Bitter Truths (The Denton Family Legacy 3)

She wasn’t looking at him, nor was she looking at any of the Denton’s in the room. No, she was staring at the bodyguard, at Bruce. The Dentons’ loyal bodyguard. The one put on Charlotte’s detail, who took Tamsin to work. The one who had access to every single file in Maddox’s office. At any time he could be in the house, the casino, anywhere. No one would think twice.

Their traitor was Bruce.

Lionel looked toward the door, and Ruby watched as he tensed up. Only people who knew her brother well could see the disappointment in his eyes. Whoever he was seeing today, Lionel was hoping they were wrong.

“Bruce, how are you doing?” Lionel asked.

“I’m doing good. What are you doing here?”

Ruby smiled. “I asked for him to take me shopping.” She shoved her foot out. “I need new shoes, but my brother is a grouch when he doesn’t have breakfast, so we stopped by for a snack.”

Lionel had hoped he was wrong about Bruce. He’d wanted someone else to step into the café.

“Ruby, babe, what is going on?”

“You did it. You had access to everything, and you double crossed them,” she said.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” Bruce said.

He was one of the men from that night. She knew it, down to every fiber of her being, she knew it. “The Dentons are always the boss, right?” she asked.

She watched him tense up.

“That’s what you said to your little friend. That my family were traitors.”

The Denton men stood up, and turned toward Bruce.

“What is she saying, Bruce?” Charlotte asked.

“Not what am I saying? The words he spoke to his friend. Just out of curiosity, ten years ago, did Bruce here, have a partner?” she asked.

“Yes. Awais,” Jacob said.

“Where is good old Awais?”

“We found his body in a hotel room. He’d OD’d,” Maddox said.

“The perfect way to get rid of the evidence. Did he even know he wasn’t acting on Denton’s word, but yours?” she asked.

Her hand wasn’t shaking as she stared at the man who had taken everything from her. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Ten years it had taken her to be here. Taking a deep breath, she stared at Bruce, knowing she was going to be the one to kill him.

****

Oliver couldn’t believe it, and yet it made perfect sense. Bruce was the one person who they had believed had been loyal to them. He had been there ten years ago, and he’d stayed close to them.

“No, tell me this isn’t true,” Charlotte said.

Bruce didn’t say anything. His gaze was focused on the woman holding the gun, really steadily. Oliver admired her stance, and loved her even more.

“It’s true. I’ve got the evidence with a friend of mine.”

“Why?” Ruby asked.

“Lionel knew, and I wasn’t ready to be killed.” Bruce turned his attention to Maddox. “It was my job to get close to the Dentons, and to bring them down. Gabriel’s father wasn’t prepared for your final attack in response to the Santos murder. I’ve been waiting for my call to come, so imagine my surprise when it did a year ago.” Bruce was moving toward the door, and Oliver wasn’t going to let that bastard go, but he also didn’t want his woman to have that death on her mind.

Fuck!

His jacket was on the sofa across from him. There was no way he was going to be able to protect her, and he couldn’t let her kill him.