“I suggest you get your affairs in order, Miss Atwood. You will be notified once a hearing has been set up. It’ll be up to a judge whether you’re fit to care for your brother.”
Moving to the door, Mrs. Goodson turned back to face Ruby. “A piece of advice? Make sure you have a job, a stable home, and sufficient afterschool care for the child if you cannot be there. Those are the terms a judge will require before releasing the child into your care.”
Ruby stood frozen to the spot, unable to move, to even breathe. It took Mrs. Fleming several attempts at calling her name to penetrate Ruby’s terrified psyche.
Ruby met her worried neighbor’s gaze. “What am I going to do?”
Mrs. Fleming shuffled over to Ruby’s side and gently took hold of her hand. “Don’t worry, sweet girl. Everything will work out. You’ll see. First things first, the judge won’t require you have a job if you have sufficient funds to care for Cameron. I’m sure your daddy had savings set aside to—”
“We’re broke,” Ruby interrupted, fighting the damnable tears once more. “It’s all gone. Everything, Mrs. Fleming. Including the house.”
The elderly woman’s face turned the color of her white blouse. “Gone?”
“Daddy gambled it all away. Every penny, even the house. He also let the insurance lapse. Now I have no way of paying for Cameron’s medical bills. The surgery alone was over one hundred thousand dollars. That’s not including the X-rays, medications, anesthesiologist, and the extended stay in ICU. Not to mention, Cameron’s going to need therapy.”
Lincoln Barone’s proposal abruptly floated through Ruby’s mind. “One month with me, and I’ll give you the house along with all the money your father lost to gambling.”
“Ruby?” Mrs. Fleming was saying, her eyes huge with shock. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, Mrs. Fleming. Would you mind sitting with Cam for a few hours? I need to go home and shower. I have a lot to think over.”
Mrs. Fleming wrapped Ruby in a tight hug. “Take all the time you need, sweetheart. I won’t leave him.”
Backing up a step, the elderly neighbor pulled a small wad of cash from her skirt pocket and placed it in Ruby’s hand.
Blinking back the ever-present tears, Ruby shook her head. “I can’t take your money, Mrs. Fleming.”
“Nonsense. You’ll need cab fare as well as something to eat. Now go on, you’re losing daylight.”
Ruby reluctantly stuffed the bills into her wallet, kissed Mrs. Fleming’s cheek, and ran from the room before she broke down once again.
Chapter Fifteen
Ruby emerged from the shower, applied a small amount of makeup, pulled on a pink sundress, and slipped on a pair of white sandals.
The dark circles beneath her eyes weren’t as noticeable under the foundation.
After brushing her teeth, she smeared on some lip gloss and snatched up her wallet and cell. She would go talk to Spencer.
If anyone could help her figure out a way out of the mess she was now in, it would be Spencer Wright. Hopefully, his father would let her work some hours in his gift shop.
Locking up the house, Ruby walked the short distance over to Royal Street and knocked on Spencer’s door.
When no answer came, she knocked again and then tried the knob. The door opened with ease.
“Hello?” Ruby softly called, stepping into the foyer.
Muffled laughter sounded from upstairs, followed by a barely audible feminine moan.
“Spencer?”
More laughter ensued.
Ruby quietly moved up the stairs, drawn to the high-pitched squeals that floated down to meet her.
She stopped outside Spencer’s bedroom door, hesitantly turned the knob, and eased the door open an inch.
Her mind instantly rebelled against the scene that unfolded before her.
Spencer lay on his back, smiling up at a very naked blonde straddling him and rocking her hips.
A hoarse cry escaped Ruby, calling attention from the occupants on the bed.
“Ruby,” Spencer breathed, frozen in obvious shock.
He pushed the naked blonde off him and snatched up his boxers from the foot of the bed. “Ruby, wait!”
Ruby spun on her heel and fled. She ran down the stairs, jerked the front door open, and darted down the sidewalk, all the while closing off her mind to Spencer’s persistent pleading.
