Page 150 of Velvet Corruption

“You didn’t get to make that call.”

“Yes, I did,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I did what I had to do. My body. My child. You left. It’s so simple, actually.”

“What the hell, Rub—”

“I’m going now, Mami!” Rosie said from the hallway. “See you at the restaurant.”

“Okay, tesoro,” Ruby replied, her voice surprisingly steady. God, it felt like she was fucking unbreakable sometimes. I couldn’t help but admire that, even through my anger. “See you in twenty.”

The door clicked shut behind Rosie. Neither of us moved. The silence crackled.

I stared at her. Waiting. Hoping for any kind of explanation that might soften the blow, something to keep me from doing what I already knew I was capable of.

“Get out of my house,” she said.

I laughed. One sharp bark of disbelief. No humor in it. Just rage.

“That’s all you’ve got?” I asked. “You keep my daughter from me for eight fucking years, and now I’m the one who’s supposed to leave?”

Her jaw set. “I was protecting her.”

“Don’t feed me that shit.”

“I did what I had to do,” she snapped. “I would do it again.”

I stepped forward. She held her ground, but her eyes gave her away—she knew what this was now. Knew how close I was to snapping.

“I want to get to know her.”

“No.”

“She’s my daughter.”

“No,” she said again. Calm. Cold. “She’s Julian’s daughter.”

Everything inside me went still.

Julian’s daughter.

Like I didn’t fucking exist. Like I hadn’t just watched my own child walk into the house I was never allowed to be part of. Like some other man had earned the right to raise her, protect her, hear her first words.

I saw red. My hands curled into fists, every inch of me burning.

“I will fight you on this,” I said, low and dangerous.

She tipped her chin up. “Try. I’m the DA.”

“And I just helped you commit multiple felonies,” I said, voice rising. “You think you’re untouchable? You think I won’t blow this whole thing up if you try to cut me out?”

“It was self-defense,” she said, too fast.

“You were unconscious,” I shot back. “Everything after that? The body, the cleanup, the cover? All me. All on your watch.”

Her breath hitched.

“Who do you think a jury believes?” I said. “The grieving father who just found out his daughter was stolen from him? Or the shiny new DA who buried a corpse in her backyard?”

“Do you know how many people voted for me? Good luck finding a jury in this city who doesn’t like me. Don’t fucking threaten me, Kieran.”

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