Blood on your hands

Ruby

Ruby groaned as she regained consciousness, her vision blurred, the fog of confusion slowly lifting from her mind as she looked around at her surroundings.

She was laying on a king-size bed in a luxurious room. She raised her hand to massage her temples, and noticed she was handcuffed to the post of the bed.

She looked down at her white wedding dress now stained with blood and dirt from the accident.

'The accident'. She immediately sat up, the fog clearing in her mind as she remembered everything from yesterday.

'Massimo' she almost cried out, he was injured in the accident before Gus drugged her and brought her here.

She looked around the room again, the room was decorated lavishly, velvet drapes hung over the windows, casting the room in shadows and antique paintings adorned the walls.

She sat up reaching over to the window as much as her handcuffs could let her, there was a herd of guards patrolling the property with guns.

The door creaked open and she turned sharply, her eyes alert, a young maid walked in carrying towels and clothes. Behind her a hulking man followed, his presence imposing, his eyes cold as he approached Ruby.

He quietly unlocked her handcuffs as the maids dropped the clothes on the bed.

" Good morning, you need to freshen up",,,,,,, the maid said as Ruby was rubbing her sore wrist.

The guard remained outside as the maid settled on the bed, Ruby watched them wrongly as she picked up the clothes and entered the bathroom.

Immediately she locked the door behind her, she let out a deep breath, her heart racing, she needed to get out of there and she needed to go now.

She turned on the shower, letting the water run as she glanced around the room for a way out. She smiled as she examined the window, with no bars.

 Quickly she wrapped the towel around her first as she smashed the bathroom window, the sound of the glass shattering echoed through the house.

She wasted no time and climbed out, the cold morning air hit her face as she landed on the ground.

She flushed herself to the wall as she crept behind the guards covered only by some bushes crawling towards the fence. She raced to the fence, already scaling it when the guards called out.

" Stop or we will shoot" She froze glancing back to see their rifles aimed at her. A pair of strong hands grabbed her and yanked her off the fence.

.

"Don't shoot! Please!" Ruby begged as the guards dragged her back inside, their expressions stern.

They escorted her to a dining room where Gus was having breakfast. He looked up, his eyes narrowing with interest immediately he saw her.

"Sit," he ordered, pointing to a chair across from him.

Ruby hesitated, her anger shining through, but the guards pushed her down into the chair. Gus smiled, a cold, calculating look in his eyes.

" I don't believe we have met Ruby Rivera, it's certainly a pleasure" he held his hand out for a handshake.

Ruby stared at his hand in contempt, her eyes blazing with fury.

" It's not a pleasure for me Gustavo Adolfo" she spat back.

"You have spirit, Ruby. I admire that," he said, leaning back. "But if you try to escape again, the consequences will be severe."

"I'm not your prisoner," Ruby spat, her voice trembling with anger.

"You are now," Gus replied calmly. "Eat."

" You better let me go before Massimo or my father gets to you" she threatened.

Gus let out a dark chuckle as he stared at her, his eyes crinkling in humour " Let me worry about that belladonna".

He forced her to eat breakfast with him, the tension between them thick and awkward. 

Afterwards, he instructed the guards to take her back to her room. As they led her away, walking with the burly guard that stood outside her room, Ruby's mind spun with thoughts of escape.

Once she got to the corridor that led to her room, she lurched and bit the guard holding her on his arm, he shrieked loudly in pain immediately letting She immediately made a run from it down the hallway to a door, but she didn't get far before another guard caught her, throwing her on the ground.

" You little bitch!" he shouted in anger, still cradling his injured arm, his eyes blazing as he looked down at her on the floor.

Ruby tried to stand up but he pushed her back into the floor, " I'll teach you a lesson".He raised his hand to strike her, but a voice interrupted.

"Stop!" Diego, Gus's son, appeared, his eyes flashing with anger. "That's enough."

" You don't know what this bitch did to …." 

" Leave, I'll return her to her room" Diego cut him off. The guard took one last spiteful look at Ruby and walked off.

