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

be so cruel. And the stage where you want reparation for your loss.

As Ruby’s anger threatened to engulf her, she became increasingly determined that reparation was exactly what she was going to get. Despite her grief she would go ahead with the meeting with Kyle. In fact, the discovery of her slaughtered family strengthened her resolve to meet him. But she would have to hold it together and channel her anger and sorrow, if she was to see this through.

*

It was five past nine, thirty seconds later than the last time Ruby had looked at her watch. The bastard was deliberately late! Inside the club it was eerily quiet, despite the music from the nightclub below, as they were still shut for renovations. As she sat behind the counter awaiting his arrival, Ruby could feel her heart thundering within her chest and a sheen of sweat covered her forehead. She gripped a pen in her clammy hands, tapping on the desk in front of her.

When she saw him walk through the door with that usual smug grin on his face, she felt as if her heart had jumped up into her throat and was about to choke her. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath as she looked across the reception area at her adversary.

‘You not reopened yet then?’ he asked, grinning and peering across at the waiting area, which was still in a state of disrepair.

‘No, I’m afraid the thugs who did that left us a lot of fuckin’ work to do,’ she replied sarcastically.

‘Ha, funny!’ he commented. ‘It’ll teach you and your cousins not to fuckin’ take the piss in future then, won’t it?’

Ruby kept a lid on her emotions. She didn’t want this to escalate. Not yet anyway. ‘Come on then, let’s get this over with,’ she said, pretending to search for the keys.

‘We’ll take Rose’s room,’ he said, leering. ‘Then I can pretend I’m fucking her. She was my first choice after all.’

Ruby could feel her anger rising to the surface again and with it her suppressed tears threatened to spill. Who did this little shit think he was? As if she was bothered about his preferences. Again she kept calm, focusing on her plan.

‘Shit!’ she said. ‘Where did I put those bloody keys? I’m sure they were here a minute ago.’ She pretended to search the drawers under the counter then presented a key to him. ‘Nah, this is the only one I can find. It’s for upstairs.’

‘You can get fucked if you think I’m going up there where you take all your fuckin’ weirdos.’

‘OK, so d’you want to do it here in front of the window where anyone off the street can see?’ she asked, satisfied as she saw Kyle mulling it over in his mind. After giving him a few seconds to think about it, she added. ‘There is a bed in there as well you know; all the other stuff’s behind a screen.’

‘Go on then,’ he capitulated. ‘But no fuckin’ funny business. I ain’t into all that pervy stuff.’

She walked over to the door to Ruby’s Dungeon and unlocked it, then climbed the stairs with Kyle following behind. With each step, trepidation threatened to take hold of her, but she fought to maintain control, ignoring her trembling limbs and racing heart.

Finally, she led him into the room and strode over to the bed where she waited for him to join her. Kyle jumped onto the bed, eager as a puppy, and lay alongside her on the scarlet satin bedding. Then he took in the rest of the room.

‘Hang on a minute. Where’s the fuckin’ screen?’ he demanded.

But he was too late. Ruby already had her knife jabbed up against his throat. She looked with satisfaction at the expression of sheer alarm on his face. He had obviously underestimated her. Perhaps he was carrying a weapon, but he hadn’t even bothered taking it out, confident of his ability to overpower a feeble woman.

‘Right, I want you to get up off the bed, really slowly,’ she hissed. ‘And don’t try anything or I’ll slit your fuckin’ throat!’

‘OK, like that, is it?’ he asked.

He was putting on a brave act, but Ruby could see through it by the shock and terror in his eyes. Once he was up off the bed, she walked him across the room, keeping the knife pressed up against his throat till they reached the stocks.

‘Get down on the floor!’ she ordered.

‘You must be fuckin’ j—’

But Ruby cut him off, viciously jabbing the knife harder till she drew blood. ‘Do as you’re fuckin’ told!’ she snarled. Kyle complied. ‘Right, good. Now I want you to put your feet and hands through the holes.’

Kyle looked up at her, his expression venomous. ‘You’ll fuckin’ regret this!’ he said.

‘Do as you’re told!’ Ruby yelled. ‘Now!’

She jabbed the knife again to let him know she was serious and was relieved when he carried out her command. As soon as she had him in the stocks, she secured them then raced downstairs and locked the entrance. Once she was back in her dungeon, she locked that door too. Ruby didn’t want anybody to witness what she was about to do.

61

August 2011

She walked slowly round the stocks, enjoying the thrill of anticipation as she took in the agonised look on his face. They were a perfect choice for confinement, enabling her to see his every facial expression but also leaving his back exposed.

Being careful not to get too close, she bent and searched him, firstly pulling up his shirt then inserting her knife in the gap at the back of his trousers and yanking hard till the material split. She pulled the top half of his trousers away and peered into the space between his groin and the stocks. But there was no weapon concealed there.

‘You might have shown a bit more enthusiasm,’ she mocked, referring to his flaccid penis. ‘Most of my clients would have been really