Page 46 of Ruby

“Really? Do tell.” Ruby grins back at him. Tank chuckles, because he knows she’s going to laugh at him, but he doesn’t care if she does. He just loves seeing her smiling and laughing, relaxed.

“Yeah, um, Ellie of course loves cartoons,” Tank begins. “I have to admit I like watching some of them with her. I’ve become of a fan ofPaw Patrol, PJ Masks,and…if you ever tell anyone I’ll deny it, because I’d have to hand in my man card…Alice’s Wonderland Bakery.” Ruby erupts with laughter just as he knew she would. “Hey! Don’t laugh. It has a really catchy tune to the theme song.” He begins to hum a few bars, but he can’t remember the words. In no time, they’re both laughing until their sides hurt. Tank can’t remember a time he’s felt more relaxed and happier than he is in this moment.

36

RUBY

The next morning Ruby is at rehearsal for the fundraiser. The performers of the entertainment between events are meeting at the outdoor theater near the shelter to practice their songs. The rehearsal is going well. Ruby is up for her solo. She pours her heart into the words of the song, singing about how love has only taught her heartache. Ruby is so into the song. Her eyes are closed, lost in the moment. When she opens her eyes and gazes out across the stands, her eyes fall on Tucker’s. He is boring a hole into her with his stare. Her voice faulters, but she manages to continue. This man has wormed his way into her life. She has come to crave his presence. Hearing his voice over the phone in the late hours at night, while she lays in the park or on her bunk at the shelter, has brought her a sense of peace. She’d been annoyed with him the first week or so for him showing up to make her eat breakfast or forcing her to have dinner with him. But he has worn her down with his persistence and now she knows it will break her when she has to pick up and move again. She will miss him terribly. She knows it’s wrong to let him get close, to let him care about her, but there is something about him that draws her to him. Almost like a force she can’t resist.

Tucker is not only tall, handsome, and more than capable of protecting her if she needed it. He is kind and thoughtful. He really seems to be interested in her. He is always asking her questions about her likes and dislikes. The amazing thing is he remembers what she’s said. She had told him weeks ago that she didn’t like mayonnaise or dill pickles. Yesterday when he brought her a ham and cheese sandwich from a local sub shop that is known for putting dill pickle spears in with their sandwiches, there was no mayo or pickles on her sandwich. It’s a little thing, but it has endeared him to her all the more. Just knowing he’d paid attention when she spoke made him more desirable in her mind.

One day while they were walking in the park, she had mentioned in passing how much she loved daisies. He had made it a point to bring her a daisy to breakfast every morning thereafter. Ruby is falling in love with the man, and she can’t seem to stop herself. She has been alone and afraid for too long. When she is with Tucker, she isn’t looking over her shoulder in fear. With him, she can forget about her brother, her father, and the mobster who’s looking for her, at least for a little while. Ruby knows it can’t last, but she is going to enjoy the ride, for the time being. She has made up her mind that when the fundraiser event is over, it will be time to move on again. She has stayed here much too long. A couple of months is the longest she has allowed herself to stay in one place. She has already been here for three months and it’s still several weeks until the charity event. It will break her to leave, but she knows it’s for the best for everyone involved. Her family is ruthless, and she doesn’t want them to know anything about Tank or his close group of friends to whom Ruby has become very attached.

When the rehearsal is winding down, Ruby sees Tucker moving toward the stage. Something catches her eye over his shoulder. What she sees stills her heart. A man standing at the top of seating section of the theater is watching her and those around her. He seems out of place. He is about 6-foot-tall with short black hair and a black mustache. He has on a suit, no tie. He is scanning the activity going on in front of him much like she’d seen her father, brother, and their friends do in the past. Fear races through her not only for herself but for her friends. She wants to turn and run, but she doesn’t want to alert the man to the fact she has seen him. Her eyes dart around and notice a couple of thug-looking men hanging out in the seats, watching the performances. She watches the men meet near a side exit and leave the outdoor theater.

