“Is that what happened?” the other officer asked Cooper. He said nothing, just continued to stare down his target.
“It is, Sir,” Matty added. “Cooper was bringing her to class and I met them outside. I had seen these guys out here earlier and was worried about her coming up alone. We were almost in when they threatened her. We were just trying to protect her.”
“Well, how about we break this up and everyone goes on their way, or we'll all be going down to the precinct.”
“Sounds good,” I said, turning Matty towards the door before tugging on Cooper's arm to pull him away from the fight.
“Guess you're getting off lucky tonight,” Mr. Big said to Cooper.
“Since you're still breathing, I'd say you're the lucky one,” Cooper responded as I got in front of him and bulldozed him down the street toward the car.
The officers weren't leaving, and I didn't think it was a good sign.
“I'll get them out of here,” I told them. “Cooper, don't you have somewhere to be right now anyways? Weren't you late?”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” he said. “But I'll be back to get you later.” The growl in his voice was not reassuring. Though I couldn't see his face, I was pretty sure he wasn't reaffirming my after-class pick-up.
“OK, sounds good. See you then,” I said giving him one final shove off to the car. Mr. Big had disappeared around a corner but I doubted it was before he heard Cooper's threat.
“Are we good here?” the cops asked as they made their way back to the patrol car.
“Yes. Thank you so much,” I replied. “Have a good night.”
They nodded and took off down the street.
I watched Cooper get in the car and pull an illegal u-turn in the middle of the road before squealing the tires and peeling out. Then I walked back to Matty and we headed into the building.
“Well that was interesting,” he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Yeah, I like to keep it interesting.”
“What's up with Cooper? That guy is all over the place.”
I winced as he said it. Is it that noticeable?
“To be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure. His behavior is all over the map these days. I don't think he's adapting well to the east coast,” I offered as explanation.
As we ascended the staircase, Matty became silent for a moment or two before turning to stop me halfway up.
“Ruby, I don't want you to think I'm being judgmental, but something about him is bothering me. It reminds me of someone,” he said with more seriousness than I'd ever seen him possess.
“Who? Cooper?” I asked confused. “What about him?”
“He reminds me of my brother.”
“Your brother is a moody hot-head, too?” I asked jokingly as I moved to pass him on my way up the stairs. He stepped in front of me and bent down to catch my gaze.
“No,” he replied. “He was an addict.”
I literally stumbled backwards a step, catching the railing for balance.
“What?” I asked for clarification, not giving him a chance to offer any. “Cooper is not an addict, Matty. You don't even know him.”
“I know, Ruby, I'm not trying to accuse him of it, I'm just saying he is acting exactly like my brother did.”
“And how, exactly, did you know that your brother was an addict? Did he just open up and tell you about it? Did you catch him doing it? Or did someone observe him for five minutes and inform you that that was what he was?” I asked with hostility in my voice. I was feeling defensive of Cooper. He may have been a jerk, but he was my jerk and I didn't like Matty saying horrible things about him.
He was quiet for a second before responding.
“No…,” he said softly. “We had an autopsy done after his body was found in an alley downtown.”
Fuck me.
“Matty, I…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—”
“I know you didn't. Cooper is your friend and you don't want to hear harsh things about him. I get that. We didn't want to hear it about Nathan either,” he said as he grabbed my hands. “I don't want you to go through what we did.”
I lunged forward and hugged him as hard as I could around his waist. I felt like such a bitch and wanted to slink away and hide, but not until I made sure Matty's hurt was abated for that moment.
“Thank you,” I said softly into his chest. I wasn't sure that he was right, but I couldn't prove he was wrong either. It dawned on me that maybe Cooper's little date that he was late for wasn't with a lady of the night at all; maybe it was with a drug dealer.
Cooper's status was upgraded to CF number one yet again.
* * *
After class, I waited outside the building for twenty minutes with no sign of Cooper. Matty refused to leave until he knew my ride was coming. We both finally agreed that it wasn't looking promising, and he offered to drive me home. I didn't want him to have to drive two hours or more, but my options were limited, so I begrudgingly accepted.
When we pulled up outside of my place, I saw the TT sitting in her spot on the street. I was furious and did a shitty job of hiding it.
“Are you going to be okay?” Matty asked, looking over at me in the dimly lit car.
“I don't think I'm the one you should be worried about,” I growled before softening a bit. “I'll be fine. Thanks again, for everything.” I took his hand and gave a squeeze. My eyes said everything that I couldn't say out loud and it was obvious that Matty understood.
“You're welcome.”
My emotions started to get the best of me so I exited the car quickly and headed for the door. I unlocked it and turned to give Matty a wave before heading up. He honked in recognition and drove off.
Taking a deep breath, I climbed the stairs preparing for a battle. Ditching me in Boston was the final straw and I was going to unleash on Cooper, but I needed to gain a little composure in case Peyta was home. I didn't want her to see the hatred written all over my face.
Once I was in the apartment, I knew she wasn't around. There were no lights on except for Cooper's which let a tiny slit of light escape from under the door.
