hinter

Chapter 4 - The Bargain in the Dark

Santiago stared at the woman before him. The enemy. The savior. The puzzle piece that shattered everything he thought he knew.

"If what you're saying is true," Santiago said, his voice a low rumble, "then the man who killed my parents is still sitting at my table."

"Yes," Ruby said. "And if you kill me, you'll never find out who it is. And Sophia will go back to being a ghost."

Santiago looked at the duffel bag on her shoulder. She was running. She knew his men would find her eventually.

He stepped forward, the barrel of her gun pressing directly against his chest. He didn't blink. "You're not leaving Chicago. You're coming back with me."

"I am not your prisoner."

"You are Sophia's companion," Santiago corrected. "You will live in the estate. You will be protected by my men. You will teach her to speak with her hands, and you will help me find the traitor in my family. If you run, I will hunt you down."

Ruby stared into his dark, relentless eyes. She saw the desperation masking his ruthlessness. "And if I stay?"

"Then I promise you," Santiago said, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper, "nobody will ever force you to be Elena Romano again. You will be under my protection."

May you like

Ruby slowly lowered the gun. She had spent seven years running. She was tired. And the thought of Sophia’s silent laughter tugged at a maternal instinct she didn't know she had.

"Fine," she breathed. "But I need green paint. Lots of it."

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