Chapter 1
Chapter One
Ruby Whitestone heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet. She set down the bottles of hair color she’d been organizing on the counter.
“Haley? What are you up to?”
There was more running, and then a giggle. Ruby couldn’t even be annoyed that her daughter had somehow escaped from the pack and play—again. The girl was a mini-Houdini.
But a salon was no place for an eighteen-month-old to explore. All the hair chemicals and curling irons. The possible dangers gave Ruby hives whenever she had to bring Haley in with her, which happened too often lately.
It was after closing time, and the other stylists were gone, but that just meant fewer eyes keeping watch.
“Where are you, bug?”
Ruby followed the giggles until she spied two little shoes hiding beneath a salon chair. She looked behind it.
“Boo, Mama!” Haley clapped her hands.
Ruby wanted to smile and laugh, because it was freaking adorable, but she didn’t want to encourage this game of hide and seek.
The front door opened with a whoosh of street noise. The salon was located on Ocean Lane, just steps away from the beach, set amidst the hippest commercial block in all of West Oaks.
“Hey, anybody home?” Chase Collins’s smooth voice boomed across the salon.
“We’re over here,” Ruby called out.
“Did somebody escape her pack and play again?”
“You know it.” She bent over to pick up her daughter. “Mommy said no, Haley. You have to stay put when we’re in the salon. It’s not safe.” Even though, silently, she praised her daughter for her independent spirit. Ruby wanted to raise a girl who was just as loud and unapologetic as she was.
Haley frowned, and Ruby held her baby tight, closing her eyes for a brief moment as fear settled around her heart. She couldn’t lose this precious girl. But her fear had little to do with any of the dangers around her workplace, and everything to do with those text messages on her phone.
We need to talk.
Some of the worst words anyone could say. Especially when they came from your loser, deadbeat ex-boyfriend.
Chase strode toward them in his dark blue police uniform.
His hair was buzzed at the sides, slightly longer on top.
Ruby had known him for over a year, but she’d seen older pictures of him on his social media.
He’d had the exact same haircut back when he’d been a Marine. Chase was reliable that way.
“Got here as soon as I could,” he said.
“Thank you so much for this. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Happy to do it.”
Ruby handed over Haley, who immediately grabbed hold of his nose. “Guncle Chay-Chay.”
“Hi to you too, princess.” His voice sounded nasally.
“Don’t call her princess. You’re setting up the expectation that a man will swoop in to save her.”
“Like I’m doing for you right now?”
Ruby scoffed. “Hardly. I appreciate the babysitting. But I’m no princess.”
Chase smirked. Haley’s laughter turned to delighted shrieks as he tickled her stomach.
“Shouldn’t she want a significant other who treats her like a princess?” Chase asked. “Who spoils her and takes care of her?”
“You mean, who tries to control her?”
Chase shook his head. “Not what I said. Is somebody grumpy today?”
“No, just not in the mood for you to poke at me. You’re worse than Devon.” Her older brother, who happened to be Chase’s best friend.
“Why? Something wrong?” His ice-blue eyes were studying her, head tilted. Of course, he’d picked up on her anxiety. Chase was obnoxiously perceptive sometimes.
“Nope. I just have a thing, and Mrs. Murtree was sick again.” She looked past his shoulder and saw her after-hours appointment arriving. “I’m meeting with Lana to go over things for the wedding. Such a demanding client.”
Lana Marchetti came through the door, followed by Aurora Bennett.
“Haley’s here!” Aurora squealed, dashing over to give the baby a kiss.
“Hey, I’m here too,” Chase said.
“Hi, Chase. Didn’t mean to leave you out.” Aurora kissed his cheek.
There were lots of hugs and more kisses as they all greeted one another.
“Lana, Ruby said you’re being a total Bridezilla.” Chase winked.
“Well, it’s supposed to be my day.” Lana poised one hand on her hip and pouted, which was all the more ridiculous because she was one of the most no-nonsense women Ruby had ever met. Lana worked in the West Oaks District Attorney’s Office prosecuting criminals.
