Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
RUBY
S he really, really fucking hated this job.
Then again, maybe it was just because she still felt like shit and her mind was so full of Beckett she couldn’t concentrate. Whatever the reason, every single thing seemed to be on her nerves today. From Nancy’s grating voice to the spreadsheet she couldn’t make heads or tails of to save her life, everything just sucked. Nancy had at least improved her attitude, probably because of Beckett’s threats to buy the company and fire her, which Ruby was secretly grateful for. Even if she refused to tell him that.
“Lunchtime. Fucking finally,” she grumbled, grabbing her purse out of her desk drawer and yanking it over her shoulder. She’d brought lunch, as usual, but today she needed to get outside. She needed to breathe for five minutes without feeling like a rat trapped in a damn maze.
Stepping outside into the crisp air, she paused, closing her eyes and dragging in a deep breath. Finally .
Now she just had to figure out where to go for lunch. There were a few options within walking distance, and she didn’t really feel like sitting in her cramped car all day, so she headed off toward a little local cafe some of her coworkers had recommended.
She was just reaching for the door when her phone rang. Irritation ran prickly fingers across the back of her neck as she yanked it out of her purse and hit the button to answer. “Hello?”
“Good afternoon! May I speak with Ruby Matthews, please?”
“This is she.” Great. Probably a fucking telemarketer. It didn’t seem to matter how many ‘Do Not Call’ lists she placed herself on, they always managed to?—
“Ms. Matthews, hello! This is Valerie down at Charleston Regional Bank and Trust. Do you have a few minutes to verify some information for me?”
A bank? What the hell? “What kind of information?”
“Just some basic info so we can finalize your new account.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, I don’t know how you got my number but I don’t have an account with you.”
“You didn’t open an account with us online this morning?”
“No. No I did not.”
“Oh. Well. That’s… problematic. I’m not sure what’s going on, then.”
Turning on her heel, Ruby headed back toward the office at double speed. “Where are you located, Valerie?” She listened as the woman on the phone rattled off an address. “I’m about ten minutes from there. Can I just come in and we can hopefully get this all sorted out?”
“Of course.” Relief filled the other woman’s voice. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Hell yeah, you will.”
Ruby
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat that total for me one more time?”
Seated behind her large, sleek wooden desk, Valerie’s smile was looking more and more forced by the minute. “Of course. The account was opened with an even one million dollars this morning. Since it’s a brand-new account, there is a hold on the funds, but the wire transfer came through right after the account was opened.”
“Ma’am, I can assure you, I do not have that kind of money. I don’t have any idea where…”
But she did. As soon as the answer popped into her mind, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it earlier.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
Valerie’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”
Doing her best to arrange her face into something approaching a pleasant expression, Ruby shook her head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Is there a way to return the funds?”
“Ah, well, yes, but… are you sure?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She couldn’t think with the haze of fury clouding her brain.
“How about this?” Valerie said, a hint of sympathy finding its way into her voice. “It’s going to take about seventy-two hours for the hold to clear anyway, so there’s not much I can do. If you still feel like you want me to close the account after that, come back in and we’ll get it taken care of.”
“Yeah. Okay. I can do that.” Grabbing her purse, Ruby rose to her feet and forced herself to smile for the poor unsuspecting bank lady behind the desk. “I’m sorry about all this. I’m sure this is a lot of extra hassle you don’t need.”
To her surprise, Valerie’s smile lost its tightness around the edges and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Please. This is the most excitement we’ve had around here in months. You’re doing me a favor.”
“Glad to be of service. Thanks for your help, Val.”
She headed out with a wave, making a beeline back to her car. But she wasn’t going back to work. She had a meeting with a certain bossy, high-handed asshole who still hadn’t gotten the memo that she didn’t want or need his goddamn money.
Beckett
“Ready for the big showdown?”
Glancing up from his computer, Beckett raised an eyebrow at Jonas, who was sprawled in one of his visitor chairs. “The showdown was yesterday with the board. This is merely a formality.”
Jonas let out a low whistle. “I thought they were gonna riot when you said you didn’t want Kingsley on board.”
“So did I.” And he had a few members of the board he’d be keeping a close eye on for the foreseeable future. While they’d ultimately agreed with Beckett’s decision, there were a few of the old guard who had been openly hostile toward him for the rest of the meeting. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be pulling knives out of his back.
Being the boss sucked sometimes.
His phone rang, distracting him from the black cloud hanging over his head as he reached for it. “Yes?”
“Mr. Stone, there’s a Mr. Kingsley here to see you. Should I send him in?”
“Tell him I’m in a meeting and to have a seat. I’ll be down in just a bit.”
Eyes wide, Jonas sat up straighter in his chair. “You’ve got balls of fucking steel making him wait.”
“Men like him need to be knocked down a peg or two from time to time.”
He gave it a full fifteen minutes, shooting the shit with Jonas, before they made their way out into the waiting area down the hall from Beckett’s office. Preston was there, sulking in a chair just across from Sonja’s desk. And when Braden saw how pointedly Sonja was ignoring his glare, he made a mental note to bump up her bonus at the end of the year.
“Preston.” Keeping an easy smile on his face, Braden approached his former white whale without bothering to extend his hand. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting long.”
“You shouldn’t have kept me waiting at all, Stone. I hope I can expect better customer service from you lot going forward. If not, there are plenty of other investment firms who would appreciate my business.”
