| 016 | Ruby |

"Is it just Rhett Vaughan?" He tilted his head, too damn close.

"Rhett C. Vaughan, but it's just a letter, not a name," I muttered.

"C for Crowther, I take?" I avoided his eyes. "Vaughan Crowther sounds better than Crowther Vaughan, though."

"Don't even think about it," I hissed at him. "He's more mine than yours."

"Yes, but I'm just talking about a better sounding name," he chuckled.

"His name sounds fine as it is, Rhyot," I snapped annoyed.

"For now," he had the audacity to added.

"Don't get any ideas, it won't change."

"So, we're a family of R names," he chanted.

I flinched, "We are not a family."

"Rhyot, Ruby, Rhett, and Ryacinth," he ignored my comment.

"How do you know my mum's name?" I frowned.

"You do remember I studied with you from elementary to senior high, right? The summer you were 10 and they divorced, I was 12 almost 13, and I remember that. Just as I also remember her, because I met her. Our families did have many gatherings because Cole and Hayes were best friends, me and you were there for collateral damage," well, I had forgotten that.

"I don't remember much from before their divorce," I clenched my jaw.

His eyes darkened, "It wounded you that deep?"

Nobody ever asked me that, "Yes," I said shortly. "We're not a family."

"We are our son's family," he countered.

He got me there. "Biologically, but not emotionally."

"I'll change that. Is he baptized?" He tilted his head.

"What? Are you even catholic?"

"Of course, I am," he blinked.

I scowled, looking at him and his companions, "You're mafia, you kill people," and that made even the ones who were quiet, laugh, while Niklaus barked. "I don't see how that could be funny."

"We're not unreasonable murders, Ruby," Rhyot told me amusedly. "We only kill when we have to, like in a situation like this, to protect my people."

"I'm not your people, Rhyot."

But the intensity of his gaze when he looked at me, made my knees weak, "You have always been, Ruby, always, for longer than you can imagine."

What does that even mean? "How did you get in my house?" I asked instead. "Past the front door there's a code to get inside the actual house. Jameson had a past related to hacking and coding shite, he probably used that to get past it. But how did you?" I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him.

"I'm good with dates, my memory is photographic," it was all he said.

I swallowed, knowing exactly what he meant, because the key was 180615, I picked that because 270316 would've been too obvious, but only someone who knew that this date was important, would have guessed it. Only me, mum, and Rhett know it, though my son thinks this was the date I graduated from school.

"And, Martens wasn't the only little hacker in class, Ruby."

Why am I not surprised? "Is Hayes gay?"

He frowned, jaw clenched, "Why do you want to know that?"

"Leah said he was gay and in love with arse-Cole, Martens also said he was gay."

By the look in his face, he didn't like me asking that, "Yes, he is. And?"

"Do you know... how Cole is?" I tried to sound nonchalant.

Sigh, "Your brother is fine, he's engaged to mine, both living in Maine."

For a second, my jaw dropped, but then I put myself together, "I see."

"The twins, Cornell and Christina, turned 16 in February 20th as you know, and they are graduating from our old school this month, apparently, they will go for Harvard, Cornell for Business and Christina for Law. Connor will turn 15 in September 11th, he's finishing sophomore year, also in our old school, and has decided to go for Architecture in Yale, and he's more... like you, introverted and intelligent, while the twins are more extroverted, I wouldn't say like Cole, as they are not kin to cause trouble or do illegal shit, but they are closer to him, and the three of them are very smart, not like you, but smarter than Cole."

Pressing my lips together, I couldn't help asking, "Does he treat them well?"

"Your father?" When I nodded, he said, "He does. Better than he did you."

I couldn't find in me to thank him, partially because I didn't want to confess that I had been curious to know my half siblings well being, when they probably don't even give a shite if I'm alive or not, they were just 5 and 4 years old when I left, I doubt they even remember me at all.

Retracting myself away from him again, I bend down to grab my gun, now empty and dirty in Jameson Martens' blood, "Motherfucking piece of shite," I kicked his ribs one more time, before turning to them, looking at each of the people he brought with him, then pausing on him again, finding his eyes still on me, unmoving. "Given your background, I take that you can handle this mess? If you can't, I can call my mum, she's as powerful here as you are there. She'll probably want to murder you, but that's understanding, given how you put her daughter and her grandson in danger."

He licked his lips, "I can handle this, I have people here."

"Of course, you have," I clicked my tongue, rolling my eyes, then I put my car key on my handbag, grabbing my lipstick and putting it on, feeling my lips dry.

"You can't be thinking you'll go back to your place, driving," Niklaus purred.

And though I'm playing cool, struggling not to collapse in front of them, the last thing I wanted was to drive right now, the fear of being drugged again through the damn A/C, and the reminder of my old accident that awakened something that could probably kill me, in me, dragging me down. But I decided to act tough, I don't want them to see how bloody weak I actually feel, "Yes?"

"The fuck you won't," Rhyot snapped annoyed. "Had Martens not intercepted your car, Ruby, you would have gone through a horrible accident, that could have taken your life. You did faint in the wheel, thanks to the drug he somehow chill in there. You're not driving, neither are you getting into that car."

"It wouldn't be the first time," I mumbled under my breath, getting chills.

"You've been drugged in a car through the A/C before?" Niklaus gasped.

Well, I gasped, "What? No. What the hell? I've in a car accident before."

"You've been in a car accident?" Rhyot hissed and I halted. "When?"

"A long time ago," I left it ambiguous.

But he wasn't having, because he never did, did he? "When?"

This men is infuriating, "December 29th of 2016, but it doesn't matter."

"Our son wasn't even 1 year old," he gasped. "Why were you driving at 16?"

"I wasn't, I'm not irresponsible, the chauffeur was," okay, I'm lying, I was driving, yes, and that was irresponsible, but I'm not about to confess it to him. "He died, I didn't," I lied. "It's been almost 10 years since then, it's old news," I brushed aside, acting like nothing happened, when it did.

"Ruby," he clenched his jaw.

"I'm alright, I can drive fine to my place, and,"

"To hell you will, you're not getting behind that damn wheel, Ruby!"