Tucker reaches her and takes her into his arms, pulling her close to his body. He whispers into her ear. “You are amazing, beautiful. You have been holding out on me. I didn’t know you had a voice like an angel.” Normally Tucker’s voice would have shivers of desire running through her body, but she can’t think about that now. She is shivering for another reason: fear. She has to get away before Russo, Jr. can get to her. She has no doubt he sent those men to find her. Will he try to take her here in front of everyone? Or will he try to be discreet and take her when no one is around? Ruby is praying that it’s the latter. It will give her a chance to get away before he can act, but more importantly, it will keep Tank from trying to save her. Her greatest fear has become him getting hurt because of her. She couldn’t live with herself if something happened to him.

“Thanks, Tucker. Listen I need to cancel on dinner tonight. Something has come up.” Ruby prays he won’t press her. She doesn’t want to lie to him, but she can’t let him know about her past. It is too dangerous for him and her new friends. Yesterday she’d been all in for trusting Tucker to keep them all safe, but now seeing those men hanging around has given her second thoughts. Call her fickle if you want, but they’ll kill Tucker and not think twice about if he gets in their way. Tucker pulls back to look at her. He frowns down at her. She sees disappointment in his gaze. It hurts her heart to know she has disappointed him. She keeps her eyes downcast not making eye contact with him.

“What’s wrong, Ruby? You are shaking like a leaf and pale as if you have seen a ghost. Has something else happened?” Tucker’s voice is soft and tender. The concern on his face makes Ruby want to confide in him, but she just can’t risk his life. When she shakes her head, he gives her another frown. “Ruby, talk to me. Something is wrong, I can tell. Please, let me in. Let me help you.”

“Tucker, I can’t. Please don’t push me. I just have something I need to do.” Ruby pulls out of his arms and moves to leave. He takes her by the upper arm to stop her from leaving.

“Ruby, you know that I am always here. Anything you need, just call me, okay?” Ruby nods in reply and before she thinks about the consequences, she leans into him, tilting her face up to him. She wants to taste him just once more before she leaves him forever. Tucker wastes no time closing the distance between them and captures her mouth in a carnal kiss. She readily opens her mouth to give him entrance. He deepens the kiss, sweeping his tongue over hers in a dance of lovers. He places his hands on either side of her face and turns her head to give him better access to her mouth. He explores her mouth sucking on her tongue and lower lip. Then one of his hands slides into her hair and the other down to her lower back, holding her to him. Ruby’s hands grip his biceps tightly. Ruby is lost in the moment. She pours all her love and regret into the kiss. Tucker is too perceptive as his next words tell her.

“God, woman. You undo me every time. What an amazing kiss,” Tucker whispers in Ruby’s ear. “But why does it feel like it was good-bye?” Ruby has tears in her eyes, but she wills them not to fall. She looks away from him and clears the emotion from her throat before answering.

“I have to go, Tucker. Thank you for everything.” Ruby pulls herself out of his embrace and hurries away before he can stop her. She knows that he let her go. There is no way she could get away from him if he didn’t want to let her go. As she exits the stage, she looks around the park. She doesn’t see any sign of her brother or his goons. She has to get her meager belongings from the shelter and get out of town before they catch up with her.

Ruby knows the men have followed her to the shelter. She is more than thankful she has planned for just such a situation. She’d scoped out all the possible exits from the shelter the first week she stayed here. She has a plan B, C, and D for getting out of the shelter when she can’t use the front or back door. She can get up to the roof from a stairwell in the back of the building. Ruby has placed some planks on the roof she can use as a gang plank to go from one building to the next. She has made a couple of practice runs over the time she’s been here. She knows it will work.

After gathering her belongings into her backpack, she makes her escape. Once on the roof, she looks over the side to the street. She sees the men gathered across the street. Another man has joined them. It’s her brother, Tony. She hurriedly moves her plank into position. She carefully wobbles her way over the planks to the next building, hoping they don’t look up and see her crossing. Reaching the other side, she pulls the plank toward her. She carries the plank to the other side of the building and makes her way to the next. She continues this pattern until she reaches the end of the block. Using the fire escape on the last building, Ruby finally reaches the ground. She hails a taxi and has them take her to the bus station.

