9. Chapter Nine Kieran
Chapter Nine: Kieran
I shouldn’t have been there.
Sitting in my car across the street from Ruby’s house, watching her silhouette move through the windows, I felt like I’d crossed every line I swore I wouldn’t.
I told myself it wasn’t stalking. That I was just keeping an eye on her. Protecting her, even. But deep down, I knew better. I had gone back to my place to have a shower, sleep for a few hours, get dressed.
But now I was back, trying to find some information to destroy her. Because that was what I was supposed to do. That’s what I told myself, anyway. But the longer I sat here, the harder it was to believe my own bullshit.
I’d been here for hours, long enough to imagine the rhythms of her morning: Her daughter’s laughter, the flicker of the TV, the occasional clatter of dishes in the sink.
And then the front door opened.
Ruby stepped outside, balancing a phone against her shoulder and holding what looked like an entire roll of paper towels wadded up in her hand. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, the same way she always wore it when she was overwhelmed. She looked tired.
Exhausted, really. But still so beautiful it hurt to look at her.
The sight of her, so close yet so unreachable, sent a fresh wave of guilt crashing over me. I should’ve driven away right then. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her hand.
Not just wrapped up in paper towels; bleeding.
Bleeding a lot .
I didn’t waste another second.
I got out of my car.
My legs were on autopilot, crossing the street, heart racing with a strange mixture of guilt and sick, possessive pride.
She didn’t want me here, wouldn’t believe for a second that this was a coincidence, but I couldn’t just watch her bleed out on the driveway.
And worse…what if there was someone in her house? What if someone had hurt her? If that…
…if Tristan had sent someone, I would fucking kill him.
No hesitation.
“Ruby.”
She froze, her head snapping toward me. Her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed with suspicion just as fast. “What the hell are you doing here?”
My heart thudded painfully in my chest. I kept my steps slow, cautious, hands raised in a gesture of peace. “You’re hurt.”
She looked down at her hand, then back at me. “How do you know that?”
“The blood kinda gave it away,” I said, voice sharp. I was ready for violence; I wouldn’t let someone get away with this. “Who did this? I’ll protect you—“
“Her name is Ruby , so you can stop with the macho theatrics,“ she interrupted. “Kieran…why are you in my driveway right now?”
Ah…that was the million dollar question.
“I saw you come outside,” I said, trying to sound like a normal person. “Let me help.”
Her brow furrowed, as if she had to process what I just said, her body rigid with tension. “ You saw me come outside? What the fuck, Kieran?”
“You can worry about it later. You’re hurt.”
“I think I’m going to worry about it right now, actually,” she said. “Were you watching me from out here? That’s so fucking creepy.”
I swallowed, trying my best to keep my voice steady, friendly. Non-threatening. “Rubes, don’t flatter yourself. I’m allowed to go anywhere in this city. I just happened to be here.”
“You really think I’m going to buy that?”
“I think you have more pressing things to worry about right now,” I said, my gaze darting to her bloody hand. “Look. You’re bleeding. Let me help.”
“Why?” she snapped. “Why do you even care?”
Because I couldn’t not care. Because no matter how much she hated me, no matter how deep the damage ran, I still want to protect her.
I was supposed to destroy her—dig up dirt, feed it to Tristan, break her down piece by piece.
But here I was, worrying about her hand like a lunatic. Worrying about her.
I wanted to help her. Not for leverage. Not even for redemption.
Just…because I needed to. And maybe, somewhere in the back of my fucked-up brain, I thought that if she let me in—just for a second—I could still do my job.
Tear her world apart from the inside. But standing here, bleeding and furious and beautiful, she didn’t feel like an assignment.
She felt like a mistake I still hadn’t stopped making.
“I just do,” I said, keeping my inner monologue private. “You’re not going to be able to drive like that. You need stitches.”
She shook her head, stepping back toward the house. “I’ll figure it out. I don’t need your help.”
“You need someone’s help.”
“Stay the fuck out of my business, Kieran.”
“Ruby,” I said again, stepping closer. Her jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought she was going to tell me to go to hell.
Then her gaze dropped to her hand, blood now dripping onto the pavement. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she sighed in defeat.
“Fine,” she said, holding it out like a reluctant truce. “But if you try anything— anything —I swear I’ll make you regret it.”
“I won’t,” I said, already unwinding the scarf from around my neck. It was soft wool, dark gray—hers once, maybe. I couldn’t remember. I folded it quickly and reached for her hand.
