Page 62 of Big Bad Wolf

“We’re not trying to analyze you. We just want to help. You really scared us⁠—”

“I could use another beer. Sawyer, Callie?” Rafe cut Ruby off again, and she looked like she might kick him in the nuts for it.

“Sure, I’ll take one,” Sawyer said, and Callie shot him a look. “What? I need a drink after that,” he said, his gaze flicking nervously back to Lena.

“Actually, so do I,” Callie admitted.

“What about me?” Lena asked, the pout back on her face. “I came out to have some fun.”

And Rafe could see the frustration in Ruby’s expression, like she wanted to scream. He took hold of her arm.

“Great. Ruby, come help me with the drinks?”

She glared at him but got up and followed him to the bar.

“What the hell?” she hissed. “She was talking about wolves, Rafe! That’s never happened before. We need to⁠—”

“Need to what? Asking more questions obviously isn’t helping.”

“Rafe.” Her voice was a plea. She was starting to shake; all the color had drained from her face.

“Come with me.” He wrapped an arm around her and hurried to Macy’s office in the back of the bar. It was empty and he rushed them inside. “Sit,” he commanded, and Ruby dropped into Macy’s desk chair. Rafe sank to his knees in front of her. “Breathe.”

She took a deep breath in and blew it out her nose but not before tears started to stream down her face.

“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what this is or how to stop it and it’s just me and Lena…”

“It’s not.”

Ruby frowned. “It’s not what?” She sniffled and he grabbed a tissue from Macy’s desk and handed it to her.

“It’s not just you and Lena. You have Callie. And Sawyer seems decent. He didn’t run away.”

Ruby blew her nose with a cute little honk. Rafe bit down on a smile. Now was not the time.

“He’s a good guy. We all grew up together.”

“Good.” Rafe said, letting his hand rest on Ruby’s knee. He covered the small hole in her tights with his palm. “And you have Gert. And Macy and Sal and at least half of that bar would kick the ass of anyone who tried to hurt either of you.”

“I guess.”

“And you have me.” He shouldn’t have said it. He shouldn’t have meant it, but he did. At least for now. At least until he figured out what was going on with Wyatt and company. He didn’t know what the hell to do about her sister, but he could at least protect her from other wolves.

“Do I?” she asked, and he knew he’d been sending far too many mixed signals Ruby’s way.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Ruby,” he grumbled. How could he possibly answer that question?

“I’m serious, Rafe. Why do you care about what happens to me? What am I to you that you would fight so hard for me?”

He shook his head, not wanting to consider what she was to him.

She put a hand on his cheek and made him look at her. And that was it. Her palm against his face and his thumb tracing circles on her knee. Two tiny points of contact and he was helpless.

There was nothing he could do but tell her the truth.