Page 9 of Wicked Pursuit

“No, that’s silly. This might be ending, but there’s no reason to be dramatic about it. I promise not to jump you in the middle of the night. You can stay here until you get another apartment lined up.”

He nods slowly. “Okay.” Luke takes a step toward me and then shakes his head again. “Sorry, habit. I’m going to take a shower.”

It’s only when he walks away that I realize there was a smudge on his collar. Was it lipstick? I have absolutely no urge to investigate. If he slept with someone else, well, it’s nothing more than I’ve done.

Those in glass houses, and all that.

3

The next day, there’s a giant display of flowers sitting on my desk when I get into my office. My stomach drops. Luke was gone when I got up again, and he hasn’t given me any indication that he’s changed his mind about breaking up. Why would he buy me flowers?

I circle the vase warily. This feels wrong the same way the ring—still on my finger—felt wrong. That doesn’t stop me from approaching and plucking the card from the arrangement. Before I can open it, I see something else. A little rectangle nestled into the petals of one flower. I pick it up and go cold.

It’s a bar of soap.

“Fuck.” I drop it onto my desk and pick up the card.

We’ll be using this later, dirty girl.

“In your dreams, asshole.” I willnotbe washing my mouth out with soap. Ever. I pick up the vase and drop it into the trash. The bar goes in after it, followed by the card. I shouldn’t be entertaining this guy, shouldn’t be accepting gifts from him, no matter how perfectly suited to me they are.

I grab the ring and try to pull it off, then whimper when fiery pain erupts. “What thefuck?” I tug on it again and have to bite down a second whimper.

“Ruby?”

I drop my hand and straighten so fast, my head spins. “Oh, hi, Da.”

My fathers have similar coloring—dark hair and pale skin—but that’s where the similarities end. Dad is about my height. Da fills a doorway. He’s doing that right now, his dark eyes concerned. “Did you hurt yourself?”

I amnotabout to explain that I was trying to take off a ring that apparently has prongs set into it to prevent removal. I guess I know what’s special about it now. “No, not at all. Just tossing this in the trash.”

He eyes the flowers. “Trouble in paradise?”

I stare. He sounds almost... happy. But that doesn’t make sense. “I thought you liked Luke.”

“I do.” He shrugs, not even bothering to deny his tone. “He’s a good kid, but that’s the problem. He’s not like us. And you might be a pampered mafia princess, but you’re not like him either. It was never going to last.”

I stare. “But you’ve treated him like you’re ready to walk me down the aisle to him.”

“Youliked him. That was enough for us as long as he treated you well. You seemed happy enough.” Another shrug. “It’s all a father can ask for.”

Somehow I think Dad has a different standard. If Da gave Luke a fair chance, Dad never did. Not that he said much about it, but he doesn’t say much about anything. “Well, we broke up. He’s looking for another place right now.”

He walks to me and pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry, honey. I know you cared about him, even if he ultimately wasn’t a good fit. You’ll be okay in the end, though.”

I let myself sink into his hug. He has a way of wrapping me up that drowns out whatever has worried or scared or bothered me. It works now, too, beating back my conflicting feelings about my current situation.

It’s enough for me to take a deep breath. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Oh, that.” He gives me one last squeeze and steps back. “One of our guys was killed last night. Or the day before. Hard to say.”

A chill slides down my spine. “We’re not at war with anyone.”

“I know.” Da shrugs. “But people are going to people, and he was a mean motherfucker. He probably just pissed off the wrong person and they dealt with it. But he was one of ours so I’m looking into it.”

My mouth goes dry, but I can’t stop myself from asking, “Who was it?”

“I don’t think you’d know him, honey. It was Rafe, one of our newer enforcers.”

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