Page 60 of Big Bad Wolf

“I don’t know,” Shreya countered. “He’s kinda hot.”

Ruby left the table of idiots arguing over whether Rafe looked like an ex-con or a rugged LL Bean model.

Rafe hadn’t come in alone. Lena was tucked in his shadow and dread dropped into Ruby’s gut. Had something happened? Why did Rafe bring her here?

“What are you two doing here?” she asked as they slid into a booth by the door.

“I was hungry,” Lena said with a shrug. “And Rafe stopped by to grab a jacket from the house, so I asked him to bring me here.”

Rafe wasn’t wearing a jacket. He’d obviously just been checking on Lena which made Ruby’s heart do a concerning triple beat.

“Hope that’s okay,” Rafe’s voice rumbled through her.

She swallowed hard. “Yep. That’s great. What can I get you guys?”

“Just fries for me,” Lena said. “But like, a lot of them.”

“Sure.”

Ruby couldn’t help but look her sister over and she didn’t look good. Dark smudges hung beneath her eyes, and the braid Ruby had put in her hair this afternoon was unraveling around her face. She was dressed in her favorite sweatsuit, but it was rumpled, and a few spots stained the front of her shirt. Somehow over the course of a day, she’d fallen apart again. And Ruby couldn’t keep up with putting her back together. It was like building a sandcastle on the shoreline.

Ruby glanced around, hating that other people were seeing Lena like this too, hating that they would think all kinds of horrible things about her and make up even more lies.

Rafe’s foot tapped against hers. When she looked down at him, he held her gaze, giving her a slight nod like he was telling her it was okay, that everything would be okay.

“The usual?” she asked, her voice shaky with emotion.

“Sounds good,” he said, still holding her with his eyes. “Me and Lena will be just fine until you get back.”

Ruby nodded, forcing herself to go back to the kitchen and put in their order when all she wanted to do was slouch down into the booth next to him, and weep her thanks into his chest.

By the time she made her way back to the table, she felt calmer, especially when she saw Lena wearing Rafe’s flannel shirt, as if he’d noticed the state of her clothes and wanted to protect Lena from unkind stares too.

Callie and Sawyer had joined them, which may have been the only thing that kept Ruby from flinging herself at Rafe in thanks.

“Ruby!” Callie said. “Lena was just introducing us to your new friend, Rafe.”

“Scootch,” Ruby said to Callie, piling in next to her on the bench. “Yes, this is Rafe, so glad you’ve met, but I think the real story here is this high school reunion we’re having! Hi, Sawyer,” Ruby said, leaning forward to wave to Sawyer down the table.

“Hey, Ruby,” he said with a grin. He hadn’t changed much in the decade since they’d graduated. Same sandy blond hair, same teasing smile. Sawyer had always been the cute boy next door, more Callie’s type than hers. Ruby was glad he was back, especially since he was shacking up with her best friend and making her incredibly happy.

“So how long were you harboring secret feelings for my best friend?” Ruby asked.

“Ruby!” Callie sputtered but Sawyer just laughed.

“Probably since we were eleven,” he said, and Callie’s cheeks flushed pink.

“I knew it!” Ruby said triumphantly, grinning at Rafe across the table, but her excitement was short-lived. She glanced at Lena and instantly knew something was very wrong.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The hairs rose on the back of Rafe’s neck. Ruby’s eyes widened in fear.

A quiet murmuring filled his senses.

“Lena,” Ruby gasped.

Ruby’s sister slumped against him, unintelligible words tumbling from her lips. For the first time since he met her, Ruby looked truly terrified. Rafe’s guts twisted inside him. Every instinct in his body roared at him to make it stop, to make Ruby stop hurting. It was worse than seeing that asshole grope her, although that had nearly sent him into a murderous rage. This feeling was helpless. No amount of violence was going to cure Ruby’s sister.