Ruby Ink (Clairmont Series Novel Book 1) (22 page)

Her last words at Incontro had been “Try not to worry. Everything will be fine. I promise.” On the drive back to Abstract Enchantment, Ruby thought about two things: they were the same words Aaron used the last night they were together. The night their lives had gone so terribly wrong. Secondly, she wondered if the words held any more promise this time around. Aaron had confiscated the keys to the car and begrudgingly put her in a cab. He looked beyond miserable as it pulled away. The winding road dipped and turned, Ruby sitting in the back seat doing the same with her guilt. For her part, she’d allowed the situation with Stefan to happen. It was up to her to fix it—end it. In truth, had anyone asked, a week ago or a month ago, if she was madly in love with her fiancé, Ruby would have answered “no.”

Her mistake was not facing facts the moment she’d realized it. Instead, she’d self-comforted. In the history of marriage, Ruby suspected she wasn’t the first bride to head to the altar under a veil of doubt. It didn’t make it right, but it did make her human. Deep inside, she felt he knew. Stefan was too amicable about their unspoken arrangement, once remarking to Ruby that the key to a good marriage was one where the man was slightly more in love than the woman. “It just seems to work out better for everyone that way…” As the cab arrived at Abstract Enchantment, Ruby guessed Stefan wasn’t going to be interested in using his own words as her excuse.

A short while later, Ruby sat on the sofa in the executive suite. Chin up, eyes forward. She was going to have to find a way to pull this off. But as Stefan entered the suite, sitting seemed like a passive position, and she stood.

“You’re back,” Stefan said, his gaze taking a brusque inventory. It stole a bit of Ruby’s resolve. Stefan brushed past and went into the bedroom. She started to follow, but her gut said not to have this showdown in the bedroom. Ruby listened as he used the bidet. She waited, arranging words in her head. Stefan wandered back into the living area. His tie hung open and on his face was the hint of a five o’clock shadow—Stefan was a stickler for a clean-shaven look. She sensed that his mood was not good. Perhaps it would be better to wait until morning. “Coming?” he said, pointing toward the bedroom.

“You look tired.”

“Precisely. It’s why I thought going to bed might be a good idea.” He unbuttoned his dress shirt, dropping it and the tie on a chair. Underneath, he wore a cotton T-shirt and a gold chain about his neck. She’d never been particularly fond of it. Stefan’s gaze moved over her again. “Of course, if you’re offering a repeat of this morning, it might wake me up.”

No, getting into a bed with him clearly wasn’t an option…

“About that…”

“About what?”

She’d stumbled out of the gate. “I don’t mean about that exactly,” Ruby said, pointing at the sofa. “
About us
is what I wanted to say. Stefan, I need to talk to you about us.”

His head cocked, as if the topic might involve roses versus lilies for their wedding. “Us? Hmm. Well, if I’m not going directly to bed, at least let me get a drink.” He made his way to the wet bar, and Ruby listened to the clinking of ice into a glass.

“Do you want me to make you a drink?” she asked, searching for a soothing gesture.

Stefan turned, cheering a glass toward her. “I’m all set.” He pointed to the bar. “My apologies. Would you like one, darling? Usually you don’t drink after the dinner hour.”

She held up her hand. “No, I don’t want a drink,” Ruby said, thinking she’d never sobered up so fast in her life. “I want to talk—about us.”

“So you’ve said.” He drew the glass to his lips and downed a sizable gulp. “I’m listening.” He took a few steps toward her. “What’s so important that you can’t whisper it under the covers?” he said, gliding the chilly glass over her arm.

“This won’t be easy to hear,” she said, turning away. “It’s difficult for me to say—especially after everything you’ve done. Since the moment you walked into that ER, even with a blood-soaked hand, you looked at me like I was your sole reason for being there.”

“What can I say? I never believed in love at first sight, not until it happened.”

“And you know it took time for me to respond. That I didn’t go into this relationship easily.”

“That’s an understatement. But winning you over was part of the enjoyment. Sorry, my love, but I do live for the thrill of the chase—you know this. Of course, I thought being completely in love with you forgave that
transgression
...”

“It did. You had the formula, Stefan. Somehow you knew how to help me right my life. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

He sipped his drink again, studying her. “Perhaps I’m more tired than I thought. What is it you’re saying, Ruby? What’s so difficult about hearing that?”

