Chapter 74 Morgan
Morgan
Ididn’t lower the pistol until my arms burned. Even then, I kept it in my lap as I sank onto the sofa, eyes locked on the door like sheer willpower could keep it closed.
Ruby edged into the room, her blanket wrapped around her shoulders like armor. She sat beside me without a word, pressing her knee to mine. For a long time, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the ticking clock and the hollow thud of my heartbeat.
Finally, Ruby whispered, “He knew your name.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
“And mine.” Her voice broke on the last word. “He knew about me.”
I turned to her, cupping her face in my hands. “Listen to me, Rubes. That’s on them, not on you. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Her chin trembled. “I’m not brave like you.”
I huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Are you kidding? You stayed quiet when he was at the door. You didn’t scream, didn’t run. That’s brave.”
She looked at me like she wanted to believe it, then finally nodded. Her head dropped against my shoulder, the blanket spilling over both of us. I pulled her close, holding her the way I used to when the nightmares after Dad died left her shaking.
But this was different. This wasn’t a nightmare we could wake from.
My eyes stung, but I refused to let the tears fall. Damian’s face flashed in my mind instead—his steady hands, his voice promising he’d come back, the way he’d kissed me like nothing else in the world mattered.
“Where is he now?” Ruby asked, her words muffled against my shoulder.
“Fighting for us,” I said softly. “And as soon as he’s done, he’ll be here.”
I clung to that thought like a lifeline, even as the fear gnawed inside me. The man at the door hadn’t been bluffing. He’d walked away tonight, but his voice, the way he’d said my name—it was a promise.
He’d be back.
And when he came, I needed Damian here to meet him.