Bones crunched with every forceful blow of Barone’s fist to the man’s face. And Ruby knew it to be Barone as surely as she knew that no man alive possessed the kind of strength he exhibited in that moment.
She staggered to her knees, attempting to pull her jeans up as she went.
Barone’s hood slipped off, and the moon’s silver glow flashed off the sharp points of his teeth.
Ruby stumbled back in horror, a fresh scream lodged in her throat.
The trees began to spin around her. She blindly reached out, grasping for something, anything to keep from falling. “Help me,” she slurred as her world turned black.
Chapter Ten
Rage consumed the Beast as he ripped the shirt of the guy he held in front of him, and roared in his face. Visions of him assaulting Ruby flashed through Lincoln’s mind.
The sleazy piece of shit screamed like a woman, both of his hand coming up to grip the Beast’s wrists. “P-please…”
Headlights suddenly flashed across Lincoln’s face, jerking him out of his murderous state.
He tossed the man into the river without batting an eye.
“Satan, come!”
The massive wolf lifted his head, blood dripping from his mouth.
“Come!” the Beast snarled, his gaze falling on the man huddled on his side at Satan’s feet.
Pointing toward the place where he’d tossed Ruby’s assailant, the Beast peeled his lips back to show his teeth. “Swim.”
The downed man scrambled toward the water, his shirt torn to shreds, and his arms and hands bleeding profusely.
“If I see your face around here again, I will remove your heart with my bare hands.”
A choked sound came from the man, but he didn’t slow. He fell into the river with a splash, swimming toward his partner like the devil himself were after him.
Lincoln quickly scooped Ruby up into his arms, noticing that her jeans were gathered at her hips where she’d tried pulling them up in a hurry.
He strode toward the house, trusting that Satan would follow. Which he did.
“I need warm water, bandages, and towels,” Lincoln barked, bursting through the front door like a bull in a china shop.
Mrs. Tuff rounded the corner, her hand flying to her throat.
It took a moment for Lincoln to realize that his hood had come off.
Storming up the stairs, he called over his shoulder. “Now, Mrs. Tuff!”
Lincoln couldn’t stop looking at Ruby’s face. Her long, dark lashes resting against her now pale cheeks gave her an ethereal appearance. She had to be the most perfect creature he’d ever seen.
Resentment quickly overcame him, forcing him to take his gaze from her beautiful face.
He told himself that he’d come to her rescue out of duty. She was, after all, going to belong to him for a month. And he couldn’t have her bloodied and bruised.
He placed her gently on his bed, replaced his hood, and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. The rest of her hair, he noticed, was pulled back into a ponytail.
Leaning in close, Lincoln carefully wrapped his fingers around the bound hair and brought it to his nose.
His eyes slid shut the second her floral scent invaded his senses.
What was it about her that kicked him in the gut when she was near? Sure, she was beautiful, but she was an Atwood, spawned from the very evil responsible for his curse.
Releasing her hair, he jumped back as Mrs. Tuff rushed into the room.
“Here are the things you asked for.”
He noticed that she’d gone back to looking over his shoulder, even though his hood had been replaced. “Set them on the bedside table, and then get out.”
With a stiff nod, Mrs. Tuff did as he asked, pulling the door shut behind her as she left.
But not before Lincoln saw the disapproving look in her eyes. Well, she could kiss his cursed ass. When he wanted her opinion, he would ask for it.
With infinite care, he picked up a washcloth, dipped it in the warm water, and began removing the mud from Ruby’s face.
She softly moaned, turning her face toward him, but her eyes remained closed.
Lincoln managed to get most of the grime from her arms without waking her. He checked her head for a possible concussion before righting her jeans and zipping them up.
Bruises marred her skin below her elbows, and a cut on her hand bled onto the sheets of his bed.
He carefully cleansed the wound and wrapped it with gauze, satisfied that she didn’t need stitches.
She suddenly moaned, a soft sound full of pain and fear.