Ruby twisted the diamond ring—a stalling gesture. “It’s not enough, Stefan. We can’t make a marriage work with what you feel for me. I… I think I loved you more for what you did than I was ever ‘in love’ with you. I know that’s a horrible thing to say… especially given the change to our wedding plans, but I—”

“Past tense,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you speaking in the past tense?”

“I…” She stopped. He seemed so completely unaware of what she was saying. “Stefan,” Ruby said, drawing a breath. “I can’t marry you. I… I’m not in love you, not the way you should be when you decide to spend your life with someone.” A rapid blink was followed by his steadier gaze. He didn’t respond otherwise, which nudged her for more input. “You’ve been so… so understanding since the moment we met. It was like a dream, really. To have someone appear almost like magic in my life, someone so focused on my happiness and—”

“And this morning we agreed to move the wedding date up, as opposed to canceling it. You’ll have to forgive my confusion.”

“Actually, you made the decision to move up the date.” It sounded like fair reasoning, and Ruby latched onto the motivation. “Maybe that was it. Maybe moving the date up forced me to confront all the doubts I’ve had.”

Stefan nodded, and Ruby watched an odd smile push into that salient bone structure. “So it’s me that’s delivered you to this decision. My actions. That’s rich,” he said, raising a brow at her and the glass to his lips. “The fact that I moved up our wedding date. I’m to blame.”

“I don’t know that blame applies to the circumstance. I’m just trying to be honest about how I feel.”

“And it’s honestly your position that nothing but my desire to make you my wife, sooner rather than later, brought you to this terrific conclusion?”

She fidgeted with the ring, backing away.

Stefan followed, step for step. “If that’s how you feel, then how do you explain this morning?”

Ruby started to speak, then her mouth clamped shut.

“Your passion, it was so evident—a woman madly in love, if you ask me. It was, without a doubt, the most delicious fuck of our entire relationship.”

Ruby gasped, the language not fitting the Stefan she knew.

“Tell me,” he said, his voice and a vein in his neck rising. “Because this morning completely contradicts your argument. What spurred such an intense desire on that very sofa?” he said. “If it wasn’t being with me then…”

Ruby’s back met with the wall, Stefan’s body overshadowing hers.

“What? No quick answer?”

Ruby only stared, no plausible reasoning jumping to mind.

“Fine. Let’s entertain logical reasoning together.” As he spoke, the glass in Stefan’s hand rose. The cold hardness pressed into Ruby’s jaw, trapping her between the wall and him. “This morning, when I came back to the suite, you weren’t alone. There were two of you here.”

The pressure of the glass increased, and Ruby’s glance jerked between Stefan’s face and the fine crystal rim.

“Before we arrived in Nickel Springs, I would have described you as prone to melancholy. Since Aaron Clairmont turned up, you’ve given the word new meaning.”

Hearing his name caused a shaky inhale, a breath that had nothing to do with the considerable pressure being applied to her face.

“Vague as it was, you admitted to knowing Nickel Springs’ newest parolee, so I can’t help but think—”

“You’re wrong, Stefan. Completely wrong. Aaron doesn’t have anything to do with this.” But she’d said it too fast, too panicked, and they both knew it. The glass felt like a fist, the force penetrating. “Just let me explain—”

“Explain? You mean lie. And if I press just a tad harder… what then?” He did, Ruby feeling as if a bone might crack—or the glass might give. “I’m wondering how appealing a Ruby with an unsightly scar might be.”

She took Stefan at his word. “Fine,” she said, teeth gritted. “Clearly you sensed something between Aaron and me.” On her admission the glass eased slightly. “Aaron doesn’t matter. My lack of feelings for you don’t have anything to do with—” As her lie resumed, so did the pressure of the glass.

Stefan leaned forward, his scotch-covered breath on her neck. “I never imagined offering this. But I’ll give you one chance.” His gaze traveled down the front of her blouse, eyeing the buttons. “Think it through. Maybe it would be wiser to stop here, dutifully follow through on your promise to me. Maybe I’m the man you want, and you don’t even know it. Maybe you can save us all.” He undid the first button on her blouse. A shiver pulsed through Ruby, and the notion of blasé sex took a fast turn toward repulsion.

“I… I don’t understand.”

“I was good to you. I scooped you out of that miserable excuse for a life—I gave you back your dignity, your will. I all but put air into your lungs.”