Aurora huffed, making a lock of blond hair fly away from her forehead. “I wish you would be more opinionated about this event. It’s not easy to plan a wedding when the bride’s too busy working to make any decisions.”
Lana wrapped an arm around Aurora. “I trust you. You’re the best event planner I know.”
“I’m the only event planner you know. Everybody else is a lawyer or a cop or a bodyguard.”
“Or a stylist,” Ruby chimed in. She grabbed the diaper bag and handed it to Chase.
“I should be home by eight. Can you make sure she’s had dinner and some storytime?
And don’t let her trick you into more than one Jell-O cup.
It’s gross, but she loves that stuff. Mom gave her the kind with artificial coloring last week, and she barfed green. ”
“The usual. I got it.”
Ruby knew he did. Chase was an unofficial part of the Whitestone family. A fixture in Haley’s life, and in Ruby’s. But this was the over-protective mom in her talking.
“Have fun with Gunkle Chay-Chay. Be wise.” She liked telling her daughter to be wise, instead of being “good.” Being good didn’t protect a girl from getting stepped all over and abandoned.
Neither did being “bad,” as Ruby could tell from personal experience.
She wished she’d been wiser. About so many damned things.
Haley and Chase both waved as he walked out the door. Ruby watched them get into Chase’s truck, which already had a spare car seat inside it.
There goes my heart, she thought.
“Speaking of weddings,” Lana said. “When are you going to marry that one?”
“Who, Chase?” Ruby made a face, and Aurora groaned.
“We’re not supposed to tease her about Chase anymore, L,” Aurora said. “They’re just friends.”
“Right. And Max and I were just ‘friends’ before we got together.”
Time for a subject change. Ruby walked over to her chair and pointed at it. “Sit down, Bridezilla. We have work to do.”
In about a month, Lana would marry Max Bennett, the owner of Bennett Security.
They’d been in love but apart for a million years or something, so their engagement had been relatively short.
Ruby was doing the hair and makeup for both the bride and Aurora—her brother Devon’s girlfriend—who’d be the maid of honor.
In the past, Aurora and Devon had both pestered Ruby about her closeness with Chase. But she truly felt nothing for him but friendship. And a hell of a lot of gratitude for being an honorary uncle to her daughter.
Chase was a wonderful guy, even if he pulled the annoying big brother routine on her sometimes. She could always count on him to step up. But when it came to attraction, he wasn’t Ruby’s type. He was a muscular jock. A Prince Charming who’d make some princess happy one day.
Ruby tended to go for messier, rougher, tattooed guys. Unpredictable guys. Because she had a rebellious streak like that. A streak the rest of her family didn’t even know about, which went along with the trail of star tattoos on her hip. Straight-laced guys didn’t do it for her.
Especially not military guys. Or cops. And Chase was both.
“Did you bring the veil?”
Lana nodded, holding up a bag.
They spent the next hour planning out Lana and Aurora’s hair and makeup for the big day.
These were some of the people Ruby loved most in the world. As she set the veil on Lana’s head, laughing and joking with her friends, Ruby wished she could tell them what was going on.
But Mickey was her mess. Her problem. She was going to fix it.
I’m Haley’s father, he’d texted. I have rights.
Like hell he did.
If that asswipe thought he could waltz into their lives after abandoning them when Ruby was pregnant, he had another thing coming.
Ruby parked her car in front of the apartment building, double-checking the address against the one in Mickey’s last text.
She pushed out a breath. This would be the first time seeing him in almost two years. Not since she’d told him she was pregnant. And if she’d had her way, she’d have gone a whole lot longer without seeing his face.
Mickey Waverley lived in Los Angeles, but he’d rented this apartment in West Oaks. To prove I’m serious, he’d said in his text.
After a quick check of her makeup in the rearview mirror, she got out of the car.
It was stupid how much care she’d taken when she’d dressed that morning.
Ruby had worn a deep purple, off-the-shoulder top and straight-legged jeans.
Earrings made of tiny strips of wood dangled to either side of her neck, a gift she’d bought herself from a fair for local artisans.