She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t relax either.
I cradled her fingers gently, pressing the scarf against the worst of the bleeding and winding it tight. The warmth of her blood soaked through almost instantly, slick and vivid, and even though she said she’d done it to herself…I could barely handle it.
She flinched, just slightly, her eyes locked on mine the whole time.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, voice low, steady. “I would never hurt you. You know that, right?”
She gave me a long, unimpressed look.
“Cool! What a totally normal and not at all creepy thing to say.”
“Good, you’re being sarcastic,” I muttered. “At least that means you’re not on death’s door.”
“Oh, did you get a medical degree after ghosting me?” she snapped. “Doctor Mafia, MD— ouch!”
“Just let me help you,” I said. “You’re bleeding.”
“I don’t need your help,” Ruby rasped, but her voice lacked its usual fire.
“You don’t have time to argue with me. Your daughter is inside, right? You don’t want her to see this.”
She hesitated, her eyes flicking toward the building, then back to me. The mention of her daughter had struck a chord. Ruby was many things, but she was never unreasonable when it came to protecting those she cared about.
“Fine,” she said, but her acceptance was grudging.
“Explain how you plan to help. Because my nanny is away boating with her boyfriend so she’s not available for an emergency, my best friend is picking his sister up from the airport and my daughter’s father is working through some sort of health insurance merger and there’s a deposition he apparently can’t get out of.
You know how I know this? His secretary told me.
He didn’t even text me about it. So unless you have childcare on speed dial, explain to me how I can leave my seven-year-old here while I get the lightbulb glass out of the palm of my hand. ”
She closed her eyes tightly.
“I shouldn’t have told you any of that.”
“You’re losing a lot of blood. You can blame it on that.”
“Don’t do that,” she said, her eyes opening. “Don’t try to make me feel better.”
I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to suggest would push her even further. But it was the only way. “I’ll stay with her.”
Ruby’s eyes widened, then she laughed—a short, bitter sound. “Are you insane? You think I’d leave Rosie with you?”
“I’m just offering until someone else can get here. Or I can take you to urgent care and wait in the car with her. You’ll be in and out in less than an hour.”
“I don’t want you anywhere near me. And I definitely don’t want you anywhere near my daughter.”
“Okay,” I said. “Okay, look. My brother has a nanny for his kids and she’s always available for emergencies. She’s the best. Do you want me to call her? And in the meantime, I can at least clean your hand.”
Ruby stared at me, weighing her options. I could see the conflict playing out in her eyes. She didn’t trust me—how could she, after everything? But she was smart enough to know when she was out of options, and desperate enough to consider even my help.
“You want me to use Tristan Callahan’s nanny?”
“She’s a nanny , Ruby, not a gangster.”
“But she’s Tristan Callahan’s nanny .”
“She only runs drugs on the weekend—“
“Kieran!”
I stopped myself before I could dig the hole deeper, then I looked her in the eye—still holding the scarf, trying to stop the bleeding. “I mean—what choice do you have?”
She glared at me for another second, then held out her good hand.
“Give me your phone.”
“Why?”
“So I know you’re actually calling a nanny. And so I can vet her, of course.”
I hesitated for a split second, then handed it over.
She grimaced as she grabbed it with her right hand, the phone covered in her blood as she put it in her left hand.
She unlocked it with quick, practiced motions, scrolling through the contacts list. Her eyes flicked up to me once, suspicious, before settling back on the screen.
I knew what she was looking for—some proof that I wasn’t lying, that I had connections beyond the ones she’d known about.
That I was the kind of person who could make good on offers like this.
She found what she was looking for and smirked. “Hannah Nanny. You want me to trust Rosie’s care with someone whose last name you don’t even know?”
“I’ve never changed her contact card. Her last name is Sawyer. Look, Rubes, she’s great,” I said. “She’ll be here so quickly if I call her right now.”
Ruby handed the phone back to me, her stance loosening ever so slightly. “Call her. But I’m not agreeing to anything yet.”
I dialed Hannah’s number and put it on speaker. She answered on the second ring, her voice warm and familiar. “Kieran! Are the twins okay? Is the baby okay?”
“Everyone’s fine, Hannah,” I said, glancing at Ruby. “I have a favor to ask. A friend’s in a bit of a bind. She needs some help with her kid for a little while today. Can you swing by?”