Page 57 of Ruthless Redemption

Footsteps approach along the hall, the heavy thuds coming from a man.

I pause in the middle of crumpling tissue paper in my hands, hoping it’s someone walking to a nearby room. Luck isn’t on my side.

The shuffle of movement stops at my door. The heat of attention tickles the back of my neck.

“Your sister brought this for you,” Matthew murmurs.

I turn to him standing in the doorway, a small duffle in his hand. “What is it?”

He places the luggage at his feet. “Clothes, I assume.”

“How did she know I needed them?”

He shrugs, the collar of his crisp white shirt rubbing over the cut I left on his neck. “I may have mentioned it.”

I don’t know what hurts more—the fact he’s on speaking terms with my family or that they disrespected me enough to let him make plans for my daughter. They couldn’t have known I’d trust Matthew around Stella. That the goddamn Butcher Boys of Baltimore could provide a safe space for a child.

“Where is she?” he asks.

I walk for the sheer curtains covering the French doors, needing the peace of the ocean instead of the struggle that comes with staring at his face. “She went to find her own room. Apparently, she no longer wants to share my bed.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I know someone who would eagerly take the offer.”

I sigh. “I thought we weren’t doing this anymore.”

“You asked me not to fight with you, and I haven’t. Nothing else has changed. I still see hunger when you look at me, Layla. I’m not giving up.”

“You’re mistaken.”

“I assure you, I’m not.”

The hot rush of anger adds to my sorrow. I force myself to focus on the gentle waves.Breathe in. Breathe out.“You shouldn’t have brought her here. I asked to see her in Chicago.”

“I didn’t want to risk someone following us to her school.”

“So you called my family?” I murmur.

“Is that a problem?”

Everything is a problem. Every thought. Every action. Every inhale.

Then there’s the paranoia that has me questioning who he spoke to and what was said. Does Cole still hate me? Will my brother ever forgive me? Is he happy that Matthew is now my caretaker so I’m no longer a burden to my siblings? And why the hell were Hunter and Sarah already here?

“I didn’t know you were on speaking terms.” I pull back the see-through curtain as I glance at him over my shoulder, my fingers clutching the material for support.

“Neither did I, but for you, I asked.”

My pulse pounds with the need to know the intricacies of his conversation, but with every second Matthew looks at me with pitiful longing, he chips away at the meager morsels of strength I have left.

“You should speak to your sister.” He inches farther into the room, his hands sliding into the pockets of his suit pants. “She might be able to clarify any questions you have.”

“No, thank you.” I turn to face him. “And you can stay right where you are.”

He complies, somehow unbelievably predatory even in his stillness.

“Does Stella’s arrival mean you’ve made headway with Emmanuel?” I ask. “Can we finally get this over and done with?”

“Soon. He’s left the property while under surveillance, which is a start.”

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