6. Chapter Six Ruby
Chapter Six: Ruby
B efore I could even think about escaping to someplace Kieran couldn’t find me, Alek pulled up in front of the coffee shop like a getaway driver.
His sleek black sedan slid to the curb, headlights slicing through the gray morning haze. I spotted him through the windshield — hands on the wheel, scanning the front of the café with that laser-focused intensity of his.
The place was packed. From where he sat, he probably couldn’t see me through the windows, and I knew that would drive him crazy. His brow furrowed. He grabbed his phone.
Mine buzzed in my pocket.
I didn’t check it. I already knew it was him — Alek, wondering where the hell I was. And I couldn’t answer yet. Not until I got my pulse under control.
I stayed behind a street sign for another second, trying to get my breathing right. The drizzle misted across my cheeks, and still it wasn’t enough to cool me down.
Finally, I stepped out.
“Ruby?” Alek was rolling down the passenger side window, staring at me like I’d grown an extra limb. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
I walked up slowly, brushing damp hair off my face. “Something came up,” I said, trying to sound like I hadn’t just come face to face with a ghost in the shape of Kieran Callahan.
He reached across the seat to push the door open for me, eyes locked on mine, like he already knew I was lying.
I climbed in and shut the door.
“You had me worried,” he said, his voice clipped as he started the car. “This is an important meeting.”
“Isn’t everything an important meeting at this point?” I asked, my head throbbing.
Alek glanced at me for a second. “What happened?”
I bit my lip, the words catching in my throat. After a long pause, I exhaled and forced myself to say it. “I ran into Kieran.”
Alek’s car drifted toward the curb as he stared at me. I had to reach out and grab the steering wheel to snap him out of it.
“You ran into Kieran Callahan?” Alek asked, brows almost buried in his hairline. “In a cafe a five minute drive away from your house?”
“Well, he—he ran into me, I guess. Or…came looking for me.”
“Ruby,” Alek’s tone dropped an octave, his disbelief clear, “what exactly did he say?”
I hesitated, my mind replaying Kieran’s words in the café, his voice smooth and calculated, each syllable a deliberate move in some unseen game.
“He said that going after the Callahans…it’s a mistake.
That Lenta understood where to push and where to let go, and that I should take the same approach. ”
Alek shook his head, his laugh cold and humorless.
“He’s not warning you, Ruby. He’s testing you.
That’s classic Callahan strategy—paint themselves as misunderstood pillars of the community while they stab you in the back.
And let me guess—he brought up some vague threats about the election? Or your campaign?”
I bit my lip, debating how much to share. But this was Alek, my closest ally. If I couldn’t tell him, I couldn’t tell anyone. “He said if I don’t play nice, they’ll expose our past. The time we spent together…everything.”
Alek’s grip on the wheel tightened, his knuckles stark white against the leather. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “That’s not just a threat, Ruby—that’s blackmail.”
“I know what it is,” I snapped, frustration creeping into my voice. “But it’s not like he was throwing ultimatums around. He framed it like, I don’t know, like he was doing me a favor. A warning, not a threat.”
“A favor,” Alek echoed, his tone bitter. “That’s the first step. He’s reeling you in, Ruby. Making you feel like you’re in control when you’re already playing by his rules.”
“I’m not doing anything. I’m sitting here, in your car, talking to you about how to deal with it,” I responded, annoyed.
I knew Alek would react strongly, but something about this over-the-top “let’s deal with it” bullshit grated on my already frayed nerves.
I got it—it was what Alek was good at, it was his whole fucking career. It was what made him a great lawyer.
It didn’t make this any less annoying.
“You’re smarter than that,” Alek said simply. He was merging onto the interstate, and the sound of traffic was making it hard to hear him. Or maybe that was just the pounding in my head. Either way, I was about done with listening to men tell me what to do today.
I exhaled sharply, my fingers curling into fists in my lap. “It’s not that simple, Alek. If they go public with this, it’ll destroy me. My campaign, my career—everything I’ve worked for.”
“No,” he said firmly, his voice cutting through my rising panic. “It won’t destroy you. They think you’re weak, Ruby. They think they can exploit that. But you’ve worked too damn hard, and I’m not about to let them take it all away.”
I groaned. “Yeah, thanks.”
He softened slightly, his tone more measured. “I’m serious. If you let them dictate your moves, you’re playing their game. Ruby, you’re better than this. You’ve been building this campaign on integrity, on standing up to people like them. If you back down now, what’s the point?”
I looked out the window, the city blurring as we sped past. His words struck a nerve, but the weight of Kieran’s presence, his carefully chosen words, lingered. “He said they don’t want violence. That the Callahans just want someone they can work with.”
Alek snorted. “‘Someone they can work with’ is code for ‘someone they can control.’ Don’t let him fool you. They’d love for you to think they’re just misunderstood businessmen. But you know better. You’ve seen the files, Ruby. You know what they’re capable of.”
I wanted to believe I could handle this, that I could outmaneuver Kieran without compromising my campaign or my principles. But the shadow he cast over my thoughts was too large to ignore.
Alek cleared his throat. “Listen to me. Whatever he said, whatever charm he used—it’s all a tactic. Kieran Callahan doesn’t show up unannounced to chat about the good old days. He’s planning something, and we need to be ready.”
I closed my eyes, tilting my head back to rest against the headrest. “He didn’t bring Rosie up.”
Alek’s tone shifted, his focus narrowing. “He doesn’t know, right?”
“Well, he could know, if he just does the math in his head,” I replied. “But there’s a chance he thinks I was also seeing Julian when I was going out with him. We never really talked about whether we were exclusive…and honestly, Kieran’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.”
