Bitter Truths

by Sam Crescent

  “She’s cute, and even though it was hard, I’ve enjoyed my time there. It has been a wakeup call that I was long over do.”

  “Oh, mystery. Do I get to find out what?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve had a lot of problems lately. Mostly to do with my anger. When Sarah’s around me, I’m different. I don’t feel like I have to prove myself.”

  “When you’re with your brothers, you do?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, I do. Being a Denton, you have to learn to fight, and to take the hits that are dealt. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

  “And now?”

  “Now, I don’t know. Rick’s still part of the family, and he has a wife, a career in another country.”

  “I’m not the best person to talk to. I sort of, tried to kill your brother a couple of nights ago.”

  “Oliver, I heard. Shame you failed.”

  She saw he was kidding, and laughed. “Nah, he’d have kicked my ass for sure. He knows what he’s doing.”

  “He is. Out of all of us, I do believe he’s the most lethal.”

  Ruby looked toward the house and saw Oliver was watching her. She held her hand up, giving him a wave. He returned it.

  “I kind of like him.”

  “Kind of?”

  “He’s funny, and he seems to get me, understand me. He’s not waiting for me to fall down and fail.”

  “I’m not even going to go there in the whole judgment thing.” Landon pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so pleased you survived.”

  “Such a weird conversation.”

  “But a necessary one. I’ll see you back at the house.”

  He turned to leave, and Ruby didn’t see a point in staying behind for much longer. Letting out a breath, she made her way back toward the house. The moment the door opened, noise bombarded her.

  “I don’t want to be a ballerina. I told you, Daddy, I’m joining the boxing club.” Tamsin pressed one fisted hand against her palm.

  Maddox Denton looked toward Charlotte. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to allow her to do that.”

  “Let her try it, and believe me, in a few visits, she’ll change her mind. I know what she really enjoys, and she’s just fighting it,” Charlotte said.

  “She’s going to be our little fighter,” Damian said, holding his hands up and pretending to punch his little sister. Tamsin squealed, and rushed behind him, jumping on his back, and rubbing her knuckles against his head.

  “Don’t even think to tease me, Damian. I can take you.”

  Folding her arms, Ruby chuckled at the display, recalling the time she did something similar to Lionel.

  “Hey, could you hold this little guy, I need to hit the bathroom,” Lou said, dumping Riley in her arms. They boy was two years old, and he stared at Ruby.

  He was the first baby she had ever held, and it was creeping her out a little. He kept staring at her, and she didn’t know what to do.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Suits you,” Oliver said, coming into the kitchen.

  “Wow, thanks.”

  She rocked him in her arms, not really sure what the hell to do. He had a bit of a smell to him, and she wrinkled her nose.

  “This kid stinks,” she said, holding him away.

  “Jacob!” Charlotte screeched the word at the top of her lungs. Seconds later, the oldest Denton was in the room.

  “You hollered.”

  “Riley took a dump, and I’m not cleaning it.”

  Jacob went green. There was no other word to describe it.

  Handing the baby back to him, she saw Charlotte laughing. “I knew I was going to have fun when they had children of their own.”

  She saw the humor. As much as she hated the thought of leaving, Ruby really had to. She wanted to start looking into her family’s murder, and start looking for answers elsewhere.

  “Can you take me home?” she asked.

  Oliver nodded. “Sure. If you want to leave.”

  “I do.” She looked at Maddox, knowing they were listening to her. “My old home. Is there any way for me to get inside? Have a look around. Do I even own it still?”

  “It’s still there. We had it cleaned up a bit, but it’s been vacant for ten years.”

  “I’d like to go and have a look,” she said.

  “If you’re hoping to find something, we hate to disappoint. We searched that place, looking for any clue as to who killed your brother,” Abel said.

  “I bet there were a few hiding places that you didn’t look. Lionel, he, er, he didn’t trust a lot of people. He once told me that I was the only person he could trust with his life.” She took a deep breath. “He told me where to find stuff if I needed it.”

  “It can’t hurt to try,” Oliver said.

  “Then, by all means, we’ll take you.”

  “Can we go later today? I want to go home, change, get some stuff,” she said.

  “Sure.”

  “Excellent.”

  Following Oliver out toward the car, she felt better, more focused, ready to take on the world again.

  Climbing into the car, she told Oliver her address, and leaned back against the seat. She was starting to get a headache, and whenever she got them, it always finished her for the day.

  Something was pressed against her chest, and she looked down to see some painkillers there.

  “Take a couple. It’ll help.”

  “You get headaches?”

  “Migraines, and I don’t like to be out of commission for long. Take a couple, and rest.”

  She did as he asked, leaning back, and allowing the medicine to do its job. By the time they pulled up outside of her shitty building, she was feeling better.

  “This is where you live?” he asked.

  “Yep, home sweet home.”

  “It’s a dump.”

  “Again, you’re starting to sound like a spoilt rich boy. It’s not very becoming of you.”

  He stuck his tongue out, looking at the building. There were several windows broken, and some of the brick work.

