Vegas Ruby🥀 | Taennie ff |

Chapter 9

"It was the darkness that brought us together, but love that made us shine."

⛓️🖇️🍷🥀🖤

Ruby

After saying goodbye to Irene, I was shaken. It felt like more than just a temporary goodbye. We'd always lived in separate cities, but this was different. I was part of the Camorra now. If the truce didn't hold, and from what I'd heard it wouldn't last for very long, I'd never see her again.

But that wasn't the only thing that turned my stomach into a pit of snakes. So far Taehyung had been kinder than expected. What if this was part of the plan? What if his pleasant mask slipped the moment we were in Las Vegas? That was their territory. That was where they could do as they pleased. It wasn't like I could return to Baltimore if things didn't work out- much less now that everyone knew what Durant had done to me.

The pitiful stares had been almost too much to bear, but the occasional assessing looks were even worse. It was as if people wondered if I had been the one who'd brought this down upon myself.

Jihyo and I walked ahead with the men behind us. She gave me a hesitant glance. We hadn't talked much so far, but she seemed nice, and I couldn't see any judgment in her eyes, even now that she knew about my past.

We stepped into the private jet, and I paused, unsure of where to sit.

Jihyo smiled. "Why don't you sit with me so we can get to know each other? I think the men have some things to discuss."

Relieved about her offer, I followed her toward the back, and we sat across from each other. Taehyung, his brothers, and Namjoon settled on seats close to each other on the other end of the plane.

Taehyung didn't seem to mind that I hadn't chosen to sit beside him. This marriage was a necessary evil for him. Means to an end.

"So you're married to Namjoon?" I asked Jihyo.

She flushed and it made her freckles stand out even more. Her eyes darted to the blond man. "Oh ... no ... we aren't married. We haven't been together for very long."

"And your family allows you to be with him before marriage?"

Jihyo let out a laugh. "I'm not Italian. I'm an outsider." My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh. I wasn't sure because of your name. They allow that in Vegas?"

Jihyo pursed her lips. "I'm not sure it's something that's allowed, but Jungkook allowed it for Namjoon."

I knew at once that Jihyo was as wary of the Camorra Capo as I was. Everyone except his brothers was probably wary of him.

"So you grew up in a normal family?" I hadn't had contact with outsiders often, so I found their company exciting.

Jihyo grimaced. "Well, I wouldn't call my family normal by average standards. My parents are addicts. I mean were ... my mother still is." She took a deep breath.

"What about your father?"

"Namjoon killed him."

I froze, my eyes moving to her boyfriend. As if he could feel my gaze, his blue eyes settled on me before they moved over to Jihyo and warmed. Trying to suppress my first reaction, I asked, "Why are you with him if he killed your father?"