Page 34 of Ruthless Savior
The weight of what he's saying settles over me heavily. I think about my mother, alone in her apartment, wondering where I am. The thought makes my chest tighten with panic.
“So I stay here.” The words sound like lead balls hitting the floor, each one heavy and flat. “And my mother?” My voice sharpens.
Something flickers across his face at my tone, but he doesn't rise to the bait. "I've arranged for her to have a private nurse, someone who can stay with her around the clock, from an exclusive care network that serves only the financial elite. Her medical bills will be taken care of, all of them. She'll have the best care available. I’m having her team of doctors looked into, and if there are better specialists available for her condition, I’llarrange for her to see them. She’ll receive the kind of treatment billionaires or celebrities receive. First class, the best available, front of the line."
I stare at him, certain I've misheard. "What?"
"Her treatment, her medications, her care, everything. It's handled." He pauses. “If anything, Leila, she has a better chance now. That’s the unfortunate truth of it. There’s no barrier to her care now, nothing stopping her from getting the best. No insurance to deal with, no red tape to handle, no delays.”
“Why?” The word comes out as barely more than a whisper. "Why would you do that?"
“Because there’s nothing else I can do to mitigate your situation. It’s as simple as that.” Ronan runs a hand through his hair and lets out a heavy breath. “If I had left you in that warehouse, your fate would have been worse than death. But because I took you, paying your loan off, paying Rocco off, those are no longer options. And he has his sights set on your mother now. So I’m doing the best I can to make up for what’s happened to you—for the fact that you’re now marked by a very dangerous man as something that matters to me.”
My eyes widen. “I matter to you?”
“Rocco will believe that you do,” he says quickly. “Because I took you. He doesn’t understand empathy, that I couldn’t leave a woman in a cage when she could be rescued. It will have to be something more. And like I said—he sees it as me stealing from him.”
“I need to call her,” I say softly. “I haven’t been home in over a week. Everything you’re doing—it’s incredible, it’s more than I could have asked for, but I need to talk to her. Please.”
Ronan finally nods. “After dinner,” he says. “And you’ll need to be careful what you say. Don't tell her where you are or who you're with. Just that you're safe and that she’s going to be taken care of."
We finish the meal in silence. After dinner, Ronan takes me back to his office, where he shows me to a landline on his desk. I try not to think about what happened here this morning, about what I offered, or the fact that he’s very close to me as he reaches over to hit the button to dial out.
“It’s a secure line,” he tells me. As he pulls back, his fingers brush mine briefly. The contact sends an unexpected jolt through me, and I pull my hand back quickly before taking the receiver.
My mother answers on the second ring. "Hello?" She sounds confused—I’m lucky she picked up at all. She often ignores unknown numbers.
"Mom, it's me."
"Leila!" The relief in her voice is palpable. "Oh, sweetheart, I've been so worried. Where are you? What happened? You've been gone for days, and I called and called?—"
"I'm okay," I say quickly, glancing at Ronan. He's pretending not to listen, sipping a whiskey with careful precision, but I’m sure he’s paying attention. "I'm safe. I made a mistake. I took out a loan to cover expenses, and it—it wasn’t a good one. It went wrong, but I’m okay now. It’s being handled."
"What do you mean, handled? Leila, you're scaring me." Her voice shakes slightly, and I can hear that she’s weaker. Grief and worry rush through me, taking my breath away and making me pause for a long moment before I can speak again.
I close my eyes, trying to figure out how to explain this without explaining anything. "There were some complications, but I've found someone who can help. With everything. Your treatment, the bills, all of it."
"What kind of someone? Leila, this doesn't sound right."
"I know it sounds strange, but I need you to trust me, okay? Someone is going to come by to talk to you about arranging fora nurse, someone who can stay with you and help with your appointments and everything."
"A nurse? Sweetheart, we can't afford?—"
"It's taken care of," I say, the words feeling surreal as they leave my mouth. "All of it. Your treatment, your medications, everything. If you need better specialists, someone will arrange appointments. You’re going to be fine. Better than fine."
There's silence on the other end of the line. "Leila, what have you done?"
The question hits me like a physical blow. "I've found a way to help you," I say, because it's the only answer I can give that won't terrify her more than she already is. "That's all that matters."
"Where are you staying? When are you coming home? Will you be home for Christmas?" She pauses. “The weather is supposed to be getting worse. You’re somewhere safe? Warm?”
"I'm somewhere safe and warm," I promise her. "And I'll call you again as soon as I can, okay? I promise."
"Leila—"
"I have to go, Mom. But I love you, and everything is going to be okay."
I hang up before she can ask any more questions I can't answer. My hands are shaking, and I look at Ronan, feeling my chest tighten.
