Page 54 of Saved By Love at Christmas
I grimaced.
She clutched at my jumper. “What aren’t you telling me, Ben?”
I couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or afraid at this point.
“The local police got in touch with the police in Malaga. It appears they want to bring him in for questioning too.” I felt sick at what I’d been told. “He attacked another woman not long after you left the country. She wasn’t quite as lucky as you.”
“W… what do you mean?” Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide with terror. “She’s… she’s not dead, is she?”
“No, she isn’t. But she suffered broken ribs and a bruised face at his hands. I hope to God they find him before I do.”
Ruby wriggled out of my grasp and paced around the room. She was shaking, her eyes wide, and mumbling under her breath. I became afraid that she was reliving her experiences with him.
“Ruby.” I approached her.
My heart lurched when she held up her hands to ward me off. Her eyes had an almost vacant expression in them.
“I… I need to process this, Ben. I can’t…” She fled the room.
I heard her run up the stairs, and then her bedroom door slammed shut. Fred came into the room, saw Ruby wasn’t there, and stood at the bottom of the stairs, whining. He plodded over to me and pawed my leg.
“I know, boy. I’m worried too, but we need to give her some space.”
After clearing the dishes away, I made my way to bed. Momentarily, I paused outside Ruby’s door, my hand raised as I wondered if I should knock. I let my hand drop, shrugged, and headed to my room. Hopefully, we could talk about this in the morning.
* * *
RUBY
Ben’s footsteps stopped at my door. I imagined him wondering whether he should knock or leave me be. My heart dropped when I heard the floorboards creak, then his door opened and closed. I should have called out to him instead of leaving him in probably as much of a state as I was in. I loved Ben so much, but the shock of the fact that Jamie was here had shaken me to the core. Even more concerning was how he’d beaten another woman. Had he taken my disappearance out on her? Would he now be waiting for the opportunity to hurt me like he had her?
My head was spinning, the start of a headache forming along my forehead. I’d heard Fred whine and then Ben’s soft words to him. They were both stressed out too, which made me feel guilty. I brought all this to their door. I tossed and turned for a while until the exhaustion of stress claimed me.
I was running down endless corridors, the sound of footsteps chasing me. Each time I turned a corner, the corridor grew longer. All I wanted to do was get away from whoever was chasing me.
“You won’t escape from me, Ruby. You’re mine. And when I get you, I’ll make you sorry you ran. In fact, you’ll be sorry you were born.”
I turned down another corridor, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps. It was a dead end. The footsteps behind me slowed, and deep breathing reached my ears. With fear in my heart, I turned to face the man I was terrified of. Jamie stood there, nostrils flaring, anger clouding his eyes. He reached for my neck with both hands and slowly began to squeeze the life out of me. I screamed, knowing it would probably be the last sound I ever made.
“Ruby!”
The door to my bedroom flew open. Fred was barking like crazy and bounded onto my bed, whining, and licking my face. I clung to his warm fur, pressing my face against his side. The bed went down at the other side of me as Ben held me to him.
Dream. It was just a dream.
“You’re safe, Rubes. It was only a dream, honey.” He said the words over and over, like a soothing mantra.
I relaxed in Ben’s arms while Fred continued to nuzzle me. When he saw I was okay, he jumped off the bed and headed back downstairs. I burrowed closer to Ben, suddenly aware he only wore a pair of boxers. His scent surrounded me. He felt like home.
“Sorry I woke you,” I said, moving away from him.
I was painfully aware of his near nakedness, my body reacting.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. I’m so sorry about what’s happened.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Why are you sorry? It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t the one who dated a monster. You weren’t the one who followed me here, causing danger to life. And you certainly weren’t the one who hit me and beat another woman almost to death. I’m the one who brought him here.” I wept as reality hit me.
Then the guilt kicked in as I thought about the damaged cars, the fact he’d run Ben and me off the road. And worst of all, he’d attacked another woman. Had he done this to her because I’d left him? I shivered at the possibility.
