Bitter Truths Read online

  She took a deep breath, wishing her nerves would stop getting the better of her. Staying on her feet was proving to be difficult, so she took a seat on the nearest sofa, running her hands down her thighs.

  “You’ve watched it?” Jacob asked.

  “Yeah. He’d be so disappointed in me, huh? Here I was willing to kill every single Denton man.”

  “Do you really think you could have achieved that?” Damian asked.

  “Yeah, I do. I’ve been training for ten years. I may not have been able to take you all out, but at least one, maybe two. If I was really lucky, three.”

  “When you were supposed to be growing up, having fun, you were training,” Charlotte said, taking a seat beside her, placing a hand at her back.

  “I was obsessed with it.”

  “Do you still want to get revenge for your brother’s death?” Maddox asked.

  “Yes, but I don’t know where to start. Oliver asked me if I knew anything about that day, or remember anything. I even misheard my brother’s warning. I thought he blamed you. I didn’t even realize that he was telling me to go to you. I was so stupid.”

  “You can’t dwell on that,” Abel said. “It will eat you alive.”

  “Right now I don’t know what to do. Men killed my family, and I don’t know who.”

  “You didn’t ask around? Try and make contact?” Jacob asked.

  “No. Why would I? To me the fault was with you guys. I’ve wasted a lot of time.”

  “Yeah, but now you can put that focus elsewhere,” Oliver said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You can help us find the men who killed your family. You were willing to kill us. Why not put that energy into taking out the men who actually mean you harm?”

  Ruby hadn’t thought about it like that. Maybe the past ten years hadn’t been a waste after all.

  Chapter Four

  “Are you sure your family won’t mind me staying with you?” Sarah Smith asked. Landon took his woman’s hands, and was tempted to kiss her knuckles. He couldn’t have her though. She had only just turned sixteen while he was now eighteen. Even though in England, it wasn’t against the law, in the States, he had to consider her age still.

  Stop that.

  It didn’t matter to him. He just enjoyed spending time with her. For the next week he had her all to himself, and if it wasn’t for his Aunt Mandy and Uncle Rick, he wouldn’t have been able to bring Sarah home with him.

  You can’t go back.

  There was no chance of him going back to England indefinitely.

  “Of course they will.”

  “I’ve told you my brother won’t have a problem with you, Sarah. You’re going to have fun,” Rick said.

  Rick was driving them toward his parents’ house. It had been a long time since Rick had been home, seeing as he moved to England to be a doctor along with his wife.

  “You’re going to love the Denton house, sweetie,” Mandy said.

  “Charlotte is one hell of a cook, and family means so much to them.”

  “I’m pleased you were able to talk my parents ‘round, Mandy. I never thought I’d be able to leave the house,” Sarah said, chuckling.

  “Well you two lovebirds better know that you won’t be sharing a bed,” Rick said. “We promised.”

  Landon cursed and looked toward Sarah. Her face had gone bright red.

  “We’re just friends,” Sarah muttered the words, and he forced a smile to his lips.

  “Yeah, we’re just friends.” He stared at his uncle, trying to get Rick to shut up.

  “My bad. You guys have spent so much time together.”

  “You can be friends with a girl without all the other business, Rick. You did with me,” Mandy said, chuckling.

  “Babe, I married you.”

  “Ah, so you’re telling me that it wasn’t because of my thrilling company?”

  Landon snorted. “Go ahead, Uncle Rick. Get yourself out of that one.”

  “I absolutely loved studying with you, and I found everything you had to say thrilling. In fact, it’s what made me fall in love with you even more.”

  “Nice save,” Mandy said.

  That’s what Landon wanted. He looked toward Sarah, and wondered if she even had a clue that she completed him in ways that fighting never had before.

  ****

  Oliver’s parents had to get home to deal with Landon and his girlfriend. His brothers also left his apartment, leaving him alone with a killer woman. He closed the door, and stopped as he heard heavy rock music start to play.

  Ruby Santos was an interesting woman. One moment she was happy to kill him, and the next, she seemed to withdraw into herself. The only time she had any energy inside her body was when she thought about exacting revenge.

  The song she’d turned on he’d listened to many times. It was heavy rock, and helped him to clear his mind when he was struggling.

  Entering the sitting room, he saw she’d moved his coffee table out of the center of the room. With her arms in the air, her long hair cascading all around her, she danced to the heavy beat of the music, her too slim hips swinging from side to side, her tits bouncing with each sway. She spun around, and he watched as the dance changed, combining some of the fighting stances he remembered from his younger days.

  With his arms folded, he admired the way she simply lost control, allowing the song to take over. She flipped her head forward, then back, arms once again in the air, circling her hips. Every now and then she pulled up the sweatpants as she danced around the square.

  The song came to an end, and she stopped, panting for breath, looking at him.

  Neither of them spoke as another song came on. They were his guilty pleasure.

  Rolling up the arms of his shirt, he took a step toward her.

  The tension in the room mounted.