I stormed down the hall to confront him.
Your ass is mine.
16
I was startled when the door flew open just as I was about to bang on it. We looked at each other for a second before he pushed past me into the hall.
“What the hell happened to you tonight, asshole?”
“Just give me five minutes, for fuck's sake!” Cooper yelled as he slammed the bathroom door in my face, locking it behind him.
“If you think it's that easy to get rid of me, you really are high!”
He said nothing in response. The only sound coming from the room was a repetitive tapping of metal on glass – not a good omen. I pounded on the door, trying repeatedly to force it open. I found a bobby pin to try and jimmy the lock, but apparently the TV shows I'd been watching made that task look infinitely easier than it actually was.
Desperation was setting in and I decided to go with yet another TV classic – the kicked-in door. I took a healthy step backwards and raised my foot to gauge the distance I needed to cover in my windup. I did a couple quick warm up taps, which both served to give me momentum and Cooper a clue that I was about to come flying through the door, hopefully. I conjured up all my strength, putting every ounce of anger, frustration and fear I’d been suppressing into that final blow. Much to my surprise the frame cracked easily and the door flew inward, nearly knocking Cooper off his feet.
He stumbled backwards as I stormed the room looking for the mirror with his prized possession on it. I spotted it on the vanity and grabbed it, as well as the bottle of Adderall next to it, emptying them both into the toilet. I flushed it just in time to have Cooper come crashing through me to try and save his stash.
No such luck today, my friend.
When the reality set in that his drugs were gone he became enraged, and I was on the receiving end of it. He half picked me up,
half drove me backwards into the hallway and smashed me into the wall, his forearm crushing my throat.
“You bitch! I need those. He'll kill me without them!” he said with eyes wide and feral.
I tried to respond but my choking and sputtering was doing little to help diffuse the situation. My vision was spotty and I realized that he had no intention of letting up. He was trying to kill me. Whatever insanity had led him to the low he was in was bad enough to make him need drugs more than he needed me. It was a sobering epiphany.
I needed to do something quickly, and my only option was apparent. Scarlet had to be unleashed. I stopped struggling uselessly with his arm and pulled my ring off, throwing it down the hall. Laughing, Scarlet watched his face turn to see what was rolling away; he paled instantly when he saw it.
She growled a low rumbling sound as she cupped Cooper's throat in retaliation and lifted him off the floor. He stared down at her, eyes still wild but this time, with fear. He'd angered her once before and gotten away with it; he seemed concerned that the leniency he'd received that time would not be seen again.
“I find it inconvenient that you want to kill Ruby,” she said calmly as she dangled him over the floor. “It seems as though I'd die too, and I'm not comfortable with that idea.” He was starting to turn purple from lack of oxygen so she threw him down the hall into my bedroom, following slowly to torture him further. “I would kill you, but I have this annoying voice in the back of my mind telling me not to. She's such a wet blanket,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “So we're in a pickle here, Cooper, you and I. I need a reason to allow you to live, so you're going to give me one. Ruby wants to know what's been going on and you're going to tell us, and if we don't seem satisfied with your participation in this activity…well, let's just hope we are.”
He was literally cowering against the bed. He knew the writing was on the wall for him if he wasn't forthcoming; Scarlet would kill him without even raising her pulse. I couldn't understand why he wasn't already spilling it. She walked over to him, bending down to get right in his face.
“Ticktock, my friend,” she said quietly.
He gulped, though I was sure his throat was dry, before beginning his confession.
“What exactly does she want to know?” he asked.
“Oh, Cooper, now is not the time to play dumb with me,” she said, stroking the side of his face.
“Okay, okay,” he replied, “But it's going to get me killed!”
“As will not telling me,” she reminded him. “Why don't you start by telling us what the drugs are for.”
“They're to keep me from sleeping,” he said, taking her prompt. Sweat was rolling down his face, falling from the tip of his nose.
“And why would you want to not sleep?”
“Because that's when they come for me.” His eyes widened and it looked like he was suddenly caught in a trance. She snatched his chin and his attention back to her.
“Who comes for you?” she purred.
“The pack,” he said. “My pack.”
“Mmm, but I don't see how they can, Cooper,” she replied, getting closer to his face. “I killed them.”
“I know, I know…I feel like I'm losing my mind,” he admitted.
“So they come to you when you sleep?”
“Sort of…really only at night when I'm asleep, though it seems to be getting worse during the day now too, if I nap,” he said, looking increasingly agitated.
“So you're haunted?” she asked, not giving him a chance to respond. “I fail to see how that's going to get you killed.”
“It's going to get me killed because I'm losing it. I look like I'm unstable. Unstable wolves get classified in the 'rogue' category. Rogues get killed, and lucky for me Sean is back in town,” he said, shaking a little. “I need the drugs to keep it together – to help me focus and avoid sleep.”
“She says you haven't been very together.”
He frowned at the floor, averting her gaze.
“I've had to try a few different things. There have been some side effects. Ruby usually catches me between hits, too. It's just bad timing.”
