Ruby peered back toward the two men as she hooked an arm around the girl’s waist and angled her away from the elevators. “Thanks for watching out for her, boys,” she said, doing an amazing job at masking her contempt. “I’ll make sure she gets back to the cabin, safe and sound.”
Judging by the strain on Ruby’s face, the girl must have been close to dead weight. Still, Jack stayed back and let her do her thing, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble.
Just when he thought she might get away clean, the musclehead in the Yankees shirt said, “Hold on.” The elevator doors slid shut behind him as he closed the distance between him and Ruby. With heels, Ruby stood at close to six feet, but he still towered over her, making her appear fragile by comparison. “You’re her friend?”
“We’re sharing a cabin.”
“She didn’t say nothing about no roommates,” Yankees Shirt said, the skepticism in his voice making it perfectly clear he wasn’t buying her story. He moved in close, his big hand wrapping around the girl’s upper arm. “I don’t know what your deal is, but I think you’re full of shit.”
Ruby stiffened, her face drawn tight. The accent disappeared, and her voice took on an eerie chill. “I don’t care what you believe. She’s not leaving with you.”
The second guy took a step away from the elevators, but before Jack had the chance to intercept he stopped moving and stayed put. Smart man.
Too bad the asshole in the Yankees shirt lacked the sense to give up when the opportunity presented itself. The girl let out a faint gasp when he jerked her from Ruby’s grip. “Back off, bitch. She’s coming with us.”
Shit. Here we go.
Jack cracked his neck while he mapped out a plan of attack. Two on one ranked pretty low on his list of preferred fighting scenarios, but if he played his cards right he had a decent shot at walking away without too much in the way of bodily damage. The chubby guy by the elevators didn’t look too threatening, but Yankees Shirt was built like a brick shithouse. Jack’s first order of business was to get Ruby and the girl behind him so he could use the narrow hallway to his advantage, forcing the guys to come at him one at a time.
Ruby’s head turned, scanning one side of the corridor and then the other. Her eyes sparked with a savage glint, a fierceness that could only spell trouble. She shot Jack a quick look and said, “Watch the girl.”
Before he could ask what she meant, Ruby poked Yankees Shirt in the chest. “Now you listen here, jackass,” she said as she aimed higher, poking him again, this time in the windpipe. The guy let out a startled gasp, choking for air. She never gave him the chance to recover, stomping on his instep with the heel of her stiletto right before she nailed him in the nuts. He let go of the girl and dropped to the ground like a bag of wet cement, curling up in a ball as he cradled the family jewels.
Jack darted forward, catching the girl before she hit the carpet. She appeared dangerously close to unconscious, her eyes cloudy and unfocused, her muscles unnaturally lax. Gently, he eased her down onto the floor, propping her against the wall in a seated position.
The guy by the elevators rushed into the hallway but froze a few feet shy of Yankees Shirt. Jaw dropped open, his hands fell to his sides as he stared at Ruby. Neither spoke, but after about thirty seconds he nodded, walked back to the open area by the elevators and disappeared into the stairwell.
Ruby shifted her attention back to the man on the floor. He was still curled up in the fetal position, groaning.
“Big man like you shouldn’t have to drug a woman to get laid,” she said, her voice a snarl of disgust. She crouched down beside him and knotted her fingers in his hair, pulling his head up so their eyes met. Her gaze narrowed and Yankees Shirt let out a high-pitched shriek. “Your kind makes me sick. If you ever”—she jerked his head back so far Jack thought the guy’s neck might snap—“
ever
pull a stunt like this again, I’ll be coming after you. And I won’t be so lenient next time.” His eyes widened, and the sounds he made reminded Jack of a wounded animal caught in a trap. “Do you understand?”
Yankees Shirt nodded, his brow beaded with sweat.
“Good.” She released her grip and his head hit the floor with a dull thud.
Straightening, she moved toward Jack and the girl. “Let’s take her to security. She’ll need to file a complaint and get checked out by a doctor.”
