Fully occupied by staring at Ruby, his heart pounding in his chest, Ace didn’t realize James had left his side to reclaim his own workstation. The other guy started executing image searches of campus, digging through social media profiles of alumni, and downloading brochures for prospective students then displaying results so they could see them in relation to the beige cube where Ruby was being held.
None of the rooms appeared exactly like the spot she was in. Painted cinderblock walls without a window in sight made Ace wonder if she was being held in a basement. Before he could speculate out loud, a door on the wall opposite from where she was sitting opened.
A man entered wearing a mask that matched the one his avatar had sported the night he’d attacked Ruby. It was only because Ace knew her intimately that he saw her freeze momentarily as if her image onscreen had glitched. She was scared, even if she didn’t show it.
Stay strong, Ruby. He’s a coward. You’re not.
Two scrawny late-teens with bad complexions and that gangly, not-yet-bulked look to them trailed the masked man and slithered into seats at nearby computers as if familiar with the space. Whoever they were, they were certainly in over their heads.
“I have an offer for you.” The masked guy didn’t bother with pleasantries though he acted as if he was giving her a gift instead of what they all understood was an ultimatum.
Ruby didn’t bother to respond.
“Help us finish the code these dumbasses can’t fix and we’ll cut you in.” The guy, who wasn’t particularly big or tall, crossed his arms as if that would help him seem more impressive. After hanging out at Shields, around massive men like Liam and Legend, Ruby didn’t seem any more impressed than Ace was.
“You’re saving this camera feed, right?” Jordan asked JRad.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“Any chance we can send it off for someone to analyze this asshole’s voice or anything else about him. Maybe that watch, it seems kind of chunky.” Jordan leaned in and squinted as if that was going to do the trick.
“Nah, it’s utter garbage.” JRad grimaced. “I mean, we can try but the odds are miniscule.”
“If there’s a chance, do it.” Liam rocked as if his insides ached.
But Ruby, she was holding her own.
“Yeah, right. You won’t even show me your face and you play dirty. Why should I trust you when you could steal my work then get rid of me?” Ruby tossed her mane of fiery hair over one shoulder.
“Firstly, because you don’t have many options at the moment,” the man snipped, his fingers digging into the arms of his suit jacket. “But also because we’re talking about a lot of money. You have to know how valuable this is. Even a tiny cut is a shit ton of money.”
“What are you going to wring people for?” Ruby acted as if she hadn’t already heard it straight from Jordan. It was a good way to gauge how truthful the bastard was being with her.
“She’s smart, our girl.” JRad nodded as he kept furiously pounding his keyboard.
“Half a billion. And we’ll give you a quarter of it if you help us.”
“That cheap bastard.” James rolled his eyes. “They could have at least made it something believable instead of a pittance.”
Ruby lifted her chin but didn’t give anything away as she stared at her captor with pure disdain. Ace was glad she’d never aimed that look at him. Though she likely wouldwhenthey got her back.
“So what do you say?”
“Go fuck yourself.” Ruby clearly included both the masked man and his brutes guarding the door to her makeshift cell in her directive.
Sola groaned. The rest of the agents tensed. They knew where this was going.
“If you won’t be reasonable, we’ll use other methods to persuade you.” The man in the mask gestured and one of the gunmen who’d captured Ruby lashed out, backhanding her before she even had a chance to brace herself against the blow. For one instant, the computer nerd nearby looked like he might object, but he quickly hung his head when it seemed like he could be next. The masked man redirected his attention to Ruby and snarled, “You should take the money, bitch. Speed up the process.”
Liam clutched the boardroom table in his hands so hard Ace expected it to explode in a shower of splinters.
“Like you’d ever actually pay me a cent.” She sniffed despite the trickle of blood staining her mouth like macabre lipstick. “I’m not helping you with shit.”
This time the help clocked her with more than his open palm. Ruby tipped out of the chair, sprawling onto the floor. She landed on all fours and stuck there for a moment before she shook her head, sending her hair shimmering around her in a glossy curtain as she regained her wits.
Liam roared and stood so fast his chair flipped behind him. Ace knew it pained him far worse to watch her suffer than it would if he had taken that fist to the face. He was the sort of man who’d lay down his life for the people he cared about. He’d been meticulous lately about barricading the parts of himself that were even more vulnerable than his sexual side.
Ace had a sneaking suspicion Liam had erected his defenses because he was feeling some kind of way about Ruby.