Page 34 of Ruthless Keeper
Monster curves a hand around my hip. “Want to take a peek inside?”
There’s a greenhouse in the fortress.When… how—
I nod mutely, overwhelmed.
A simple door brings us inside, where the greenhouse is perfectly quiet, yet somehowalive. Above me, a vaulted glass ceiling stretches wide and high, and the sheen on the glass floods the space with gentle light. Steel beams arch overhead, framing the transparent ceiling. LED panels are tucked beneath the beams, probably programmed to mimic seasons or specific light wavelengths for germination.
I toe off my shoes at the entrance, needing to feel the stone beneath my feet. It’sradiant heated stone, which is designed to stay at a controlled temperature even in the winter. Jesus, Monster went all out for this.
Along the walls, raised beds are filled with soil, and I notice embedded metal probes and sensors sticking out, monitoring moisture, PH, and eventually, root health. Above each bed are sleek metal bars that I recognize as misting arms—which, once programmed, will release a fine vapor to maintain humidity and keep the plants hydrated.
In the center of the room, touchscreen workstations blend into counters. In the far-right corner, a sealed glass lab holds microscopes, refrigerated drawers for seed preservation, and sterile tools.
It’s all waiting. Not just for planting, but for me. This is a sanctuary built from glass and steel, created with the most advanced technology available. The construction of this greenhouse would’ve cost more than the construction of a mansion—and Monster did itfor me.
Just like he promised to all those months ago… while I was plotting to kill him.
I’m overwhelmed. I’m struck silent. My palms itch with the urge to get to work, to start creating and planting—to turn the bones of this building into an active, life-filled greenhouse.
“How?” I breathe. “This is… the best-funded universities don’t have equipment like this.”
“I wanted my woman to have the best greenhouse in the world, so I built it for her.” Monster clears his throat. “It was one of my conditions for being Cain’s right-hand. The Nighthawks are very well-funded by our clients, and as part of command, I get access to allocate those funds. Cain had a jarring figure set aside for construction and upgrades to headquarters, and I demanded he set aside a sum for this. If I told you how much he spent on the medical and chemistry lab that now sits on the second floor of HQ, your eyes would bulge.”
A quick, rough calculation tells me this greenhouse would’ve cost close to 700k to construct.
Even as joy fills me, a sense of dread begins to creep through my chest. As much as I want to see this greenhouse as the precious gift it is, it’s part of something much larger and more problematic.
The Nighthawks are taking careful, calculated steps to become self-sufficient and cut off from the world. They’ve built an upgraded medical wing, and apparently, a chemistry lab—where biological orchemical weapons can be created and used in operations, reducing their need for specialized weapons sourced from the world. A farm and maybe even livestock will cut off the need for outsourcing food.
I always knew Cain was diabolical, but the Nighthawks are becoming more than just a group of assassins. They’re becoming asecret society. This is beyond psychopathic; it’s outright insane.
“You know how wrong this is, right?” I find myself asking Monster. “What Cain’s doing… what you’re doing… you’re setting yourselves up to be one of the most powerful players in the criminal underworld. More than just a group of assassins—more than just amafia. You’re becoming a secret society.”
“Right and wrong are shades of grey, not black and white,” Monster tells me mildly. “For example, what I’m doing to you could be seen as horribly wrong—in terms of captivity. But you also have to factor in how I feel about you and the lengths I’ll go for your happiness.” He casts a pointed look around the greenhouse. “You can do what you want here—whateveryou want, with no oversight from investors or the government. You won’t be stuck doing shitty research in a second-grade university lab; your time here will be your own.”
I swallow thickly. What Monster built here, what he did forme,is touching… but I can’t let it change how I see him. It’s just another manipulation tactic. He’s literally grooming me.
Would it be so bad if I just let him? If I let him in?
Yes,of courseit would. Giving him what he wants would chain me to an eternity of misery with the man who thoroughly ruined my life and broke parts of me that will never heal.
“You know you’re giving me every tool I need to poison you again, right?” I ask quietly. I don’t know why I say it; Monsterhasto know the risks with putting me in a greenhouse with unlimited resources. The question is, why would he do that for me?
“You can try, Flower. Nighthawks are now stocked with all of the antidotes to every known poison in the world. You won’t escape this time, I’ll survive, and I’ll put you in a cell where you’ll be punished so thoroughly you’ll know tonevertry to harm me again.”
“These thinly-veiled threats…” I cut off, shaking my head. It’s all threats with him; if I do this, that happens. If I don’t do that, these are the consequences. It feels like I’m playing a real-life game of chess with endless moves and countermoves, and all of my attacks will only end up truly harmingme.
Monster cocks his head to the side. “What veil?”
I let out a long breath. “Yeah. I get it.”
“What do you get, Flower?” Monster circles his arms around my waist. “The lengths I’ll go to keep you? To make you happy?”
“The lengths you’ll go to subdue me until I’m not my own person. Until I’m completely reliant on the man who broke every piece of me.”
“The man who’s putting you back together. The man who loves you.”
“The man I never should’ve saved. The man who makes my father look sane in comparison.”
