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He held up a hand to stop her from continuing. "I’ve looked into private security and— ”
“You can’t afford private security, Dad.” He was retired, barely making ends meet with just enough left over for the occasional emergency, carefully saved for with money he set aside each month.
“That’s my business,” he said. “You belong with us. We’re your family.”
Ruby set down her plate. She couldn’t tell him that Roman had started to feel like family too. That despite their differences and her issues with his business, she trusted him.
Loved him.
“These people, the ones in Roman’s world, they can’t…” She searched for words that would explain the danger without making her dad pick her up and remove her forcibly from the loft. “Private security isn’t going to do it. I really appreciate that you want to keep me and Olivia safe, that you’re willing to hire people to keep us safe, but the kinds of people we’re talking about… they’re not normal people.”
“I think we know that, Ruby,” Brooke said from her seat on the floor. “It was kind of obvious when they held you prisoner for three weeks.”
Her dad’s mouth set in a stubborn line. “We just need to keep you and Olivia safe until this whole…” He looked around the apartment, like the words he was looking for might be found hanging in the air. “… whatever this mess is, comes to an end. It can’t go on forever.”
Not forever, no. Ruby knew the turf war over New York was worsening, not just from what she read in the local news — the almost-daily press conferences with the mayor and the chief of police, the video footage released by citizens who happened to be near a building when a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window, who walked by when men from one side of the were being beaten bloody by men from another side.
She knew it from Roman. From the way he stared at his balance sheet late into the night, the glow from his laptop casting blue light across his face, his brow furrowed with concern.
She knew it from the way he and Max talked in low tones about covering the hospital bills of the men who were injured by Igor’s soldiers, or Russia’s.
Ruby shook her head, checking her frustration. Her dad and Brooke didn’t understand, but that wasn’t their fault. They were trying to help, trying to get Ruby away from a man they saw as dangerous.
A man whowasdangerous, though not to her.
“It’s just not that simple,” Ruby said.
“Goddamnit Ruby!” her dad shouted, his patience coming to an end. “It is!”
She looked down at Olivia, whose eyes were wide, purple crayon poised over her coloring book.
“Grampa has to put money in the swear jar,” Olivia whispered.
Ruby’s dad took a deep breath and reached out to stroke Olivia’s hair. “Sorry, Liv. I’ll definitely put money in the swear jar.”
Ruby’s hands shook as she took a drink of water. Vera had left the kitchen, disappearing somewhere into the loft to leave Ruby and Olivia alone with their family.
“I know you want it to be simple, Dad. And… I understand why.” Her mom, the stray bullet that took her life. “But it’s just… not. It’s just not.”
“Tell us why,” Brooke said softly. She glanced at Ruby’s dad, a silent plea to back off. “Help us understand.”
Ruby took a deep breath, hunted for a starting point. “First of all, everything I just said is true. The people who kidnapped me, Roman’s enemies, they’re not petty criminals. You’ve watched the news. Some of these people are from Russia.” Roman had told her what that meant — that most of them were former intelligence officers, and not the kind who sat at a desk and analyzed data, the kind who put black bags over the heads of their enemies, shoved them into unmarked vans, tortured them. “They’re bad people. Really bad people. They’re not going to be stopped by some mall cop taking on a second job protecting Olivia and me. And it’s not just us. You would both be in danger too. You saw what it took to get you here. Do you really think we can just station a guy outside your apartment and go about our business?”
“It wouldn’t be for very long,” Brooke said. “I could take some time off…”
Ruby shook her head. “No. It’s insane to risk your safety, Dad’s safety, when Olivia and I are safest right here.”
“But that’s the thing, Rube,” Brooke said, worry written all over her face. “Dad and I aren’t sure youaresafe here.”
Ruby shook her head. “Are you kidding me? You were picked up by an armed driver, driven here under guard, brought up to the loft in secret.”
“Listen to yourself, Ruby.” Her father’s voice was firm, but it wasn’t just that. Now she heard it: the disappointment she’d been dreading. Disappointment and something like pity, like Ruby was beyond naive, like she was delusional. “You say these things like they’re reasons why we should let you stay here.”
Ruby stood, her frustration boiling over. “Because they are! And I don’t remember asking for your permission.”
She paced to the window, walked back to the couch, trying to get ahold of herself, to stay calm for Olivia.
Vera appeared (brought by Ruby’s outburst? by the sound of rising voices?). “Why don’t I take Olivia to her room. We can begin the new Lego set.”
