Chapter 4 - The Debt of Blood
That evening, the storm broke.
Mickey Sullivan came for his money, bringing three thugs and a tire iron. They didn't come to the front door; they came to the service entrance, thinking they could intimidate the staff.
They didn't account for Vincent Romano’s reaction to an intrusion on his property.
Ruby heard the shouting from the nursery. She clutched Leo to her chest, her heart drumming a frantic rhythm. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew the sound of violence—she had grown up hearing the echoes of it in Pilsen.
She walked toward the living room, her steps light but determined. She saw the men in the foyer, bloodied and broken, being dragged out by the guards.
Vincent was standing in the center of the mess, his hands clean, his expression bored.
“The debt is settled,” he said, not even looking at her. “Sullivan is no longer a problem. And he will never speak your name again.”
Ruby looked at the bodies being dragged out, then at Vincent. She felt a surge of horror, but also a strange, distorted sense of gratitude. “You didn't have to do that.”
“I do what is necessary,” Vincent said. “You are the only thing that keeps my son quiet. That makes you the most valuable asset in this house.”
“I’m not an asset,” Ruby said, her voice rising. “I’m a person. I’m Leo’s nanny. And if you think you can just turn my life into a transaction, you’re wrong.”
May you like
Vincent stopped. He walked over to her, his shadow falling over her like a shroud. “You think you’re better than me, Ruby? You think you’re a saint because you can bake a cake and sing a lullaby? We are both survivors. We are both doing whatever we have to do to keep from drowning.”
“I don't drown,” Ruby said, her eyes flashing. “I swim.”
