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“Tank, I don’t want your help. Please let me go.” Ruby jerks her hand from his grasp and heads out the door. Tank watches her go but doesn’t try to stop her, even though it’s taking everything in him to not follow her. He can’t figure out what to do to get her to let him help her.
“What’s up with Ruby?” Abigail asks Tank as she and Straw walk up to him watching Ruby hurrying from the room. Tank runs a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh.
“I scared her away,” Tank answers honestly. Straw grins at Tank, then slaps him on the back.
“You’re a scary bastard, Tank. You have to tone down that shit down around civilians.” Straw laughs and pats Tank’s shoulder in a patronizing manner. Normally Tank wouldn’t mind his friend teasing him, but at the moment, he’s not in the mood.
“Fuck off!” Tank snaps at him. “This is serious, Straw. She needs help. You heard Jolene include her as a patron here. I want to get to know her…to help her, but she blew me off.”
Straw sobers. “Hey, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an ass. I didn’t know she is important to you. If you need anything, you know I’ll do anything to help you and her.” Straw looks at him sincerely. Abigail places her hand on Tanks arm.
“Give her some time, Tank. She seems scared. A lot like I was not too long ago. Be patient with her, but persistent. I would still be on the run if Straw hadn’t been determined to get to know me.” Abigail smiles at Straw lovingly. “I’m thankful everyday he never gave up, despite how bitchy I could be.”
“You weren’t bitchy, baby.” Straw runs his hand down the back of her head. He pulls her into his side and kisses her briefly. Envy rears its ugly head in Tank’s heart.
“From what little I know about her, she stays on the move,” Abigail says. “Jolene confided in me she’s a little surprised Ruby agreed to help but said that she has a good heart. Jolene has been trying to get closer to her over the couple of years she’s been coming by the shelter. She feels that there’s more to Ruby than she lets us see. Jolene’s hoping that Ruby helping with this event will get her to open up and let us help her. She keeps to herself most of the time. Ruby’s usually only in town a couple days, no more than a week before she disappears for months, then she’ll turn up again.” Tank takes in these small pieces of information. They reinforce his belief that she’s running from something.
“I’ll talk to her next time I see her,” Abigail assures him. “I’ll let her know you aren’t as scary as you look.” Abigail winks at him. Tank rolls his eyes but chuckles all the same. Abigail has really warmed up to him. She’s gotten comfortable giving him shit same as Straw.
“Hang in there, man. It’s definitely worth the time and effort,” Straw declares sincerely, hugging Abigail a little tighter. Tank nods in response. He is thankful his teammate is supportive of his need to get to know Ruby. Even more grateful Straw’s through making fun of him. Tank decides he will need to wear Ruby down a little at a time. He will make every excuse to stop by the shelter. He’s made sure he is on the same committees as Ruby for the fundraiser, which will give him a reason to seek her out. He has a plan, all he has to do is to put it into motion. Tank stands to leave with a new determination to win Ruby’s heart.
7
RUBY
Outside, Ruby hurries down the street toward the public park where she can escape from Tank and her desire for more. More she can never have. Ruby is breathing hard. Her eyes are burning with unshed tears. Her vision blurs as her emotions overwhelm her. Frustrated with herself, she swipes at her face as the tears begin to fall.Why did her life have to turn out this way?
Entering the park, she heads toward the pond. She looks back over her shoulder in the direction of the shelter. No one is behind her. She’s afraid Tank will follow her, which would be a bad thing. She’s certain at this moment, she isn’t strong enough to turn him down again. His kindness and sincerity at wanting to get to know her, to help her is much too hard to resist. Not to mention he’s freaking gorgeous, in a giant beast kind of way. All she wants to do is to fall into his arms and let him chase away her demons, but she can never put him at risk. It is entirely too dangerous, no matter how much of a badass he might be as a member of the armed forces. He’d be no match for the demons that are chasing her…
* * *
“Mary this family…ourfamily, you, your brother, and myself are part of a much bigger family,” Antonio informs her. Her face scrunches in confusion at his vague explanation. “We are a part of the Colombo family.” She still isn’t following what he’s talking about. She’s never heard any of their relatives with the last name Colombo. She glances over at Tony to see if he’s as confused as she is at this weird discussion.