“Stefan, I understand that you’re upset. You have a right to be. And I told you how grateful I am, but I can’t feel something I don’t. I certainly can’t feel it because you’re demanding it.”

“Darling, you’re going to be amazed at what I can demand.” Stefan kissed her, the intensity rivaling the force of the glass. Pinned between him and the wall, Ruby reached to his shoulders, trying to shove him away. A splash of the drink hit her arm as the glass dropped to the floor. With both hands free, Stefan groped her body, kissing Ruby in a way that kept her from catching her breath. It was ugly and combative and behavior she might never have imagined. His hand wrenched beneath her skirt, intent on making his point. But as his fingers hooked around her underwear, Stefan’s shift in position was enough. Ruby jerked her leg upward, making grazing but compelling contact. He staggered back, a grunt of curse words spewing from his mouth. Ruby darted toward the door, but he recovered enough to deny her exit. With dominating force, Stefan twisted her around. “It’s not that easy, my love. You don’t get to walk out on me,” he said, breathless and anxious, like he had a story to tell. “In fact, you don’t get one more move in this ever so carefully crafted relationship.”

Ruby had said something about Stefan not making a fool of himself. It was the last thing that made sense. From there, his dark eyes lit with an anger Ruby could not place. His reply continued to ring in her ears. “Me, a fool? Ruby, you’ve no idea how much of a fool you’ve been.” The hold he’d had on her was tight, and Ruby stumbled, tearing herself away. Her head made contact with the wall, all of her spilling backward onto the sofa. At least that’s where she was, blinking up at him a few disoriented moments later. It had to be moments because Stefan was standing over her, holding a glass of water. “Here.”

“Here… here what?”

“Can you at least sit up, darling?” The term of endearment was as bizarre as the scene. He reached and Ruby gathered her dazed state, enough to drag herself to a sitting position. Stefan placed the glass on a table. She attempted to stand, but his hand was there, firm on her shoulder. “No, don’t move. We’ve so much to cover.”

“Cover?”

“Yes. Cover,” he said, sitting. “One can only manipulate these things to a certain point. I believe we’ve reached that point.”

“Stefan, what the hell is going on?”

“Are you sure you don’t want the water? I need for you to be alert.”

Ruby shuffled to the far end of the sofa.

“Your choice. First,” he said, smiling fast. “I apologize for my earlier behavior. An injured Ruby does me no good, and I’ve taken such good care of you. You look so well and beautiful… And I admit, somehow the situation got under my skin—oddly irritating, but not the point.”

“The point?”

“Yes, the point—Your miraculous reunion with Clairmont. It was hardly a bet worth taking.”

“Our reunion…?”

Stefan reached over, gently patting her knee—a gesture that read as diabolical, and Ruby balled tighter into the corner. “It’s fine, my love. Fess up. Although,” he said, cocking a brow, “personally, I thought my courting effort was worth more than a day of vacillating. Regardless.” He clapped his hands together in a jovial fashion. “I was right. I mean, I am right, aren’t I?”

Ruby’s head eked back, offering a squirrelly-eyed look.

“I am right! Clairmont is still in love with you—and I assume you return the sentiment.”

“Look, Stefan, I won’t insult your intelligence by—”

“Too late. You already have.” He snickered. “Your lightning-fast reunion, it sparked quicker than dry wood and an accelerant. From what I gather, a tempting setting wasn’t even necessary. Incontro? I believe the lunch counter at the nearest greasy-spoon would have done the trick.”

“Wait. How do you know…” Ruby sighed.
Shauna…

“And now that you’ve slept with him.” Stefan’s gaze cast over her, and he rolled his eyes. “Damn. You haven’t slept with him, have you?” His voice was marked with disappointment. “Of course not. Naturally, you’d want to tell me first.” He shook his head. “That honest streak of yours, darling, I’d say it’s more trouble than it’s worth.” He waved her off. “No matter. And now that I think about it, Clairmont walking around with a permanent Ruby-red hard-on, it adds a delectable layer of misery.” He laughed, his eyes twinkling. “You’ve done your job splendidly. Aaron’s desire, his declaration, put us right where we need to be.”

“Stefan, I don’t know what’s going on, but—”

“No,” he said, his airy tone dropping. “You don’t. The timing isn’t quite to plan, but I’ve no appetite to prolong this situation. I’m here for the kill. So let me bring you up to speed, starting with our good-fortune meeting.”

“The night you came to the ER with that horrid gash on your hand?”

