17. Chapter Seventeen Kieran
Chapter Seventeen: Kieran
I wasn’t going to stop following Ruby. I wasn’t going to stop looking after her, even if she didn’t want me to.
Not when my brother had all but threatened her life. If I had to protect her from Tristan myself…then fuck it. That was exactly what I was going to do.
I watched from across the street as Ruby's car pulled away from the courthouse.
The smart thing would have been to let her go, then hit her up and…
fuck. Do what I had told my brother I would do.
But the smart thing wasn't my style, not when it came to her.
I waited a beat, then turned the ignition and followed.
I expected her to pull into her usual spots—the campaign office, her house, anywhere that made sense. But the second she veered toward the docks, a knot formed in my gut. This wasn’t an accident. This wasn’t a wrong turn. She was meeting someone, and I needed to know who.
I eased up on the gas, keeping a careful distance as she parked near the water. The docks were quiet this time of day, the shadows stretching long, the air thick with salt and something heavier. Anticipation, maybe. I didn’t like it.
Her car slowed, and I eased up, watching her pull into an empty lot near the water. I parked where I could see her but she couldn't see me, my mind racing through the possibilities. The risks. The complications. For a split second, I considered turning back. But then I saw him.
A figure, waiting.
And I knew I had to see this through.
The longshoreman shifted from foot to foot, his unease visible even from a distance. I didn't recognize him, but I knew the type—low-level, nervous, the kind that spooked easily. Ruby was out of her car before I could think twice, moving toward him with a determination that made my chest tighten.
She was cautious, but not afraid. She should have been. I watched her approach the guy, the way she held herself like she was ready for anything. It was a quality I admired, even when it made me want to grab her by the shoulders and tell her to get the hell out of there.
I pulled out my phone, zooming in to catch what I could. The longshoreman seemed jittery, glancing around like he expected company. He wasn't wrong. I was there, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't the only one.
Ruby stopped in front of him, and I felt the familiar tug of wanting to protect her from herself.
I leaned forward, my grip on the wheel tightening as the pieces started to fall into place. This wasn’t about a case. This wasn’t about the campaign. She was digging for something bigger. Something that had her walking straight into Callahan territory like she belonged there.
I knew she was a liability, but she wasn’t making it easy to protect her, was she?
No. She was making me work for this.
Fuck.
I knew the guy now. He was small-time, someone who did just enough dirty work to keep his hands messy but not enough to be useful. If this had been official DA business, the longshoreman would’ve been arrested.
But no. She wasn’t just there to talk. She was there for information. She was there to make a fucking play against my family.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut—a slow, deep bruise spreading through my ribs.
I watched the way she leaned in, her mouth tilted toward him, eyes focused.
Curious. Calculating. She was fishing. And that meant this wasn’t just about ambition anymore. She was in it. She was coming for us.
For me.
It was one thing when she was just running for DA—someone I could flirt with, fuck with, stall long enough to keep Tristan from sending in a cleaner. But this? This was personal.
And it shouldn’t have turned me on.
…but it did.
I sat there with my hands clenched around the wheel, breathing hard. She was so fucking beautiful like this—driven, defiant, reckless as hell. She didn’t even know how close she was to getting herself killed. Or worse—getting me to break every line I’d ever drawn.
The smart thing would’ve been to intervene. To pull her out. To warn her off before Tristan made good on his threats.
But I didn’t move.
Because some sick part of me wanted to see how far she’d go. Wanted to see her fall deeper. Wanted to know how close I could let her get before I yanked her back—and made her pay for every fucking step she took toward betrayal.
Because that’s what this was. A betrayal. Not just of my family. Of me.
I should’ve hated her for it. Maybe I did.
But more than anything, I wanted to drag her into the backseat of my car, shove her down, and fuck the righteousness out of her. Make her say my name with that mouth she used to lie. Make her beg for mercy with the same voice she used to chase down truth.
I wanted to ruin her for this. And God help me, I wanted to be ruined right along with her.
The longshoreman shifted. Looked like he was about to bolt. Ruby noticed—her body tensed, already calculating her next move. But then he looked past her, over her shoulder.
And everything changed.
He wasn’t just nervous anymore. He was afraid.
I sat up straighter, instincts firing like a live wire. A shadow moved behind them. Someone stepped into the light, slow and sure and wrong.
