Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 309

Losing the case was nothing—she just wanted her to be safe.

……

An abandoned auto repair shop.

A flood of heavy footsteps filled the air.

Ruby forced her exhausted eyes open, instinctively shrinking back into the corner.

Hours of relentless torment had left her nerves in tatters; even the faintest sound was enough to send her into a panic.

"Victor already agreed to our terms. He confirmed—”

The weaselly man scratched his head, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.

The “punishments” they'd inflicted on Ruby over the past few hours were more than he’d seen in the entire last year.

Her dress was clearly made from expensive silk. Even battered and barely able to move on the cold floor, the fabric had only torn where it met her wounds.

“He only said not to use brute force. What I’m doing doesn’t count as violence.”

The gravel-voiced man grinned, clapping his hands together.

The hulking brute they’d chewed out earlier stood obediently off to the side.

With a swift, casual motion, the gravel-voiced man ripped the white tee off the brute’s broad chest, then shot him a look. “You remember what we told you to do, right? Make our boss happy, and you’ll get a nice fat raise. Mess it up…”

He ground his teeth, the sound hissing through the silence like a snake ready to strike.

The brute shivered at the sudden chill on his chest, but the promise of a promotion sent a flush of heat through his body. “Yes, sir!”

The gravel-voiced man smirked, slapping the brute on the shoulder. “Go on, then. That’s Cassian’s woman—you’re a lucky bastard, getting to play with the same lady as Mr. Veyne himself.”

The weaselly man joined in, both of them laughing as their voices echoed off the warehouse walls.

Ruby felt as if she’d been plunged into a frozen lake.

She understood, all too clearly, what they planned to do.

The heavy footsteps drew closer. The stench of sweat hung in the air, thick and nauseating.

Ruby’s nerves snapped taut, her whole body lurching into a desperate struggle. Despite her raw throat from hours of screaming, she managed a piercing, ragged shriek: “Get away from me! Don’t touch me! Get out!”

“Who’s paying you? How much? I’ll pay double—no, triple! Just let me go!”

She screamed until her voice broke, curling in on herself, refusing even the slightest touch.

The brute, eyes gleaming with anticipation and the promise of a better life, paid no attention to her pleas.

“Stay still!”

His slap rang out, leaving Ruby’s ears ringing with a dull, relentless hum.

“Hey, not so rough!” the gravel-voiced man admonished, though he didn’t sound remotely concerned.

With a wave, he signaled the brute, who lunged at Ruby like a starving wolf.

Despair crashed over her. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut as tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks.

Mira… Mom’s so sorry.

I won’t get to watch you grow up.

She clamped her teeth down, refusing to let a sound escape, desperate to hold on to some shred of dignity.

Right then, it felt as if a giant hand was forcing her underwater, pressing her deeper and deeper.

She couldn’t breathe.

For a split second, she wondered if biting through her tongue would finally put an end to the endless torment of her life.

Her will to survive faded fast. Even her breath grew faint, nearly ceasing.

BOOM—

A thunderous crash shattered the moment.

With a screech of tearing metal, the warehouse’s sun-blocking iron door crashed to the ground.

A flood of blinding light spilled into the gloom.