  “People actually live here?” he asked.

  “In every single apartment. Even the ones with bricks missing, and windows smashed.” She shrugged. “Welcome to poverty.”

  She climbed out of the car, ignoring the stench that surrounded her. Ruby was used to the scent, and had often seen men and women using the corridors as a toilet.

  “What the fuck is that smell?”

  “Human waste,” she said, running up the steps.

  “Ugh, disgusting. How are you coping with that?”

  “I’m used to it.”

  She made her way toward her apartment, and opened up the door. The place was cold. The heating hadn’t been repaired in over a week. She was going to have to pay a special visit to her landlord if this kept going. The rent wasn’t all that much, but she at least wanted some heating. She was spoiled that way.

  Humming to herself, she stepped into the room, and Oliver gasped behind her.

  “What?” she asked. She saw he was staring at a cockroach, and she stamped on it. “Yeah, I’m afraid it’s not really good.”

  “No, this is not happening. You’re not staying here. I don’t accept it.” He grabbed her arm, and started marching her toward the door. She grabbed the wall, amazed her hand didn’t go through it.

  “Stop. What the hell are you doing?” she asked.

  “You really think I’m going to let you stay here?” He looked around and scoffed. “Not a chance. I’m an asshole but not that much.”

  “I have stuff here, and I have nowhere else to go.” She screamed as he picked her up, bending down to put his shoulder against her stomach, and lifting her up. “Put me down.”

  “Nope.” He slapped her ass, causing her to scream his name, but he wasn’t having any of it.

  Ruby wondered what the hell the problem was. They were just a few roaches.

  Chapter Six

  There was no way Oliver was ever letting Ruby back to he
r place. There had been actual live roaches. The real deal. Disgusting. So, he’d taken her straight back to his place, and already placed a call to his mother to buy Ruby all the girly shit she needed. He was not going shopping, not now, not ever. He didn’t do that kind of stuff.

  “Seriously? You’re squeamish about a few bugs? I thought you killed people.”

  “Yes, I kill people. I’m damn good at it as well.”

  “It doesn’t look that way to me. You look like you’ve got some serious issues. You might want to talk to someone about that.”

  “I can’t believe those damn bugs don’t bother you.”

  “I guess I just have a strong stomach.”

  They entered his apartment, and he grabbed her shoulders, moving her toward her new room. “This is where you live.”

  “You really don’t have to do this.”

  “Actually, just for my own peace of mind, I really do.” He shuddered just thinking about all of those crappy bugs crawling all over her. He was going to have nightmares tonight about that.

  Gross.

  “You’re a big girl.”

  “My ego is more than ready to handle this.” He stepped up close to her, breathing in her scent. She smelled like maple syrup and pancakes. “You’re staying here.”

  She’s a virgin.

  She’s a virgin.

  She’s a virgin.

  If he kept on repeating it to himself, he was sure he was going to believe it. This was not how he imagined his first couple of days with a woman.

  “I’m going to change,” she said.

  “I’ll grab you some fresh clothes to change into.”

  He left her alone, and entered his own room, looking through his closet. There were no other clothes for her to wear other than his gym kit. She was so small compared to him. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Jacob.

  “What’s the matter?” Jacob asked, picking up on the first ring.

  “Yeah, you know your feelings for Lou, were they instant?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know, did you want to screw her brains out? Did you want to help her? What was it like?” Oliver asked.

  Jacob was silent for several seconds. “I don’t know. I wanted to impress her, I still do. I want to be there for Lou, help her. The need to be with her never goes away, but I found that I was more than happy to take her pace.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Ruby’s a virgin. She doesn’t seem to get the whole sexual attraction. She thinks I’m a girl.”

  “Why would she think that?”

  “I, kind of, saw a cockroach.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh.”

  “She’s discovered your hatred of bugs.”

  Oliver rubbed at his temples. “What do I do?”

  “This is down to you, Oliver. We’re all different. What worked for me and Abel, won’t work for you. Lou and Harper are nothing like Ruby. Couldn’t you see that today?”

  Yes, he had seen it.

  Lou and Harper were more familiar around family. They thrived in the attention, the love. Ruby, she tried to hide. The first opportunity she had, she made excuses to leave.

  “Yeah.”

  “I wish I could help, and I know Dad would be pleased to help but there’s nothing we can do about it. Are you heading over to the Santos place?”

  “Yeah, the moment I get her some clothes.”

  “Mom’s already ordering her stuff online. You should have the first delivery tomorrow,” Jacob said.

  “Excellent.”

  Hanging up the phone, he pocketed his cell as he took the gym clothes to Ruby.

  Minutes later, she was coming out of the bedroom, wrapping her long raven hair up on her head.

  “We should have gotten my clothes,” she said. “And my weapons.”

  “A few kitchen knives?” he asked.

  “They’re cheap, and when you sharpen them, they’re all deadly,” she said.

  He rolled his eyes and saw her smile.

  Damn, he loved it when she smiled, especially when she let go, and just allowed herself to be happy.

  Slowly. Take it all slowly.

