Page 200 of Show Me

I nod once and pull away from him. Bella and Emily are sitting beside the bed when I walk into the room.

Ruby turns her head at the sound of the door. The bruise along her temple hits me first. Darkening skin. Swelling. A white bandage near her hairline.

Something vicious flashes through my chest so hard it steals my breath. “Hey,” I say roughly.

“Hey.”

Bella and Emily glance between us. Bella stands first. “We’ll go grab coffee.”

“Yell if you need anything,” Emily says.

They slip out, shutting the door behind them. And it’s just us.

Ruby’s fingers fidget restlessly with the edge of the hospital blanket. I step closer to the bed. “Jake said someone hit you.”

“Yeah.” The understatement makes my jaw tighten. “There was another note too.”

Of course there was. “What’d it say?”

She hesitates before answering. “You were warned. Stay away from him.”

Anger crawls instantly up my spine. “Great. Sounds about right.”

Her eyes flick toward me. “You’re not surprised.”

“No.” I pace the floor. “I’m gonna figure out which one of those assholes did this.”

“Xavier–”

“Greg or Brent,” I continue. “It has to be one of them.” Her expression tightens, but I continue, “They’ve both been circling you for weeks.”

“Xavier.”

“They make creepy comments every time they see you.”

“Xavier.”

I stop and look at her. “What?”

“You’re angry.”

“No shit.” The words come out sharper than I mean them to. I drag a hand through my hair. “I’m also worried.”

Something shifts briefly in her expression at that. But it disappears just as fast. “You don’t need to worry.”

The sentence lands harder than it should. “What?”

Her gaze drops to the blanket before lifting back to mine. “You heard what I said earlier.”

My chest constricts. “Ruby–”

“Nothing’s changed.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Yes, it is.” Her voice stays frustratingly calm. Like she already settled this in her head hours ago. “I’m not your responsibility.”

“I never said you were.”