Riskier Business (Crossing the Line 0.5)(8)

“What did you do?” Ruby whispered to Troy out of the side of her mouth.

Hand riding the small of her back, he sighed against her ear. “Please don’t be angry. They care about you and—”

“And you wanted to give me a visible reminder of my new life. In case I forget.”

He shook his head once. “I’m not going to deny that was part of it.”

Ruby tipped her head back as if she’d find patience on the ceiling. “Troy, I hate that he knows about you. Hate it. I don’t want him knowing our friends, too. You shouldn’t have involved them.”

“They’re not involved.” He pulled her closer. “I don’t f*ck around with your safety. He might be your father, but he’s a criminal. Daniel and Brent are the best cops I know, next to myself. I asked them here because I want to be prepared for anything.”

Brent spotted them then and gave Troy a barely perceptible nod. Noticing his friend’s slight action, Daniel’s beer froze halfway to his mouth, then continued its journey without acknowledging Ruby and Troy. “Wow. They’ve certainly been prepped. This might be the quietest I’ve ever seen Brent.”

Troy’s mouth twitched, but the humor didn’t find his eyes. “No telling how long he’ll last.”

“Hopefully it’ll be over quick enough that we won’t have to find out. Let’s go sit.” Ruby blew out a breath and headed toward an empty four-seat table located in a dimmer section of the bar. “God, I just want to be home.”

“Soon, baby.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby spotted Bowen Driscol sitting in the corner with his back propped against the brick wall. Baseball cap pulled down low on his forehead, he slowly nursed a bottle of beer. He kept his head down, his posture casual, but Ruby knew better. Her best friend since childhood kept himself ready to strike at any moment. Four years her senior, Bowen had been by her side those dangerous years she’d spent hustling men twice her age out of money. Countless times, he’d put himself between her and grave injury. Taking and giving beatings so she wouldn’t have to. Then again earlier this year when she’d been caught trying to help incriminate Lenny, his crime boss father, he’d still remained unwaveringly loyal to her. Fathers who valued money over their children’s safety was something they had in common.

Troy had called in her new friends for moral support and backup. She’d called Bowen. Ruby said a quick prayer, hoping Troy wouldn’t spot him. He’d never understood the nature of their relationship. Didn’t believe her that despite Bowen’s good looks, charm, and overprotective attitude toward her, their rapport had always remained platonic. She’d always suspected Troy’s dislike of Bowen stemmed from irrational guilt over not being around for Ruby those early years, and nothing she said seemed to dissuade him from his jealousy.

She hung her messenger bag over the back of her chair and sat. Troy took the chair beside her, creating a united front. Reaching over to take his hand, she tried not to stare at the door.

“Did you think I wouldn’t see him?”

Ruby didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Please, don’t read anything into it.”

He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “What I can’t decide is whether you lack faith in me, or—”

“No.” Wide-eyed, she searched his closed-off expression. “It has nothing to do with faith. I trust you more than anyone, Troy.” She racked her brain for a way to explain. “You wanted to remind me of my new life. Maybe I needed a reminder of the old one. But our goals were the same.”

“If he’s your past,” Troy enunciated, “why won’t he go away?”

“I don’t want him to go away. I won’t lose every part of myself to make you comfortable.”

“You think I care about being comfortable?” Taken aback by his sudden fierce expression, she didn’t answer. “I don’t want to change a single damn thing about you. I just want you to myself.”

“You have me. I’m yours. Don’t ever question that.”

His attention flickered as he brought his face close. “Keep right on looking at me. Your father just walked in.” He brushed his mouth across hers. “Don’t let him see you worried, baby.”

Their argument faded immediately to the background, eclipsed by her sudden wave of gratefulness for Troy’s presence. He was just as invested as she was in the upcoming encounter, and she would never be able to put into words how thankful she felt to have him there. It flooded her with confidence and reminded her that no matter how they fought, it always stemmed from love.

A chair scraped back at their table and she heard her father’s deceptively smooth voice for the first time in years. “Hate to interrupt this heartwarming scene, but I’m on a time crunch.”

Schooling her features, Ruby slowly faced her father. “No, you’re not.”

Jim Elliott tossed back his head and laughed. He hadn’t aged a day. Not a single gray strand interrupted his stiff, slicked-back hair. His brown eyes were full of humor, but she could see the glint of danger lurking just beneath the surface. Hiding that lethal personality was one of his most valued traits. Her father had an uncanny ability to become your best friend while walking you off a cliff.

Jim threw an arm over the back of his chair and faced them at an angle. Keeping his back turned from the entrance, she knew. The action drew her eye to the white cast on his wrist. To Jim, a visible injury equaled weakness, yet he wasn’t hiding it. Her curiosity grew. “You can take the girl out of Brooklyn…” he murmured while signaling the waitress for a drink.