Luke
Luke
T hey had spent a blissful month in his house, and he had to admit, having Ruby there with him, dreaming about their future together, felt right. They had discussed baby names and tonight, he was finally going to admit that he had fallen in love with her. He just hoped that it was well received because there was no way that Ruby would be able to run away from him if he fucked this all up.
He found her in the kitchen, making some dinner, and he like the way that she looked in his space. He could see her there with him long-term, he just needed to convince her that was a good idea. “Hey,” he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
“Hey yourself,” she breathed. “I’m making dinner,” she said.
“So I see,” he said. “You’re becoming very domesticated,” he teased.
“Well, I have to do something to fill the time. I can’t wait to go back to work.” He didn’t feel the same way about her going back to McTavish. All he wanted to do was keep her locked away at his place and keep her safe. At least at work, he’d be able to still keep an eye on her since it’s his job to keep all of the employees safe.
“You’ll be very happy to hear that I’ve spoken to Ranger today,” he said, “and you’ve been cleared to go back to work.”
“They were able to put in extra security measures then?” she asked. Her concern wasn’t for herself, but her boss and everyone on the top floor. That was just like his girl—always worrying about everyone but herself. That was something that he both loved and hated about her. If push came to shove, she’d protect everyone else around her—even sacrificing herself, and he couldn’t let that happen.
“Yep,” he said. “Everything is safe, and we can both head back into the office on Monday if you’re still up for it.”
“I’m more than up for it,” she said. “This is going to be stellar.”
He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “I’m glad that this makes you happy,” he said.
“It does,” she agreed. “Now, all we have to do is eat my delicious dinner.” She looked at it and grimaced, making him laugh again.
“Okay, but before we sit down, I have something that I need to say,” he breathed. She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck.
“Shoot,” she said.
“Well, I wasn’t sure when the time to say this would be, but there’s no time like the present,” he said.
“That sounds pretty serious,” she said.
He shrugged, “It kind of is,” he admitted, “I’m in love with you, Ruby.”
“You are?” she asked.
“I am,” he whispered, gently kissing her lips.
“Well, I guess that’s a good thing since I’m in love with you,” she said. “I wasn’t sure when the right time to tell you that was either.”
“I think that before dinner was the best time for both of us to spill our guts,” he teased.
“Speaking of spilling my guts, I haven’t done that in almost a week now. The doctor here was right—it just kind of stopped,” she said. They had been to the new doctor that was recommended to them, and he had to admit, he liked her. She seemed pretty easy going and Ruby liked her too, which was all that mattered.
“Well, that’s great news, right?” he asked.
“Yes—very good news. Plus, I’m hungry all the time now,” she said. “And I don’t think that whatever it is that I’ve made here is going to cut it for me.” She held up the pan and looked at the food inside of it as if it had offended her in some way.
“I guess that’s my cue to order us some dinner. How about if I call in an order to your favorite place in town, and get them to deliver while you go in and pick a movie for us to veg out in front of?”
“Deal,” she said. “Get me something spicy. I think this baby likes a little bit of a kick when it comes to his or her food.”
Luke chuckled and nodded, “Will do,” he agreed. “I just hope that he or she doesn’t have a spicy attitude to match your craving.”
They had started their movie while they waited for their food to be delivered and he had to admit that it was nice to be able to just relax and not worry about anything. It almost felt as though they were already an old married couple—but he was sure that she wasn’t ready for that step, even if she was pregnant with his baby. They had only just admitted to being in love with each other, but he was sure that sooner or later, they’d get to that point—commitment, marriage, the whole nine yards.
The knock at the door had him pausing the movie. “Don’t move,” he ordered. “I’ll grab our dinners and we can eat in here.”
“That sounds like heaven. I don’t know that I’d be able to move from this spot, even for food. I’m exhausted,” she admitted.
Luke grabbed his wallet and opened the front door to find two men standing on his porch, holding the bag of food that he had ordered, and alarms started sounding in his head like crazy.
“Give me just one minute,” he said to them. He casually pulled his cell phone out and sent off an SOS text to Ranger. His friend would know exactly what to do once he read it.
“Sorry, guys,” he said, “had a work thing. How much do I owe you for the takeout?”
The taller of the two guys shoved the bag at him, revealing that he was holding a gun behind it, pointing right at Luke’s chest. Fuck—they had found him. They had slipped right past his security and gotten to him and Ruby.
“I take it that you’re not looking for a tip, then?” he asked.
“Is something wrong?” Ruby called from the living room.
“Not at all, honey,” he said. Luke leaned into whisper to the two guys. “You don’t need to involve her in this. Take me—I won’t put up a fight.”
