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I close my eyes and try not to throw up. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“I know.” Guilt stains his voice. “I’ll fix it.”
I’m about to tell him it’s too late to fix it, Ruby’s hurt, my heart is on fucking fire, when Curt exits the bedroom.
“How is she?” I demand.
“She’s fine,” Curt says, his words immediately bringing relief to my troubled mind. “Her heartbeat’s irregular, but all she needs is rest. Make sure she eats something and takes it easy for a couple of days.”
I run a hand through my hair, keep it there.
Davis gives me a look tinged with amusement and sympathy. “Let her rest, Charlie. She’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”
“She’s staying here,” I tell him, already headed for Ruby. The thought of not being near her has me unhinged. I won’t be able to relax until I see her.
Inside the bedroom, the lights are dim, the door to the balcony open slightly to allow a draft of cool air. Ruby’s propped up on pillows, eyes closed, looking small and fragile in one of my T-shirts.
My insides turn cold. That old familiar feeling I’ve lived with the last ten years slices through me like a blade.
Fear. Helplessness.
She’s battered and bruised. Had the living hell scared out of her. She was attacked. Threatened. Assaulted under my watch.
And it’s all my fault.
Why wasn’t I there? Why didn’t I protect her?
At the sound of my bootsteps, Ruby opens her eyes. “Charlie?” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“I’m here, darlin’.” I approach the bed to sit beside her. “How are you doin’?”
“Better.” Her long dark lashes bat against her pale cheeks. “Now that I have my Cowboy.”
The soft tease in her tone settles me, and I give her a quick once over. Her blue eyes are focused, but she looks worn out and all I want to do is put her to sleep.
I pick up her hand, running my finger over the silky smoothness of the inside of her wrist. She has bruises on her knuckles that I recognize from my barfight days.
“Hit the guy, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.” She smiles wanly. “Tried out my uppercut.”
I kiss her bruised knuckles. “Good girl.”
Pride sideswipes me.
She might be a fairy tale, but she’s also strong. Mighty. A fighter.
The reminder that someone tried to hurt her, meant to do God knows what to her, has my insides turning to ice. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her.
A rocky exhale tears from the inside of my chest. “Ruby.”
“It’s okay, Cowboy,” she says, but her voice tremors.
“Ruby.”
With a little whimper, she closes her eyes, and then our chests collide as I crush her tight in my arms. I need to touch her. I need to hold her and know she’s safe. The feel of her heartbeat hammering against mine is enough to put me in the grave. Goddamn this woman. This fucking bright force of an incredible woman that someone tried to take away from me.
Ruby being hurt would end me. I know it with every breath in my body.
