Chapter 21 Diego
TWENTY-ONE
DIEGO
As I aimlessly wandered around the warehouse in search of Stone, my mind kept falling back to my fight with Puck.
After I took Ruby upstairs so Notch could take a look at the head wound she received, the man had ordered her to rest for the next few days.
I kept checking on her whenever possible, which wasn’t much since I was still trying to avoid the guys in the process.
But through all of this, the crew kept their word.
After my mother was discharged from the hospital, they had someone posted outside of the house at all times.
According to the guys, she was doing well.
She had an in-home nurse that came to check on her once a week and the guys were kind enough to keep taking her to and from her chemo appointments.
In fact, I think some of the guys were warming up to my mother because every time they came back from their shift, they always had a cooler full of food.
It made me smile whenever I saw them with it.
“Hey, Stone?” I asked when I found him standing in the hallway.
“Yep?” he asked, staring at the wall.
I walked up to him. “You haven’t heard from the cartel on my phone by any chance, have you?”
He shook his head mindlessly. “Nope.”
I peeked over at the blank wall before I stood beside him, staring at it as well. “Are we taking the lack of communication as a good sign or a bad one?”
He shrugged. “Good, for now.”
I nodded softly. “Thank you for everything everyone is doing for my mother. I’ll never be able to thank you guys for it.”
He chuckled softly. “We all have had mothers at one point in time or another. Hell, I’m in love with a woman who’s about to be one. We have a soft spot for them around here.”
I smiled. “Good to know.”
Then, Stone sighed. “But if you’re really here to ask about Puck, I wouldn’t.”
I clicked my tongue. “Still not doing well? Because he’s not speaking to me at all.”
“Well, he’s not speaking to Ruby, either.”
“Is he talking to you guys, at least?”
Stone peeked over at me. “Nope. He’s been radio silent with all of us.”
I furrowed my brow. “Who is Blake?”
Stone scoffed. “Not my story, not my problem. If you want to know, ask Ruby.”
“Fair enough. I just don’t want to be the reason her and her brother keep fighting. Every time I try to talk with her, she either kicks me out or completely shuts down. I’m not worth them ending their relationship. No one is.”
Stone patted my shoulder. “That’s a good mindset to have, but I’m afraid I don’t have any answers for you.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Thanks for listening to me ramble.”
Stone crossed his arms over his chest. “Anytime.”
And as we stood there in silence, he finally gave me some sort of an answer to a worry I didn’t want to admit that I had.
“You’re not the only one that’s anxious over the fact that the cartel hasn’t rebutted after what happened,” he murmured.
I sighed. “I’m worried they might be seeing through what’s happening.”
Stone looked over at me. “You think they know you’re trying to get away from them?”
I closed my eyes. “I really fucking hope not.”
“Because if they do find out, that puts my entire club at risk.”
My eyes opened. “And it puts Ruby at risk, which is something I never wanted to do in the first place.”
I felt Stone’s eyes drilling a hole into the side of my face. “I have an idea if you’re really worried about that, but you won’t like it.”
I turned to face him. “Are you thinking that you put me up somewhere else and take shifts watching over me like you are my mother?”
Stone nodded. “Yep.”
I shrugged. “I mean, what could it hurt? It takes the target off of the back of this warehouse. Hell, off all of you guys. And it’ll keep Ruby safe, which isn’t much right now since I don’t even know what’s happening with her. But anything to keep her safe I’m on board with, one hundred percent.”
He raked his eyes down my body. “You really care about her, don’t you?”
I turned my gaze back to the wall. “More than I should, probably.”
He continued to stare at me as my mind began to wander.
I mean, I didn’t know where Ruby and I stood because she hadn’t spoke to me since the fight.
And out of all the pressure my life had going on in it right now, that was the last kind of pressure I needed.
I wanted Ruby to be safe. I wanted her to have the kind of life she had always dreamt of having.
And if she had made the decision not to have me in it, then I needed to respect that.
I simply wished she’d open her mouth and talk to me about it.
Did I ever mean anything to her?
“You know, she’s the only woman who’s ever meant something to me,” I murmured.
Stone snickered. “No high school sweetheart or anything?”
I shook my head. “Mom homeschooled us. Me and my brother, Sebastian.”
“So, that’s a ‘no,’ then.”
I drew in a deep breath. “I just never got around to dating. Dad left right before I was born, so once Sebastian and I became teenagers it was less about girls and more about contributing to the house. You know, helping Mom with bills so she didn’t have to work two jobs and homeschool us at the same time. ”
The man stayed silent as I continued rambling.