“I think that it might be a lot easier to get you to talk if we keep her with us,” the shorter guy said. He wasn’t wrong, but he couldn’t let them lay one finger on Ruby. Luke would end up getting them both killed if they did.
“Back up, big shot,” the tall guy ordered, pushing his gun into Luke’s chest. He had no choice but to comply.
“Please leave her out of this,” Luke begged as Ruby stood from the sofa to investigate what was going on.
“That’s not going to happen,” the tall guy said.
“What’s going on here?” Ruby asked. “Oh, God,” she breathed when she saw the guns pointed at her and Luke.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” he breathed.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ruby insisted.
The tall guy laughed, “Into the kitchen,” he ordered. They walked back into the kitchen, and he barked out an order for them both to sit, which they obeyed. Luke wasn’t about to do anything that might jeopardize Ruby.
He watched the two men pacing in front of them and Luke worried that they were not going to just let them go. He didn’t care about himself, really, but he worried that they’d hurt Ruby, or worse. Luke couldn’t let that happen. He promised to keep her safe and now, he had their baby to worry about too. He couldn’t let anything happen to either of them.
“Let her go,” Luke begged again.
The tall guy standing in the corner laughed and pointed his gun into Ruby’s side, causing her to sob. “You’re not the one calling the shots here, tough guy.”
“Understood,” Luke said, “please, just don’t hurt her.” His panic was tangible, and he worried that Ranger getting his cryptic text and showing up was his only hope of both of them surviving. It was a long shot and one that he wasn’t willing to sit around and wait to happen.
“Well, that will be up to you,” the other guy said. “You have some information that we need.”
“I don’t know what information that you think that I have, but I’ll tell you anything you want to know, as long as you don’t hurt her,” he said, nodding to Ruby. The fear in her eyes was almost too much for him to bear. Luke would do best not to look at her if he planned on keeping his cool in all of this.
“Where are Joo Won’s wife and two sons?” the tall guy asked. He kept his son trained in Ruby’s side as if Luke’s answer would determine his next move.
“Joo Won,” Luke breathed. That wasn’t a name that he had heard for over five years now. Won was one of the names on their watch list while he was stationed in South Korea. At one point, Won had been a contractor who worked with the American government, but then, he went rogue. He was suspected of espionage against his own country and had ties to the North Korean government. The last thing Luke had heard was that the North Korean government had Won’s family. They were holding them until he agreed to give them the information that they wanted. Won had gone underground just before Luke was shipped back home.
“Was Won the reason why I was sent back stateside?” Luke asked. “Was he the one following me back in South Korea?”
“Now you’re catching on,” the tall guy said. “We almost had you, but then, your government sent you home and for years, you were out of reach. But Won never stopped looking for his family and he’s under the impression that you know where they are.”
“I think Won might believe that my clearance was higher than it actually was. I have no idea where his family is. Even if I did know where they were being held back then, who’s to say that they’re still in that same place and haven’t been moved?” He left out the part about them possibly being killed after so much time because he was sure that would only piss off the two men with guns. That was the last thing that they needed.
“I think our boss is onto something,” the other guy said. “He told us that you knew where to find his family, and I think that still holds true.” He had no clue where Won’s family was. Hell, he’d only heard rumors that they were being held in North Korea back when he was in the military, but he didn’t even know that for certain. If he couldn’t give them a believable answer, he’d end up getting them both killed.
“Fine,” he spat. “I have information, but I won’t hand it over until she’s safe. You want me to tell you where Won’s family is being held, you let her go,” Luke insisted. “It’s the only way that I’ll talk.” He worried that he was pushing them and that they’d hurt Ruby in retaliation. He felt as though he was holding his breath waiting for what their next move would be.
“We let her go and you’ll give us the information that you have about Won’s family?” the tall guy asked.
“Yes,” he breathed. “You have my word.”
“We have more than your word,” the other guy said. “We’ll kill you and then find and kill her if you’re lying to us.”
Luke was sure that they were telling him the truth. They would kill them both if he fucked this up, but this way, Ruby and their unborn child would have a fighting chance. “Understood,” Luke said. “Do we have a deal?”
The second guy shrugged, “Sure,” he agreed. “Let her go.” The tall guy looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, but he followed orders and let Ruby up from the kitchen chair.
“Luke,” she sobbed. The tall guy pushed her past where Luke sat across the room, and he shook his head at her.
“Just go, Ruby,” he insisted. “Please,” he begged. She wiped the tears that were now spilling down her face and nodded.
“I love you,” she whispered as the tall guy practically pushed her out the back kitchen door. He didn’t say it back, he couldn’t speak past the lump that had formed in his throat. If he had, he’d beg her not to go, beg them to let both of them go so that their baby would have two parents, but that would be a mistake. This way, Ruby and his baby would have a fighting chance—even if it would be without him.