Lincoln stepped back, pulled his hood low, and waited for her eyes to open.
He didn’t have long to wait.
Ruby sucked in a breath and scrambled back against his headboard. Her gaze darted around the room, undoubtedly looking for a way of escape. “Where am I?”
“In my room,” the Beast rumbled, remaining a few feet from the bed. “You were attacked down by the river. Do you not remember?”
He saw the moment realization dawned.
Her eyes grew round, and she pressed herself more tightly against the headboard. “Are they dead?”
“I let them live. But I doubt they will return. Are you hurt anywhere besides the obvious places?”
She shook her head, her hand automatically going to her ribs.
The Beast took a step forward and batted her hand aside. “Let me see.”
“Don’t touch me!” Ruby cried, fear apparent in her hazel-colored eyes.
Anger sparked again. “I saved your life, you ungrateful twit!”
“Twit?” Ruby gasped, slapping at his hovering hand.
She jumped from the bed, nearly toppling at his feet. Her hand flew to her head, and she stumbled back against the bedside table.
“Lie back down before you hurt yourself even more,” Lincoln demanded, taking hold of her arm to steady her. “I’m not going to harm you.”
Though suspicion still lurked in her eyes, she did as she was told.
Lincoln watched her fumble around in the pocket of her jeans before she pulled a cell phone free.
After pressing a few buttons, she brought the phone to her ear.
The one-sided conversation told him that she’d called a cab, which meant she would be leaving soon.
She returned the cell to her pocket and lifted her leery gaze. “What’s with the Quasimodo getup?”
Obviously, she didn’t recall seeing his face in the heat of the fight by the river.
He sidestepped the question, instead answering with one of his own. “How do you propose to come up with the money to save your house?”
Her eyes flashed in resentment. “That’s none of your business.”
“Everything you do is my business,” he shot back. “Besides, think of your brother. What will he do when you lose your home? How do you plan on feeding him, clothing him?”
Throwing her feet back to the floor, Ruby awkwardly stood and limped her way to the door. “You let me worry about my family. The house is still mine for the next twenty-nine days. I suggest you stay away from us.”
Lincoln glanced at the clock on the wall. It was now after midnight. “Twenty-eight days.”
“Screw you.”
Chapter Eleven
Ruby took the stairs to the bottom floor, her chin held high in defiance. If that prick thought to blackmail her into sleeping with him, he was sorely mistaken.
Hell, he had to be at least fifty years old if the photos on the wall were any indication. That was a lot older than Ruby’s mere twenty years of age.
A short blonde slightly plump woman wearing an apron and entirely too much makeup met Ruby at the foot of the stairs. “Do you need me to call you a cab?”
Ruby noticed the woman had kind eyes. “I have one on the way. But thank you.”
“Don’t let Mr. Barone frighten you too much. He’s more bark than he is bite. Well, most of the time.”
Bark…bite. Something t
eetered at the edge of Ruby’s conscience. Something she couldn’t quite grab onto. She quickly shook it off and gave the housekeeper a reassuring smile. “I’m not scared of him. Bullies only have power if you give it to them.”
The housekeeper appeared nervous, as if afraid Ruby’s comment would be overheard. “You are welcome to wait in the sitting room until your cab arrives. It can be very dangerous on this side of the river at night.”
Don’t I know it, Ruby thought, opening the front door and stepping onto the porch. “I’ll take my chances out here with the bugs. But I appreciate the offer.”
Once the door closed behind her, Ruby wandered along the front of the house and took a seat on a beautiful wrought iron bench. The light from the porch glowed enough to show the intricate design woven along the seat back.
She squinted through the fog, watching the lights from the city twinkle across the river beyond. New Orleans had to be the busiest, most soulful place Ruby had ever known.
Though she loved California and had grown accustom to its beauty and diversity while attending college there, it would never be home.
Glancing at her watch, Ruby realized it was after one in the morning. What had she been thinking going to Barone’s house after dark?