“Like her walking in on you about to do a line and you nearly strangling her to death? Was that just bad timing?” she asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
“Yes,” he responded, closing his eyes tightly.
I jumped up and down in our mind trying desperately to get her back on track and ask the most obvious question. She finally got the hint.
“So what do they want, exactly?” she asked, referring to the pack that was haunting Cooper.
“Revenge,” he whispered.
But why? I killed the pack, not him. Why aren't they after me?
Scarlet sighed, feigning annoyance with the whole ordeal.
“She wants to know why you and not us?” she asked. “And yes, it's 'us', as I believe I did the killing that night, remember? I'd like to take the credit for my work if that's all right with you, Ruby.”
Sorry.
Cooper looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.
“I'm not sure, I wondered that myself for a while. I think it's because I killed the Alpha. Maybe the rest are linked to him?” he said. “I think they're trying to make me crazy.”
“Well it would appear that their mission is nearly accomplished, dear. You're practically stark raving mad,” she said not so helpfully.
“Hence the drugs. I feel like we're going in circles here. Are we done now?” he asked, looking exhausted. “I need to go replenish my stash. I go through it like candy.”
Before she could answer him, the door buzzer rang like an emergency broadcasting test. She walked over to the window and looked out to see who was below.
“It appears as though the one you fear most is downstairs. Perhaps he's come for you already.”
Shit! You have to get rid of him.
“I don't have to do anything, Ruby, I'm already on the naughty list as it is. I have no intention of angering him and neither should you,” she pointed out.
Just go in the other room, press the intercom button and tell him it's a bad time.
“Yes, that plan sounds flawless. And when he doesn't leave?” she asked.
He will, just sound as annoyed as possible. I'm irritated with him anyways, so he'll expect it. Tell him you'll call him later so he doesn't think you're totally blowing him off.
She glanced down at Cooper who looked more pale and frightened than ever. I saw her memories of him lying dead on the living room floor; she cared for him, if only in her strange way. In that moment I knew she wouldn't give up on him anymore than I was going to, though she wasn't going to tolerate his shit, either.
“Fine,” she replied as the intercom buzzed a second time. The sound didn’t cease as she strolled down the hall to the noisy box by the door and pressed the button.
You have to sound like me!
She altered her voice enough to make it passable for mine, though it smacked of hungover, dehydrated me.
“What, Sean? It's not a good time.”
“I need to talk to you,” he said, sounding serious.
Tell him you're sure he does and that you'll call later.
“Yes, I'm sure you do. I'll call later. I don't want to see you now.”
Sean attempted to respond but she clicked off the button and walked away. All I could do was hope her performance worked. She returned to the room to find Cooper standing now and looking a little less shell-shocked in general; he still looked like shit, though.
“I need to get out of here,” he said as he paced back and forth within a four foot diameter.
“It's fine, I got rid of them,” she told him with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“THEM?” Cooper and I both shouted together at her, equally stressed by the tidbit of information she left out.
“Details, details,” Scarlet said, dismissing our concerns. “You were only worried about Sean. I didn't think the others mattered.”
I was ab
out to yell at her, but the pounding on the apartment door stole my focus from that endeavor. I heard a muffled “Ruby” coming from outside my home; it was not a good sign.
“Ruby can't come to the door now, she's a bit incapacitated at the moment,” Scarlet yelled as she opened the bedroom door.
Oh sh—
I didn't even have time to finish the thought before I heard the second door frame of the evening splinter to little pieces as Sean and company blasted through my entrance. Scarlet seemed amused with herself at first, but I felt her unease as the three large men stormed down the hall towards her. My ring was beyond them, so there was no salvaging the situation with that quick fix.
She stood solidly in the doorway of my room as the wave of hostility crested only feet away from us. Sean stopped just inches shy of her, keeping the other two men behind him. I recognized one of them instantly. Jer. He brought a growl from Scarlet that only increased the tension.
“Quiet!” Sean barked down at her, his eyes darker and more menacing than I ever remembered seeing them.
I felt the smile spread wide across her face.
“And if I don't?” she asked playfully, not meaning to be playful at all.
“You die.”
Time out, please!
She said nothing in response but backed up just enough to let them in. Their large bodies filled the room more than they should have; they were in fight mode and immensely frightening.
Scarlet made her way to the edge of the bed and perched herself on it. Cooper stood tucked in slightly behind her; we could both feel his fear.
“I came to talk to Ruby. Something has happened that she needs to know about,” Sean said seriously.
“She can hear you, so go ahead. Don't let me stop you,” Scarlet told him. “Besides, I so rarely get let out of my cage; I'm not really ready to go back yet.”
“How about I put you six feet under instead, bitch?” Jer said as he lunged around Sean to get to Scarlet. Sean caught his arm on the way.
She slowly rolled off of the bed and sauntered towards him.
“So much aggression for such a small mind,” she said condescendingly. “It makes for a horrible combination really; you tend to lack the ability to discern who you should apply that aggression to.”
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