Dangerous Allies (The Ruby Danger Series Book 1) by Rickie Blair Page B

toast, but his eyes were cold.
    “I hear you’ve been busy.”

Chapter Fifteen
    R uby shaded her eyes against the bright light.
    “I’m tired. We can talk in the morning.”
    She turned to walk away. Antony grabbed her arm with one hand, swinging her around. Liquid sloshed from his glass and the astringent odor of Scotch stung her nostrils.
    “You think I’ll forget about it, don’t you?”
    “Let me go.” She yanked her arm free. “There’s nothing to forget about.”
    “Where have you been?”
    “You locked me out of our suite, remember? What did you expect me to do?”
    “That was hours ago.”
    “I was at the casino.”
    “Try again.”
    “You’re upset. I’m sorry. We’ll discuss it in the morning. Please, Antony.”
    His eyebrows lowered and pinched together as he stared at her.
    “You stupid woman. You have no idea how much trouble you’re in.”
    “Well, why don’t you tell me then? And while you’re at it, why don’t you tell me where you went on those business trips?” She stomped into the bedroom and dropped her shoes on the floor. Tugging open a bureau drawer, she pulled out a silk nightgown and mumbled under her breath, “and why you’ve got three fake passports.”
    “What did you say?”
    She turned, clutching the pink silk against her chest. Antony stood in the doorway.
    “Nothing,” she said.
    “No, I want to know. What did you say?”
    “It was nothing, Antony. Please, I’m tired.” She backed into the ensuite bathroom with a twist of unease, locked the door and drew a deep breath. Then she unhooked her sapphire earrings with trembling fingers and dropped them on the counter by the sink. After listening for noises from the other room—no sound of Antony, thank goodness—she stepped out of the blue silk dress and hung it on a hook by the door. Tugging the nightgown on over her head, she turned on the tap and soaked a washcloth with cold water. Ruby sat on the rim of the tub, pressing the cool washcloth to her eyes, and listened to the drip, drip, drip of the tap. She tried to relax.
    A crash jarred the bathroom wall and sent her earrings across the room.
    With a loud crack, Antony burst open the door. Ruby screamed and dropped the washcloth, then clapped a hand over her mouth and froze, staring at him.
    He stood, swaying slightly, in the doorway. A jagged piece of splintered wood jutted out from the frame.
    “Antony, what are you doing?” she said with a quaver in her voice.
    “We didn’t finish our talk. I have a few things to add.”
    She felt trapped in the bathroom, pinned down. Her hands shook.
    “We’ll talk, okay? But let’s do it in the other room.” She held her breath as she slid past him into the bedroom. Her heart pounded as she walked down the hall with Antony following. When they reached the living room, she turned to face him.
    “What did you want to talk about?” she asked, keeping her voice as calm as she could.
    “Where were you tonight?”
    “At the casino. And later, I had a drink with a friend.”
    “A very good friend, I heard.”
    “It wasn’t like that.”
    He smirked and took a step closer. “Did he like your dress?”
    She shook her head. “Antony—”
    “I bet he did.” He scowled, clenching his teeth. “I paid for that dress. I paid for those earrings, too. I paid for everything.” His voice rose. “So you can do who knows what in them.”
    “Antony, please—”
    “All you ever wanted was my money.”
    “That’s not true.”
    “You were nobody before I married you.” He spit out the words. “Nobody.”
    Heat surged through her body as she glared at him.
    “I was an actor. I still am.”
    “You were nothing.”
    She stared at him, feeling surprisingly calm.
    “You son of a bitch,” she said. “I’m going to bed.” She turned to walk away.
    In two rapid steps he caught up to her and grabbed her arm, pinning it behind her back.
    “You’re not walking away from me.” He spun her around and shoved her into an