She enters the Greyhound bus station and makes her way to the ticket counter. Ruby buys a ticket to Raleigh from there she will figure out where to head too next. She is in luck. The bus is leaving in only thirty minutes. She prays that Tony or his goons don’t find her before she can get out of town. Her heart is hurting. No, it’s breaking clean in two. She doesn’t want to leave Jacksonville. She has made real friends here for the first time in six years, but more than that, she has found Tank. She feels in her heart he is the man she is meant to spend her life with, but she cares for him too much to put him at risk. She’d never be able to live with herself if he is hurt or killed at the hands of her mob family.

Ruby boards her bus. She looks around nervously but doesn’t see anyone suspicious lurking. As the bus heads further away, Ruby stares out the window. The tears she’s been holding since walking away from Tucker begin to fall. She hates the way her life has turned out. It’s all so unfair, but she doesn’t really have a choice. She can’t risk telling anyone about her family and what she knows. Her father’s and her fiancé’s influences reach too far. She isn’t sure she can ever move far enough away to ever be free. She should have headed for the west coast, but it is hard to get enough money for a trip like that. Ruby thinks about her next move as she travels through the night. She knows she needs to head as far away from the east coast as she can to ever feel safe.

37

TONY

Tony Amato arrives at a homeless shelter. It’s the same one he suspects his sister has been holding up in for a while. He confers with his henchmen. All of them, but one, are men he trusts with his life. The new guy came along out of necessity as the man who would normally be here is in the hospital. He has vetted the guy as best he can but hasn’t known him long enough to be sure he wouldn’t betray him. After having an intense conversation with them, he decides to send one of the men inside to see if he can find his sister, Mary. If at all possible, they want to bring her in discreetly. The last thing they want is to draw attention to themselves. Antonio, his and Mary’s father will be furious if they make the news. Tony has felt his father’s wrath one to many times over Mary’s disappearance. He will bring her in if it’s the last thing he ever does. He promised his mother before her death he’d always look after Mary. He’s failed her for too long. He can’t let anyone know what he has planned, even the men he trusts.

“Mickie, get in there and find her, now! Johnny, Markus go to the back in case she tries to sneak out that way. I am sick of this shit. Knock her out if you have to. I just want to get her and get the fuck home,” Tony growls at his men. “She has been a pain in my ass for too damn long. She is going to regret running off and making me look bad.”

Tank

Meanwhile…

Tank keeps a safe distance as he tails Ruby. Close enough to keep an eye on her but far enough away to not let her know he is following her. He knows something is terribly wrong with her. He doesn’t want to invade her privacy, but he can feel it in his bones. Ruby is in serious trouble and it is up to Tank to keep her safe. Tank notices a menacing looking man following her every move. Ruby is constantly looking around like she knows that someone is following her. Tank has noticed her doing that when he first met her, but over the time they’ve spent together, she’s relaxed. Whenever she is with him, she isn’t on edge every minute.

Tank watches as Ruby enters the homeless shelter. He should have pushed her to tell him her secrets, but he didn’t want her to run from him. He’s kicking himself for it now. He takes up watch outside the shelter. He calls Hawk while he watches the door.

“Tank, what’s up?” Hawk’s baritone voice comes across the line. Tank sighs in relief that he has he commanding officer and friend on the line. He knows that his friends will do all they can to help him take care of Ruby.

“Hawk, I have a situation. Something is going on with Ruby. I don’t have anything concrete, but she is acting strange. I followed her back to the shelter after rehearsal to make sure she made it here safely and I caught a rough looking man following her.” Tank pauses catching a breath. “Two more have shown up. They seem to be setting up a perimeter around the shelter.”

“Damn, Tank. I’ll call the guys and we will be down there in fifteen. Hold tight, we will be there as soon as we can.” The call ends abruptly. Tank isn’t surprised. Hawk isn’t one for goodbyes, at least with his teammates. Tank wonders if he should text Ruby and tell her about the danger waiting outside the shelter but decides against it. He is sure she knows. It’s the reason she broke their dinner date. He doesn’t want to spook her even more. Tank continues to watch the men lurking around the door to the shelter. If they make a move to enter the shelter Tank knows he can’t wait for his teammates. He’ll have to act on his own and pray he can keep her safe. Reaching into his glove box, he checks his 9mm, shucking a round into the chamber. Tucking it into the waistband of his pants, he quickly checks his ankle holster and ensures his K-bar knife is securely in its sheath, and strapped securely to his thigh.

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