Lights from a car suddenly swung up the hill, moving through the fog like the eyes of a demon.
Ruby got to her feet, glancing up at the window above her on the second story. There, gazing down upon her, the eerie glow of a lamp behind him, stood the cloak-covered Lincoln Barone.
She quickly looked away, unable to bear his image a second longer.
What was it about him that made her so uneasy? Aside from the creepy hood covering his head, he was just a man. And an older man at that. It wasn’t as if he’d been accused of murder or spent time behind bars for any crimes that Ruby knew of.
“Where to?” the cabbie asked, rolling down his window.
Ruby gave him the address and climbed into the welcoming safety of the back seat.
“That’s the Barone mansion, isn’t it?” The driver nodded toward the mansion as he pulled forward along the circular drive.
Ruby glanced back at the house, her gaze immediately going to the window on the second floor only to find it empty. “It’s more like a crypt, but yes.”
The rest of the ride home was spent in silence. Ruby had never been so glad to see her house as she was stepping out of that cab. She paid the driver and jogged up her steps.
Home, she silently acknowledged, unlocking the door and stepping inside. But not for long if I don’t figure out a way to pay off Daddy’s debt.
* * * *
A pounding on the door jerked Ruby out of her sleepy state.
She quickly sat up in bed, certain that she was dreaming.
The pounding sounded again, only louder this time.
Ruby sailed from the bed, glancing at the clock on her nightstand. It was just after eight in the morning.
Grabbing a robe, she hurried through the house to the front door, disengaged the locks, and jerked it open. “Mrs. Fleming?”
The elderly neighbor stood on the top step, tears in her faded brown eyes. “It’s Cameron. He’s been in an accident.”
“What?” Ruby whispered, the breath leaving her lungs in a rush. “What are you talking about?”
Mrs. Fleming pushed past a numb Ruby and rushed inside. “He went out this morning to grab us some donuts and stepped off the curb in front of an oncoming car. Hurry, you must get dressed!”
Ruby stood rooted to the spot, her brain unable to process what she’d just heard. “Is he— What did— Is he okay?”
“I don’t know!” Mrs. Fleming cried. “The manager of the café he was in front of called an ambulance. When he didn’t come right back, I went to check on him and was told what had happened. He was taken to the Southside Medical Center on Canal Street.”
“That’s a trauma center,” Ruby breathed, snapping out of her frozen state.
She ran to her bedroom and changed into the first thing she could find in her haste to get dressed.
Mrs. Fleming appeared in the doorway of Ruby’s bedroom as she was lacing up her running shoes. “I am so sorry, Ruby. This is all my fault.”
“Don’t you blame yourself, Mrs. Fleming. You had no way of knowing this would happen.”
Grabbing her cell phone and wallet, Ruby sailed past the elderly neighbor and hurried toward the front door. “I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything.”
“Shouldn’t you get a cab?” Mrs. Fleming called out, attempting to catch up.
Ruby glanced back, shaking her head as she bounded down the steps. “There’s no time. It’ll take them twenty minutes to arrive. I can be there in less time than that.”
“Be careful!” Mrs. Fleming’s voice could barely be heard over the thundering of Ruby’s heart.
Ruby had one thing on the brain as she darted across the street and shot through the closest ally. Cameron…
Ten minutes later, an out of breath Ruby flew through the automatic doors of the emergency entrance of Southside Medical Center. She could barely get the words out past her labored breathing. “Cameron Atwood.”
A nurse looked up from a chart she held. “Are you okay, miss?”
“My little brother was brought in this morning,” Ruby gasped, attempting to slow her breathing. “He was hit by a car.”
“And you are?”
“Atwood. Ruby Atwood. My brother’s name is Cameron.”
“Come with me. I believe your brother is still in surgery.”
Ruby’s heart seized up in her chest. “Surgery? Is he going to be okay?”
“I don’t know,” the nurse answered honestly, pity swimming in her kind eyes, “but we’ll see what we can find out.”