“Precisely,” he said, showing off a deep groove in his palm. “But I’ve always wanted a scar I could talk about and now… Well, I assure you, dragging jagged glass across my hand was, by far, the most unpleasant part.” He took a deep breath as if manning up to the moment. “Meeting in your ER required authenticity, and I delivered.”

“You purposely cut your hand to a point that required nine stiches?”

“I dare say a splinter would have hardly evoked sympathy. As it was, that story about breaking a car window to rescue a puppy earned me precious bonus points. I’d considered showing up with the mutt, but I’d heeded the old adage about never performing with children or animals.”

“What are you telling me? That you orchestrated that night, our meeting?”

“Ruby, I’ve orchestrated everything. You, my darling, are the key component to a plan I’ve been nurturing for some time, beginning with my hard work in California. The easiest play came when you practically thrust the Rose Arch Inn in my lap. All I had to do was follow through with the proper setting and let nature take its course.”

“Stefan, this sounds insane.” Ruby stared, shaking her head. “
You
sound insane…”

“I assure you, I’ve complete control of my faculties,” he said, eyes wide. “So let’s move onto the next phase. The part where you, my prized fiancée, help me bury Aaron for good. It’s my payback for costing me a sizable fortune. Short of a shiv through his gut, I spent a great deal of time deducing what might really cause the son of a bitch pain. I came up with two answers—Aaron’s family,” he said, smiling at her, “
and you
.”

Ruby wanted to get off the sofa and run out of the room. She couldn’t move fast enough—brain or body. “How did Aaron cost you a fortune?”

“In a moment,” he said, rising and serving himself at the bar. “The first thing you need to know is that Aaron Clairmont isn’t getting his happy ending—or anything close to it. His expectations are delusional, especially his grand wet dream about the two of you. I crafted it all Ruby, the entire fantasy.” He sipped the drink and smiled. “Tell me—did it feel just like that, a fantasy?”

Hearing Aaron’s words, Ruby’s brow crinkled. Their unexpected reunion, it was exactly how he’d described it—a fantasy. She looked at Stefan, who continued to revel in his scheme. “Grease the right palm, and an early prison release is easily secured. Really,” he said, motioning his drink toward her. “The state of New York has more criminals running the system than it has locked up. Arranging the employment predicament Aaron finds himself in… Well, you have to admit, it’s a near genius business plan. Actually, I’m thinking of selling the model to Wharton. I made it all happen. And when I’m done fucking him over, Aaron Clairmont will view his prison time as an extended vacation… A big
nothing
compared to the pain he’ll suffer the rest of his life.”

Ruby stood and everything began to spiral, an unwinding of actions, events and facts that had led to this room… this moment. In rapid succession, what had seemed like serendipity became a calculated plan, all of it unveiling a wildly altered image of Stefan Gerard. Ruby’s gaze cut to his, and she gasped. “The drug trafficking in and out of Nickel Springs. You… you were part of that.”

He returned the steely stare. “Part of that? You continue to insult me. I
was
that, Ruby. It was my business. Aaron Clairmont singlehandedly destroyed my brilliant and meticulously executed ‘drug-distribution’ operation. Do you have any idea how many years… how much bloody knuckle work it took to rise from squalor to that kind of success?”

“But you work for Windamere. Aaron worked for Silas Brikk.”

“And who do you think Silas Brikk worked for?
Jerry…
aka, Stefan Gerard.” He cheered his glass again. “I was the kingpin, darling—the mastermind. Brikk was excellent at controlling the street end of my business, waterfront depots—managing a few properties that I owned. His mistake was mishandling Clairmont. When I was through with him, Brikk paid dearly for his mistake—he wasn’t worth flounder chum.”

Ruby blinked wide and tried to apply the grisly confession to the man she’d agreed to marry.

“As for Clairmont… all he had to do was not miss when he fired that gun, not fuck up his grand show of loyalty.” His head tipped, and he waited for her realization.

“You…
? You ordered the hit on my father?”

“Your multi-elected, straight-and-narrow father was in the way. He couldn’t be bribed, and he couldn’t be voted out. I needed to change the political climate of Nickel Springs. My operation was at the precipice of going global. Dante Vasquez was impeding progress. And Clairmont’s bumbling, it destroyed everything.”

“You bastard!” She came at him, fists balled, poised to pummel him. Stefan was faster, grabbing her wrists and halting the incoming attack.

