by Anna Brooks
The guy stumbles away, drops of blood following him, his tail between his legs like the dog that he is.
Nik looks at me over his shoulder, and I silently thank him with a small smile, hopeful he understands how glad I am that he was here. His eyes soften and he turns back around to make sure the guy goes away. Once he’s out of sight, Nik turns around and Pierce nods at him. “Her stuff is on the bar.”
“Be right back.”
I walk to the curb with Pierce and slide into the backseat, lying down and cursing at myself for being so stupid. I should have never put myself in that situation.
“You okay?” Pierce runs his fingers through my hair.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I don’t know how that happened. The bartender told me you were on your way, and I was so wasted I just went with him.”
“Zack had to go kick out a girl who was underage, so you were left unattended and the asshole swooped in. It’s not your fault, Ruby.” He kisses my forehead then goes around and starts the car. Nik gets in the front passenger seat a couple of minutes later, and I fight to stay awake but fail miserably.
I jostle as I’m picked up. An involuntary gasp leaves my throat but Pierce shushes me. “It’s just me. We’re at my place.”
Pierce’s warmth cocoons me as I snuggle deeper into his bed. “Night, angel,” he whispers, right before I pass out again for the night in the safety of his arms.
* * *
Waking up alone and with the same effects of riding the Tilt-A-Whirl a thousand times, I pull the covers back over my head and pinch my eyes closed, then pray for a miracle that I’ll fall back asleep and wake up feeling slightly human again. My bladder has other plans, and I begrudgingly shuffle to the bathroom and use the toilet, then brush my teeth. After drinking a couple of handfuls of water from the sink, the shower is calling my name, so I strip down and revel in the warmth of the steady stream from Pierce’s dual jets.
A creak in the door draws my attention to the other side of the glass as Pierce’s silhouette fills it.
“You okay in there?”
“Ugh.”
He chuckles. “That bad?”
“Yes.”
“I put a clean towel and some clothes on the counter. Take your time and I’ll make you some toast.”
The thought of food sitting in the roller coaster that is my stomach makes me dry heave, but I manage to tell him I’ll be out shortly. Once I finish in the shower, I get dressed in a pair of Pierce’s sweats and a hoodie of his. I inhale his spicy scent and the crisp smell of dryer sheets and pad to the kitchen.
Nik greets me first, and my shock isn’t lost on him. “Morning.” He smiles. “I had a little too much last night too, so I crashed on the couch.”
“You want something other than toast?” Pierce asks as he comes over to me, kisses my cheek, then leads me to a seat at his kitchen table.
“Maybe some ibuprofen or something too?”
“Sure.”
As I wait for Pierce to bring me some sustenance, an awkward silence fills the room. Nik’s tapping his foot and I’m avoiding eye contact. When I talked to him yesterday, he seemed understandably upset, and I’m surprised he’s even here and being kind to me.
“So …” Nik says. “I guess we should probably talk.”
“Yeah. What do you want to know?”
“Well, everything. How you figured out about me. What, um, my … our mom is like. If you think she’d want to meet me.”
“Okay, sure. So …” I retell Nik everything I can think of that’s relevant. How I just found out some of the details from Mom last night. I explain her depression and the dementia and how she seems to be having more good days than bad and that there’s hope it’s reversible. I tell him about my upbringing, and I mention Stanley and his heavy hand in passing. Eddie. I explain everything to him as I understand it.
Nik stands and runs a hand through his hair, walking in a circle until Pierce puts a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, Nik. We’ll figure everything out.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m, uh, I’m gonna take off. I need some air.” He waves at us and then vanishes through the front door.
“Should we go after him?” I ask.
“Nah. He’s good. Just needs to be alone.”
“God, Pierce, this is so insane. I mean I can’t even believe it. I have a brother. And my dad …” I shudder at the thought. “The man I thought was my dad isn’t. Pierce, my mom told me Stanley is my real father.”
“When Dom said last night that Daniel couldn’t have kids, the thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t know if you knew or if I should say anything. Are you okay? I don’t even know what to say. I’ll be honest. I can’t even wrap my head around everything.”
“Yeah, you and me both.” My body feels better since I ate and took some ibuprofen, so the empty feeling in my stomach isn’t a hangover, it’s again the realization that what I thought I knew was nothing but convoluted lies. “I’m not going to pretend that I even understand it or that I’m okay with it, but what choice do I have, ya know? The past is the past, and I want to focus on the now. If it’s ever something I want to revisit, I’ll let you know.”
He runs the tip of his finger down my cheek. “Wanna hunker down today and watch movies or something?”
“That sounds perfect. Let me call my mom first and see how she is, then maybe we can go over there and bring dinner later. I feel bad I’ve been gone so much lately.”
“Sure, babe. Just let me know.”
He goes to the living room, and I take my phone to his bedroom so I can have some privacy when I call my mom. Lucy answers on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Lucy. How’s Mom?”
“Oh, she’s okay. Having a bad day as far as memory but happy.”
“Good. Can I talk to her?”
“Of course.”
She calls for my mom and the sound of the sliding door makes me smile, knowing Mom is outside instead of stuck in her room.
