“I didn’t return after that. Riley warned me. He told me if I wasn’t careful I’d get killed. He didn’t want my death on his conscience, so I listened to him.”
“Even though it interfered with your training.”
“I promised myself I was never going to kill anyone else. The men who killed my brother were the ones that were on my list.”
“You know, a killer in heart and mind wouldn’t care. They kill whoever gets in their way.”
“I guess I’m not a real killer then. Killing for the sake of killing never interested me.”
“Then you’re not really a killer, Ruby.”
“What about you? Are you a killer?”
“You know I am, and yet you’re not frightened.”
“I’ve hurt people before, Oliver. If you look into my past, or at least my other past with the fake name, you’ll see that I don’t have the best record at all. I’ve hurt men and women, boys and girls my own age. I refused to take shit from anyone.”
“I’m not going to look into your past, Ruby. I know who you are, even if you don’t see it.”
“Then who am I?”
“You’re a fighter.” He pulled into his parents’ home, typing in the secure password, waiting for the gates to open.
“Wow, security really means a lot to them.”
“They have to. There’s a lot of people who’d like to see the Denton line fall.”
“I was one of them. Will you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. You’ve not tried to kill me since you found out the truth.”
“Very true.” She chuckled.
He parked the car, and saw all of his family was present. “Are you ready for this freak show?”
The main door opened, and his mother was already out of the house, rushing down the steps.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Climbing out of the car, he watched as Charlotte rushed to embrace Ruby. “I’m so pleased you brought her home for breakfast.” She held her tightly. “How are you feeling, dear? Has Oliver been behaving himself?”
“Yes, yes, he’s been an absolute gentleman.”
“Good, good, that’s what I like to hear.” She kissed Ruby’s head, and rushed round to his side, grabbing his face, and pressing a kiss against it.
Aware of Ruby’s gaze, Oliver struggled not to shrug his mother away. Damn, he was a thirty-one year old. He didn’t need kisses anymore.
“Come on, Landon and his girl, Sarah, are inside. Your uncle Rick is here as well, and Mandy.”
Charlotte marched them back toward the house, and before they even got there, all of his siblings were out to greet them. Lou was there with Harper, Tamsin, and Michelle. Mandy and Rick were in the background. His baby brother, Landon was with the girl Oliver guessed was Sarah. All of his family each took a turn hugging Ruby, and he saw the fear, the panic start to build inside her.
“Come on, people, you’re crowding her. Give her chance to breathe already,” he said.
They all laughed, and soon they were back inside.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Anytime.