“Fuck Mary!” Tony exclaims suddenly, causing her to flinch at his harsh tone. “How stupid are you? He’s talking about the mob. We are part of the Staten Island faction of the Colombo family.” The mob? Like as in crime families, selling drugs, illegal arms dealing, and murder? Mary stares at her brother, seeing the truth in his eyes. Mary feels the color drain from her face. She can’t breathe. This isn’t real. This can’t be, can it? She looks at her father for confirmation. His face is set in a hard glare at Tony but looks at her when her head turns. She can see the truth in his eyes, too. Oh God!
“Since we have that out of the way,” her father speaks as if they haven’t just dropped a huge bomb in Mary’s lap. “We need to get you up to speed on how things work and your new role in the family.” Mary, still reeling from learning her family is in the mob, jerks her head up to look at her father.
“What do you mean, ‘my role’?” Mary asks, her voice shaky.
“Everyone has a duty to the family, Mary,” Antonio says simply as if she’s an idiot. “We all have to do our part to ensure things run smoothly. Your part is to marry Giovanni Russo. He’s a well-respected member of the family in the Brooklyn faction. He has status in the family. Your marriage will help…mend some fences between our factions, making life easier for all of us.” Mary can’t believe what she’s hearing. Her father is insane, or this is some nightmare she can’t wake up from. She pinches her arm in desperation praying this is all a dream, but pain flares in her arm. No, this is real. This is happening, and her whole life has been a lie. A lie construed by her mother to keep her in the dark about the family and the business they conduct. Why? Why would her mother do this to her? She had to have recognized that Mary would find out eventually. Her father would force her to take her place same as he’s doing now. So why the lifelong ruse?
“Why?” Mary voices her thoughts out loud, startling not only herself, but her father and brother, too.
“What do you mean, why?” Tony asks. “Father just told you why your marrying Giovanni, to strengthen family ties.”
“No!” Mary yells, turning her tear-filled gaze on her brother. Tony flinches at her outburst. “Why did mom lie to me all these years? Why keep me in the dark if this was my fate all along?” Tony’s gaze shifts to their father. Mary whips her head to glare at her father, seeking the answers to her questions. Antonio shifts uncomfortably in his chair, staring at Mary.
“Your mother had dreams for you, Mary,” Antonio informs her. He clears his throat and looks upward a moment as if the memories are difficult for him to handle. “She wanted you to focus on your singing and piano playing. She’d hoped you would become famous, successful, and when you eventually found out about our life, you would be set in your own career, free to choose whether or not to be a part of our bigger family.” Mary stares at her father. Her mother had wanted to give her options. “Evelyn was a dreamer, Mary. I loved her deeply, so I indulged her as much as I was able, but she knew, no one gets to choose. You were born into this family, Mary. You don’t have a choice. None of us have a choice anymore. Once family, always family.” His words have a finality to them, which brooks no arguments.
Mary continues to stare at her father. He gives a moment to process his words, but it’s only a moment.
“All right, back to your marriage,” Antonio continues, “Giovanni is a good man. He will provide well for you. He’ll allow you to continue your singing and entertaining, at least until time for the children to be born…” Mary tunes out the rest of what he’s saying. Her mind is reeling. Marriage? Children? Some man she’s never met, doesn’t know at all? Panic, setting in, Mary begins to hyperventilate. Her chest is hurting. She can’t get enough air. Her hands begin to tingle and shake. Her father’s droning voice fades as does the light in the room…
“Mary! Mary, wake up!” Tony is yelling at her, apprehension evident in his voice. Mary feels strange. She blinks a few times trying to get her eyes to focus. Tony is kneeling beside her. His brows wrinkled in concern as he stares down at her. She turns her head to see the dark wooden leg of her father’s desk. Plush carpet is cool against her back. She’s on the floor of her father’s office. She turns back to look at Tony to ask why she’s on the floor. Her father is standing slightly behind Tony. What happened? Then it all comes flooding back. Her family is in the mob. She is going to marry some man she’s never met and have his babies. Oh God!
Tony helps her into a sitting position. The world spins as she sits up, but she manages to remain conscious. Her mind is still reeling with all this new information and what her life will be in the near future. She’s having a difficult time coming to grips with all that she’s learned. Getting tired of waiting, Tony gets her under her arms and hoists her back into her chair in front of her father’s desk.
“Get her some water, son,” Antonio demands. Tony nods before leaving the room at a fast clip. Mary stares down at her hands folded in her lap. What’s she supposed to do? Can she really go along with this insanity? Her father doesn’t say anything to her while they wait in an uncomfortable silence.