Alek’s jaw hardened. “Ruby, we can’t gamble on what he might or might not know. If he figures it out, he won’t just sit on that information. He’ll use it. The Callahans don’t waste leverage like that.”
I opened my eyes and turned to him. “You think I don’t know that? Do you think I haven’t been living with that fear every single day since Rosie was born? I know what he’s capable of, Alek. But I can’t just undo the past. It happened, and now I have to deal with it.”
Alek muttered something under his breath as he glared at the car in front of us. “Why is this asshole going so fucking slow?”
I exhaled, my frustration bubbling over.
“Look, we can come up with a strategy. Damage control, contingency plans—whatever it takes to protect me and Rosie—but don’t pretend we can predict his every move.
This isn’t a courtroom, Alek. Kieran doesn’t play by those rules.
” I shook my head. “What kind of contingency plan do you have for a mob boss showing up at a coffee shop and dropping veiled threats?”
Alek’s lips pressed into a thin line. “The kind where we stay one step ahead. If Kieran thinks he can manipulate you, he’s underestimated how far you’re willing to go.”
His words settled over me, both reassuring and daunting. The idea of outmaneuvering Kieran was appealing, but it felt like trying to outswim a shark. He’d always been cunning, and now, with the Callahan name and resources backing him, he was even more dangerous.
“What do you suggest?” I asked finally.
“We start by keeping tabs on him,” Alek said. “Figure out why he’s really here. This isn’t just about you, Ruby. The Callahans don’t move without a reason. If Kieran’s making himself visible, it means there’s something bigger at play.”
“Like his brother?” I asked.
“Honestly, yes. You could go after Tristan Callahan once you’re elected,” Alek said. “He’s not untouchable. He controls the docks. How many drugs do you think he’s moved since he became the boss?”
“Okay, sure. That’s all fine. What about Rosie?”
“If he brings it up—and he won’t—then he’s delusional,” Alek said. “He’s just a two-bit criminal trying to besmirch your good name because you’re beautiful, powerful and he can’t stand seeing a woman like that. That’s what we tell the press. But it won’t come to that.”
I wanted to believe him, to trust that Kieran wouldn’t dare to cross the line that would involve Rosie. But this wasn’t just any man—it was Kieran Callahan. Cunning, unpredictable, and utterly unflinching when it came to protecting his family’s interests.
And sexy.
Damn it, not sexy.
What the hell was wrong with me?
I let out a frustrated breath, gripping the seatbelt across my chest as Alek navigated through the sluggish traffic.
“He’s not just some two-bit criminal, Alek.
You and I both know that. Kieran’s smarter than most of them.
I mean, sure, he’s kind of a doofus. But, like, for a criminal, he’s essentially a mastermind.
Not to mention his brother. That’s what makes him dangerous.
That’s what makes the Callahans so dangerous. ”
Alek shot me a quick glance, his features tightening. “And you’re smarter than him. That’s what makes you dangerous. You have the law, the media, and a damn good campaign behind you. He’s the one who should be worried, Ruby. Not the other way around.”
I wanted to nod, to feel bolstered by his confidence, but Kieran’s words still echoed in my mind.
The public loves a good scandal, Ruby. His smirk, the way his eyes had lingered on mine as if he could see every unspoken fear—it all felt too calculated, too intimate.
He knew what buttons to push, and I hated how easily he’d found them.
“Even if we keep tabs on him,” I said, my voice quieter now, “that doesn’t stop him from planting seeds, Alek. Seeds of doubt in the media, the voters, my allies. He doesn’t need to blow up my campaign—just crack it enough to let doubt fester.”
Alek’s hands tightened on the wheel, his frustration evident. “Then we don’t give him the chance. We control the narrative before he can. If this gets ugly, we get ahead of it. Release a statement, frame the story on your terms.”
My stomach twisted at the thought. I could already see the headlines: District Attorney Candidate Linked to Callahan Family?
Secret Past Exposed. The kind of salacious gossip that would dominate news cycles for weeks.
It wasn’t just my career on the line—it was everything I’d built to give Rosie the future she deserved.
And she would find out. She would find out Julian wasn’t her biological father, she would find out everything about her life was built on a lie.
I couldn’t even think about that.
“I don’t want it to come to that,” I said, shaking my head. “If we feed into the drama, we’re giving him exactly what he wants.”
“Then don’t let him rattle you,” Alek countered. “You’re Ruby fucking Marquez. You’ve taken on worse than this. Stick to your plan, stay focused, and let me deal with Kieran.”
“Deal with him how?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not exactly a brawler, Alek.”
He smirked, a rare flicker of humor breaking through the tension.
“First of all, rude. And look, I’m a damn good lawyer.
And I’ve got connections of my own. If Kieran wants to play games, he’ll find out quickly that you’re not playing alone.
Hey, we have detectives for this. And I’m your advisor, so…
listen. At least consider what I’m saying. “
“Big talk for someone who wears loafers to work.”
“They’re Ferragamo, thank you very much,” Alek replied. “And at least I don’t wear heels so high you could serve a subpoena from orbit.”
“They’re a power move, Alek,” I said with a grin. “Something you’d know if you didn’t rely on your suits to do all the work.”
“Says the woman who once told a witness, ‘Answer me or I’ll destroy you in open court.’”
“Hey, that worked.”
“Yes, it did. You always win, Ruby. What makes you think this is different?”
Almost always, I clarified internally.
His words gave me a flicker of hope, but it was fleeting. Kieran wasn’t a man who backed down easily, and the Callahans didn’t survive generations of corruption by making mistakes. If he was here, if he was pushing, it meant there was more to this than just me.
It meant a storm was coming, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to face it.