The ship’s security officer found Yankees Shirt right where they’d left him near the elevators, balled up on the floor and mumbling like a lunatic. A quick search of his pockets yielded a small vial of clear liquid, an ounce of grass, two condoms, and a Bic lighter. They placed him under arrest for possession of marijuana, pending additional charges when the girl finally came around.
“Feeling better?” Jack asked Ruby as they exited the security office a couple hours later.
She shrugged, but the tension still lined her features. “I can’t help but wonder how many times he’s done that before and gotten away with it.” She dragged a tired hand through her hair. “How many lives he’s ruined.”
They stopped at the elevators, waiting for the bell to ding. Jack reached out, taking her hand in his.
“For what it’s worth, you handled yourself pretty damn well back there.” He gave her hand a light squeeze. “Impressed the hell out of me. He’ll think twice before he tries a stunt like that again.”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she stared straight ahead, her focus fixed on something far beyond the stainless-steel elevator doors.
It hit him then, the sickening realization that her emotions ran far deeper than tonight, and much closer to home.
“Something like this happened to you, didn’t it?” The thought made his stomach churn.
“Huh?” She blinked twice, and then shook her head. “No. Not me.”
Thank God.
The knot in his chest loosened. “Someone close then?”
A long, uncomfortable silence stretched between them, and for a moment he doubted she’d answer. When she finally spoke, the words came out so softly he barely heard them.
“My sister.”
Ruby fell silent as she stepped inside the elevator. Her mind had taken a detour and wandered back to the nineteen sixties, when she still drew mortal breath and had yet to damn her soul through a premeditated act of vigilante justice.
For as long as she continued to exist, she’d never forget the shattered look on her sister’s face that muggy August evening. They’d violated Suzie. Broken her. Twisted a beautiful, intimate act into an abomination. Then left her lying half-naked on the front steps of her parents’ trailer when they were finished with her.
Unacceptable. Unforgivable.
Daddy may not have taught young Ruby much, but he sure showed her the proper way to handle a rifle. They were country folks, and when fishing season ended, hunting season began deep in the woods of Georgia. She’d put those skills to good use, making damn sure the McAllister brothers never defiled another woman.
Ruby pulled back from her trip down memory lane when she noticed Jack pressing the button for deck seven.
“My cabin’s down on three,” she said as she rubbed her throbbing temples. Inserting suggestions into the human mind always gave her a headache, and this one promised to be a doozy.
Well worth the price, she thought with a strong sense of satisfaction. If that bastard so much as thought about forcing himself on another woman, the things she planted deep in his subconscious would leave him curled up in a corner crying for his momma.
“I know,” Jack replied. “But I wanted to show you something before I walked you back to your cabin.”
She had no idea what he was talking about, but she was too physically exhausted and mentally drained to argue the point.
The doors slid open at deck seven. Threading his fingers with hers, Jack led her down the passageway leading toward the rear of the ship. At the end of the hall they took a left and entered the Speakeasy Tavern.
“I thought you might want to unwind a little before calling it a night,” he said by way of explanation.
It wasn’t the type of bar she normally frequented. Quiet and intimate, it had a cozy feel that made her uneasy. She didn’t like cozy, and she certainly didn’t go for intimate. She preferred the mindless crush of humanity where she could remain one of many, seeking comfort in the arms of a stranger she’d never met before and would never see again once the evening drew to a close.
And why not? Reapers lacked the lifestyle to accommodate long-term commitments. She’d never get married, never bear children, and never hold a career that didn’t revolve around the vicious cycle of death. The most she could ever hope for was a temporary respite from the strains of her daily existence.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Jack gestured toward the bar at the far side of the room. “Last call isn’t for another half hour.”
“No, thank you,” she replied, looking for a way to leave without being rude. In the end, she settled for honesty. “No offense, Jack, but it’s been a long night and I’m tired.”
“I know.” He offered a smile then, soft and warm and so genuinely sincere it made her heart melt a little. “Humor me for a few minutes and then I’ll take you down to your cabin, okay?”
How could she refuse?
“Okay. But just a few minutes. I want to put this day behind me.”
“Deal.”
Without another word he crossed the room, speaking briefly with the piano player before coming back to Ruby.
