Page 13 of Butcher's Honor

"We could call it Tommy's Cookies," he continues, words slightly slurred with growing sleepiness. "And Mr. Joey could be our... our quality person..."

His head starts nodding, and Ruby smoothly rises to catch him before he face-plants into his milk.

"Someone's ready for bed," she says softly.

"I'm not tired," he protests weakly, even as he curls into her arms. "Wanna stay with Mr. Joey..."

"I'll come back another time," I promise before I can stop myself. "Maybe we can make more cookies."

He smiles sleepily. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Ruby carries him off to bed, and I should leave. I should get on my bike and ride far away from this dangerous warmth in my chest. Instead, I find myself still sitting there when she returns a few minutes later.

"He's out cold," she says, sitting back down. "Today was... a lot."

"You handled it well. Both of you did."

She picks at her cookie. "I should have seen what Derek was becoming before it got so bad."

"Hey." I reach across the table without thinking, covering her hand with mine. "Don't do that to yourself. You got out. You protected your kid. That's what matters."

She turns her hand under mine, threading our fingers together. "Thank you. Not just for today, but for... everything."

"Ruby..." Her name feels like both a warning and a prayer on my lips.

"I know," she says quickly. "I know you're dangerous. I know you're probably involved in things I don't want to know about. I know I should be scared of you."

"But you're not?"

"No." She meets my eyes steadily. "Maybe that should scare me more than anything else, but it doesn't."

I should pull away. I should tell her all the reasons this is a bad idea. Should remind her that my hands are stained with blood that will never wash clean.

Instead, I find myself asking, "Want another cookie?"

She laughs, soft and real, and doesn't let go of my hand. "Only if you follow the rules and dip it in milk."

So we sit there, eating cookies and murmuring about nothing important, our hands still linked across her small kitchen table. And for just a moment, I let myself pretend I deserve this slice of peace.

But tomorrow... tomorrow I'll remember who I am, what I am. Tomorrow I'll put distance between us, and keep her safe from my world.

Tomorrow. Just not today.

Chapter 6 - Ruby

The kitchen is quiet except for the soft clink of our glasses and the distant hum of crickets through the open window. Joey's hand is warm around mine, his thumb occasionally brushing across my knuckles in a way that sends shivers down my spine.

I should be exhausted after the day's events, but instead, I feel hyper-aware of everything—the way his broad shoulders fill my small kitchen space, how the dim light catches the silver in his hair, the subtle scent of leather and a strong and distinctly masculine odor that surrounds him.

"What are you thinking?" he asks, his deep voice rumbling through the quiet.

I consider lying, but something about the sunset's golden rays and the lingering sweetness of cookies makes me brave.

"I'm thinking that you're nothing like what I expected a biker gang VP to be."

His mouth quirks up slightly.

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