He stood, already mentally preparing, going over his contacts, routes, and old favors to call in. Bolt would be ready. Banshee would have eyes watching the clubhouse, and the net would tighten for them to catch this guy.
As he pulled on his boots, he glanced back at Ruby. She wasn’t hiding anymore, and she didn’t seem scared. That made this personal in a way that went beyond desire. The man who thought she owed him something had made one mistake. He’d gotten too close to Ruby, and that wasn’t acceptable because Ant didn’t lose people he cared about.
RUBY
It had been almost two months since her stalker disappeared. Bolt and Ant had been able to track down his information, which was harder than she imagined it would be. The guy had used so many aliases that finding his real name proved challenging, but they did it, and Rodger Evans was a slippery snake.
He had gone underground, and apparently, had enough contacts that he had basically become a ghost. She tried to convince Ant that she was good to go back to her place, but he refused to let her. He had a bunch of excuses as to why she couldn’t move back to her shitty little apartment, and she was starting to find most of them amusing, but the truth was, she liked living with Ant. Being in his bed every night had her hoping for things that she didn’t think she wanted—namely, a stable relationship. She had been on her own for so long that she was used to being alone. But being with Ant had changed all that for her. So, she let him believe that she was buying all of his excuses, even though she was doing so just to be able to stay with him.
A part of her worried that if she went back to her place, Ant would end up moving on from her. She knew that he feltprotective of her and that he even blamed himself for allowing Rodger to put his hands on her at the club. But he couldn’t have known that the guy was a stalker or kidnapper. He couldn’t have known that either, but it didn’t stop him from blaming himself. Ruby worried that he was only staying with her because he felt guilty and wanted to protect her. It was in his nature as an FBI agent, but every night that he held her in his arms, she allowed herself to believe that he was with her because he loved her. Ruby knew that was just a foolish fantasy, but she couldn’t help herself because she had fallen in love with him.
She hadn’t been back to the nightclub since the night that Rodger showed up at her apartment. Ruby worried about her college bills, but she also knew that dancing right now wasn’t the safest idea. Ant would insist on being at the club with her, and he had already given up so much of his life to protect her; she couldn’t ask him to do that. He had driven her to work at the hospital for every shift, and she had picked up quite a few to cover her bills. He had even offered to have her move in with him permanently, to save money on rent, but she wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Ruby worried that moving in with Ant would only make it harder for her to find a place once the threat was over. Apartments were hard to come by in town, and even though hers was a shit hole, it was still hers.
Her phone rang, and she grabbed it off the nightstand to see Banshee’s name flash across the screen. She should have known the day was going to tilt sideways the second that she saw Banshee’s name, but she still answered.
“Are you at the hospital today?” her club’s Prez asked.
She hesitated and then shook her head. “Um, no,” she said, realizing that Banshee couldn’t see her.
“Would you mind swinging by the new clubhouse?” Banshee asked. “We’re short on drywall, and the idiots who delivered this morning brought the wrong damn size. Do you think that youcould convince Ant to lend you his truck?” She wanted to laugh at the idea of Ant letting anyone drive his truck. He loved that thing.
“I don’t think that Ant will let me out of his sight,” she mumbled, looking up to find him standing in the doorway. She shot him a sheepish grin, and he rolled his eyes at her. “He’s standing right here. Let me ask him.”
“Banshee needs me to run some drywall out to the new clubhouse. Can I borrow your truck?” she asked. He barked out his laugh, and she couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I was sure that you wouldn’t let me touch your baby.”
“That’s not why I’m laughing, honey,” he admitted. “She’s calling a doctor to run construction errands now?”
She giggled, “Yeah, I guess that is pretty funny. So, how about driving me to the store and then over to the clubhouse? You’ll get brownie points from Banshee.” She knew that would coax him into helping her. He knew that Banshee was still mad at him for giving Ruby such a hard time about dancing at the club. Ant would do just about anything to get on Banshee’s good side.
“Fine,” he mumbled. “Tell her that we’ll leave her after I have my coffee.” She watched him walk out of the room and down the hallway. She didn’t realize that she was smiling until Banshee barked her name into the other end of the phone.
“I’m here,” she said. “We can run over the drywall after Ant has some coffee. Trust me, his having coffee first is best for everyone’s safety.” Banshee thanked her and ended the call. Ruby was expecting a lecture about Ant having to tag along, but she got none. With any luck, they’d be able to run this errand for Banshee and get back in time for lunch. She had been looking forward to spending the day together with Ant for over a week now, and if she got her wish, they’d spend most of it naked, in bed.
They pulled into the gravel lot of what would soon become the Royal Harlots’ new clubhouse — a half-finished structure of exposed beams, raw plywood, and the sharp scent of sawdust hung in the air. She hadn’t been a Harlot for long, but she knew how important this new building was to the club. They had been sharing Savage Hell’s clubhouse since their conception, and a clubhouse all their own meant something to all the women. It was something solid, being built from nothing, and most of the work was being done by a Harlot or a Royal Bastard, making it even more special.
Ant killed the engine and glanced over. “You good?” They had spent over two hours waiting for the drywall to be loaded into the back of Ant’s truck, blowing her plan of getting home before noon so that they could have lunch in bed, naked.
Ruby nodded. “Yeah,” she lied.
“You don’t look very happy,” he said.
“Well, I’m not,” she admitted. “This is not how I planned on spending my day off. And besides that, something just feels—off, somehow. I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel like I’ve spent my morning waiting for the other shoe to drop.” It was really just a silly feeling that she had down in her gut, but she had learned a long time ago to trust them. Something just felt wrong, but she couldn’t explain how or why she felt that way.
The site was quieter than she had expected. A few bikes were parked near the far end of the building, but there was no music, no shouting, and Banshee was nowhere to be seen. She was usually hanging around, barking orders at someone, but everything was quiet. Too quiet.
Ruby stepped out slowly, scanning the open lot. “Where is everyone?”
Ant grabbed his gloves from the seat. “Probably inside.” She didn’t like that answer. Still, she followed him toward the stack of drywall in the truck bed. Ant lifted the first sheet like it weighed nothing, balancing it easily against his shoulder.
“I can help carry some,” Ruby offered automatically.
He gave her a look. “Not a chance, honey.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I am not fragile, Ant. I can lift things, and hard work doesn’t scare me.”
“You’re also not hauling drywall in those boots,” he said, looking down at the black, high-heeled boots that she had chosen to wear today. They were sexy as hell, and something that she’d never be able to wear to work. She planned on asking him to fuck her in just the boots, and seeing the way that he looked at her while she was wearing them, he’d have no problem saying yes.
She looked down at her feet and back up to Ant. “Fair enough,” she grumbled. “What should I do then?” she asked.
