Ruby by Heather Burnside (sight word books .TXT) 📕

at Ruby, her eyes wide with fear and her mouth agape. She didn’t say anything but her expression said it all; if Ruby was scared and didn’t know what to do then things must be bad.

50

June 2011

It was only a day later when the two thugs returned to the club, and the sight of them threw Ruby into a state of panic. She’d just about got the club back in order. The damage had fortunately been minimal, just a dinted coffee table, some broken cups and a picture knocked off the wall. Ruby guessed that it was more of a warning than an intention to inflict any real damage.

Following her previous encounter, the thugs were instantly recognisable from their sporty designer gear, cocky swagger and hard features. But this time they were accompanied by a third man; a man she thought she knew. As he approached the desk she stared hard at him, her heart pounding. Could it be…? No, surely not!

But then he reached the desk and she knew for sure. He still had the same callous features and cruel sneer. As recognition dawned she felt the room sway and she gripped the arms of her chair, thankful that she was sitting down otherwise her legs would have collapsed beneath her.

She realised that he was their leader. He was ruthless enough to fulfil that role. He’d always been ruthless even as a child. Kyle Gallagher. The savage who had attacked her when she was only ten. And left her with a lifetime of physical and emotional scars.

On seeing her reaction, he grinned smugly. He’d evidently recognised her straightaway. The facial scar was a giveaway.

When he spoke his words were cutting. ‘So, Ruby is it now?’ He laughed as he addressed his two goons. ‘Last time I saw this one she was a scruffy little fucker called Trina.’ Then he nodded at the watch she was wearing. ‘Love the Rollie by the way.’

‘What do you want?’ she snapped, trying to disguise her fear with aggression.

But, even as she did so, she was battling with traumatic memories that threatened to overwhelm her. It had been the first time in her life she had known real fear and she tried to fight the feelings of panic that came rushing back. Just like when she was ten, she could feel her constricting throat, rapidly beating heart and shortness of breath as she relived the assault in her mind:

The stinging blows as Kyle and his friends attacked her and the feeling of desperation as she felt her clothing being torn. Her sense of helplessness as she tried ineffectually to defend herself. Begging and pleading with the boys while they sniggered and squealed. Then the knife being plunged into her face and the blood streaming onto her hands.

‘You already know the answer,’ said Kyle in reply to her question. ‘These two explained it to you last time they were here.’ The two goons nodded and Kyle continued to speak. ‘But, from what they told me, you weren’t very nice. And, I’ve heard that you’ve had a bit of bother since we last called for our money. Now, if you’d have paid when we asked, you might have been able to avoid that.’

It was obvious to Ruby that they had been responsible for the attack. It was their way of persuading her to pay up. But she knew how ruthless Kyle was and she didn’t want to risk upsetting him, so Ruby kept her mouth shut while she listened to what he had to say. ‘You already owe us a month’s protection. Eight hundred quid.’

‘I-I don’t have that much in the till,’ said Ruby. ‘The clients pay the girls direct and I just charge for the rooms.’

‘In that case, I’ll send my men round the rooms and they can collect from your girls instead,’ said Kyle, grinning smugly.

‘No, don’t!’ said Ruby.

She looked desperately over at the waiting area, concerned for her girls, and was met by a curious stare from Rose. Ruby flashed a warning glance her way. ‘I can get it!’

‘Right, well you’d better make it fuckin’ quick!’ threatened Kyle. ‘We’ll be back tomorrow night.’ He lifted a pen from her desk and pointed it in her face. ‘You’d better be fuckin’ ready!’

Then he left, taking the pen and his two goons with him. As soon as they were gone, Rose dashed up to reception. ‘Is everything alright?’ she asked Ruby with an anxious expression on her face.

‘Oh, no worries,’ said Ruby. ‘They were trying it on but I soon sent them packing.’

She could tell Rose wasn’t convinced. The terrified expression on Ruby’s face was incongruent with her words. She couldn’t face any further questions at the moment and in her panicked state she just wanted to flee.

‘Rose, please will you man the desk for a few minutes?’ she asked, dashing away from the reception area without giving Rose a chance to reply.

Ruby knew where she wanted to be now; somewhere she could be alone. She could have taken the night off, but Tiffany would be at home and she didn’t want to alert her. Tiffany had been scared enough about the threat from the gang and Ruby knew that if she told her Kyle was behind it then she would freak out because she knew all about what had happened to Ruby as a child and just how badly it had affected her.

So Ruby headed for her dungeon where nobody else came unless it was pre-arranged. It was the only place where she could guarantee she wouldn’t be disturbed.

As soon as she arrived, she collapsed onto the bed, sobbing, her hands covering her face. Her heart was still racing and her head was fuzzy. She pulled her hands away; they were wet with tears. A flashback to that other time struck terror into her. Wet hands; soaked with blood from the gaping wound to her face. Ten years of age and traumatised.

She looked away, trying to refocus