Chapter 3: Claim Of Fire
1018 Words
The coffee shop was busy as usual, alive with the soft hum of chatter and the clinking of mugs. Ruby, with her apron tied tight around her waist, moved with her usual grace—quick smiles for regulars, steady hands for espresso shots. It was just another weekday morning... until he walked in.
The Don.
Nobody needed to whisper his name—his presence swallowed sound. The air shifted. His black coat swept the floor like a shadow, and his men, three of them, followed like wolves on his heel. He wasn’t a regular. He wasn’t a coffee drinker. But today, he was here, and his eyes? They locked on Ruby the moment she turned around with a tray of croissants.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he drawled, voice too smooth to be trusted. “You work here?”
Ruby’s brows furrowed. “Yes, sir. Can I take your order?”
The Don didn’t smile—he smirked. “I’ll take a seat. You bring me something sweet… surprise me.”
She gave a polite nod and turned away, feeling the burn of his gaze on her back. She didn’t like it. Something about the way he spoke, the weight of his stare—it wasn’t hunger for food. It was something worse.
At the far corner of the shop, Kaleb sat alone. Hood up, coffee in hand. His eyes didn’t blink once since the Don entered. His jaw clenched as he watched.
Ruby returned with a cupcake and set it on the table. “Your surprise,” she said simply.
The Don leaned back, eyes dragging over her. “You got a name?”
“I’m just staff, sir.”
He laughed darkly. “You’ve got fire. I like that.” He motioned to one of his men, who suddenly blocked Ruby’s path as she tried to walk away. Another stepped forward, brushing her arm.
“Come with us,” one of them said casually.
Ruby tensed. “I’m working.”
The Don stood now, all charm gone. “I said… I like you. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“I’m not interested,” she said firmly.
And then it happened.
The slap rang through the coffee shop like a gunshot.
Ruby’s cheek lit with pain as she staggered back, one hand pressed to her face. Gasps erupted. The Don smirked again. “I don’t like being told no.”
But he didn’t see Kaleb move.
Nobody did.
One second, Kaleb was seated—next, he was a blur of fury.
His coffee mug shattered as he slammed it aside. Tables flew. Chairs clattered. The first thug barely saw the punch that dropped him cold. The second went flying into a pastry shelf. The third tried to pull a weapon—Kaleb disarmed him with a bone-snapping twist.
And then, Kaleb stood face to face with the Don.
His voice was low, dangerous. “Touch her again… and you won’t walk out of here.”
The Don’s arrogance cracked. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Kaleb’s eyes burned. “I’m the man who doesn’t let filth like you put hands on what’s mine.”
Ruby, still clutching her cheek, looked up in shock.
“What?” she whispered.
Kaleb didn’t turn to her, eyes locked on the Don.
“You heard me,” he said louder. “She’s with me. Mine. Anyone touches her again, I’ll bury them.”
Silence filled the shop. Customers froze mid-step, wide-eyed. The Don stared back, lips curling in contempt—but even he could see Kaleb wasn’t bluffing.
He adjusted his coat, gave Ruby one last look, and spat on the floor.
“Let’s go,” he snapped.
His men scrambled to their feet and followed. The door slammed behind them.
Kaleb finally turned, breathing hard, fists still clenched. His eyes met Ruby’s—and softened.
“You alright?” he asked.
She nodded slowly, but her voice cracked. “You didn’t have to—”
Ruby’s chest rose and fell rapidly. She couldn’t tell if it was from fear or the rush of adrenaline—or the way Kaleb was still looking at her, like she mattered more than anything else in the room.
“You didn’t have to step in,” she whispered again, her voice shaking.
Kaleb’s jaw tightened. “He hit you.”
Ruby blinked. No one had ever stood up for her like that. She had always handled things on her own—always had to. But Kaleb… he moved like it was instinct, like protecting her was written into his blood.
“I’m sorry,” she said, unsure why. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I just—”
He shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. He did.”
The café staff stood in stunned silence. Some peeked from behind the counter; others whispered in hushed tones. But Ruby and Kaleb remained in their little bubble, the rest of the world fading.
Kaleb finally glanced away, running a hand through his hair. “I should’ve stepped in sooner.”
“You did enough,” Ruby murmured. Then added, softer, “More than enough.”
She wasn’t used to kindness feeling this… fierce. Like a storm that came to protect, not destroy.
“Let’s get out of here,” Kaleb said, voice low but certain.
Ruby hesitated. “Are you sure? Won’t this—”
“They won’t try that again,” he cut in. “Not with you. Not while I’m around.”
She looked at him, unsure of what had shifted between them—but something had. Something important.
“Okay,” she said.
He reached for her hand, and this time, she didn’t pull away.
As they walked out together, whispers followed them like shadows. But neither looked back.
Outside, the air felt different—cooler, freer. Ruby glanced up at Kaleb, and for the first time in a long while, she felt safe.
Not because the danger was over.
But because someone finally stood beside her.
Not to save her.
But to choose her.
- Writer
