| 011 | Ruby |

"Don't sleep too late," I told Rhett as I handed him all of his things, finding him eating strawberry ice cream with Lloyd in the kitchen. "And do not overdo on the sugar at night," he pouted and I sucked on my cheeks. "Just this once."

He beamed, "I love you, mum."

"I love you, Rhett," I winked. "Behave!" Kissing his forehead and sending a flying kiss to Lloyd who turned strawberry red, I exited the kitchen and winked at the couple who was having some scotch on the private living room. "If you want, I can pick both the boys on Monday and drop Lloyd here after dinner."

"That will be amazing," Leah beamed.

"Alright then, see you. Thanks for the night, have a good weekend."

"You too, Ruby," Neville smiled friendly.

"Be careful, it's late," Leah added.

"Careful is my middle name. Call me if anything happens," I winked and left their place, going to my car, just wanting to go back home, to sleep and be alone, away from humanity, tired of using my voice to talk.

But as soon as I was leaving the street of the Reid's, my phone rang, and as it was connected to the speaker of my car, I pressed the key on the wheel to take the call, reading my mum's name in it. "Ruby," she called me, but there was something strange in her voice, it sounded... shaky.

"Mum?" I frowned. "Are you alright?"

"I think there's someone in your house."

Chills ran down my spine, "What?"

"I called at the house to know if you were there, if you had comeback from the dinner with the family of Rhett's new best friend, but... a man picked it up. Were you... were you with someone?"

Dread ran down my spine and I halted my car, bending down to grab the gun I keep under the driver's seat of all of my cars, making sure it's packed with bullets and unlocking it, "Rhett will go for a sleepover on his friends' place, I'll tell you more about it later, mum. I dropped by my place to get his stuff and came back to leave them here, he'll stay until Monday, I'll pick them in school. When did you call there, mum?"

"Two minutes ago," she huffed exasperated.

"Shite, I knew it," I cursed.

"Knew what?" She questioned worried.

"When I got there, the door of my room and Rhett's were open, but I'm sure I locked it all before I left earlier with him. I didn't give much thought to it. There was also a uncharacteristic motorbike in the other side of the street, one that I had never seen there before. It was a big black bike, luxurious even."

"Fuck, I'll call the Police and,"

"No," I stopped her. "I'll deal with this, mum. I'm tired, I had a long day, I don't want to deal with the police. If this... thief is still in my home, I'll just shoot them and throw their body out of my place. I have a license and guns for a reason."

"Thank heavens you do," sigh. "Be careful, darling."

"I will mum. I'll just deal with them and go to sleep. Drop by my place at 9 am, on Monday, I'll make us breakfast, we have some things to talk about. If I don't wake up, because I'll probably be marathoning Bridgertons until late, you drop there again to pick me up for lunch, yeah?" I drove my car again, gun in my lap.

"Alright. If you need help to get rid of one or more bodies, I'm a call away.*

That got a laugh out of me, "I'm not killing anyone in the 13th, it's bad luck."

"It's past midnight, darling, it's the 14th now."

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes, "Alright, mum, if I kill someone, I'll call you."

"You better!" She exclaimed firmly. "Be careful."

"I will. I love you, mum!"

"I love you more than yesterday and less than I will tomorrow," she chanted.

"Now, go to sleep, you're too old to be awake this late," I poked her.

She gasped loudly, "I'm not even 59, you insolent brat!"

"You will be in August 2nd," I giggled and hang up before she could curse me.

But as soon as the call had ended, my smile vanished, and the idea of someone having broken into my place sent the bad kind of shivers all over my body. And when my head began to hurt, I had to take a deep breath to try calming the restless anxiety boiling in my veins, doing my best not to collapse again, not to have another seizure, to stay strong, I can't die yet, I can't die like grandpa did. I won't let those seizures be my demise like they were his, I can't, for Rhett and mum, I can't, they need me alive.

Going on speed drive, I turned the A/C on, trying to cool the temperature inside my car, but the more I inhaled in, the heavier my eyes felt. I think I went over the sidewalk of the avenue, but I'm sure, my consciousness waved away before I could even realize what the hell was happening.

۞

My wrists, ankles, and waist were tightly tied up when I opened my eyes, so tight I struggled to breath, finding myself in a dark cold room, my heels, accessories, and handbag nowhere to be found, only in my dress, barefooted, my long hair loose in a mess over my shoulders. "What the fuck?" I cursed, confused by this whole circus, "What-the-fuck?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to spot anyone in this overwhelming darkness. "Is there anyone in here?" I called out.

"Well, you didn't stay unconscious long enough, but this will have to do," a strangely family feminine voice came from my north side and my eyes went to where her voice came from, and when she walked closer, my eyes widened.

"Mrs. Bell?" I frowned, seeing Rhett's math teacher, who started in January.

"Do you recognize me too?" It was a masculine voice this time, behind her.

When he came closer, I found the barista of the book-café I visit weekly, five streets away from my place in Mayfair, who started to work there also in winter, and had always been nice to me, "Thomas Livingston?" I groaned anxiously.

"Aw, don't be like that, what about me?" I know that... I know voice.

It came from south and when I turned there, I saw Jameson motherfucking Martens, the bastard from school, who called himself Cole and Hayes' friend, and made both my life and Rhyot's a hell in class, the top 3 of class, only under me and Rhyot. I always hated that arsehole, always, since I was little, and my brother used to hate him too, until he didn't.

"Jameson," I hissed. "What are you doing in London?"

He grabbed my gun from the inner pocket of his jacket and pointed at me, "I came to deal with you," he unlocked the trigger, targeting my forehead. "You see, I had an idea that you were in the UK, but not here in London. When I learned that his weakness was you," he grinned maniacally, "I had to find you, I had to come after you, to deal with, to make him pay for all he did to me. All the years of humiliation. Imagine when I learned," he tilted his head, "that you had a son with him, that he doesn't even know," he barked a laugh.

My blood turned to ice, "What?" I hissed.

"You know who I'm talking about, Ruby Sinnott. Or is Vaughan now?"

I clenched my jaw, "You won't gain anything from this, Jameson."

"Awww," he tilted his head and the gun like a psychopath, "but I will. I will be able to hand your head and the head of the son he didn't even knew he had, to Rhyot Crowther, and see him despair. That is reward enough, even if I die. And I will die, because he will kill me, but I'm already terminally ill," he laughed again, even more crazed than before, "I will die either way, so I would rather die, harming him in a way that will make him want to die."

How the fuck does he know about me and Rhyot? "My son is not Rhyot's."

"Yes, it is," he giggled sickeningly, "Hayes is infertile and gay," he tilted his head, "I know that, I've fucked him before, with your brother. That is, before they severed contact with me, because of that sick fuck who butt in my business, that had nothing to do with him!" He screamed furiously. "Rhett, was it?" I felt my blood drain from my face and his grin widened viciously, "Sounds like rat to me, suitable for a child that came out of you and Rhyot Crowther. What? You really thought you could have kept him a secret forever? Oh, Ruby, you used to be smarter than that."

"If you touch a string of hair of my son, I will reap you to pieces myself!" I growled, seeing red with the idea of seeing my son in danger. "I will destroy you in such a way that even your remains and your DNA will be unrecognizable and untraceable, you bloody cunt of hell."