Surrender (Steel Brothers Saga 6)

She took a sip of her now refilled glass. “Melanie…”

“Yeah?”

“I’d appreciate it if you…didn’t tell anyone I was here. You know, since it’s no longer technically my case and I’m off the clock.”

“Of course. Except I would like your permission to talk to my…” My what? What was Jonah to me now? Until I knew, and until I had his and Talon’s permission to discuss their situation with Ruby, I had better keep mum. “Never mind.”

“You want to talk to someone else about this?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Fair enough. But this isn’t a secret as far as I’m concerned. I’m not out to protect my father.”

I took a sip of wine. “Then there are a few people I’ll need to tell, but I don’t know when. In the meantime, do you mind talking a little bit about Gina?”

“No, I can talk about it. I’ve come to terms with what happened—well, as best as I can.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have to remember that I didn’t know Gina until I met my father. She was quite a bit younger than I was, by about eight years. And in case you’re wondering, that makes me thirty-two.” Ruby smiled. “I’m not one of those women who has problems telling people how old she is.”

“I’m not either. I’m forty, if you want to know.”

“You look great.”

I laughed. “So do you.” She truly did. Her skin was flawless. Even without makeup, she had a lovely natural blush to her complexion. Why she downplayed her looks, I didn’t know, but I had my suspicions.

“Thanks. Anyway, when I ran away, I was fifteen, and Gina was seven. It wasn’t until she found me as an adult that she told me what my father had done to her. I’ve always felt a lot of guilt about that. If I hadn’t left, he would’ve done it to me, and perhaps she would have been spared.”

Guilt. It emanated from Ruby like a black aura.

Seemed everyone I’d met lately was suffering with guilt…along with me.

“You can’t take that on your shoulders,” I said. “What your father did to Gina lies at his feet, not at yours. Not at anyone’s except his.”

“Yeah, I know all that. And I know you’re a shrink— Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

I let out a chuckle. “It’s okay. We’re all used to that.”

“Oh, good. I guess. Anyway, I know that. I’ve actually gone through a few counseling sessions through work. But it’s hard to shake, you know?”

How I did know. “Believe me, I understand. I’ve spent the better part of the last six months wondering where I went wrong with Gina. If she was suicidal, why didn’t I see something in our sessions?” I shook my head. “Guilt is enough to kill you sometimes.”

She nodded. “That’s for sure. For what it’s worth, I don’t blame you for Gina’s death.”

“Thank you. That means a lot. Her parents do, though. They filed a grievance against me with the medical board, and now they’re suing me for malpractice, as well.”

“You’re kidding me.”

I took a sip of wine. “Nope.”

Ruby shook her head. “That takes a lot of nerve.”

“Why do you say that?”

She let out a sarcastic laugh. “Because they both knew exactly what was going on with my father.”

Chapter Six