breathless with fury, or pain, or maybe both. Her jaw was clenched tight, her mouth a hard line, but her eyes were shining with something else entirely.

I stepped closer, just enough to feel the heat coming off her skin. “You sure about that?” I asked, voice low. “Because I don’t think you are.”

She didn’t back up. Didn’t blink. Her voice was low when she spoke, threatening.

“Kieran…if I ever see you on my street again, I will call the police. And I promise you that, if I’m elected as DA, I’ll make your life very difficult. Thank you for the help.”

“Listen—“

She didn’t listen, brushing past me and moving toward the door instead, so I caught her good wrist. She gasped, eyes snapping to mine.

“No one knows about us, Ruby,” I said, voice low. If what had passed between us before was just a conversation…thiswas a threat. “If you call the cops, they find out. The whole world finds out. Then what happens to your precious campaign? To your husband?To your daughter?”

Another beat. My hand on her wrist. Her eyes burning into me.

Then she schooled her features and tossed her head back, chin lifted high.

“Thank you for the help,” she repeated, opening the shed door. Sunlight streamed in, casting a harsh line between the gloom ofthe shed and the bright yard outside. “Now get the fuck out of here before I change my mind and call them anyway.”

She stepped outside and the door slammed shut behind her, leaving me standing alone in the shadows. The air smelled of blood and damp wood.

I should’ve left then. Should’ve walked away and never looked back. But I knew better. I was tied to Ruby in ways neither of us could escape. No matter how much she hated me, I wasn’t going anywhere.

My brother had given me a job: to destroy Ruby Marquez.

And maybe it made me a bastard…but I was going to have fun doing it.

Chapter Ten: Ruby

Iwas still feeling so lightheaded I thought I might pass out. But I couldn’t.

I still had something important to do. I had to take care of my daughter.

I slipped inside, closing the door with my elbow and biting my lip against the pain pulsing through my hand.The Little Mermaidwas still playing in the living room, the credits rolling softly on the screen. Rosie was curled up on the couch under a blanket, her face flushed from the fever but peaceful in sleep. A mix of guilt and relief washed over me. She was okay. I hadn’t completely failed her.

I needed to act normal, not freak her out. I gently knelt beside Rosie, brushing her damp curls off her forehead with my good hand. "Rosie…wake up, mi amor," I whispered softly.