Chapter 9 - The Target
The success of the gala made Ruby an overnight media sensation, but it also drew a target on her back.
Two weeks after the event, Dominic was forced to leave for Chicago for twenty-four hours to personally settle a major shipping dispute with an international logistics partner.
He hated leaving her. He reinforced the mansion security team, leaving Marcus in direct charge of her safety.
"She doesn't leave the house, Marcus," Dominic ordered sternly as he prepared to board his private jet. "Not for any reason."
"I understand, boss," Marcus promised. "She's safe with me."
At seven o'clock that evening, Ruby was sitting in the mansion's main library, reading a book by the fire. The storm outside was mild, but the quiet of the big house felt wrong without Dominic’s towering presence walking down the halls.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and died.
Ruby stood up instantly, her instincts sharpened from her weeks living with Dominic. "Marcus?" she called out into the dark hallway.
No response.
A strange, quiet metallic click echoed from the foyer below.
Ruby didn't panic. She remembered what Dominic had taught her: In the dark, panic kills. Information saves.
She quietly slipped out of her shoes, moving barefoot along the dark carpeted corridor toward Dominic’s private study. She knew he kept a secondary emergency comms system and defensive weapons in his desk.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw three dark shadows moving quickly through the lower foyer.
They weren't Moretti’s men this time. They were professional mercenaries—hired by Arthur Vance and his associates in a desperate attempt to gain leverage over Dominic Vale by taking his woman hostage.
Marcus was lying unconscious near the front entrance, having been hit with a high-potency stun dart.
Ruby’s blood ran hot. Not in my house.
She slipped quietly into Dominic’s study, shutting the door silently behind her. She went straight to the heavy mahogany desk, pulling out the bottom drawer.
Inside was a heavy metal case. She popped the latches, revealing a tactical stun baton and a high-powered flare gun.
She gripped the stun baton, feeling its weight.
Outside the study door, heavy footsteps approached.
"Check the study," a harsh, muffled voice whispered. "The girl's probably hiding in there."
The brass door handle began to turn slowly.
Ruby stood behind the heavy oak door, her feet planted wide, her muscles tense, her heart beating a steady, furious rhythm.
The door swung open. A large mercenary stepped into the dark room, his tactical light sweeping across the floor.
Ruby didn't hesitate. She stepped out from behind the door, driving the powered tip of the stun baton directly into the man’s side.
A bright blue arc of electricity crackled through the dark room, accompanied by a sharp, violent ZAP!
The man let out a strangled gasp, his body stiffening before collapsing heavily onto the floor, completely incapacitated.
The second mercenary rushed into the doorway, raising a weapon.
Ruby grabbed the heavy brass desk lamp, swinging it with all her strength like a baseball bat, slamming it directly into the man’s face.
The man stumbled backward out into the hallway, groaning as blood poured from his broken nose.
Before he could recover, the grand front double doors of the mansion burst open with a violent crash.
Dominic Vale crossed the threshold like an angry deity.
He had turned his plane around the second the estate’s automated security feed went dark on his phone.
Dominic didn't say a word. He moved through the foyer like a shadow, taking down the second mercenary in two brutal, swift strikes, leaving the man unconscious on the floor.
Dominic sprinted up the stairs, slamming through the study doorway, his gun drawn, his face terrifyingly dark.
"Ruby!" he roared.
Ruby was standing near the desk, holding the heavy brass lamp like a club, her dark hair slightly messy, her eyes fierce.
The first mercenary was twitching on the floor beside her feet.
Dominic froze. He looked at the twitching man, then at the broken lamp in her hands, then at Ruby.
He holstered his gun, covered the distance between them in a single stride, and pulled her wildly into his arms.
He held her so tightly she could barely breathe, burying his face in her neck, his entire massive frame shaking with a rare, terrifying fear.
"I'm fine, Dominic," she whispered, wrapping her arms securely around his neck, holding him close. "I'm okay."
"I almost lost you," Dominic rasped out, his voice cracking with emotion he had never shown to another human being. "I thought... if anything happened to you..."
"Nothing happened," she assured him softly, kissing his neck, rubbing her hands over his broad back. "I told you, I'm a Brooklyn girl. We don't go down easy."
Dominic pulled back slightly, cupping her face in his broad hands, looking into her eyes with a fierce, absolute devotion.
May you like
"I am never letting you out of my sight again," he vowed roughly. "Never."
"Good," she smiled gently. "Because I kind of like having you around."
