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Chapter Ten
Ruby couldn’t believe the gall of the man to completely override her wishes and basically force her into his car.
Trying to pull from his grasp, she all but yelled, “I told you, I can take care of myself.”
He leaned into her seat to be sure she could see his face. “No, what you told me is someone was coming to help you. And you forgot to mention it was a taxi driver.”
“What do you care? It’s my business.”
“In case you forgot, I ended up in a fight earlier because you were in danger. How do you know those assholes won’t be back to finish the job? Are you in any shape to look after things?”
Ruby knew he had her there. Stumped, she felt the anger leave her system and shame took its place. “I’m sor-sorry.”
Her tone of remorse created a reaction she wasn’t prepared for.
His big, warm hand reached to pat hers. “Don’t cry, honey. It’s okay. Really. I’ll make sure you get home safely, and if your partner isn’t around, you can call for your mom to come and stay with you. Doc says he doesn’t want you left alone.”
“I’m not crying, you big lug. I never cry.” She sniffed as if that should show him how serious this was. Lordy, that’s all she’d need is for Jill to see her looking like this. She’d never hear the end of it… especially now that she had a little one in her tummy to protect.
No doubt, Jill would soon be nagging at her about her job being too dangerous while she was pregnant. Yet as far as she was concerned, she’d be active until the doctor said she had to stop. Then she’d move to light duty for as long as possible. No doubt, she’d be facing that battle in the future, but tonight, she neither had the will nor the energy to deal with it.
Now, all she needed was to get rid of her guardian angel, the big bear, and lock the doors to her home so she could be alone to review everything that had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours.
Son of a bitch! She had no doubt if Agent Storm knew she had no intention of calling anyone, he’d never leave her. That much she knew about this stranger who’d suddenly come into her life. She searched his dazzling green shockers and had the sudden urge to tell him her truth.
Sure, the truth… that she was pregnant and had no idea how that came to be. And those men who’d attacked her earlier were absolute strangers yet, hadn’t she been followed for the last day or so? Hadn’t she sensed the danger?
All those bizarre happenings around her and none of it made any sense. To a girl who always looked at the world methodically and ran her life, her job, even her relationships following those standards, this crazy shit was driving her around the bend.
And… on top of all that nonsense, she had Agent Storm insisting on boundaries she couldn’t fulfill. Hell, as much as she hated lying, she’d just make up another story and hope this time he’d fall for it.
“Kurt, my husband will be home tonight; he promised. And he’ll freak when he sees my face without you being in the picture for me to explain. He’s kind of jealous. If you just take me home, you can be assured, I’ll be fine.”
As she spoke, she sensed Kurt’s withdrawal. “Well, as long as you’re not going to be alone, I’ll take you home. But maybe I can stay just until he appears, show him my badge, and introduce myself as FBI. He shouldn’t take umbrage to me then.”
“Seriously, dude? No, I can’t have this discussion anymore. Please.”
Kurt stood, closed her door, and walked around to get into the driver’s side to start the car. When he pealed out of the parking lot, she could feel his irritation oozing, but she kept quiet and prayed not to show any weakness until she’d locked the door with him on the other side.
Then she’d head for the shower, wash off the clinging scum from those who touched her so brutally earlier, and let the wall of tears flow that had amassed over the last twenty-four unruly hours.
When he pulled up to her house, she noticed the other vehicle in front, and then a strange man headed their way. Tall, built like a huge giant, his baldness only added to his attraction. Stiffening, she looked over at Kurt to see him rolling down his window and greeting the other guy as a colleague.
“Hey buddy, anything we can use?”
“Nah. As usual, no one saw anything. No luck with the cameras in the vicinity. The only one I couldn’t follow up on that might prove helpful is the one on the victim’s house here.” He pointed to Ruby’s front garage where she’d installed a motion camera after buying the house.
There had been vandals in the neighborhood, and at the time, it seemed to make sense. For some strange reason, knowing they were there had made her feel safer.
Kurt turned to her. “Can we check the feed before I leave? It could show those men approaching the house or even when they ran off.”
Ruby waved back at the stranger who’d acknowledged her the same way. “Sure, I’ll check it myself and let you know if anything appears that would matter. Thanks for the ride.” Before he could get out of the truck, she flung open her door, carefully maneuvered her way out, and then bent down to look at him through the window. “Really, Kurt. You’ve been a – a real help. Thanks for everything.”
She rushed to escape, stumbled her way up the front three steps, drew her key from her pocket, and unlocked the door. Then she hurried through and slammed it behind her.
Alone.
At last.