“And maybe it’s my fault. Maybe this is that first-love puppy-love kind of thing. But Ruby’s the first woman I’ve ever wanted to be around more than once. Her feistiness keeps me on my toes, and I love how strong she is. I mean, she can really handle herself, you know? And that’s sexy as hell.”
Stone chuckled. “Hayley’s the same way. It’s why I was drawn to her.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “But part of me wonders if I should simply end whatever this is between me and her so that she and Puck can mend their relationship. Family is everything, and you can’t compromise family for someone you barely know, right?”
Stone shrugged. “I don’t know about all that now.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I mean, maybe once all of this cartel shit is done, I could leave and help them figure things out. I kind of need to be here for the sake of my mother’s safety right now.”
Stone turned to face me, and I matched his movements. “Look, I get that you have a lot on your mind. But you aren’t the only one. We all do, but you don’t see Ruby seeking you out so that she can squash your little heart into pieces, right?”
I blinked. “Right.”
“So, why the hell are you even considering doing it to her and proving Puck right?”
Fucking hell. “Point taken.”
He walked by me and patted my shoulder. “You’re going to be just fine. We’re always fine, so that’s what you’ll be. And when you’re fine, you’re going to want the woman you love at your side. So, don’t fuck that up, too.”
Then, he walked away, leaving me with my thoughts. And while I wasn’t sure how long I stood there staring at the wall, I certainly didn’t expect the kind of company I received a few minutes later.
“Hey there,” Ruby said softly. My eyes snapped down to the top of her head as she came to stand beside me. “Why are we staring at the wall?”
I swallowed hard, trying to turn my thoughts over in my head. Yes, Stone had a point. I’d want Ruby at my side after all of this was said and done. But not at the expense of destroying her relationship with her older brother. I knew how sacred that bond was, and I wouldn't rob her of it.
So, I took a couple of steps away from her. “Actually, I was just leaving.”
“Wait,” she said as she turned to face me, “can we just… talk? A bit? Maybe?”
I turned my back to her. “Maybe some other time.”
She reached out and slipped her hand into mine. “Please?”
And even though it shattered my soul, I pulled my hand away from hers. “No.”
She scoffed. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I just need to go get some rest.”
“Is your shoulder hurting? Do you want me to take a look at it?”
I continued walking down the hallway. “I’ll call for Notch if I need something. You're off the hook.”
“But what if I don’t want to be?”
Her words stopped me again, but I steeled myself against her presence. “Ruby, please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”
She walked around to my front and forced me to look at her. “Don’t make what any harder than it needs to be?”
I gazed into her eyes. “Have you talked to Puck yet?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “No. I haven’t. He hasn’t approached me, and I haven’t gone looking for him.”
I brushed by her. “Well, you should. He’s the only brother you’ve got.”
“Diego, cut the bullshit. What is this really about?”
I whipped around as anger filled my chest. “This is about you and Puck and how stupid you two are being.”
She gawked at me. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You heard me. You have a brother that loves you walking around here moping and all you’re doing is avoiding him? Do you know what I’d sell to the Devil himself just to get my brother back? Do you have any idea what I’d compromise to see Sebastian again?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
I turned my back to her once more and started down the hallway again. “I know you didn’t mean anything, Ruby, but the fact of the matter is that the two of you are taking for granted something that I’d kill to have back in my life. It’s bullshit, you two fighting over me. So, cut it the fuck out.”
She called out after me. “So, our time together meant nothing to you, is that it?”
I paused at the end of the hallway. “We barely know each other, Ruby!”
“And what the hell do you think we’re trying to do after all of the time we’ve spent together? Cook!?”
I shook my head. “When all of this is over, I’ll be gone and Puck will be back to normal. So, I guess you can fix your relationship with him, then.”
“And what if I don’t want you gone?”
“Well, too fucking bad!” I roared.
As I turned the corner, the last sound I heard was Ruby slamming her fist into the wall.
She hissed in pain and everything inside of me told me to turn around and go back.
To apologize. To check on her and see if she had broken any of her knuckles.
But I kept walking. I forced my legs to keep striding before I ripped open the door to the steps that took me up to my loft.
And the second I got inside, I closed the door and let the tears stream down my cheeks.
“God damn it,” I whispered.
I always ended up fucking things up with women. But in this instance, I knew it was for the best. This way, the cartel didn’t see her as a target and the guys were more likely to send me to a safehouse or some shit just to get me away from Puck.
I walked over to my bed and flopped down against it, cursing the fact that it still smelled like Ruby.
Then, a knock came at my door before a familiar voice sounded.
“You wanna let me in?” Notch asked.
“No,” I said curtly.
“Well, Stone has called an emergency church and he wants you there. So, up and at’em, big guy.”
When the hell will this nightmare end?