Page 55 of Sapphire

“I promise I will do everything that I can to save you. Save the girls.”

Ruby nods then turns on her heels and rushes back into the ballroom.

I collapse into the cool grass and sob my heart out. I will do everything in my power to save these women if it’s the last thing that I do.

It takes me a long time to compose myself. Each time I think I can go back inside and find Tomas I’m assaulted by another memory, and my legs buckle on me again. I knew there was a reason my mind was hiding everything from me and these snippets of my past filtering through prove it.

Eventually, I make my way back into the ballroom after a stop in the bathroom where the attendant fixes my makeup for me and helps me look like I haven’t spent the past hour having a mental breakdown. I step out of the bathroom and see a frantic-looking Tomas heading toward me.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you all night. I’ve been so worried. I thought something had happened to you. You’ve been gone for so long.”

Words escape me, and instead, I step into his chest and wrap my arms around him. I take a deep breath of his woody cologne which has a calming effect on me. As I hold him tightly, feeling safe and secure, I realize they are both in danger. If the Bratva know that I am alive and come looking for me and find me they are going to kill Tomas and Mateo. I cannot let them suffer the same fate as Ruby’s sister. I love them. It’s as simple as that. These two men have my heart and my soul, they are my everything. I will not stand by and witness these people killing my loves.

“I’m not feeling well. I needed a couple of moments out in the garden getting some fresh air. I didn’t realize I was missing for so long.”

He brushes my hair from my face and kisses me softly. “Are you feeling okay now, my love?”

I shake my head, unable to fake it for long.

“Okay then, let’s go home. I’ve had enough of this party, anyway.”

Tomas wraps his arms around my shoulders and escorts me from the party.

I know what I need to do to keep them safe.

18

ZOE

“You’re home,” Mateo says, springing excitedly from the sofa. He then whisks me into his arms as his lips hungrily take mine. “You’re home early. Did you miss me?”

“Of course I did.” I grin, wrapping my arms around his neck. Loving how safe and secure I feel against him.

“Zoe didn’t feel well, so we came home early. Which was fine, the party was boring as per usual, you were right,” Tomas adds.

Mateo’s face falls. His large hand presses against my forehead. “Do you have a headache? Are you getting sick?”

I wish it was as simple as that. “No, I’ll be fine. Was sick of hearing the gossip about me being Tomas’s, that’s all.”

Tomas raises his brow at this new bit of information. “Did someone say something to you?”

I shake my head. “Just overheard some girls in the bathroom. They assumed you had hired me to be your date.”

As soon as the words are out of my mouth my stomach sinks because, in my other life, I was exactly what those women accused me of.

“Fuck them, they are jealous,” Mateo grumbles as he picks me up and carries me to the sofa, and places me on his lap.

My legs fall on either side of his thick thighs as my hands land on his shoulders to steady me.

“They very much want to know what it’s like to fuck the two of you.”

Mateo smirks at me. “They couldn’t even imagine how fucking amazing it is between the three of us. It would blow their tiny little minds.”

His words make me smile. “I saw their husbands, there is no way in the world they could imagine how good it could be.”

Mateo bursts out laughing.

“They are all fucking someone else. It’s not exactly a secret amongst everyone. You just don’t openly talk about it. I saw someone leave with one of the waitstaff in the back of his limousine while his wife was disappearing into the garden with the bartender,” Tomas adds.

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