Ruby Revenge

HIM

Sitting on the black leather couch in my living room, I was scrolling through my phone, like I’d been doing every morning for months. And like every other day, there was nothing new on Sage’s social media. I typed a quick email explaining there was nothing new and sent it to Samual. The guy wanted daily reports.

I set my phone down and stared absentmindedly out the window. It was six in the morning, and I had no plans for the day. Usually, I would go visit my parents, but a lot had changed this year. My relationship with them was now strained. My dad still hadn’t forgiven me for what happened. The elders were still making sure the search for Sage was ongoing. Although, many of the members had gone back to their lives. Sure, they would say something if they saw her. But they weren’t going out of their way anymore.

If Sage were to move across the country right now, she could probably lead a decently normal life. There weren’t many people in the group that lived out west. Most were on the East Coast and in the Midwest. I’d been fighting with myself for the past week about whether I should tell her that. To move on and leave Michigan. Start a new life. She could do it. She had the motivation and the drive to make it happen.

No. What I should have fucking done was go tell my dad exactly where she was so I could get back to my life. What was I thinking, letting one girl make me question my way of life? She was the reason I’d pulled away from my family. From the society. I’d been doing everything they’d asked. Except admitting that I knew exactly where she was.

The grief I’d witnessed in her eyes was haunting me. The conversation we had in Kalamazoo had gone completely different from how I’d expected. I shared secrets that I had been sworn to protect. Why? I had no damn idea. The less she knew about the society, the better. But when she’d asked, she’d looked so broken, and something inside me wanted to help her understand. I should have known that anyone who hadn’t grown up in this life wouldn’t get it. And by telling her, I’d fucked up the entire situation even more.

If the society found her, I was screwed. There would be nothing stopping her from telling them that I’d known where she was. Especially since she now had information that only people in our group knew. If the elders found out what I’d done, there was no coming back from that. They’d see it as a betrayal. I’d be a liability.

The front door swung open, and I glanced over my shoulder as Geo walked in. Even my relationship with my twin had changed since everything happened up north. He knew me better than anyone and could tell I was keeping things from him. We used to share everything.

“Hey,” he muttered, going straight to the kitchen.

“No food at Mom and Dad’s house?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. We used to live together, but he decided to move back in with our parents until everything calmed down. He was trying to prove he was dedicated to fixing the tension after what happened. Our dad wasn’t happy with either of us, but it bothered Geo more than it did me.

“Mom is on another health kick. There’s nothing but vegetables and fish in the fridge.” He grabbed a bag of chips before falling onto the couch next to me. “You didn’t come over for dinner last weekend.”

“I was busy.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I stopped by, and you weren’t home.”

“I needed to clear my head for a couple days.”

“What’s going on with you?” His food was forgotten as he faced me. “You keep disappearing for days at a time. Ever since that night up north, you’ve been different.”

My stomach clenched, but I forced myself to stay relaxed. I had perfected the exterior of acting like nothing bothered me. I could fool anyone. Except my brother.

“Are you looking for her?” Geo asked, cocking his head to the side.

My jaw ticked. “It was our ceremony. If I find her, I can fix it.”

He swallowed my lie, and my tension eased a bit when he went back to eating the chips. I didn’t need to find her again. She might have left Kalamazoo, but I knew exactly where she was holed up. It had been three weeks since I watched her pack up her two bags and drive from the apartment she had been hiding out in. Following her wasn’t hard. She drove a few hours to another city and checked into a ratty motel. I’d driven out there four times already, and her car hadn’t moved from the spot she had parked in the first day.

“We’ll find her.” He shrugged. “Everyone is looking. And even if she did try to tell someone, she doesn’t have any proof. She fucking burned all the evidence when she lit up the house.”

I nodded in agreement. Everything had burned. Well, almost everything. Geo had managed to save the book in the basement before the flames hit the kitchen. Obviously, the group had other houses, but none that she knew about.

“How’s Dad?” I asked, steering the conversation off Sage.

He sighed. “Still pissed.”

“Shouldn’t have chosen a woman from the same family,” I muttered under my breath. “It should have been a stranger. The Taylor family is too closely connected to us.”

“No suspicion fell on us. They covered up everything up north,” he argued, getting defensive. “What’s with the doubts? The elders know what they’re doing.”

“I know they do.” I stood from the couch and rolled my shoulders. “I’m just sick of everything. These last five months have been hell.”

“It’s not going to last forever. One of us will find her. Or she’ll run out of money. It’s only a matter of time. Until then, maybe you should try to get back in Dad’s good graces like I am.”

“I’ve done everything he and the group have asked,” I snapped, feeling my anger rise.

“I might be the only one who can tell, but if you’re doubting the group, they’re going—”

“I’m not,” I cut him off, deciding right then what I needed to do. “The group comes before anything. Like it has my entire life. Don’t fucking question me, Geo.”

“Where are you going?” he asked as I grabbed my keys.

“Out.”

* * *

I’d been driving for a few hours and was almost there. She wasn’t going to be happy to see me again. Especially after what happened last time. I didn’t care. We were going to talk, whether she liked it or not. I was going to fix what I’d messed up.

I couldn’t let the group find her. Not after what I’d told her. And knowing where she’d been all this time. I couldn’t chance her outing me to the group. I was going to help her disappear. Get her out of Michigan. Give her money. Or whatever else she needed so she could get out of my life. And out of my fucking head. I gritted my teeth as another feeling came over me. She was messing with more than just my head.

Ever since she’d come all over my leg, my dick couldn’t forget about her either.

That wasn’t supposed to happen. She’d been freaking out, and I was trying to calm her down before she got loud enough to attract attention. Her grinding on me was not what I’d expected. Taking my hand off the steering wheel, I changed the radio station to distract myself from those thoughts.

I needed to be more careful this time. She’d surprised the hell out of me with that stun gun. For the months I’d been watching her, the spark of life had been absent from her eyes. But she was still feisty—even more than before. She was fighting for her life, and I had a feeling she’d never stop.