After several blocks of blindly running, Ruby found herself at the banks of the river. Darkness had fallen, giving way to the rising moon.
Ruby stared into the inky black waves of the water, her eyes dry as sand. There were no more tears left to cry.
Her cell phone abruptly rang, shattering the remaining grip she had on reality.
A scream ricocheted through the night, a sound that went on forever. It took a moment for Ruby to realize it came from her. It seemed torn from the depths of her soul.
She staggered back a few feet, shivering though the night air remained warm on her skin.
“Hey, lady? Are you all right?”
Somewhere in the depths of Ruby’s mind, she knew there was a man speaking to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge him.
Her limbs stayed frozen to the spot, her gaze locked on the ever-moving river. Or was it sealed to the mansion on the other side?
Summoning what little inner strength she had left, Ruby waved off the concerned bystander and stumbled along the riverbank to the ferry up ahead.
She dug some bills out of her wallet and paid the fee before stepping on board.
Ruby barely remembered the ride across the river, her mind replaying the last week’s events in torturous detail.
She suddenly found herself standing on the doorstep of Lincoln Barone, her fingers rapping on the wood.
The door quickly opened, and the housekeeper Ruby had met days before answered the door. “Miss Atwood?”
Ruby stared at her in a daze, her voice sounding wooden to her own ears. “I’m here to see Mr. Barone.”
Glancing behind her, the housekeeper remained in the door as if blocking Ruby’s view. “The master’s busy at the moment.”
“The master?” Ruby repeated in a stupor.
“Mrs. Tuff,” a robe-covered Barone rasped, stepping up behind the housekeeper and pulling the door wide. “Go see about dinner.”
Ruby peered into the darkened depths of his hood, yet nothing could be seen but shadows.
Barone stood completely still.
“I accept,” Ruby whispered, lifting her chin. “I accept your proposal.”
Lincoln stepped back and jerked his chin toward the stairs. “Go to my study.”
A shudder passed through Ruby that had nothing to do with the night air. Something about the robed figure of Lincoln Barone intimidated her to her bones.
She brushed past him and strode stiffly to the stairs, the sound of the door closing behind her sealing her fate.
Ruby knew she’d never be the same after that night, that her life would forever be changed. But Lincoln Barone had the power to help her brother, and Ruby would do anything to obtain it.
Taking a fortifying breath, Ruby marched up the stairs and took a right into the same room Barone had proposed his offer to her before.
He stepped in close behind her, stopping with his chest against her back.
Ruby could feel the heat of his skin seeping through his cloak to penetrate her thin sundress.
His hands came up to rest on her upper arms. “Are you certain you can do this, Ruby Atwood? Because once you agree to my terms, there will be no turning back.”
Her stomach flipped at his words. She stared straight ahead at the dark design of a painting on the opposite wall. Images of Cameron lying in that hospital bed flashed through her mind.
No matter what happened to her, what she had to endure at the hands of Lincoln Barone, Ruby refused to lose her brother. “I’m sure.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lincoln’s eyes slid shut the m
oment Ruby murmured those two words. “I’m sure.”
She was his. There would be no turning back.
He lowered his nose to the top of her head and breathed in her intoxicating scent as his hands coasted down her arms to her hands.
Her trembling wasn’t lost on him any more than her stiff posture. “You can relax, Ruby. I’m not going to force you.”
“Then what are you going to do to me?”
He smiled beneath the hood. No matter how frightened she truly was of him, she didn’t cower away. No, Ruby Atwood had to be the bravest soul Lincoln had ever encountered. Breaking her would prove to be most satisfying.
“Have a seat.”
Ruby didn’t hesitate. She pulled free of his hold and sat in the chair in front of his desk.
Lincoln casually skirted the big cherrywood desk and took a seat in his own comfortable chair.
Tugging open the bottom drawer, he pulled a folder free and laid it on the desktop.
Ruby watched him without speaking, her intelligent eyes luminous in the lamplight.
