Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 307

The greasy man was just about to leave when someone called him back. “Has her contact arrived yet?”

Ruby’s whole body trembled, but even in her fear, she forced herself to memorize every word.

Her?

The man craned his neck, peering outside. “Looks like she’s just arrived.”

“Let her in. And be sure to get it all on camera this time.”

The two exchanged a look, grinning in a way that made Ruby’s skin crawl.

That's bad, Ruby thought, her heart sinking.

The sharp click of heels echoed through the hall—a brisk, authoritative rhythm—and a wave of cold air swept in with the newcomer.

She stopped right in front of Ruby. Before Ruby could see her face, she felt the icy chill of her presence.

“This is the one?” The voice was female, cool and commanding, the kind that always came from above.

“Yes, ma’am. She could use a bit of your special training.”

A dismissive snort. Then, cold, manicured fingers—hard and sharp with rhinestone-studded nails—ran across Ruby’s cheek.

“When you cross the wrong people, you pay the price,” the woman said, her words cutting and glacial.

Before Ruby could react, pain exploded across her back—a whip, landing hard.

The air cracked. Ruby screamed.

The woman’s eyes sparkled with a wild, almost gleeful excitement as she brought the whip down again, even harder.

Agony radiated through Ruby’s bones; every lash made her skin feel like it was tearing apart. Sweat poured from her brow as she clenched her teeth so hard her jaw felt about to snap.

“Bring a bucket of water. And don’t skimp on the salt!”

The woman’s command rang out, and hurried footsteps echoed away.

Moments later, Ruby heard something heavy thud onto the floor.

“Pour it!”

At the order, Ruby nearly bit through her tongue.

The wounds still burned, but now the salty water poured over them, multiplying the pain. Ruby convulsed, curling into herself, her entire body shuddering in agony.

“Why are these ropes loose? Tie her tighter.”

As soon as the words fell, the coarse rope was yanked tight, digging mercilessly into her already raw wounds, carving angry red lines into her skin.

At last, Ruby’s body gave in. Darkness claimed her.

As her consciousness slipped away, she thought she saw Mira smiling at her. A single tear slid down her cheek before everything went black.

“Fine. I’ll make concessions for Farrar. But if you lay another finger on her, the deal’s off.”

He agreed without hesitation, terrified of what more they might do to Ruby.

“Of course. We only want what’s ours.”

Victor slammed the laptop shut, breathing hard, his chest heaving with fury.

He didn’t dare glance at the message again, afraid he’d see more of those brutal images. But even the glimpse he’d caught of Ruby’s injuries kept replaying in his mind.

He clutched at his shirt, trying to steady his ragged breath, fighting to pull his scattered thoughts back together. He prided himself on being calm and collected, but right now his heart thundered in his chest.

He called Veyne & Co., the call routing through to Bennett, who still had the tablet in hand.

“Ruby. Do you know where Ruby is?” Victor asked, struggling to keep the desperation from his voice.

The moment Bennett heard Ruby’s name, his expression turned deadly serious.

“She’s missing,” he answered, blunt and to the point.

Victor’s heart dropped. That meant the photos were real. Ruby was in real, immediate danger.

No matter how much Victor wanted to keep his distance from Cassian, he relayed everything he knew to Bennett, holding nothing back.

Bennett’s face hardened. “Hold on. I’ll get Mr. Veyne right away.”