Ruby Revenge

Niko was already stirring. With a groan, he tried to move his arms. He froze and snapped his eyes open. I was near the door, ready to bolt if he got off the couch. The emergency bag that I always kept ready was in hand. My heart was pounding, and my hands trembled slightly. Not from fear. It was from the fact that I’d fought back and got the upper hand. My eyes didn’t leave him as he tried again to pull his hands free. But the knot was holding.

“That fucking hurt. Really, Sage? I told you, I only wanted to talk.”

“Right, and I should just believe you.”

He took a couple of long breaths before speaking again.

“I still want to talk.”

I hesitated, wanting to know how he’d found me so that it wouldn’t happen again.

“Then talk,” I said coldly.

With a grunt, he pulled himself into a sitting position on the couch. He stretched his legs out and crossed one leg over the other. As if he was just relaxing. He flashed his most charming smile at me, but it was forced. It didn’t reach his eyes. The green eyes that looked much darker right now because of the fury that swam in them.

“You’re stronger. I was not expecting that.”

I could hear the surprise in his voice, and my lips twitched upward. I was proud I’d bested him. My fear still had me in a stronghold, but after the last few months, I learned how to fight through it.

I narrowed my eyes. “Spit it out, Niko. What do you want to say?”

He squirmed, trying to get more comfortable with his arms tied behind his back. I could tell how angry he was not to have power over the situation. He might be grinning, but the rage was simmering just below the surface. His shoulders were tensed, and he’d been gritting his teeth since I stunned him.

“I’ve known where you were for a while. Believe me, if I wanted to do more than just talk, I could have. Easily,” he taunted.

“Yeah, but you didn’t. Tell me how you found me,” I demanded.

He shook his head. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“I don’t care.”

“Listen, it doesn’t matter where you go. You can never let your guard down like you did here. Nowhere is safe. I wasn’t lying when I told you that.” His eyes bored into mine.

“So, you’re here to what? Take me back to your cult?”

“No.”

“No?”

“If we had wanted to take you, it wouldn’t have been me coming alone.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I told you. To talk.”

“About what?”

He didn’t answer right away, and the grin faded.

“To warn you. That we’re still looking.”

I tried to gauge the sincerity in his eyes. There was no part of me that trusted him. But I didn’t understand why he had come alone.

“How’d you find me?”

He sighed. “You know that paper you signed when you started going to the gym? I’m guessing you didn’t read the fine print. It gives them permission to use photos of you online. Imagine my surprise when I’m scrolling, and an ad pops up with you in a group class. Pure luck. I almost didn’t recognize you with that hair though.”

My mouth dropped open, and I shook my head, almost in denial. The one thing I needed. The thing that had already helped me was what had gotten me caught. He was right. I didn’t even glance at the paper when I signed it.

“That gym only has three locations. Scouted one out for a few days and then came here. On the second day, I saw you. Followed you here, and that’s pretty much it.”

“You’ve been here watching me for a month?”

His usual attitude returned, and he grinned.

“Don’t give me that look. I only checked up on you a few times to make sure you weren’t doing anything stupid.”

Confusion rocked me. If they had known for a month, then why had they been letting me stay here. Why not just take me? Niko’s words broke through my questioning thoughts.

“They don’t know you’re here,” he said quietly.