  Oliver half expected her to attack him, to finish what she’d started. When he stood in front of her, he stared into her eyes. Green eyes, filled with so much pain, so much rage. He understood her. For once in his life, he completely understood another human being because he related to her. He knew about the rage, the constant need to exact revenge. Being a Denton, it didn’t bring him any kind of calm. If anything, all it did was create him more pain. He’d lost so much.

  When the song went into the chorus, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close. She didn’t fight him, her hands going to his shoulders.

  Silent, he swayed his hips, sinking his fingers into her hair, refusing to break eye contact. She was perfect, and everything he could have ever hoped for.

  Moving her around the small square, he felt every single one of the words that was being sung in the background.

  When the song came to an end, they were both panting for breath.

  “I want to kill them,” she said. “I want to kill every last one of them.”

  “I’ll help you. I’ll do whatever is necessary to get you what you want.”

  “Why? I tried to kill you.”

  “Haven’t you realized by now? Us Dentons have a death wish.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, you see, I’d gladly hold you at the risk of you killing me.”

  She frowned.

  “You’re not afraid of me,” he said.

  “Of course not. Why would I be?”

  Oliver turned back to the song he’d been watching her dance to. It still amazed him that she’d been so confident in his apartment. He was used to men and women cowering away from him. Ruby, she faced him head on, refusing to give in to whatever fucked up demands he had.

  Moving toward her, he watched as her hips started to swing. Unable to stop, he started to dance along with her.

  “Everyone is afraid of me.” Wrapping his arm around her, he spun her around, and caught her, drawing her closer. She didn’t fight him, which again surprised him. Ruby Santos didn’t seem to know when to be afraid. The strength inside her went deep into her core. For ten years she’d been alone, kno
wing only how to fight.

  When he made to spin her around, she broke from his hold, wrapping her fingers around his neck, and leaned in close. “I’m not.”

  Catching her hips, he spun her around, and her hand left his neck, gripping his shoulders. He was amazed at how light she was. She didn’t eat enough or take care of her body. He’d make sure she did from now on.

  She shocked him again as her legs went around his waist, locking herself to him. He couldn’t let her go, and allowed the music to wash over him, holding her, breathing her in.

  Once again they were both panting for breath, and Oliver didn’t know what the hell had taken over from him. He’d never released this kind of energy in front of anyone, not even in front of his family.

  Dancing was his thing, and yet Ruby seemed to be getting off on it with a similar passion.

  Holding onto her, he brought her head down, and slammed his lips against hers. She held onto his head, kissing him back with a passion that took his breath away. Neither of them moved, simply standing in the center of his apartment, consumed by their need for each other. He’d never known anything like it. Who the fuck was this woman?

  She plunged her tongue into his mouth, and he met her strokes, running his hand down her back, grabbing her ass, and moving her against his cock.

  Fuck!

  It felt so fucking right, so perfect.

  Suddenly, she broke away from the kiss and looked down at him. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t kiss strangers. I’ve never kissed a man that I don’t know.”

  “You know me, and you know I’ll protect you. Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve saved all my energies for something else. I didn’t have time to think about kissing, and boyfriends.” She stroked his cheek. “Right now, I really don’t know what to do.”

  “What do you want to do? What is your heart telling you?” he asked.

  She licked her lips, and it made him think of doing something else entirely with her lips.

  Ruby released her hold on him, and he had no choice but to put her down. She moved away from him, and he saw her grab the coffee table, and place it back in the center of the room. “You have an awesome music collection.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you dance around often like that?” she asked.

  “Whenever I need to forget. The apartment is soundproof. My life doesn’t allow anything else. I can have the music as loud as I like, and drown everything out.”

  “That must be so nice.”

  “It really is.” He licked his lips, sure he could still taste her. “Do you dance often, or was that a one off?”

  “I dance when I can. Most of the time I have headphones to drown everything out. I don’t have the luxury of soundproofing.” She smiled. “I have to dance. It’s the only way I can deal with … everything. It’s not training or anything. I just have to forget. The pain, it hurts.”

  “The pain?”

  “Remembering my family. Knowing I’m alone. When I was younger, I would go running, and it would help for a few hours.” She looked down at her body. “The weight soon fell off me.”

  “Weight?”

  “Yeah, I was a chubby kid. I usually hated exercise, and I was teased about it all the time.” She shrugged. “When Lionel died, a part of me died along with him. I know he was only my brother, but I adored him. He was my best friend.”

  “He was much older than you.”

  “I know. I was a mistake. My parents went through one of their, ‘we’ll be together’ moments. I was conceived, and Dad didn’t believe in abortion, or something. Anyway, my mom was forced to have me, and she made sure I knew how much of an inconvenience it was on her body.” She chuckled. “She had a smooth stomach, and when I was born, there was a small pouch of fat around here.” She pointed at her stomach. “I don’t know why she never went for plastic surgery.” She shrugged.

  “I bet you were adorable.”

  She frowned, looking at him. “You know, according to my research, out of all of the brothers, you’re supposed to be the asshole.”

