Page 34 of Reclaim (Deadly Hearts 3)

ChapterSeventeen

Ruby

I feel sick.

Knowing that Vinnie used me wholly and completely to get to Tiff to snatch her back and force her back into his toxic abuse makes me want to throw up the sip of coffee I had this morning. His coffee.

My stomach churns with the need for expulsion, but also, contradictorily, out of hunger.

When Cillian pulls up behind Adam, I’m out of the car quicker than a flash, needing to move, needing action.

“Ruby, wait,” Layton says, grabbing my arm and jolting me to a halt. “What is the plan here?”

“To find Vinnie and kill him,” I snap.

“Okay,” he says. “How?”

“Who cares? I just want it done.” I turn from him, yanking my arm back. I’m too upset to speak, too angry with myself for being so careless and so worried about me and my situation to see that I was being used.

“No,” he says, and moves quickly to block my way. He is backed up by Cillian, Ramsey and David. Adam is leaning against his Hummer, watching curiously. “We need a plan.”

“We don’t need anything. I’m doing this without you.”

“Oh, no,” he says, with an incredulous laugh. “You are deluded if you think you are going in there by yourself.”

“I never said by myself,” I grit out. “I’m going in with Adam.”

“Forget that right now. How do you know you can trust him?”

“I just do. He can’t stand Vinnie, especially after what he just pulled, and besides the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“How do you know he is your enemy’s enemy, though?” David asks quietly.

“I just do. I can’t explain it. It’s in my gut.”

“Not good enough,” Cillian states. “That prick has my brother.”

“And your brother is more than capable of getting himself out of this situation. If you go in there with that attitude you currently have, you will be a liability.”

“Ouch,” he mutters, his face falling into a fierce frown.

I soften. “I’m sorry. That was harsh, but you know Declan. He is probably already free, and you have a protective streak that is making you see this through a red haze right now.”

“And you aren’t?” Layton asks.

“I am very clear on what I need to do and why,” I say, bordering on icy. “This isn’t just about me and Declan anymore. An innocent woman, maybe even more than one, needs saving.”

We stare at each other for several long seconds.

“Trust me, I’ve got this,” I say eventually.

“It goes against everything I have to let you go in there alone,” Cillian says stubbornly, but I can see the other men, the ones who’ve been around me longer, know they have no choice in the matter.

I take his hand and kiss it. “I know, and it means everything. But I’ve got this.”

He nods, pulling me into a hug that crushes my bones. He shoves me up against the Range Rover and kisses me deeply, his hand cupping the back of my head. He presses his body against mine and I can feel his cock digging into me. Excitement shoots through me. Can I fuck him in the middle of a parking lot where anyone can see us?

The answer to that would be yes, if I wasn’t wearing tight leather pants. Regrettably, I pull back, but definitely make a mental note to try this again in a dress with no panties on.

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