  “We heading to my old home?” she asked.

  “Yes, down to the car we go.” He followed her out of the apartment, and he heard her stomach growling. “You want some food?”

  “You heard that?”

  “Babe, the whole block did.”

  They entered the elevator together, and he saw her cheeks turn red.

  “I’m hungry.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll feed you, and why are you so embarrassed? I’m the one afraid of bugs.”

  “If you were in the middle of killing someone, and you were torturing them for information, what would you do if a bug came out, and started crawling all over you?”

  In their reflections from the elevator doors, he saw she was enjoying this. He was so damn happy to see the smile that he was more than willing to play along. “I’d ignore it.”

  “Really?”

  No, he’d flick it off, and stamp on the damn thing while also hoping not to have shown his disgust to his victim.

  “I guess you’ll never know.”

  “I guess not.” She folded her arms and leaned back against the elevator. “I’m a little scared.”

  “Why?” he asked, surprised she was confiding in him.

  “It has been ten years, Oliver. Ten years since I was last in that house, and it’s scary. What if I freak out? I don’t know what to do.”

  “You do. It’s not difficult, and you’re strong, Ruby. You’re the strongest woman I know.” Reaching out, he took hold of her hand. “I’ll be right by your side throughout it all. I promise.”

  “You do.”

  “Yeah.” Locking their fingers together, he tightened his hold on her. “You’ve got me, and I’m not going to let you face anything alone.”

  The feelings she inspired inside him surprised the hell out of him. He’d seen his two brothers, and his dad and uncle with their women, but he never actually believed it was true. There was no way that kind of love would ever touch him. He didn’t think it was possible. He was the torturer in the family, and didn’t have a problem dealing with screaming men and women.

  Anyone who posed a threat to his family, he was more than happy to take out.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Me, I’m fine. Never better.”

  Just holding her hand helped to ground him.

  “I really do appreciate all of your help.”

  “You do?” he asked.

  “Yeah. It has been a weird couple of years. I’ve had no one to rely upon, and now, I don’t know.” She chuckled. “Even though I tried to kill you, I feel like I can trust you.”

  “You can, and I want you to know that. You can trust me with everything.”

  “Thank you.”

  ****

  “Do you think we can trust her?” Jacob asked.

  “Don’t have much of a choice,” Damian said. He was hoping to stay with his family, and spend some time with his baby girl. As it was, he’d been dragged out to the old Santos home, and Gideon had been left behind. Life sucked.

  “We do,” Maddox said. “There’s not a lot we can do about this. Ruby Santos was a family friend, and we promised to help her, and her family. Charlotte wouldn’t thank me if I left her alone.”

  “We don’t have a clue who she is, not really,” Abel said. “What if she killed the real Ruby, and took her identity?”

  “Then we’ll get our answer when she walks around this place. No one has been inside since we had it cleaned. Everything is the same. Mom demanded it,” Jacob said. “An imposter wouldn’t know where they were going.”

  Jacob knew Ruby was who she said she was. He didn’t know why he trusted his instinct on this one. What he didn’t know was if he could trust her.

  ****

  Ruby
took a deep breath as she looked at the house she hadn’t seen in ten years. Climbing out of the car, she ignored the Denton men, focused on facing her past, facing the pain. Her heart was pounding, and her stomach twisted. She shouldn’t have eaten that burger that Oliver had gotten for her. Rubbing her chest, she moved toward the door, and twisted the handle. It didn’t budge.

  “Who has the key?” she asked.

  Maddox held the key toward her.

  She took it, inserting it into the lock, and twisting it. The door clicked, and she opened the door.

  You can do this, Ruby.

  This is your home.

  Stepping inside, she flicked on the light, and watched the corridor brighten up. Licking her lips, she made her way down the hall. There were a lot of cobwebs everywhere, and there was a lot of dust in the air. Stopping where she remembered one of the guards had fallen, she held her hand out, almost seeing him as she did ten years ago.

  Tears filled her eyes, and she forced them back. This was not the time for tears. She was not going to cry in front of the men. Standing up, she heard Jacob whispering but once again, ignored him. She didn’t need to know what he was saying. Standing in front of the office, she placed her hand on the door handle, and paused. Taking her hand away, she closed her eyes.

  “Everything is fine. It’s fine. You can do this. It’s fine.” She kept repeating the same words again.

  “There are no bodies in there. We had it all cleaned,” Maddox said.

  “He was in there. They were all in there.” She opened the handle, and stepped inside. The pain increased as she saw the cleaned office. The books were all in the same place, and the windows were filthy. The rug that had been in the center of the room was gone. “What happened to the rug?” she asked. “It was Mom’s favorite. She bought it when she was in Egypt.”

  She still couldn’t bring herself to face the Dentons.

  “It had to go. It was destroyed because of the blood,” Jacob said.

  Breathe, Ruby.

  Breathe, just breathe.

  “Are you okay?” Oliver asked, coming toward her. He knelt down beside her.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine. You look like you can’t breathe.” He placed a hand on her back and cupped her cheek. “Look at me.”