“You already judged me, Ant,” she shot back. “You kept pushing me for the truth. You watched me, practically stalking me. You hung around Savage Hell, waiting for me to slip up.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I did do all those things. Because secrets get people hurt, and I didn’t want that for you, Ruby.”
“And telling the truth gets women like me ruined,” she said flatly. “Especially if they find out down at the hospital how Igot through medical school.” That stopped him cold. He hadn’t thought about the repercussions she’d have to face at work if they found out that she was still dancing to pay off her student loans.
She hugged the hoodie she was wearing tighter around herself. “If the hospital finds out, I lose credibility. Patients trust doctors who fit a mold. And if the board finds out, I won’t just lose my job. I lose everything I worked for.”
Ant stepped closer, bracing one hand on the brick wall beside her face, still holding her other hand in his. He leaned into her, and she smelled like some kind of citrus perfume he wasn’t expecting. “I won’t say a word,” he whispered. “Not to the FBI. Not to the hospital. Not to anyone.”
She scoffed. “Why should I believe you? You already spilled the beans to Banshee and Rebel at the clubhouse. How can I believe that you won’t tell anyone else?”
“Because if I wanted leverage, I’d already have it.” His voice dropped. “And because when I watched that guy put his hands on you tonight, the only thing I wanted was to rip his arms off.” Her breath hitched, and he took that as a good sign. “That scared me,” he admitted. “Because it wasn’t about proving anything anymore. It was about you getting hurt here at the club, on my watch.”
Ruby stared at him as though she was searching for the lie, but she didn’t find one. “He was just drunk,” she whispered. “He didn’t want to hurt me. But I appreciate you stepping in. He was a bit handsy.”
“Yeah,” he said simply. “I could tell.”
Her shoulders sagged then, the fight draining out of her like someone finally set a heavy weight down. “I hate this place,” she said softly, hitting the brick wall with the palm of her free hand. “But it paid my way through med school. And I never thought anyone would figure out who I really was. Before you, the onlyperson to know my secret was Banshee. We just decided to tell Rebel because she’s married to your new partner.”
Ant leaned in closer and hesitated, letting his hand fall back to his side. “I’m sorry that I dredged all of this into the light for you. That wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to know you, and I fucked everything up by going behind your back to dig up information about your life.”
She nodded, eyes wet. “I just didn’t want anyone to look at me like I’m dirty, once they know the truth.”
He met her gaze, steady and unflinching. “I don’t see you as dirty, honey. I see your strength.” The words landed between them—raw and real.
“Oh,” she breathed.
He sighed, knowing that what he was about to ask her next might have her running for the hills, but he had to ask. “Can we just start over?” he asked.
“You mean, wipe the slate clean, and pretend that none of this even happened?” she questioned. He knew that was asking a lot of her, but he wanted a fresh start with Ruby more than he wanted his next breath. She nodded, “I think that I’d like to start over with you, Ant. Who knows, maybe we can be friends eventually.”
Valentine’s Day loomed unspoken between them, and he had to take a chance in asking her one more time to be his date for the night. “How about we start our relationship over on Valentine’s Day?” he asked, sounding more hopeful than he was hoping he’d sound.
She smiled up at him, taking his breath away. “I’d like that,” she admitted. For a moment, they just stood there in the alley—doctor and bouncer, past and present, truth finally out in the open with a fresh start in front of them.
And Ant knew, with certainty, that scared the hell out of him. This wasn’t the end of her secret. It was the beginning of something far more dangerous—a fresh start with Ruby.
RUBY
Ruby knew she was being followed before she reached her car. She thought about turning back, but was sure that Ant had already left. And calling him was a bit over the top. So, she told herself that she was being silly, walked to her car, and got in, quickly locking the door before she even started the engine.
It wasn’t paranoia. Paranoia was loud and frantic. This was quiet and measured. The sound of boots that didn’t quite match her pace but never fell behind. The prickle at the base of her neck she’d learned to trust years ago, back when she had to walk to her car alone more nights than she wanted to remember, was back.
She drove home, looking out of her rearview mirror every few seconds. It felt like her ten-minute drive took hours. And when she got back to her crappy little apartment, she practically bolted for the front door of the building as she tightened her grip on her keys.
The parking lot behind her apartment complex was dim, one flickering light buzzing like it might give up at any second. Her bike sat near the end of the row, shadowed between two cars.She never drove it to the club, not wanting her lives to collide in any way. Home was ten steps away, and her heart felt as though it might beat out of her chest.
She was almost to the front door when a voice cut through the darkness, stopping her dead in her tracks. “Hey, don’t ignore me,” he shouted. Her stomach dropped as Ruby slowly turned, keeping her face calm even as her pulse spiked. It was the man from the club—the one Ant had stepped in on. His eyes were glassy with anger now, his jaw clenched like he’d been chewing on it the whole ride over.
“You followed me,” she said, keeping her voice steady.
He scoffed. “You owe me.”
Her fingers closed tighter around her keys. “I don’t owe you anything.”
He stepped closer, invading her space. “I paid for a lap dance, and I didn’t get what I paid for. That’s theft, sweetheart.” Her skin crawled at the word.
“That’s not how it works,” she said. “You broke the rules. You touched me.”