“Hello, dear,” Mom says.
“Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m going to stay at my friend’s house for a while, but then I thought we could bring dinner over later. How does that sound?”
“That’s great. I’ve been craving Chinese lately. Do you want to get that?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect. We’ll be over around six, okay?”
“See you then.”
I hang up and send a small thank you to the big guy upstairs that she doesn’t remember our conversation from yesterday. When I get back to the living room, Pierce is scrolling through some movies and pauses when I sit next to him.
“What sounds good to you?”
“Comedy, definitely. I need to laugh.”
“Comedy, it is.”
After settling on a recent release, I snuggle up to him and when his fingers graze my neck, a chill slides through my body.
“Cold?” he whispers.
“A little.”
He pushes me up and heads toward his bedroom then comes back with a blanket.
“Oh my God, you still have this?” I grab the rainbow colored fleece and hold it tight.
“Course I do, it was the only thing I had as a memento of you.”
When he sits back down, I crawl into his lap and wrap us both in the blanket we cuddled with the first night we met. “I always wondered what happened to it.”
“I thought about you and those nights so often it was like a script in my head. I remember every detail, but this was tangible.” He pulls the edges tighter around us. “We spent two nights together, but all it took was one for me to realize how deep I was already in with you.”
I nod in agreement. It doesn’t seem plausible that two people could feel that strong of a connection after one night, but I certainly did; that’s why I went back the second night. I wanted any piece of that feeling I could again.
“Ruby, you know I love you, right? You know I’ve loved you since the mo
ment I held you under this blanket three years ago? And you know that loving you isn’t something that’s ever going to leave me and I intend to spend the rest of my life making you happy and giving you the opportunities you were denied? I’m going to be the luckiest man on the planet when you agree to marry me and take my name, and I promise you that I’ll keep you safe or die trying.”
My vision blurs with tears as I remember our conversation all those years ago and remember how I described my ideal man. In my mind, it was already him, but what he just said solidifies any doubts I had about him wanting to be with me forever.
I lift my head from his chest and grab the sides of his face. “I love you, too. It’s only ever been you, Pierce.”
I lean down and press my lips to his. He holds onto my wrists and when I pull back, he intertwines our fingers. “I love having you on my lap, but how are you supposed to watch the movie with your back facing the TV?”
Chapter 24
Pierce
“CAN I ASK YOU something?” Ruby sits up from my couch and crosses her legs, then sets the controller on the coffee table. She just beat my ass in a racecar game.
“Anything.”
A few days have gone by since the night we discovered Ruby and Nik were brother and sister, and all things considered, she seems fine … relieved, I guess.
“You probably don’t want to answer this, and I … never mind.”
“You have to ask me now.”
“How long would you have waited … well, not like you waited per se, but like, if I wouldn’t have come back—”
“Nobody could ever replace you,” I interrupt her and pull her feet onto my lap. “Would I have moved on from you? No. Would I have eventually found someone who placated me enough to hold my interest? I can’t answer that.”
“Right.” She bobs her head. “I was just curious what made you not be with anyone since.”
“Nobody mattered enough. Nobody made me look twice. Nobody else is you.”
“Nobody else is you, either. I thought about you constantly. Thought about what my life would have been like if I had confided in you one of those nights. Thought maybe you would have whisked me away and shown me what a real marriage should be like.”
My gut still tightens at the fact that another man has touched her, married her, fucking lived with her since our time together, but I have to push that aside and understand she did what she had to do. “I would have, but better late than never, right? We can start all that now.”
She smiles shyly and lies down as I crawl over her body. Her fingers trace the outline of my face, and I lower my head and kiss her lips. “We’ll have it all, Ruby. I’ll make sure of it.”
* * *
Ruby and I have settled into a comfortable routine of seeing each other after work when I’m not at the pub and her staying at my house on the weekends. It’s pretty amazing how natural it feels to have her in my space. I’m not surprised, really. Everything with her is natural beyond reason.
Nik’s hung out with us a few times, and I can see the love he’s already building for his sister. He decided two nights ago that he wanted to meet Violet, so he met her on his own and only told us that it went well. Neither Vi nor Nik says much else, and I assume it’s because their relationship is a very personal thing. When they’re ready, if they ever want to, they’ll tell us.
When Ruby and I were talking about her mom’s condition, I brought up therapy because in my research it said that if the depression is treated, the symptoms could potentially be reversed. My cousin Charlotte’s mother-in-law, Travis’ mom, is a therapist so it only took one call to have her agree to come up and talk to Violet. She’s had two sessions, and from what we can tell, they’ve gone really well. Ruby says she’s had more lucid days than not, so that’s a good sign.
It’s almost closing time now and I’m counting down the minutes until I can go home because it means I’m that much closer to the weekend when I get to spend it with my girl. I walk up to the bar and grab a juice then ruffle my sister’s hair. She’s not too happy with the fact that she’s yet to meet Ruby again since the barbecue, but I’ve promised her she will soon.
“Knock it off, idiot.” Meara shoves me playfully and pokes her tongue out. The girl never grew out of her silly demeanor. Love her to death, but she acts like a kid half the time.
