Chapter 6 Ruby
SIX
RUBY
The bar stayed closed for the rest of the day and I busied myself with mindless work.
I disinfected the bar and mopped the floors once again.
I restocked what I could and refilled the beer fridge so that things would be full for the taking once we opened the doors again.
I managed to scrounge around and get enough money from the guys to order us some lunch before they called some sort of church meeting.
And as the sun started setting, I heard Diego struggling in the back room.
“Notch!” I exclaimed as I rushed for the door. “He’s up!”
I tossed open the door only to see Diego stumble back down to the cot.
I lunged for him, steadying him as best as I could before I checked his dressings.
I heard Notch bickering with some of the guys before he slipped in and closed the door, and as I cleaned up the space around Diego’s dressing, I let Notch take the lead on actually changing them out.
As I had hoped, Diego started talking. “Why did you stand up for me like that?”
I peeked up at him to answer, but Notch beat me to it. “I made a promise to Sebastian.”
Diego furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
Notch licked his lips as he looked at Diego’s bare wound.
“Before your brother died, we shared a night out on my back porch, and he made me make a promise to him. He told me that if anything ever happened to him, he told me to look out for you and your mom. And I keep my promises, no matter the cost.”
I watched Diego’s face for his response, but he seemed taken aback more than anything else.
“So,” Notch said as he wiped around the wound, “don’t give me a reason to stop doing that, okay?”
Diego nodded. “I won’t.”
Notch clicked his tongue. “So, tell me point blank: are you here to spy for the cartel’s sake?”
Diego didn’t skip a beat. “No. Honest to fuck, I’m not. If anything, I want out. I want to leave and do something worth a damn in my life. But the cartel knows who you are and knows we’re friends, so they’re trying to get me to exploit that connection.”
“So, that’s what you meant earlier,” Ruby said.
I nodded. “Yes. That’s what I meant. That tells me that the cartel, at the very least, is interested in the activities of the club. I don’t know to what end, though.”
Notch finished wiping off his wound and redressed it. “Well, for what it’s worth, I believe you.”
Diego sighed with relief. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.”
Notch shook his head. “It’s not a vote of confidence. I’d put my life on the fact that you’re telling the truth.”
Ruby placed her hand on my thigh. “Want me to go and fill the guys in? I could try to calm Stone and Bronx down a bit before you two come on out.”
Notch shook his head. “No, I’ll go tell them. You two stay here until I come back for you.”
Then, he got up and walked away, leaving me and Diego alone in the darkened back room.
“I’m sorry for what this has put you through,” he murmured.
I smiled as I sat on the floor at his feet. “It’s really not a big deal. You needed help, and I was in a position to help.”
His eyes met mine. “Are you always this warm and kind?”
I winked. “Not one damn bit.”
He chuckled before he reached for his maimed shoulder. “Oh, shit. Don’t make me laugh. It hurts too much.”
I rolled my lips over my teeth to keep from laughing even harder. “I can try, but I make no promises.”
I couldn’t stop gazing into his eyes, though.
There was something about them that brought me a sense of comfort.
My gaze raked down his body and his chiseled chest called to me, even with that stupid tattoo on it.
I wondered what it might feel like to press my face against it.
I wondered what his heartbeat might sound like softly thumping against the shell of my ear.
His legs were long and lean. His arms were sculpted like a piece of artistry from the Gods themselves.
And when my stare met his gaze once more, I watched him lick his lips.
Which sent a sizzle of warmth rushing through my veins.
“So, you bartend and save lives. Do you do anything else, Superwoman?” he asked.
I blushed at his words. “I mean, not to brag or nothing, but I can smash an entire half-pound burger with fries and a shake all by myself.”
He clicked his tongue. “Well, that settles it. We have to get married now.”
I barked with laughter. “What about you? What do you do other than wishing you hadn’t made the decisions you made?”
His playful nature fell into one of regret. “Well, I worked as a cashier in a grocery store, a bus boy, and a janitor for a studio all at once. But other than that…”
I reached up and squeezed his knee. “You’ll find your calling.
It took me a while to find mine. While all of my friends in high school were rattling off their college programs and shit at seventeen, I was still playing hopscotch and convincing myself that the world was still miles and miles away.
And if a lost girl like me can find her place, then you can, too. ”
His hand settled over mine. “Your words bring me comfort, just like your presence. Thank you, Ruby.”
The sound of my name on the tip of his tongue made my nipples pucker. “Anytime, Diego.”
Then, of course, my stupid-ass brother swung the door wide open. “The hell are you two doing in here alone?”
Diego quickly ripped his hand away from mine and stood to his feet. “We were just talk—”
Puck slammed the door behind him as he stepped into the room. “Talking, my ass. Why the hell were you putting your grubby little cartel hands on my fucking sister?”
Diego crooked an eyebrow. “Yeah, you two look a hell of a lot alike, actually.”
I stood to my feet. “He’s my twin, actually, and Puck?”
“Yep?”
“Fuck off with that protective nonsense. You know damn good and well I can handle my own because you’re the one who trained me to be able to. So, back the fuck off.”
He growled as he stepped closer to Diego. “I don’t trust the cartel. Not as far as I can throw them. So, you keep your slimy little fingers off my goddamn sister. You hear me?”
“Puck!”
Diego shook his head. “I swear to you on my mother’s life, I want no part of the cartel. None at all.”
Puck raked his eyes up and down Diego’s crooked form. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”
Then, I slipped between the two guys. “That’s enough. Puck?”
“What?” he asked curtly.
I reached around him and opened the door. “Out, now. Before I shove you out and watch you land on your ass.”
My brother glared down at me before he shot one more threatening look to Diego. Then, he did as he was told. I sighed as I closed the door, but I didn’t quite let the latch lock.
“I’ll guard the door to make sure no one else harasses you, okay?” I asked.
Diego groaned as he sat back down on the cot. “You really don’t have to do that.”
I snickered. “Well, I am, because once you’re feeling the slightest bit better, I’m helping you get home so you can at least recuperate somewhere that feels familiar.”
He chuckled. “How the hell are you going to protect me from a room full of bikers?”
And that was when I pulled out the gun I always kept strapped to my leg beneath my dresses. “They can complain to Betsy, if necessary.”
His eyebrows rose. “Betsy, huh?”
I wiggled it around before holstering it again. “Yep. If they wanna argue, they can argue with her.”
He chuckled. “All right, then. I know better than to argue with a woman who’s packing heat.”
I smiled. “Good. Diego, you’re the first patient I’ve ever actually saved. And I’m going to make sure you stay that way.”
Then, I slipped outside and closed the door behind me.
“What?” Stone asked.
I folded my arms over my chest. “Nothing.”
Puck scoffed. “Seriously, Ruby? You’re just gonna stand there all night?”
I shrugged. “If that’s what it takes to protect my patient, then yes.”
Bronx rolled his eyes. “He’s hardly a damn patient.”
I clicked my tongue. “He’s a patient whether or not you like the man. So, suck it up. Until further notice, I’m his doctor, and I’ll let you know when he’s ready for another round of life-threatening questions. Got it?”
Like I said, Diego was the first patient I’d ever saved, and that meant he’d always hold a soft spot in my soul because of that. Notch constantly told me that I’d never forget my first. I’d never forget the first person I saved simply because I had the ability to, and he was right.
I’d never forget the strong, handsome, smoldering, mysterious, burdened man that I had saved. But I figured I could ignore all of that in favor of keeping one eye open, just so the guys didn’t latch onto how attractive I honestly thought Diego was.
Especially since Puck stared me down like I was some sort of prized heifer he didn’t want to lose in a game of poker.