“I understand that you’re unsettled by this,” he said, shoving Ruby, her body bouncing off an armoire. “But business is business. The exposed hit, Clairmont’s trunk full of drugs, put Nickel Springs on the map and under a microscope. The place was crawling with feds and reporters. I had to shut down my operation that night.” A gaze glided ruefully over Ruby. “And I’m afraid, my love, stupidity and poor aim are not an excuse—not when you work for Stefan Gerard, or Jerry. So you see how this works? You are the most valuable weapon in the covert war I’m waging. And I’ve treated you as such,” he said as if she should be grateful for the perk. “Your participation in my plan is crucial to achieving the one thing more satisfying than killing Aaron outright—making Clairmont wish he was dead.”

“You… you’re beyond insane,” she said, shaking her head. “And if you think I’m going to go along with any of this… If you think I’m not going straight to Aaron or the police… Well, I don’t think a thirty-day psych eval could assess how crazy you are.” On her way to the exit, Stefan stepped decisively in her path.

“Please, darling, do think it through. I have, for years. This is a done deal from every angle. Walk out that door and Aaron goes back to prison. You won’t make it to his house before the police do.” Stefan moved aside, reclaiming his drink. “Perhaps they can break the other hand—or maybe Aaron will resist, and they can just shoot him. There’s very little tolerance for parole violators.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Although that would be a pity, especially given all my hard work.” In between sips, Stefan laid out the rest. “I can’t begin to list the charges he’d face. Aaron’s bad decisions begin with peddling drugs to my employees. They’ll all testify to this, I promise. As for me… What can I do? I’m just a businessman from out of town who attempted to rehabilitate an ex-con. Trust me, Ruby. Walk out of here, pick up a phone, send a text, and it will happen, that and more.”

Her jaw slacked as her mind rolled through the options. Truly steps ahead, Stefan continued. “And don’t forget the lovely Honor in all this,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “Especially since I now control her future. Sweet little waif, she couldn’t wait to sign that contract. So also consider Honor when the idea occurs to you about just vanishing from Nickel Springs with Aaron. I assure you, while I hunt you down, Honor will pay in his absence. So will the youngest Clairmont boy… ” Stefan snapped his fingers.

“Troy?”

“Of course… yes, Troy. He’s only running courier routes for me, nothing intense. Same place his brother started. But my sources tell me the boy is vulnerable—an angry young man. I can work with angry young men—I used to be one. It wouldn’t take much to get him hooked. Hooked with an all-access pass to the candy store, that’s a bad place to be, whether he’s shooting it up his arm or smoking it. Before I kill him though, I’d make use of him—put him on the streets while he’s handling his high. Do you know what some men will pay to fuck a boy with his brooding good looks? Imagine how responsible Aaron will feel about that. I doubt he could live with himself.”

Ruby raked her fingers through her hair. She’d never felt such heart-thudding panic. She looked into Stefan’s eyes. They glittered. They indicated he was having a wonderful time. “How could I have been so stupid, not seen any of this?”

“Ruby… Ruby,” he said, putting the glass down, coming toward her. She staggered back. “Don’t say that. You’re not to blame. I simply took advantage of your permanently broken heart. Poor Ruby, so lost, so unhappy.” He raised a brow. “On the contrary, only a stupid woman would have passed on the tantalizing assortment of cures I offered. You have to admit, until yesterday, it may not have been your dream life, but it certainly was better than the one I pulled you out of.”

Stefan was too far ahead. Ruby’s mind scrambled fast. “What… what is it you want from me?”

Stefan came closer, his face filled with anticipation. “It’s very simple, darling. I only want what I’ve said from the beginning. I want you to marry me.”

“Marry you?” She took another step away. “I’d spit in your face, but I wouldn’t want anything of mine coming into contact with you.”

“That’s going to present a problem when I kiss you at the altar, on the edge of Butterfield Lake. Took a bit of charmed persuasion, but your dear friend Tandy confided the sacred history of your beach. The sweet memories it holds.”

“Tandy…”

“Ah, now you’re catching up!” he said, excitement bubbling. “You can thank me another time for saving her life. I tracked her down, plucked the needle out of her arm, and put her in rehab. In exchange, all Tandy had to do was be my ally. In her mind, where was the harm? And as for the beach, yours and Aaron’s… I want it to be just as he remembers it, the day you marry me.”