Grateful for the nurse’s help yet terrified of what she would learn, Ruby followed her to the nurses’ station.
“Where’s the chart on the car accident victim?”
Glancing at Ruby apologetically, the nurse cleared her throat before returning her gaze back to a dark-haired woman sitting in front of a computer screen. “This is the child’s sister.”
The brunette looked up from her task of typing. “I’ll need to get some information from you.”
Ruby stepped forward, anxiety tightening her gut. “Can you tell me how Cameron is, please?”
“He’s still in surgery. But I can get an update for you.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate that” —Ruby glanced at the woman’s nametag— “Karla.”
Pulling some papers from a drawer, Karla attached them to a clipboard and handed them to Ruby. “Would you mind filling these out for me while I check on your brother?”
Ruby accepted the clipboard and set it on the counter to fill in the designated information. Ten minutes later, she signed her name on the bottom line and turned to face Karla coming from the elevator. “How is he?”
“Your brother suffered a head injury as well as a broken femur that punctured his femoral artery. He’s lost a lot of blood, but they are doing everything they can for him. We’ll update you with more information as it comes in.”
The floor tilted beneath Ruby’s feet. “But he’s going to live?”
“All I can tell you is that we have the finest physicians in the state working on him. He’s in the best hands he could possibly be in.”
Ruby nodded, not trusting her voice. It took her a second to gather the courage to speak. “Can you tell me where the chapel is located?”
Karla’s expression softened. “I’ll walk you there.”
Chapter Twelve
Ruby thanked Karla for her help and then entered the chapel on wooden legs. Cameron was in surgery, fighting for his life.
Kneeling at the altar, Ruby allowed the tears to fall freely from her eyes. She prayed like she’d never prayed before. Yet not matter how much she begged for God to spare Cameron’s life, the fear that he wouldn’t hear her far outweighed her faith.
Unsure of how long s
he remained on her knees, Ruby eventually pushed to her feet and stumbled from the chapel without any closure.
She wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands and made her way down the corridor to the counter where she’d first met Karla. “Excuse me?”
Karla looked up from what she was working on. “Hi. I was just about to come get you. Your brother made it through the surgery.”
Relief nearly buckled Ruby’s knees. “May I see him now?”
“Not yet,” Karla gently informed her. “He’s being moved to the ICU recovery room. They’ll let you know as soon as it’s okay to go in.”
“How long will that take?”
Karla shook her head. “It’s hard to say. But you will be the first to know the second we find out anything.”
Clearing her throat, Karla continued, “I know this is not a good time, but the insurance information you gave us has been declined. Are you certain you wrote it down correctly?”
Ruby frowned and opened her wallet. She pulled her insurance card free and handed it to Karla. “We’re both on the same policy. I’ve never had trouble with it before.”
“Give me a minute,” Karla murmured, picking up a phone. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
Ruby nodded, resting her elbows on the counter as Karla dialed the number on the back of the insurance card. She listened as the pretty brunette rattled off some numbers, along with her brother’s name.
“Are you sure?” Karla pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, thank you.”
Hanging up the phone, Karla handed Ruby the insurance card. “I’m sorry, Miss Atwood. The policy was terminated for nonpayment two months ago.”
Ruby’s vision grew tunneled. Her mind couldn’t comprehend Karla’s words. She stared at the dark-haired nurse for long moments, unable to grasp the reality of what was happening. “He has no insurance? Nothing?”
“I’m afraid not,” Karla responded in a quiet voice. “You’ll need to call a social worker to see what options they have available for you. Would you like their number?”
Ruby merely nodded, unable to find her voice.
Karla grabbed a card near her computer and gave it to Ruby. “Her name is Lisa Davis. She should be able to help you. In the meantime, if you take the elevator to the third floor, the intensive care waiting room is just across the hall as you emerge. Someone will come get you as soon as your brother can be seen.”
Ruby and the Beast: A Beauty and the Beast Novel Page 5