It was the perfect opening. “Actually, now that you mention it?—”
“Beckett Stone! What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Whipping around, Beckett stared in shock at the auburn-haired angel of vengeance swooping down on him. “Ruby. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to tell you in person what an arrogant sonofabitch you are. How fucking dare you?” Planting her hands on his chest, she shoved, but luckily he’d braced himself so even with the considerable force she’d put behind the move he didn’t topple backward. “I’ve already told you, I don’t want or need your?—”
Every ounce of color drained from Ruby’s face as her gaze latched on something behind him and Beckett stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her as she stumbled back a step. “Ruby? Baby? What’s wrong?”
“Hello, Ruby.”
Preston’s voice, which always held a smug sort of edge to it that had set Braden’s teeth on edge from the first time he met the man, had taken on an even more sinister note. And like the tumblers of a lock being turned, everything clicked into place.
“Jonas. Take Ruby back to my office. Now.”
“Yes, Sir. Come on, honey. Let’s get you something to drink.”
For once in her life, Ruby obeyed without argument, letting herself be led away by Jonas.
All but vibrating with barely restrained fury, Beckett turned, his vision going red at the edges at the sight of Preston’s smirking face.
“Well, well, well. It seems we have similar tastes in more than just whiskey,” he said with a chuckle that raked across Beckett’s already frayed nerves.
“Mr. Kingsley, I invited you here today so I could tell you, in person, that Stone Investments will not now, or ever, be doing business with you.” That wasn’t exactly how he’d planned for this to go down, but no way in hell was he taking Preston back to his office and letting him get anywhere near Ruby.
Preston’s expression shifted from amused, cocky billionaire to twisted rage in a second. “And why the hell not?”
“We aren’t a good fit.”
“You can’t be serious. Is this about that little whore you’ve got back in your office? Because I don’t know what she’s told you, but she’s a lying, gold-digging bitch. Always was.”
He didn’t even think. One moment, he was standing there, trying to tell Preston to fuck off in the most polite way possible. The next, there was a sickening crunch as the other man’s nose gave way to Beckett’s fist.
Howling with pain, Preston covered his face with his hands, which did little to stem the flow of blood pouring from his nose. “You broke my fucking nose, you psychopath!”
“So it would seem.” Pulling his handkerchief from his jacket pocket, Beckett wiped the blood from his knuckles. “Sonja, would you please call security to have Mr. Kingsley escorted from the premises.”
“They’re already on their way, sir.”
No sooner had she said the words than the elevator doors dinged and two uniformed guards strode forward. If they were shocked by the scene in front of them, they did a damn good job of hiding it.
“I appreciate your promptness, gentlemen. Mr. Kingsley was just leaving, so if you wouldn’t mind assisting him out of the building. Oh, and if he tries to enter again, call the police. I don’t care who vouches for him. He is not welcome at Stone Investments.”
“You’ve got some fucking nerve, Stone! I will make you watch as I burn this company to the ground and fuck your whore in the ashes.”
Lifting a hand, he stopped his guards in their tracks. Each held one of Preston’s arms behind his back, and he was fighting for all he was worth against their grasp. His struggles slowed as Beckett approached, the fires of hatred and fury burning in his eyes.
And, if Beckett wasn’t mistaken, just a hint of fear.
Good.
“Let me be very, very clear with you right now.” He kept his voice low and even as he spoke. “If you think for one second I am going to let you touch what’s mine, you are sorely mistaken. I will burn this company down myself before I let you near it. And as for Ruby…” Dropping his voice even further, he leaned in, watching with grim delight as Preston’s eyes widened. “If you contact her, speak to her, if you so much as dare to breathe the same air as her, it will be the last breath you ever take. Am I making myself absolutely clear, Mr. Kingsley?”
“You’re going to regret this.”
“Maybe. But I will spend every last moment of my life ensuring you do not ever have another chance to hurt my woman. And in the event something were to happen to me, my friend Killian O’Rourke would be happy to look after Ruby in my stead.”
He saw the moment Killian’s name landed. It wasn’t just fear, but sheer terror in Preston Kingsley’s eyes. Terror he couldn’t quite hide, no matter how he looked down his nose at Beckett. “Fine. I wasn’t interested in your podunk little firm anyway. I only met with you as a favor for an old friend.”
“Then we have nothing to fight about. Good day, Mr. Kingsley.”
Deciding that the asshole wasn’t worth another second of his time, Beckett turned on his heel—and stopped dead at the sight of Ruby standing behind him, her eyes wide in her still too-pale face. Jonas stood behind her, his hands held up in a helpless gesture of surrender.
It didn’t matter. Everyone else faded into the background as he moved toward his babygirl. “You’re supposed to be in my office, Ruby Red.”
“I don’t listen,” she said with a shrug.
“Trust me, I know.”
She didn’t laugh as he’d expected, which worried him more than the lack of color in her cheeks. “I want to talk to him.”
Absolutely not. If he had it his way, he’d whisk her away to the other side of the country, so she wouldn’t have to worry about ever being anywhere near Preston Kingsley again.
But they’d been down this road once already. And he’d promised never to take her choices away from her again, not when it mattered.
So even though it killed him to do so, he nodded. “All right. But I’ll be right here the whole time.”
“Good.”