Fuck. Of course Tristan had someone watching.
My stomach tightened. Shit.
The enforcer moved toward her with a swagger that made me want to put a bullet in his fucking knee.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he barked, loud enough for me to hear from across the dock. He knew who she was. And he didn’t care. That made him both stupid and dangerous.
Ruby squared her shoulders, lifted her chin—like she wasn’t alone on a dark dock with a made man twice her size. Of course she didn’t flinch. Of course she stood her ground. That was Ruby: fearless when she should’ve run. Unbreakable until she bled.
But I wasn’t watching anymore.
I was out of the car before I even realized I’d moved, every stride forward stripping away whatever leash I thought I had on myself. I didn’t weigh the consequences. Didn’t stop to consider how this would look. Didn’t give a single shit.
Because he was looking at her like she was prey. And he wasn’t alone.
The longshoreman bailed, smart bastard. But Ruby didn’t. She didn’t run, didn’t plead. She stood her ground as the enforcer got in her face—and then grabbed her wrist.
That was it.
I saw red.
By the time his hand wrapped around her, I was already behind him. Already moving fast. I didn’t give him the chance to turn around. I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into a shipping crate so hard the metal rang like a bell.
I knew him. Danny…something. He worked for me. He normally worked for me, anyway, but clearly, Tristan had given him this assignment. That was…very bad news. But I could worry about that later.
Right now, all I could worry about was Ruby.
“You put your hands on her again,” I said, my voice low, calm, deadly, “and I’ll break every bone you have left, then send you home in a trash bag.”
“I didn’t know she was yours—” Danny stammered, trying to justify himself, trying to save his skin. But he was out of his league, and he knew it.
“She’s not,” I said, tightening my hold. “But she sure as hell isn’t yours, either.”
I should have been focused on the bigger picture, on the fallout of this, on Tristan. But all I could think about was Ruby and how damn close she’d come to getting hurt.
Danny’s fear was pathetic, a stark contrast to the way Ruby stood there, unyielding. I felt the tension ease slightly, knowing I’d bought us time.
But it wasn’t over.
Not yet.
“Run along now,” I said. “Does your wife Katrina still work at General? How old are your children now? Sixteen and twelve, right? If you utter a word of this to my brother, they’ll pay the price. And it won’t be pretty. You’ll be very lucky if Katrina can collect disability. Do you understand?”
Danny nodded—fast and terrified, all the color drained from his face.
Behind me, I heard Ruby gasp.
Good.
Let her gasp. Let her remember who I was. Let her know exactly what I was willing to do when it comes to keeping her safe—even if it scared the shit out of her.
I should have been focused on the bigger picture. The fallout with Tristan, the risks of protecting Ruby, the enforcer’s trembling form.
But then Danny ran.
Took off like the coward he was, disappearing into the shadows without a backward glance. Good. That was one less variable to manage.
Ruby turned to go too—like she could just walk away from all of this. Like she wasn’t still shaking. Like she hadn’t just put herself in the middle of something she didn’t understand.
“Be more careful,” I said, reaching out to catch her arm.
She pulled away like I’d burned her. “Don’t touch me.”
I grabbed her elbow, firm, just enough to make her stop. “You don’t get to do stupid shit and pretend it didn’t happen. You almost got yourself killed.”
Her eyes flashed. “I didn’t ask for your fucking help.”
“No,” I snapped. “You never do. But by my count, that’s twice in two days that I’ve saved your fucking life.”
She yanked harder, and I didn’t let go. We were too close again, too angry. My hand clenched just a little tighter. “You think you’re untouchable, but you’re not. You’re not. And if you keep playing games like this—”
Her palm cracked against my cheek.
A second of silence. One heartbeat.
Then everything unraveled.
She twisted, shoving at me, trying to get free—but I reached for her again, faster this time. We both stumbled, feet slipping on wet wood. She tried to regain balance, but her heel hit the edge of the dock.
Her body tilted.
Her arms flailed.
“No—!” I lunged.
Missed.
And then she was gone.
The splash hit me like a slap to the face. It was too loud, too final. The world narrowed, everything else fading away as I watched her land in the water. I was at the edge of the dock, consequences be fucking damned.
It was all that mattered. Ruby, slipping through my fingers, slipping away. I knew I couldn’t let it happen.