“I thought you weren’t going to be working so much anymore, especially since you’ve got a little one brewing in your belly.” She’s about three months pregnant, and I’m so excited to be an uncle. I love Char’s and Travis’ babies — and of course, Travis’ brother, Brandon, and his wife, Mary, have one as well who I adore — and just being around the little ones brings a smile to my face.
“Yeah, well, with Lisa still gone, it’s putting me at a crossroads. I don’t want to hire someone permanently because I’m hoping she’ll come back, but it’s getting to the point I think I might have to, since she hasn’t made any progress.” She sighs and wipes the bar top down.
“Don’t work yourself too hard, I know—”
The bar phone rings and she holds up her finger to me and answers it. Her brows scrunch together, and she hands the receiver to me.
“Who is it?” I ask, genuinely confused who would be calling me here instead of my cell.
“Some lady named Lucy.”
Immediately, I go into panic mode. “What’s wrong, Lucy?” I ask as way of greeting.
“Hi, Mr. Pierce, I’m sorry to bug you, but are you with Ruby?”
“No, last time I talked to her she was about to leave work. Why, what’s wrong?” I’m already reaching for my keys from behind the counter and grabbing my cell to call her.
“Well, Violet is having a hard time, and Ruby said she was going to be home, but now she’s not answering her phone.”
“Shit, she said she was going straight home.” I unlock my phone to check the time and see a missed call from her from over two hours ago. Fuck. “Two and a half hours ago. I’ll call you back.”
“What’s wrong?” Meara asks, as Nik walks back in from taking the garbage out. “Ruby was supposed to be home almost three hours ago, and she still hasn’t showed.”
“When was the last time you talked to her?” Nik asks, preparing to leave just like me.
“When she was about to leave work. I had to take off before she left so I could get here. Fuck.” I begin walking to the door with Nik on my heels. “I don’t want Meara alone.”
“I just texted Liam, and he’s on his way.”
I hesitate by the door, but Meara waves us off and points at Zack, who’s walking down the stairs from the game room. “I’ll be fine. Go. Keep me posted.”
On the way to Ruby’s work, I call her phone four times with no answer. As soon as I get there and see an empty lot, I park and get out to look for something … I don’t know what, a clue. Nik gets out with me and jogs around the building while I search the ground around where she parks her car. Nothing.
“Something’s wrong, Nik. I can fucking feel it.”
“Yeah, me too.”
I call Leroy, and he answers on the second ring.
“Did you walk Ruby outside today?”
“She gave me a ride home. Cindy’s car broke down, so she’s using mine. Leanne gave me a ride in this morning. Why, is something wrong?”
“I can’t find her. What’s your address?” He rattles off his house number and street name, and Nik and I keep our eyes peeled the entire way to Leroy’s house, looking for clues. We arrive with nothing. Completely fucking empty.
“Fuck!” I scream into the air as I turn around in his driveway. “There’s gotta be something I’m missing. What in the fuck am I missing?”
I head to her house and about a mile down the road, I see her car, and Nik and I are both out of mine before it comes to a complete stop. When two flat tires catch my eyes, I motion to Nik to get back in my car. As we jog back, I grab my gut from the pain that twists inside it. I pull out my phone to call an old friend and
Brandon’s ex-partner, because I know the motherfucker who took her.
“Martinez,” he answers on the first ring.
“Juan, it’s Pierce Kelly. I need your help. My girlfriend was kidnapped.” I give him the address and hang up, pressing the accelerator to the floor.
“I swear to God, Nik. If she’s hurt.”
“Talk to me.”
“The night I found her again, her car battery was dead and she called for a tow before I got to her. The driver was this sleazy ass motherfucker who was looking at her the wrong fuckin’ way. He stepped up to me, and there was a challenge in his eyes that made me want to beat him until he couldn’t see anymore, but Ruby was right there so …” My neck twitches thinking about that night and wishing I would have done something then. “The flat tires, the large tire tracks directly next to her car. He must have been following her, and when she dropped Leroy off and went inside to say hello, he slashed her tires and fucking took her when she pulled over. That was when she tried to call me because she knows I would have dropped everything to come and get her. He fucking took my woman.”
“I’ll take care of it, man. She’s my sister, too. I’ll fuckin take care of him, trust me.”
“I need to get to her first, I need to get to her … I need her.”
Ruby
Grease covers everything in here. I wonder how many years have gone by since anyone has cleaned in here. I know it’s not logical for me to think that about something like that as I’m tied to a chair, but it helps take my mind off the disgusting piece of shit in front of me.
When my car jerked to the side as I was driving home after dropping Leroy off, I immediately pulled over and got out to see what it was. I realized I had two flat tires and called Pierce right away. I knew he’d rather come and get me instead of me calling a company, but he didn’t answer. Just as I was about to call for a tow, a truck pulled up next to me.
As soon as I saw who it was, I scrambled to get away, but he grabbed me as though I were a stuffed animal, tossed me inside the cab, locked me in, and tied my hands together. For the past almost three hours, I’ve fought and struggled to get free, unsuccessfully.