But she wanted to prove to Mickey that she was doing great without him. She’d never asked for money, though his family was swimming in it. Never asked for a damn thing.
Mickey wanted some sort of custody of Haley. He’d claimed he was sorry for being absent from Haley’s life and wanted to make up for it. But with his family’s money, he could hire the best lawyers. How was Ruby ever going to compete with that?
Her brother had already nearly worked himself into the ground trying to provide for Ruby and their mother. She couldn’t let him do that again. She was proud of being a single mom, and she was strong enough to make it on her own.
But what if joint custody wasn’t enough for Mickey?
What if he tried to take Haley away?
Her sandals thudded on the pavement as she walked toward the building. Her heart hammered her ribcage, and she rubbed her chest. Calm down, she told herself. If she didn’t, she was going to hyperventilate.
A moving truck was parked by the curb, and someone had propped open the building’s front door. It was a nice place, with a renovated lobby and mail room. Lots of potted plants. She could smell the ocean, which was just a few blocks away. Only the best for Mickey. The cocky asshole.
Once, she’d thought his confidence was sexy. It was maybe the single thing in the world Mickey had in common with Chase.
Not that she thought of Chase as sexy. Ew. That would’ve been weird.
All this stress was scrambling her brain. Ruby shook off that train of thought.
One of the elevators was blocked off for the movers, so Ruby took the other to the fourth floor.
The elevator dinged, and Ruby stepped out. She passed an open doorway and saw the movers unwrapping plastic from somebody’s couch.
The apartment numbers were counting up, which meant Mickey’s place would be at the end of the hall. Her anger grew with every step.
How dare he think he could reappear now, after all she’d had to sacrifice to get this far on her own? Leaving all her friends, moving out of LA. Moving in with her mom. Thank goodness Ruby had her own place now, but that was only because she’d kicked ass building up a loyal clientele at the salon.
Her fists clenched. I am not letting him take Haley away from me.
She spotted his door. Number 429. It was cracked open, like he was eager to see her. Like he couldn’t wait for this little chat. Defiant words sprang to Ruby’s tongue. She was going to tell him exactly where he could shove his—
There was a grunt inside the apartment. A crash and a heavy thud.
What the hell?
“Mickey?” Her fingers reached out and pushed on the door. It swung open.
Ruby gasped.
Mickey was on the ground, his blond hair plastered to his forehead, arm outstretched as he crawled toward the doorway.
There was a trail of blood behind him on the wooden floor.
His eyes lifted. His hand reached for her, fingers red. Blood poured from his throat. His mouth opened like he was trying to speak, but nothing came out.
Mickey. Oh my god.
Ruby wasn’t sure if she’d said that aloud, or just in her head. She rushed forward and knelt. Mickey’s hand landed on her wrist. His eyes pleaded.
“It’s okay. Hold on.” Quickly, she turned him over, trying to push her hands over the wounds, but there was too much. Just too much. “I’ll—I’ll get something to stop the bleeding. It’s going to be okay.”
Ruby looked around for a kitchen. She needed a towel. There was a doorway to the right, and she started toward it.
Then a chill of terror ran through her body.
There was someone in that room, hiding behind the open door.
An eye, watching her through the crack.
Oh, god. No. Get out. Get out.
Ruby’s pulse rushed in her ears. Her feet turned and took her out of the apartment. She wanted to scream and run, but it was like her brain wasn’t fully attached to the rest of her anymore.
It was like being inside of a nightmare. Totally surreal.
She reached the apartment with the movers and walked inside, shutting the door behind her. Ruby set the lock and fixed the chain into place.
“Please. I need help.” Her voice sounded strange. Far calmer than she felt.
A tall guy in a T-shirt and shorts looked over, then did a double take. “Shit! What happened?”
“Mickey’s hurt. Call 911. The police.” The guy was just staring at her, so she said it again. “Call the police.”
“Okay. Okay.” He got out his phone and dialed. But he didn’t take his eyes off her.
Ruby looked down, trying to see what he was seeing.
Her hands were covered in red. Red on the knees of her jeans.
She felt her eyes roll back, and everything turned dark, and she was falling.