  “Okay.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did you find out?” he asked, genuinely curious.

  “Maddox is the leader. Stuart has personal issues because he had an affair with the nanny. Jacob has control issues. He always has to be the one to make decisions. Abel has some weird knife fetishes, and he kills through torture. Damian is into serious kink, which is strange considering he’s now got a kid with a nice girl. Gideon, well, he’s got a thing for pain, and you like to fuck other men’s wives.”

  Oliver winced. That wasn’t good.

  “You did your research.”

  “That’s just some of it. You all have a vice. Landon, he’s too young, but he’s got a temper. It’s why you sent him away.”

  “How did you find all this stuff out?” he asked.

  “Men like to talk a lot. I’ve learned how to manipulate people to get what I want.”

  He chuckled. “I can’t believe you’re being that honest.”

  “What’s the point in lying? We’re both in the same position. As far as I’m concerned, we’re both after the same thing.” She sighed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I wasted so much time looking for the wrong men. It pisses me off just thinking about it.”

  “Then don’t think. Put all of that energy to find the men responsible for it.”

  “I will.”

  ****

  Oliver Denton was so nice, in a weird, scary kind of way. She wasn’t afraid of him, which should scare her. Apart from the day those men came into her home and killed her family, she didn’t actually remember the last time she was so scared. Oliver didn’t scare her. It was probably weird, but she actually thought he was really nice.

  “You want a drink?” he asked.

  “I could use a drink.”

  He got up off the sofa and made his way toward the kitchen. Ruby stayed sitting, not wanting to give up the comfort she found. Wrapping her arms around herself, she ran them up and down her arms, trying to warm herself up.

  Seconds later he returned, carrying two open beers.

  “You haven’t drugged me, have you?”

  “Nah, I wouldn’t even attempt something stupid like that.”

  She giggled. It felt good to finally laugh again, even with a Denton. She really had to get someone to talk to about her issues. The last thing she needed was to deal with someone telling her how fucked up she was. She was having fun with a Denton that she had been more than happy to kill just hours ago.

  Taking a sip of the beer, she rested back, knowing that one beer was her limit. She never allowed herself the time to relax. Training was her thing.

  “What is going on in that head of yours?” he asked.

  “I’m just thinking about my life.” She held up her beer. “I can only drink the one.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t have a strong stomach.” She shrugged. “I was more interested in training.”

  “Did you do all of your own training?”

  “To start off with, and then I blackmailed a guy near a gym to let me fight. This is so weird.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re sitting talking, and for the longest time I’ve been wanting to kill you.”

  He licked his lips then took another swig of his beer.

  “What? You look like you want to say something,” she said.

  “Nah, I was just curious if you knew everything about the Dentons.”

  “Just the usual. You’re a strong family, why?”

  “Anything about any legacy? Any rumor about us knowing what woman we want?” he asked.

  “Not that I can remember, sorry.”

  “No. Don’t worry about it,” he said, slumping down in his seat.

  She stared at him, amazed at how much of a child he actually was. “Are you having
a little temper tantrum?” she asked.

  “Nope.”

  Ruby looked toward the clock, and saw it was nearly morning. “I really need to get home.”

  “You’re going home?” he asked.

  She glanced at him, frowning. “Anyone told you how weird you are?”

  “You keep telling me that. You don’t have to leave.”

  “Oliver, this is not my place, and I would think to sleep easier, you’d want me far away from you.”

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “What do you mean, what about me? Make sense.”

  “Ugh, fine. What if you’ve been spotted?”

  “By who?”

  “By the men who killed your family.”

  She tensed up. “They didn’t even care if I was there or not. I doubt they’d care. Besides, I doubt you displayed me for all to see. I’ll be fine.” She was a light sleeper. Sipping her beer, she got to her feet. “I really need to go. Did your family demand that I stay here with you?”

  Oliver glared, gritted his teeth, and shook his head. “Yes.”

  “Why are you saying one thing, but your head doing another?”

  “Ugh, this curse sucks.”

  “Curse.”

  “You’re free to go, but my family wouldn’t want you out there alone.”

  Tucking her hair behind her ears, she smiled. “I’ve been on my own for a long time. This is nothing.”

  Oliver got to his feet. “Sleep here tonight. I’ll take you home, and you’ll be fine.”

  Ruby thought about the bed waiting for her at her own apartment. It was so bare that the springs dug into her back, and it smelled.

  “Can I tempt you?” he asked. “I’ll take you out for breakfast. Shit, no, Landon is coming home. We can go to my parents’ for breakfast. I’ll take you home afterward.”

  The fluffy, dreamy, mattress in the room was calling to her.

  “No handcuffs?” she asked.

  “Nope. No handcuffs.”

  Biting her lip, she nodded. “Yes, I’ll stay. Against my better judgment, I’ll stay.”

  “Come on.”

  She followed him past the room that she had woken up in. “Why not that room? I was in there, and it was comfortable.”

  “You thought that was comfortable?” he asked. “Damn, what kind of place do you live in?”