Page 9 of Midnight Rose

No sooner than we get home and I walk in the door, one of my men pulls me to the side.

"The man and the woman that went after Ruby are waiting in your playroom for you," my man everyone knows as Ice says.

He earned his nickname for being cold as ice, but he's loyal as hell, and to me, I've never seen that ice-cold exterior. He's great at his job, but I know that he's also itching to get his hands on both of the people waiting for me.

"Thank you. I will get Ruby to bed as she is ready for a nap, and then you can join me down there. I might even let you have a bit of the fun."

It doesn't take Ruby long to fall asleep with the jet lag already catching up to her. So I sneak out of our room and go to the basement. Behind multiple hidden doors is an all cement room that what we affectionately call the playroom.

There are no windows in this room, only the fluorescent lights we had installed. It has a ventilation system and an excellent drain on the floor with a gas fireplace in the corner, but it's not used for warmth. On the other side, there are many kitchen appliances and a small counter, but it's never used as an actual kitchen.

In the center of the room are the two people that dared to pull a gun on Ruby in her dorm room. They're sitting in chairs strapped with metal chains, but not your normal metal chains. These dig into their skin every time they move. One quick look tells me that they've moved a lot, judging by the amount of blood dripping from the chains.

"What have you learned so far?" I ask Ice because I know he's had some fun getting information out of them. As he relays what he's learned, the man starts to struggle and then howls in pain.

I don't worry about him waking up my Ruby. On top of everything else, this room is completely soundproofed with the door closed. Not to mention it's several floors below where she is sleeping.

The more I find out about these two, the more my blood boils. Removing my jacket, I hang it on a hook and roll up my sleeves. Then I walk over to the counter where all my favorite tools are lined up. It’s been too long since I've been hands-on like this.

I pick up one of my favorite and underused tools. It's a modified modern version of the medieval thumbscrews. My version fits not just the thumb but any finger and also any toes. I hold it up and smile at the couple.

"Let’s get started, shall we?"

Chapter 9

Ruby

I wake up from my nap and find that I am alone. That doesn't surprise me because I'm sure Orlando has a lot to get done after being gone for three days plus travel. But that doesn't mean I like it, and that thought surprises me more than anything.

I'm sure he doesn't want me to interrupt him, so I decide to get online and start doing some research for possible travel destinations. Though I have a few ideas, I want to surprise him too.

As I start checking out some videos of different resorts all over the world, one keeps catching my attention over and over. It’s a luxurious underwater hotel room in a resort with all the amenities. There’s even an attached water park, which Orlando said he always wanted to do when we were kids.

So, I print out the information that I need and go in search of Orlando, excited to let him know where we'll be heading next. I think he will like this one just as much as I will.

This house may be smaller than my father's, but it is still much too big to find Orlando easily. I head towards the wing downstairs, looking for his office that he showed me the first time I was here. If he's doing work, I'm assuming that's where I would find him. But instead, I find his office empty.

I'm tempted to poke around, but I'm not willing to risk his anger just yet, so I close the door and start looking in the other rooms in the hallway, and still nothing.

After checking the kitchen, the dining area, and even venturing out to the greenhouse, I still find nothing. I wish I knew where he would hang out in the house and where he likes to spend his time. His men are no help, as I'm sure he's instructed them to not talk to me because they almost act like I'm not there. Heading into the house, I'm about to give up when I spot him going towards the staircase.

He sees me and waits for me to join him. But as I get closer, I realize he looks stressed, and it instantly kills my good mood.

"What's wrong?" I ask, not sure if I want to know the answer.

"The couple in your dorm were the parents of your tutor who helped get you through high school the last few years."

I stand there shocked. Even though I liked my tutor, she wasn't anything special. But I never felt like she paid attention to me. It was more like she was there for a paycheck. No surprise because, of course, everyone around me was just there for a paycheck.

I would never have thought she or her parents would do something like this, though.

"What? Did you find them?" The thought of them still being out there and being able to sneak up on me again sent shivers down my spine.

"Yes, we found both of them, and they won't be bothering you again."

His voice is flat and very matter-of-fact. He's overly confident that they won't bother me again, but he can't be sure of that unless... no, I can't let myself go down that road.

This is also the moment my eyes zero in on a pin drop of red blood on his white shirt. While it's just a tiny little drop, a pinprick at most, it reminds me that in this world, when someone says they won't bother you again, it means someone has lost their life.

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