Chapter 20
20
RUBY
M y hands are shaking so bad, I nearly drop the keys to my bar. I glance around Winterscape Bar, my baby, the one thing I’ve poured my heart into and my last real connection to Aunt Eve.
God, I miss Ash today. He’s been my rock through this whole mess, telling me to woman up and hear them out. Easy for him to say—he’s not the one who got played by three gorgeous Alphas. Even if they were just doing Lily and Hannah a favor...
Speaking of my well-meaning but completely insane best friends, at least I’ll get proper answers from Lily tonight since she’s back home from her work trip. Four days of crying into my pillow is probably enough, right? Four days of ignoring messages from the three men is ripping me apart. Their scents are still everywhere.
Nope. Not going there.
I pull my hood up against the snow, watching the festive lights flicker through the storm like multicolored fireflies. All I Want for Christmas is belting out from the street speakers, and I can’t help but snort. Yeah, all I want for Christmas is not to lose my bar to my douchebag cousin Marcus in four days. Oh, and maybe for my heart to stop feeling like it’s been put through a meat grinder.
The snow’s coming down in thick flakes now, turning everything into a weird winter snow globe. A few cars crawl past, probably full of people headed home to their normal, drama-free lives. Must be nice.
“Okay, Ruby, get your ass in gear. Just cross the street. Even you can’t mess that up.”
I step out from under the awning and… holy shit!
Headlights blind me as a van swerves way too close, way too fast. I stumble back, heart in my throat, but before I can even process what’s happening, the side door flies open with a screech that sets my teeth on edge.
Black emptiness. A figure in a mask. Hands grabbing me—rough, strong, wrong.
I scream and kick out like a wildcat, but it’s like fighting a brick wall. The world spins as I’m yanked into the van, and something clamps over my nose and mouth. The smell hits me—sickly sweet, chemical—making my head swim.
“Get off me, you—” The words slur, my tongue feeling too thick. The door slams shut, and darkness closes in, even as I try to fight it. My last coherent thought before everything goes black is that I guess the universe wasn’t satisfied with just taking my bar and my love life—it had to go for the hat trick.