Page 109 of Billionaire’s Ruin

“Who?” I snapped, blood roaring in my ears.

“The kidnappers.” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

The word slammed into me—the weight, the meaning, the terror of it.

Kidnappers.

My stomach clenched, burning with rage and dread. I loathed the word. It turned Kai into a victim—something I couldn’t stand. Hated what it turned us into—reactive, helpless, always a step behind.

“They just went into the car park of a private apartment,” Clare continued, tremors threaded through her words despite her efforts to sound composed.

“Did you sell us out?”

The question tore out of me before I even realized I was speaking.

It came out guttural.

Raw.

Instinctive.

Because trust was a luxury we couldn’t afford—not with Kai in danger, not with someone playing games with our lives.

And Clare?

She could be luring us straight into a trap.

Into the same hell Kai was dragged into.

A harsh thud beat at the base of my throat as I waited for her answer—half hoping she’d deny it, half bracing for the truth I already felt creeping under my skin.

“No. Yes…” Clare finally breathed.

The tremor in her voice was so sharp I could practically feel it.

“But not like that.”

My fingers twitched at my sides.

So she did betray us—just not in a way she was ready to admit.

My fingers cinched so tight my knuckles clenched white as I pictured the moment I finally stood in front of her.

The urge to shake the truth out of her—to demand, to punish—pressed hard against my ribs.

“Who are you working for?” I hissed.

“It’s not like that,” she whispered again, her tone crackling. “They held a gun to me.”

“So what?” The words came out like venom. “You just folded? Just handed him over because you’re scared of a little gun? What kind of bodyguard are you, Clare?”

“Please…” she choked out, a sharp inhale snagging in her throat. “It’s not what you think.”

”I have no patience left,” I snapped. “What excuse do you possibly have?”

A beat of silence.

Then another.