Page 48 of Lust

“Okay, Mr. Mysterious Tall Dark and Handsome.” He doesn’t even ask me to confirm my identity. I make a mental note to get him on the payroll and ascend the steps into the waiting jet. Wishing Ruby were at home, I switch on the monitoring app and stare at her empty bed. I won’t be able to watch her once we’re in The Vault, and who knows how long we’ll be in there. These meetings have been known to stretch well into the night.

True to form, our meetings continue until after eight pm. Linda and I return to my Ensenada condo after sending Delilah home on the jet to pick up her son from a relative’s house and prepare for an overnight shift at the diner. We’ll have more meetings in the morning.

“I know you’re going to explain that whole Delilah situation to me eventually.” Linda scoops Indian takeout onto her plate in front of the TV in my living room.

Grateful that she didn’t push for details, I recline on the sofa and close my eyes.

“How well do you remember growing up in Hawk Ridge?” I ask her, eyes still closed. “Do you remember high school?”

“Yeah.” She takes a bite of food. “I remember being a senior when you started as a freshman and how all my old teachers kept telling me how smart you were.”

“Yeah,” I scoff. “That sounds about right.” Opening my eyes, I see that she’s scrutinizing me closely.

“I remember you used to hang out a lot with that one girl from my class. What was her name?”

“Ruby.” A sigh slides out of me, the weight of those years suddenly heavy on my shoulders.

“Yeah, Ruby.” Linda takes another bite. “She was a great singer. I thought she even got a recording contract or something. I wonder what happened to her? I feel like I’d remember if I ever heard her on the radio.” She shrugs. “Another casualty of the Hawk Ridge curse.”

“The Hawk Ridge curse?” Intrigued, I turn to face her.

“It refers to the fact that people who seemed so popular and successful at our high school ended up stuck in the cycle of parenthood or drugs or petty crimes. It’s probably true of every small town. You’re an exception. Especially,” her face darkens, “after what happened to you. Is that what you wanted to talk about? How those guys almost killed you? I’m sorry, I forgot about it for a minute.”

“I wish I could forget about it.” Taking a bite of food, I allow silence to settle over us for a moment. “You know, Dad’s reaction was worse than what those guys did.”

She doesn’t respond, just stares at her plate.

“He told me that he never imagined his own son could be such a pussy and could fail to defend himself. He told me he wished they had finished the job.”

She still doesn’t look at me.

I shove a piece of butter chicken into my mouth, only to discover that my appetite has vanished completely.

“Is it wrong to be glad that someone’s dead?” She takes a bite and chews slowly, the muscles in her jaw clenching and unclenching.

“You’re asking the wrong person.” Pushing my plate away, I get up and go to my room. I toss Linda a quick “good night”, then close the door, kick off my shoes and stretch out on the bed. The need to see Ruby, even from a distance, overwhelms me.

First, I look at the tracker on her car. It’s at her house. Of course, she’s already home from work. It’s late. The tracker seems to move, though, and I tap the app, but it shows that it’s updating in real time. Must be a weird glitch, because the dot bobs around a bit, as though her SUV were bouncing into the house, which is impossible.

I scan the cameras. Finally I find Ruby in her room, reading a book. Her face is blocked, but I can see the cover. Severed by Vengeance, it says. By Elle Maldonado.

A fitting title.

Closing my eyes, I allow images of Brent’s severed head to drift through my mind.

Soon enough, my queen. Soon enough.

Chapter 20

December 30th

Ruby

TwowholedayswithoutAaron stretch like years, each minute passing by with excruciating slowness. Without any gifts or any contact other than his brief call to Manuel, I’m starting to think maybe I really am crazy and that I actually hallucinated everything that happened between us. Brent’s truck in the driveway when I get home from work on Monday just reinforces the fact that I’ve been plunged back into purgatory, my angel nowhere in sight.

“Get your purse, Ruby.” Brent doesn’t even wait for me to come inside. “We’re going for a drive.”

My heart thudding, I pray that Aaron is watching.

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