Ruthless King

His stomach rebelled at the thought of leaving her.

Fuck. This wasn’t good.

Gerald raised his eyebrows.

“Do you have something to say as well?”

“No, Sir. Just that there is no food in the house.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t keep the fridge very stocked. She can’t cook. Is there nothing in the cupboards you can use?”

“There’s nothing in the cupboards either. I’ve done an inventory. There are three packets of ramen noodles, two packets of instant rice, half a carton of Cinnabon creamer, coffee, and something that appears to be frozen, grated cauliflower.”

That sounded disgusting.

“That’s it? That can’t be it.” Were things that bad the other night? No, she’d had other things in the cupboard and fridge.

But not a lot.

“I’m afraid it is.”

What the hell?

“And while I am no snoop, I did find a few things . . .”

No snoop? Gerald had perfected the art of being invisible yet still knowing everything that was going on.

The older man set some papers in front of him. All bills. All unpaid.

“Money trouble?” Regent queried.

“It’s been a long time since I saw so little food in a house.”

Fuck.

Why hadn’t she told him? Anger rose inside him, but he squelched it. The other night, she’d cooked him dinner. Had she used money she didn’t have?

Didn’t she know he would give her money if she needed it?

Well, obviously she didn’t. “Can you take care of these?”

“Of course.”

“And order some food. But don’t buy too much stuff.”

Gerald frowned.

“She might not be here for long,” was all he said.

He glanced up as Jose entered the kitchen, carrying a neon pink bag covered in glitter.

“Uh, boss?” he said, scratching at his head.

“Yes?”

“An old lady across the street gave me this. I think it’s meant for Jilly.”

“What is it?” He took the bag, looking in it. “Is that . . .”