Lincoln casually opened the folder and slid it across the desk toward Ruby. “Read over it carefully, and then sign at the bottom.”
“What is it?” she questioned, the slight tremor in her voice the only evidence of her nervousness.
“It’s a contract, giving you everything we discussed upon your last visit. And what I expect from you in return.”
He waited while she read over the paper in front of her.
She abruptly leaned back in her seat and stared back at him without blinking. “I need your help with my brother. If you can add that in there, you have a deal.”
Lincoln’s teeth clamped together in rage. How dare she come into his home with demands. He held all the cards in this game.
It took him a second to unclench his teeth enough to speak. “And what would that be?”
“DCF will be placing Cameron in foster care once he’s released from the hospital, if I can’t prove to be a fit guardian. My brother is the only reason I’m here, Mr. Barone. Not the house, and not the money. Only Cameron.”
The Beast wanted to snarl, snatch the little upstart from her seat, and roar in her face that she was there because he allowed it. Certainly not by her own design.
But something held him back. He needed to play his cards right until he had her signature on that contract. “What is it that you would have me do?”
“I want temporary custody of Cameron until the money and house are back in my possession.”
“Done.”
“Done?” she gasped, her eyebrows going up. “Just like that?”
Lincoln nodded his hood-covered head. “I’ll have Templeton take care of it in the morning. Your brother will be moved here for the remainder of his hospital stay. I’ll have a doctor and around-the-clock nurses here to see to his needs.”
Ruby’s mouth fell open. “You can do that?”
“With enough money, one can do anything, Miss Atwood.”
Something flickered in her eyes, whether disdain or resentment, he couldn’t be sure. “What’s the catch?”
“You will move in as well.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of leaving Cameron alone. I—”
“In my room,” Lincoln interrupted, cutting off the rest of her words.
She visibly swallowed. “I had assumed as much.”
“Then we are on the same page. You need only to sign the bottom line.”
Lincoln narrowed his gaze beneath the hood, watching as Ruby picked up a pen.
Her hand hovered over the signature line for a heartbeat before she raised her gaze to him once more. “I want to see your face.”
The Beast recoiled from her words. “No.”
“No?”
Lincoln surged to his feet, careful to keep his hood in place. “I own you, Miss Atwood, not the other way around. Either sign the document or get out!”
Ruby flinched but didn’t run. With resolve in her incredible eyes, she scrawled her name on the dotted line and laid the pen aside. “Now, what?”
The Beast was momentarily speechless. He’d waited a lifetime for this moment, yet somehow, he thought it would feel more satisfying. “Come with me.”
Without waiting for Ruby to stand, Lincoln exited his office and entered his massive bedroom.
The sound of Ruby’s footsteps clicking on the hardwood floors behind him assured Lincoln that she’d followed.
He nodded toward a large armoire against the far wall. “Everything you will need for your stay is in there. Dinner will be served in twenty minutes. I expect you to be changed and ready to eat by the time I return.”
Turning toward the door, he brushed past her, stopping just inside the hallway. “You will wear the red dress. I’ll send Mrs. Tuff in to help you.”
The Beast took the stairs to the kitchen where Mrs. Tuff stood stirring something in a yellow bowl. “Miss Atwood needs your assistance.”
“Goodness, you frightened me,” Mrs. Tuff gasped, dropping the spoon she held with a clatter against the side of the bowl. “Will Miss Atwood be staying for dinner?”
Lincoln didn’t hesitate. “She will be here for quite some time. Do not ask questions, and do not interfere. No matter what. Do I make myself clear?”
Mrs. Tuff dropped her gaze and gave a swift nod. “Yes, sir.”
“Now, go help Ruby dress for dinner. She’s to wear the red dress, the silver slippers, and the undergarments on the far left side of the top drawer.”
The housekeeper stiffened, but didn’t argue. “Right away, Mr. Barone.”
