Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 67

Ruby knocked on the door and, hearing no response, pushed it open and stepped inside to wake him.

The room was still lit.

She walked closer, intending to nudge Cameron Lockridge's shoulder, but her gaze fell first on a stack of documents spread open on the nightstand.

As if compelled by some invisible force, Ruby held her breath and leaned in for a closer look.

Her eyes scanned the pages; the further she read, the heavier her expression became, as if the weight in her chest was growing with each line.

She flipped through to the very end, her eyes locking on a staggering figure printed on the last page.

Her hand trembled.

Thirty million.

How could Cameron Lockridge—a young attorney just a few years out of law school, gifted as he might be—possibly come up with thirty million dollars overnight?

A surge of shock raced through Ruby. Instinctively, she glanced at Cameron's face.

He was still asleep, the sound of rustling papers failing to disturb him. Even in sleep, though, his brow was furrowed, as if trapped in some terrible dream.

Ruby tore her eyes away, biting down on her lip, but suddenly a deep, menacing voice echoed in her mind.

"I will make you obey."

Her pupils shrank; her whole body shivered. She shook her head, desperate to fling the memory away.

But the words slithered around her like a chain, growing thicker and tighter, wrapping her up, squeezing until she could barely breathe.

In the next instant, it felt like a giant hand was closing around her throat, squeezing with merciless force.

Ruby stumbled back several steps, her chest heaving, heart racing so loudly it drowned out every other sound.

"Ruby?"

The noise startled Cameron awake. Still groggy, he blinked at her pale face, alarm sharpening his features.

He sat up in bed, worry and concern in his voice. "What's wrong?"

Ruby was breathing so quickly she could hardly control it.

Cameron's gaze drifted to the papers still clutched in her hand, and his face instantly paled.

"Is it… Cassian?"

Ruby gripped the contract so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Ruby stared down at her plate, unmoving, the food untouched.

Both were lost in their own troubled thoughts, the meal thick with tension and bitterness.

Even Mira, sensing the mood, curled up quietly in Ruby's lap, unusually subdued.

Afterwards, Cameron offered to do the dishes. Ruby didn't protest, only nodded and retreated to her room in silence.

With the door closed behind her, the night outside pressed heavy against the windows, thick as ink.

She didn't turn on the light, instead groping her way to the chair by the window.

A sliver of open window let in gusts of wind, brushing against her skin with a chill.

Ruby hugged Mira tighter, but the cold lingered, seeping into her bones.

Each breeze that grazed her neck felt like a knife, sharp and unrelenting.

How could this all be such a coincidence?

She'd only just seen Cassian, only just been threatened by him—and now, out of nowhere, Cameron was saddled with an impossible debt.

There was no way these things weren't connected.