“Sorry that I didn’t get a chance to call you,” she said. “It was crazy down at the hospital.” That was a total lie. The place had been dead all day, but there was no way that she’d tell her Prez that.
“I take it that Bolt got a hold of you,” Banshee said. She sounded good and pissed.
“Um, yes. He told me about my stalker getting out. But Ant has me covered, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Bullshit,” Banshee said. “It’s in my job description to worry about you, as the Royal Harlot’s Prez. You need anything?” she asked.
“No,” Ruby said.
“Good, then I’ll see you at church tonight, right?” Banshee asked. “Bring your bodyguard, if you want. Bolt will probably be here too. Your stalker is causing quite an uproar with the other Harlots. They want in on finding this guy, and I’m betting that Bolt is coming in to try to talk them down.”
“Shit,” Ant said. “The last thing the FBI needs is a bunch of women vigilantes.”
Banshee barked out her laugh. “That guy fucked with a Harlot, so now, we’re all involved,” she said. Ruby suddenly felt torn between her club and Ant.
“We’ll both be in,” he said, taking his phone back from Ruby. “See you in a few.” He pocketed his cell phone and turned to face her. “I was going to make us some dinner, but I guess we can eat down at the club, if that works for you.”
She nodded. “I really haven’t eaten much today, and a burger sounds like heaven,” she admitted. “Give me ten minutes to shower and change, and I’ll be ready. Do you mind if I use your shower?” she asked.
“Of course not,” he said. “You’re welcome to use whatever you want.” She looked him over, dirty images playing through her mind of all the ways that she’d like to use Ant. Ruby quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of the mental pictures of Ant half-naked, as she headed up the stairs to the master bathroom. With any luck, Banshee wouldn’t be too pissed off at her, and she could get some much-needed time with her Harlots.
Savage Hell felt heavier than usual. The music was louder, the laughter sharper, and it was too bright against the darkness creeping in at the edges. Ruby could barely get into the bar room before Banshee pulled her into a quiet corner, arms folding around her without a word.
“He targeted you,” Banshee said when Ruby finished telling her everything. “That wasn’t random.”
Ruby nodded. “I know. He said that I owed him.”
“You owe that creep nothing. You did nothing wrong,” Banshee continued. “But things change now.” She knew that the Harlots were going to have a few rules that she’d have to follow because, like it or not, they were now involved in her mess.
“I figured,” Ruby grumbled.
Banshee’s eyes hardened. “We’re going to have extra eyes on you at all times. No solo rides at night. And if you even think you see him?—”
“I won’t hesitate to call,” Ruby said. That was the truth. Something in her had shifted. Fear was still there—but it had sharpened into resolve. This time, she’d be alert. This time, she’d let people stand with her. And when Ant found him—because she believed he would—she prayed he wouldn’t do anything crazy.
Banshee nodded, “Good,” she breathed. “I assume that you brought your bodyguard with you.”
Ruby couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Yeah, he’s by the front door, and Bolt is by the back. They said that if anyone wants to get into Savage Hell unwelcome, they will have to go through them.”
“I see,” she said. “Well, I guess that we’re all extra safe tonight. Where are you staying?” Banshee asked.
“With Ant,” she almost whispered. Ruby looked around the room to find most of the Harlots watching her, and she knew that her time for secrecy was over. “I guess I’m going to have to tell them.”
Banshee looked around the room and nodded. “Yep, but you will find that every one of them has your back. And if you change your mind about staying with Ant, and don’t mind a few screaming kids, you are welcome to stay with my family.”
Ruby pulled Banshee in for a quick hug. “Thank you for that, but right now, everything is good with him.”
“Good as in you’re sleeping with him, or good as in you forgave him for being an ass?” Banshee asked.
“The second part,” Ruby insisted. Flashes of Ant half-naked ran through her head again, and she practically had a hot flash standing there. “Um, I need to run to the ladies’ room.”
“We’ll wait to start church until you get back,” Banshee called after her. She made the mistake of turning back to find her club’s Prez smiling like a loon at her. She knew that Banshee could read her like a book, and the very last thing she needed was for her to pick up on her overly active hormones right now. Falling into bed with Ant might be fun, but it wasn’t something that she could afford to do. She needed his help now, with her crazy stalker, and sleeping with him would only complicate everything.
They got home later that night, and Ant didn’t say two words to her on the ride home. She worried that she had made him mad somehow, but they barely talked while she was hanging out with the Harlots.
As soon as they got home, she changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. She had an early shift at the hospital in the morning, and she was dog tired from the emotional day she had.
When she walked back downstairs, she couldn’t find Ant. She worried that he had left, but when she turned the corner and found him standing in the kitchen, she let out the breath she didn’t know that she had been holding.