“And Mrs. Tuff?” Lincoln called out as she reached the archway leading into the den.
“Yes?”
“Miss Atwood has been paid very well for her services. Remember that before you think to pity her.”
The housekeeper swiftly nodded and rushed from the room.
Chapter Seventeen
Ruby hadn’t moved since Lincoln Barone had left the room a few minutes before. Her gaze touched on everything from the red velvet canopy hanging above the biggest bed Ruby had ever seen, to the glass-covered, dead rose sitting on a small table near the window.
“Miss Atwood.” A feminine voice announced the housekeeper, sailing into the room in a flurry of skirts.
Or was that an apron over her skirt? Ruby wondered with a quick glance. “Yes.”
“We weren’t properly introduced before. My name is Mrs. Tuff. I’m the housekeeper of this ginormous house. I also do the cooking for Mr. Barone.”
Ruby attempted a smile but failed.
“Well, no matter,” the housekeeper continued as if the awkward moment hadn’t just happened. “The master has sent me to help you get ready for dinner.”
Ruby glanced at the armoire. “What’s wrong with what I have on?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, my dear. But the master wants you to wear the red dress, and—”
“The master?” Ruby blurted, effectively cutting her off. “That’s the third time I’ve heard you refer to him as the master.”
Mrs. Tuff ignored her, moving instead to the armoire and tugging on the doors.
Ruby’s mouth dropped open in awe as at least twenty obviously expensive, utterly incredible dresses were revealed.
Clearing her throat to hide her shock, Ruby studied the rest of the contents in silence.
Shoes of every style and color lined the bottom of the antique wardrobe, along with an array of other clothes neatly folded on the top shelf.
Apparently old man Barone had known she would come crawling to him long before she did.
Bitterness nearly choked her. It took every ounce of courage she had to remain in that room, when all she wanted was to run from this place and never look back.
But she couldn’t. Cameron needed her, and he was all that mattered in this moment.
Mrs. Tuff extracted the beautiful red dress from the armoire and laid it on the massive bed. She then opened a drawer and withdrew some othe
r items of clothing before sliding out a narrower drawer and plucking some jewels from their velvety homes.
After snagging a pair of silver high-heeled sandals from the bottom, she turned to face Ruby. “Would you like some help getting out of your dress?”
Ruby shook her head. “I can dress myself. There’s no need for you to stay.”
Mrs. Tuff’s gaze nervously shifted toward the door. “Mr. Barone ordered me to help you.”
“I see,” Ruby muttered sarcastically. “We wouldn’t want to disappoint his majesty.”
The housekeeper’s expression would have been comical at any other time. Not tonight.
Giving Mrs. Tuff her back, Ruby untied the shoulder strings to her sundress and stepped out of it.
A blush stained her cheeks as she stood before the woman in nothing but a pair of skimpy, white panties and her sandals.
“You’ll need to remove those as well,” Mrs. Tuff hesitantly whispered. “He wants you to wear these.”
Covering her naked breasts, Ruby half turned toward the bed to take in the garment displayed there.
It appeared to be some sort of white bustier with a small red bow between the bra cups. Two more small red bows rested on either side at the hip area. Elastic bands hung from the bottom sides that apparently clipped to the sheer hose resting beneath it.
Swallowing hard, Ruby lifted her gaze to the blushing housekeeper. “Where are the bottoms?”
“It doesn’t have any.”
Ruby turned away, unable to face the housekeeper another second. Her hands shook as she reached behind her. “Give it to me, please.”
Mrs. Tuff thankfully didn’t speak as Ruby, toed off her shoes, donned the bustier, and removed her panties. She pulled on the hose next, clipped the elastic to the band around her thighs, and held out her hand once more. “The dress.”
“It’s not too late to run,” Mrs. Tuff whispered in her ear as she slipped the shimmery dress over Ruby’s head. “Run and never look back.”
Ruby turned her head and met the housekeeper’s gaze. “I can’t. The stakes are far too high for me to run now.”
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