Page 20 of Ruined By a Devil

“Okay,” Malachi takes a step closer to the man and I know I should look away. I know the image is going to stay with me the same way that watching Papà shoot that man during our vacation in Italy still haunts me. But I don’t, and I despise myself for it.

Despite my desperate attempt to stay chill, I take a few steps back, only stopping after my back hits the abstract painting on the wall, making a loud thud. I freeze, my hands tightening at my side as Malachi turns and his eyes meet mine. For a moment, neither of us says anything.

“That’s the girl?” The tied man asks, revealing a bloody set of teeth as he smiles. “I can see why you and Nolan are fighting over her.”

The little hope I had that he wouldn’t finish this vanishes the moment he faces the man, his hand wrapping around his neck. “What did Nolan send you to find?” Even though he’s furious, Malachi maintains the same steady tone and somehow that makes him even scarier.

“You’re dying to know, aren’t you?” The man continues grinning.

Malachi exhales quietly, almost like he doesn’t want to do this. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it, or maybe he doesn’t want to do it in front of me.

The following moments drag out, stretched thin, and every sound hits with violent clarity. The sharp scrape of metal against concrete, the heavy, wet rasp of the man’s breathing. Malachi asks the same question in that flat, unbothered tone, but when the man repeats his answer, I know what’s coming.

This time, I do close my eyes.

It takes everything in me not to cover my ears and shrink back like a child. I was raised in this world, I’ve known what happens behind locked doors my entire life. The man brought this on himself. But none of that stops my chest from tightening until I can barely breathe. A sharp, gurgling scream cuts through the air, then snaps shut.

The sudden silence feels heavy and suffocating.

“It’s over,” Malachi’s voice breaks the silence and I force one eye open.

He’s moving toward me, unhurried, towering in the dim light. His crisp white shirt is ruined, dark red blood soaking the cuffs and dripping slowly from the knuckles of his bare hand. But it’s his eyes that freeze me in place. Pale green and completely empty of remorse, radiating a quiet, suffocating fury. “I told you to wait in the office,” he says, his voice dangerously low.

“I know.” A breath I didn’t realize I was holding escapes me as he takes the final step towards me.

He doesn't stop until he’s crowding my space, forcing me to look up at him. The smell of copper and sweat makes my stomach turn.

He steps closer, his shadow swallowing me completely. He reaches out, his fingers tracing my jawline. The sudden, intense heat of his skin against mine makes my pulse spike, but when his thumb drags across my cheek, leaving a faint, damp trail of red behind, every muscle in my body locks tight.

I’m not afraid of you.

Malachi notices the subtle recoil and says quietly, “I will never hurt you.”

“I know,” I whisper, my throat dry.

“You are safe with me,” he continues. “But when I give you an instruction, you follow it. Understood?” He adds coldly. I swallow hard, staring up at the man who just ended a life without blinking, feeling a terrifying pull toward the absolute certainty in his voice. I’ve lost my mind, but I believe him.

“I know,” I manage.

CHAPTER NINE

Jade

“Mamma, slow down.”

“…everyone will be watching, Jade,” she continues through the speaker, her voice tight and deliberate. I lie back against the headboard, listening quietly. “Your father organized this event specifically for you and Malachi to make your first public appearance as a couple. Everything has to look immaculate.”

“I’m aware, Mamma,” I reply, my tone flat.

“Good. Because appearances matter,” my mother presses, her voice dropping into a hushed, demanding whisper. “How is he with you when you’re alone? Does he actually look at you like a fiancé, or is he as cold as everyone says?”

“Malachi is fine, Mamma,” I say, stepping out of bed to crack the window open, letting the cool night air in. “You don’t need to worry.”

“I’m worrying about how it will look, Jade,” she sighs, her frustration visible even from the other side of the line. “Just ensure you two look united. Your father will not tolerate another public embarrassment.”

“Tell Papà he’ll get his picture-perfect couple,” I say, my voice turning dry.

“Get some rest then. Goodnight, Jade.”