Diego carefully picked Ruby off the floor and escorted Ruby back to her room, his grip firm but not harsh. "If you want to get out of here alive, forget about escaping," he warned, his voice low and serious.

" That's not possible," Ruby responded.

" Then it seems you don't treasure your life" he immediately closed the door on her, turning the lock.

Ruby slid down to the floor, her heart still racing as tears threatened to surface.'She needed to get out of this place '.

She returned to the bathroom, the room was already cleaned up, no trace of the shattered glass and the window had been replaced, but there was something new, thick reinforced metal bars shielded the window now. Ruby took a deep breath, 'she needed a new plan'

After the shower and changing out of her stained wedding dress, Ruby felt a little better.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. The maid entered, carrying a tray with lunch. 

"Miss, you must eat," the maid said gently, placing the tray on a table.

Ruby ignored the food, her mind still racing with plans for escape. 

Hours passed, marked only by the changing light through the window. She was deep in thought when the door opened again, and Gus walked in, his presence commanding the room.

"How are you enjoying your accommodations?" he asked, his tone mocking.

"Why am I here?" Ruby demanded, standing her ground.

Gus smiled, a cold, calculating look in his eyes. "You're leverage, my dear. A little birdie told me you had become very important to Massimo."

Ruby's eyes flashed with anger. " That's a huge lie, I hardly even know him." Ruby lied.

Gus chuckled. "You're a smart woman, Ruby and we both know you are lying. I want control over Massimo and you'll find that I can do whatever I please."

" You can't keep me here forever " Ruby replied defiantly.

Gus slowly approached her, and Ruby's body trembled from the closeness.

He took a lock of her red hair, twirling it around his fingers and took a sniff as Ruby looked up at him in disgust.

" Ruby…" he muttered before he walked out of the room.

Ruby retched in disgust, her breakfast threatening to make a reappearance at the feeling of his hands on her skin, she needed to leave this place.

The next time the maid brought in Ruby's breakfast, she leapt off the bed towards her.

The last few days she had been hostage in the room, Ruby had become her friend.

"Did you bring it?" Ruby asked impatiently.

"Yes I did, but you have to be fast, we can't get caught." Ana reached into her apron, picked and handed Ruby a cellphone.

" Ohh, thank you" Ruby shrieked in happiness.

She collected the phone, quickly dialling Massimo's number from memory.

" Hello?" Massimo's voice spoke through the phone. Ruby's heart almost burst in excitement from hearing his voice.

" Massimo, it's Ruby" Ruby told him. Anna watched her, her eyes darting across the room with fear".

" Ruby?" Massimo asked in amazement" Where are you, I'll come get you".

" I don't know Massimo, it's Gus's house in the middle of nowhere."

"Just give me a hint, baby so I can come get you."

" I heard the guards call it the…" Ruby was cut off as the guards barged into the room, a thunderous look on his face.

" Ruby?... Where are you?" Massimo screamed over the phone in frustration.

The guard snatched the phone from Ruby's hands, smashing it into pieces under his feet.

Anna shook in fear, tears running down her face as she watched the guard.

Gus walked in, a dangerous smirk on his face.

" You thought you could escape me" his revolting laughter echoed through the room. 

Ruby stared at him wide eyed as Anna knelt on the floor, her face flooding with tears.

" I just wanted….." Ruby stuttered.

" Don't lie to me Girl" Gus shouted, his face contorting in anger.

He turned to face Anna, a disgusted look on his face.

" You have betrayed your family, and you shall be punished" He nodded to the guard in consent.

The guard pulled out his gun from his hip, pointing at Anna still huddled on the floor sobbing.

Ruby threw herself in front of her " Please, don't kill her, she didn't want to bring the phone, it wasn't her idea" Ruby begged, tears in her eyes.

Gus rough pulled her aside, his grip painfully tight on her arm.

" Shoot" Gus commanded.

" Nooo..." Ruby screamed, fight

ing against Gus's tight grip, as the gun went off. Anna's body lifelessly hit the ground, her blood pooling around her, his eyes still open staring into space.