Dante Blackwood stepped fully into the room, applause slow and deliberate, his smile carved from something cold and satisfied.
"Still dramatic," he said lightly. "You always did have a taste for spectacle, Kelvin."
Kelvin didn't move. He stood rigid in front of Ruby's bed, shoulders squared, every muscle coiled like a drawn blade. One hand rested subtly at his side empty, but ready.
"Take another step," Kelvin said quietly, "and I'll kill you."
Dante chuckled. "Empty threats don't suit you anymore. Not with witnesses." His gaze slid past Kelvin, landing on Ruby. Lingering. Possessive. "Hello, Ruby."
Her stomach twisted violently. Her body remembered him before her mind caught up before logic, before denial. A sour taste rose in her throat.
"Don't talk to her," Kelvin snapped.
Dante raised his hands mockingly. "Relax. I'm not here to hurt anyone." His eyes gleamed. "Not yet."
The woman in the suit moved first, stepping between Dante and the bed. "This facility is under private jurisdiction," she said calmly. "You're trespassing."
Dante tilted his head. "Amy," he said pleasantly. "Still cleaning up Kelvin's messes, I see."
Her jaw tightened. "You shouldn't be here."
"I shouldn't exist either, according to Father," Dante replied smoothly. "Yet here we are."
Behind him, more men flooded the corridor armed, efficient, unmistakably loyal to Dante. Kelvin's security was outnumbered within seconds. Ruby watched it happen with a detached horror, her fingers curling into the sheets.
This was never going to end quietly.
Dante stepped closer, stopping just beyond Kelvin's reach. "You always underestimate me," he said softly. "Did you really think I wouldn't follow the scent of my own blood?"
Ruby flinched.
Kelvin's voice dropped. "Leave. Now."
"Or what?" Dante smiled wider. "You'll expose the truth? Go ahead. Tell the world how your precious wife carries a child that isn't yours."
Ruby's chest seized.
Kelvin didn't look back at her. "You don't get to speak about her trauma out loud."
"Oh, but I do," Dante said. "Because it binds us. All three of us." He leaned in, voice silk and poison. "And because the board will care very much when they learn one of the heirs carries my DNA."
Amara inhaled sharply. "You have no proof."
Dante straightened. "Not yet." He tapped the side of his temple. "But I know where to find it."
The lights flickered again once, twice then steadied.
Ruby felt it then. A low ache in her abdomen. Protective. Instinctive. She pressed a hand to her stomach without thinking.
Dante noticed.
His gaze followed the movement, and something dark and reverent crossed his face. "Careful," he murmured. "You'll make me sentimental."
"Get out," Ruby said suddenly.
Every head snapped toward her.
Her voice trembled, but she forced the words through. "You don't get to stand there and pretend you're part of this. You took something from me. You don't get anything else."
Dante studied her for a long moment, something unreadable passing behind his eyes. Then he smiled again smaller this time. Sharper.
"You're stronger than I expected," he said. "Good. That makes this interesting."
Kelvin turned halfway toward her. "Ruby…"
She shook her head. "No. I won't hide anymore."
Dante nodded approvingly. "See? She understands. Power is taken, not begged for."
Amy stepped forward. "This conversation is over."
Dante laughed. "On the contrary." He snapped his fingers.
Two men moved instantly, grabbing Amy's arms. She struggled once before going still, eyes flashing with fury.
"Let her go," Kelvin growled.
"In a moment," Dante said. "First, business."
He turned back to Ruby. "You have a choice," he said calmly. "Stay here, hidden, controlled by men who think they own you..
Kelvin stiffened.
Or come with me, Dante continued. "Publicly. Freely. As the mother of my child."
Ruby stared at him in disbelief. "You're insane."
"Perhaps," Dante said. "But insanity has always run in the family."
Kelvin then moved, fast, violent, slamming Dante back against the wall. His forearm pressed hard against Dante's throat.
"Say another word," Kelvin snarled, "and I won't stop."
Dante gasped once, then laughed breathlessly. "Do it," he whispered. "Kill me. And watch the board tear you apart when my blood tests go public."
Kelvin froze.
That hesitation cost him.
Dante's men surged forward. Someone hit Kelvin from behind. Hard. He stumbled, caught himself, swung back with a brutal punch. Chaos erupted shouts, bodies colliding, metal clanging.
Ruby screamed as the bed jolted. Hands grabbed her restraints, unfastening them quickly.
"Move," Amy shouted. "Now!"
Ruby swung her legs over the side of the bed, dizziness crashing into her. The room spun. She barely stayed upright as Amy pulled her up, supporting her weight.
Kelvin fought like a cornered animal, blood already blooming at his temple. "Ruby!" he shouted.
"I'm here!" she cried.
A gunshot cracked through the room.
Everything froze.
Dante stood a few feet away, gun raised not aimed at Kelvin.
Aimed at Ruby's stomach.
"Enough," Dante said quietly. "No one moves."
Kelvin's face was drained of color. "Dante… don't."
Dante's hand was steady. "You made your choice," he said. "Now it's her turn."
Ruby's heart hammered so violently she thought she might collapse. She wrapped both arms around her stomach instinctively.
"I'm not afraid of you," she said, though her voice shook.
Dante's gaze softened almost imperceptibly. "You should be."
Amy stepped in front of Ruby without hesitation. "If you fire that gun," she said, "you lose everything."
Dante smiled sadly. "You assume I still care about losing."
Another alarm blared closer now. Louder.
Footsteps thundered from the opposite corridor.
Dante frowned. "That's not mine."
A voice boomed over the intercom, sharp and authoritative. "Federal task force. Drop your weapons."
For the first time, Dante looked surprised.
Kelvin's eyes widened. "Ruby down!"
Gunfire erupted.
Amy shoved Ruby hard toward the floor as bullets tore into the walls. Smoke filled the room again, acrid and choking. Ruby crawled blindly, her palms scraping against cold tile, ears ringing.
She felt a hand grab her ankle.
Strong. Certain.
She screamed.
The smoke thinned just enough for her to see….
Dante.
Blood streaked his suit. His jaw was clenched, eyes burning with something wild.
"I told you," he said breathlessly, "I wouldn't let you choose without me."
Kelvin lunged, but someone tackled him from behind.
Dante dragged Ruby toward the door as alarms screamed and men shouted around them. Her nails clawed uselessly at the floor.
"Kelvin!" she cried.
"I've got you!" Kelvin roared back, fighting, reaching…
The door slammed shut.
Locked.
Silence fell suddenly, brutally, on the other side.
Dante hauled Ruby into the darkened corridor, his grip ironclad.
She sobbed, shaking, clutching her stomach as fear consumed her whole.
And as he pulled her deeper into the shadows, one thought screamed through her mind…
This time, escape might cost her everything.