Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Jack
The hospital hallway smelled faintly of alcohol and antiseptic, and Jack waited by the closed door, his hand on the knob.
In Baghdad, he’d opened a different door—to Ruby, to his heart.
He’d promised Ruby he wouldn’t leave.
But everything had changed. Gone so far off the rails in a way he couldn’t possibly have anticipated.
Theo and Ruby’s true loyalties, the sting operation … Kit.
None of it made it any easier.
Come on, Darby.
Don’t be a coward.
He hesitated just another second, then opened the door.
Sunlight filled the room. Ruby lay back in the bed, reading a newspaper, pillows behind her head. She looked paler, frailer than he remembered her. More natural, too, without any rouge.
Still beautiful.
“Jack.” The paper crinkled as she set it down. She offered him a hesitating smile. “You’re here.”
Jack shut the door quietly, then stepped toward her. “I wanted to see how you were recovering.”
“I’m—” Ruby gasped for breath. Then her lower lip trembled, and she looked away, her gaze traveling to the window.
“I spent part of the morning in surgery, woke up here, and had breakfast. And all that time, you know what I kept thinking about? How I was lying there on the ground, shot and bleeding, and you didn’t even come over to see if I was going to live. I was right there, Jack.”
Her words gutted him.
She’s right.
And it wasn’t that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. But when the shooting had started, Kit had been in the crossfire, right beside him. And Alice too. Ginger had seen to Ruby—and then Jack had been carted off the streets by Theo and Roche before he’d even had a chance to go check on her.
“I probably deserve it,” she whispered when he didn’t respond. “You thought the worst of me after Baghdad, I’m sure.”
“I did,” he said, coming closer. He rubbed his newly shaved jawline. He’d gone to Fahad’s to change and shave after leaving Kit in the prison because he’d come here first, and Ginger had told him Ruby was asleep, still under the effects of the ether.
But maybe he shouldn’t have. He should have stayed here, by her side, so she wouldn’t have woken up alone.
“I did think the worst, Ruby,” he said more softly. He pulled up a chair and sat at her bedside. “And the truth is, you lied to me from the moment we met. I talked to Theo—I know why you did it, but it’s still hard for me to swallow.”
“I only lied about who was pulling the puppet strings. Everything else I told you was true.” Ruby’s eyes were big and expressive. “Including my name.”
Which one?
But he knew. He knew when she’d finally shared the truth. “Ruby Weber?”
She nodded.
“But you weren’t a thief either.” He smirked. “So that’s another one.”
“No, I was.” She grimaced. “Just not when you met me. Everything about my family—that’s true.
And Felix, Theo, and I were all stealing, trying to scrounge up the money to help them.
Then Felix met Maxwell Knight—and he said …
he said if we worked for him, he’d get the British government to help my family. ”
Jack stared at her, wishing that the information made him feel better about all this.
She’d been desperate, sure. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had been a lie.
He raised a brow. “So you didn’t set up that whole ruse in Lydda to get me to trust you? All the while planning to report back to Theo, then clobber me over the head and steal the microfilm after seducing me?”
“No!” Ruby drew back, blinking quickly. “It wasn’t like that.
Not at all.” She folded the paper, setting it aside.
“Theo didn’t—doesn’t—like you. Didn’t like that you wanted to do things your way.
He was going to try to force you to tell us what you knew about Alice’s disappearance in Lydda, but I didn’t think you’d trust us.
So I decided to ditch him and actually help you, the way you needed and deserved.
But I still had to check in eventually—so I did after we arrived in Baghdad.
And when I did, I found out Theo had already got to Baghdad ahead of us. ”
She took a shaky breath. “He found me late that night—after he’d taken the microfilm.
Forced me to leave with him. Knight was furious with me and threatening me.
” Ruby squared her shoulders. “But I was even angrier. So I sent Knight the message that I was done. I’m not working for him ever again after this job.
Not after what they did to you in Baghdad. ”
“It won’t be that easy, you know. And your family still isn’t safe.”
“So I’ll go to the Americans. Someone else.” Ruby shrugged. “I’ll figure it out. Even if I have to do it alone. I won’t quit until I get every last member of my family out of Germany.”
Jack smiled at her bravado. She was a tough woman. And she’d saved Alex from Prescott—which he had to admire.
But she was also a little na?ve about the world she’d gotten involved in. She had no idea what she was up against.
Who she was up against.
If he was alive, Prescott Federline wouldn’t forgive the woman who’d double-crossed him.
And Knight wouldn’t simply allow a valuable spy to walk away.
Noah himself had confessed that he worried Knight would keep coming after him, especially in light of what had happened with Hower.
The worst part was, it made Jack want to wrap his arms around her and shield her.
“What about Theo and Felix?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, looking away from Jack. “They both came to see me this morning. They’re furious with me. Knight sent Theo a message saying we were a package deal—whatever that means.”
Jack closed his eyes, letting silence settle between them.
When he looked up at her at last, her eyes were downcast and quiet tears trailed down her cheeks.
Jack’s heart squeezed, then he reached over and slid his hand over hers, his fingers curling tight.
Somehow that only made her cry harder.
“Hey,” he said softly, then slipped onto the empty space beside her. He set his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, look at me.”
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” Ruby said, her gaze watery. “I never wanted to lie to you. And I really didn’t expect you to be …” She drew a shallow breath. “I didn’t expect to like you so much.”
“Like me?” Jack grinned.
She gave a broken, tearful laugh. “Jack … I think I’m falling in love with you.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
In love?
“I know it’s crazy,” she went on. “And we barely know each other. You don’t have to forgive me. And I know I don’t deserve you, but—”
He cut off her words with an impulsive kiss.
Her eyes widened, then her mouth softened against his, returning his kiss with a quiet, appreciative moan.
The kiss lingered for a few moments, her tears wetting his cheeks, her lips salty from them. Then he pulled away and set his forehead against hers. “Sorry—I didn’t expect to do that.”
She smiled, then gave him a quick kiss. “You never have to apologize for kissing me, Jack. You’re a good man.”
“By the way,” he said in a low voice. “I still owe you some money for smuggling me into Iraq. That might be able to help at least a couple members of your family make it out of Germany.”
She smiled sadly and shook her head. “I can’t accept it, Jack. I won’t. I don’t need your money. Not now. I don’t want you to think your money is all I’m after. I need you to believe in me—and you’ll never believe in me if I take your money.”
“We have a deal. You have to let me—”
“No,” she said more firmly. “No. I won’t take it. I’m sorry. My mind is made up.”
Is she serious?
The idea that she was willing to sacrifice like this … he didn’t know what to say. To think.
“But your family needs it. You need it.”
“The only thing I need right now is for you to never question my motivation for anything I do. I broke your trust in a way that I’m not sure how to rebuild, and you have to let me do this on my own. That’s what I need.”
He sighed and cupped her face in his hands.
“Ruby, you deserve a lot more than you give yourself credit for. And, for the record, I like you too. I spent a decade spinning circles in the desert, and then you came around and made me feel … less alone. You gave me hope. And I meant what I said in Baghdad.”
He searched her eyes, then kissed her again. “I’m not ready to walk away from you, Ruby Weber. And I don’t intend to. I understand the position you were in, and I can forgive that. But you have to promise never to lie to me like that again.”
She sniffled, his words provoking a fresh wave of tears. “I won’t, Jack, I promise.” She threw her arms around his neck, her tears splashing against his collarbone. “I promise.”
Jack held her tightly, breathing in the scent of her, letting himself melt into her warmth.
She might not need him.
But he needed her.