Page 122 of Big Bad Wolf

“I forgot to tell you,” Macy said as she went back to the bar for another round of beers. Ruby rested her tray on the bar, happy for the distraction from her swirling thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Another guy came looking for you this afternoon.”

Ruby’s heart stopped and the tray wobbled in her hands. She steadied it on the sticky surface of the bar. “Who?”

“He didn’t say.”

It wasn’t Wyatt. Wyatt was dead. The thought didn’t stop her heart from racing.

“What did he want?”

“He just asked if you were around. When I said no, he left. Didn’t even bother ordering anything.”

Ruby swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly bone-dry.

“What did he look like?” Ruby asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

“Tall. Like really tall. Dark hair with gray at the temples. A beard.” Macy wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. It was cold out tonight and the old heating system was working overtime. “Actually, he kind of reminded me of Rafe.”

Knox. The name rang through her like a warning bell. Knox was here looking for her. What the hell was that all about? Maybe he thought of more to tell them after they left? Maybe he wanted to help?

As much as Ruby wanted to believe that, her strangled heartbeat said otherwise. There was no way in hell Knox being here was any sort of good omen.

“Hm. Strange.” She scrunched up her face like she was trying to think of who this mysterious man could be. “Maybe some long-lost cousin,” she said with a forced laugh.

“Well, don’t worry. I sent him packing just like the other one.”

The tension in Ruby’s body eased, even as she glanced over her shoulder at the door as if expecting Knox to saunter in at any moment.

“Thanks.”

“If he wants to track you down, he can use the internet like the rest of us.”

Macy meant it as a joke, but the idea of Knox trying to track her down sent shivers down Ruby’s body. And not the good kind.

Macy’s gaze flicked to where Ruby held the tray. She’d been avoiding her injured shoulder all night but had forgotten in her muddled confusion about Knox. She hissed in pain and switched the tray to the other side. The damn bite was still sore.

The other woman’s brow crinkled in concern. “If you ever need anything, just let me know. Okay, Ruby?” Macy’s smile was kind and genuine, and Ruby allowed herself to smile back, nodding at Macy’s offer, before returning to her customers. Sal pulled her aside on her next trip to the bar.

“Something’s going on in these woods,” he whispered to her and the hairs on her arms stood up.

“What do you mean, Sal?”

“Wolves.” He raised his gray brows, eyes wide. “Spotted again. And something … killed them.”

Ruby swallowed hard. She knew exactly what had killed them.

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“Some hunters found the bodies. It ain’t natural whatever happened to them.”

“Shit,” she whispered, fear pooling in her gut. Knowing what had happened to those wolves didn’t make it less terrifying. And what if Rafe had only made everything worse?

“Stay out of the woods, Ruby.” Sal’s rough hand grabbed hers and she squeezed it back.

“I will,” she lied.