The opening chords of a bluesy melody filled the room, a soulful rhythm as smooth as silk. “If you don’t mind,” he said, his open hand extended in her direction. “I’d like that dance you so generously offered earlier.”
“I don’t know how to slow dance.” A weak excuse, but it was the only one she could think of on the spur of the moment.
Jack gave her a skeptical look. “It’s easy, Ruby. Just follow my lead and you’ll do just fine.”
The last thing she wanted to do was dance, but she also wasn’t in the mood to argue. “Fine. Just one.” With a weary sigh she took his hand, allowing him to lead her to the tiny parquet dance floor.
For a big man, he moved with surprising grace. He held her close, his grip firm yet gentle. The understated possession gave her an irrational feeling of security and had her relaxing in his arms.
She laid her head against his shoulder, soothed by the lingering scent of his aftershave and the steady rumble of his vitality. For the first time in hours, the tension bled from her body. She allowed herself the luxury of blanking her mind, of forgetting about everyone and everything but the feel of Jack’s arms around her, holding her as if she were actually something special.
She lost track of how long they stayed twined together, until the piano stopped playing and the bartender announced last call. In her periphery, she saw the last of the patrons slide off the barstools and head for the exits, leaving them alone with the bartender and waitstaff.
“I guess that’s our cue to call it a night.” Ruby stepped back from Jack’s embrace, surprised by her sudden feeling of disappointment because the evening was drawing to a close.
“Guess so.” He took her hand, threaded his fingers with hers. “I’ll walk you back to your cabin.”
Together, they took the stairs down to the third floor. She considered suggesting the elevators but decided against it, preferring to delay the moment of parting a little while longer. Once Jack left, she’d be alone with her inner demons, and they made lousy company. She’d much rather spend the evening wrapped around Jack.
“Would you like to come in?” she asked once they reached her cabin. She gave him her best sultry smile, hoping he’d take the bait.
He shook his head, even though the heat in his eyes screamed yes. “I’d love to, but not tonight. I don’t want you thinking I’m after only one thing.”
Great. Just what she needed, a white knight with a moral compass.
Jack reached up, his large palm cupping the side of Ruby’s face. His thumb stroked her cheek, his touch so tender it nearly melted her insides. “I’d like to see you tomorrow, if that’s okay with you?”
“Yes, of course,” she blurted before she even had the chance to think it over.
“Excellent.” He smiled then, looking so damn happy her heart skipped a beat. “I’ll call your room in the morning so we can make plans.”
“Works for me.”
The smile slipped, and his expression grew serious. “Not all men are like that, you know.”
She nodded. “I know. That’s why you’re still here.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.” Over the years, she’d seen the best and worst men had to offer. Not all of them were human garbage like the McAllister brothers. Some were respectful to women. Caring and loyal. Generous lovers, eager to please. And as long as they abided by her rules, she enjoyed the pleasures they offered. “Thanks for sticking around tonight.”
“My pleasure. Until tomorrow, then.”
Ruby leaned against the door as she watched Jack leave. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she appreciated the way his jeans hugged the contours of his ass.
He made it halfway to the elevators before stopping dead in his tracks. He paused for nearly a minute, staring down at his shoes as if contemplating what to do next. Finally, he turned around and strode back to where she stood.
“I’ll kick myself all night if I leave without doing this,” he said, right before his hand cupped the back of her neck and his mouth claimed hers.
Ruby let out a muffled groan as surprise gave way to delight, and then delight made room for desire. She melted against him when he took the kiss deeper, his tongue stroking seductively against hers. His taste was exquisite—an intoxicating blend of the scotch he’d been drinking earlier and something raw, and hot, and undeniably male.
The initial jolt of pleasure subsided, replaced by a hunger so fierce it made her bones ache. Her hands fisted into the soft cotton of his shirt. Her heart pounded against her ribs, the thrill of anticipation racing through her blood faster than quicksilver. She wanted him, needed him—here, now, hard, fast. If they didn’t move to her cabin soon, she’d drag him to the carpet and do him in the hallway.