“Shit, Ruby. Are you okay?” he immediately asks, but I can see the questioning look in his eyes. He’s wondering if it isn’t something more. And again that silence between us returns as we both look for the right words to say, words that don’t accuse or worry the other.
“Yeah, I’m fine, but I do think the person was targeting me. Does that sound stupid? It wasn’t just an accident. They saw me in the alley and followed me as I ran toward the street, and when I tried to cross in front of them, they nearly hit me.”
Reid nods his head, chewing on his bottom lip as he processes what I just told him. I want to beg him not to tell Caleb because the last thing he needs is more worry, more concern about what happened in his past is coming back to haunt him.
“So…” Reid starts, but his thought is left hanging. He drags a hand through his hair and lets out a hard exhale, his eyes focused on the street in front of us.
“What do you think?” I ask, not waiting for him to continue.
“I didn’t want to tell Sie or Caleb about this, so I’d appreciate it if you kept it between us,” Reid says, his words firm but there’s also an air of compassion in them and I nod in agreement. “About a week ago I got a call from the detective we worked with on my dad’s case. One of the guys who worked with my dad got off. They couldn’t really trace anything back to him. It was a guy who worked with my dad back in the eighties but had kinda dropped off. He’s old now too, like in his late seventies and in super bad health. The detective didn’t think he was a threat…” he trails off now, his thoughts consumed with wondering if this guy is a threat and now so am I.
“Do you think he’s a threat?” I ask, just coming right out with what we’re both thinking.
“I didn’t, but now I don’t know what to think. I’m going to follow up with the detective and let him know what happened to you and see what he thinks.”
Reid’s teeth tug at his lip some more, deep in thought and all I can think about is Caleb out and about, none the wiser to any of this. It’s going to be hard not to show my concern for him every time he leaves the house.
“The guy can’t be a threat,” he adds, confidence in his words as he shakes his head. “I don’t even remember hearing about this guy as a kid or anything. I think the reason they couldn’t pin anything on him is because he has nothing to do with it. And anyway, the whole outfit fell apart. There’s no way anyone is stupid enough to keep this up knowing the police are all over it.”
It’s like he’s trying to convince himself that we’re all safe, that this is nothing more than a mistake, and as much as I want to believe his words, he wasn’t the one who was nearly run down.
“Sorry, Ruby. I’m acting like what you told me isn’t true. I believe you and I’m going to call the detective just to be safe. Just to make sure it’s on his radar and he can follow up on things.”
“Okay, thanks. And Reid,” I say as I stand up, looking down at him, “can we keep this between us?”
“Of course, Ruby. I don’t want Caleb or Sie finding out because they don’t need anymore on their plates right now.”
“Thanks,” I reply, understanding exactly what he’s saying as I lean down and kiss his cheek.
As I walk away, I hope like hell it’s nothing. That we aren’t about to deal with this all over again.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Caleb
The bar is dead tonight, which is hardly surprising given finals have now started. Reid, Sie and Ruby are all busy with studying and I’m trying to stay out of their way. In a couple of weeks, it will all be over and they’ll be on break.
And because it is so dead, I manage to finish up early, eager to get back home and see Ruby. For so many reasons.
I still can’t believe what a difference she makes to my life and I’m quickly coming to realize that I’m pretty sure I can’t live without her. And it’s not just the obvious connection we share or the crazy attraction I feel toward her.
It’s the way I can talk to her, too. About everything. Without fear of judgment or pity or anything else negative. Which is what makes it so easy to talk to her about what’s going on with me, and all the messed up shit in my head.
Because she isn’t afraid of it and she’s not afraid to call me out on stuff or give it to me straight either. And I love that. I love that she’s honest and tells me the things I need to hear. I love that she’s so accepting of the things that have happened to me and instead of walking away or looking at me with guilt, she wants to help me.
Fuck, I just love her.
My mind turns over this sudden revelation as I walk home from the bar, the night quiet and cool. I still haven’t bought myself a car, despite having the money for it now, but I’m honestly not that interested yet.
I enjoy this part of my night, the peace and the quiet, the time to myself just to think and process whatever shit has gone through my head today. Next to being with Ruby, it’s my favorite thing.
When I reach the house, I take the path up the side like I usually do and once again notice the trash cans have all been knocked over, garbage surrounding them.
“Fuck’s sake,” I mutter, as I stop to pick it up, wondering again if this is some kind of animal getting into the can, looking for food. But as I do, I notice the unmistakable shape of footprints in the dirt, men’s footprints surrounding the space, as though someone has stood here and rummaged through the garbage.
I immediately feel my body go tense as I straighten and look around, my eyes scanning the darkness. The street is quiet though, no one about, only a couple of cars parked along the curb. My thoughts go to Providence and what happened, as though someone from my past is doing this, to look for something or to fuck with me. I don’t know.
But then I remember that no one gives a shit anymore, because it’s over. Ray Bowen is in jail and everyone else has disappeared. This isn’t happening.
Shaking my head, I move back to the trash, picking it up as I clean up the mess. Surely these are mine or Reid’s footprints from when we took the garbage out.
When I’m done, I move toward the back door, but just before I walk inside, I turn and glance toward the street again, focusing on the cars, searching for one that stands out, that doesn’t quite fit. Like the one I saw a couple of weeks ago and haven’t been able to get out of my head.
But there’s nothing there and exhaling, I tell myself to relax as I unlock the back door and step inside.
Reid, Sie and Ruby are all in the living room, lying on the couch, watching TV.
“Hey,” I say as I walk in, stopping behind the couch where Ruby sits. “How were finals?”
“Nailed it,” Reid says, without looking up from the TV.
Sienna pinches his side as she rolls her eyes and looks up at me. “Okay. How was work?”
“Okay,” I reply, before turning to Ruby. I lean down as she looks up at me and I press a kiss to her lips. “And you?”
She exhales, her eyes closing briefly before her hand moves to my cheek. “Okay,” she says, sounding tired.
“You alright?” I whisper, brushing my lips against hers again.