Chapter 21: Micah - Keeping Knight

“What do you want to do with these?”

Jester peers over the stack of cardboard boxes stacked high in his arms. “Are they going into storage?” he continues, “or do you want them at Rogue and Sofia’s for now?”

Ruby sets a bubble-wrapped plate in the open box at her feet and turns to look at him. Her brow furrows in concentration as she thinks. “They can go into storage. But you don’t have to carry so many at once. We can come back another day to finish.”

“This is nothing,” he replies with a grin. “I doubt they weigh a hundred pounds combined. And besides.” He glances across the room at Houdini, who’s about to lift a stack of six large boxes. “I’ve got a bet going to see who can move more. Loser has to buy pizza and beer for everyone.”

Houdini looks over at Jester. “You’re not going to win. I’m already twelve boxes ahead and we’re over halfway done.”

“You guys bet on who could carry more boxes?” Ruby asks.

Already headed towards the front door of Ruby’s apartment, Jester glances over his shoulder at us. “Since Knight’s decided to be lazy, we thought a bet might help make things go faster.”

“Lazy?” I toss a roll of tape at him. “I’m helping Ruby pack.”

“Micah can’t carry heavy things yet,” Ruby says. “Doctor’s orders.” Her nose crinkles as she makes a little face at Jester. “Do you want Micah to have lasting muscle damage?”

“Of course not.” He grins at her. “Then I won’t be able to beat him fair and square the next time we spar.”

“Beat me?” I shake my head. “Fat chance. You should hope I have muscle damage. Then you might actually stand a chance of winning.”

Houdini snorts. “Are you guys going to actually work? Or is this all a ploy to get me to do all of it?”

“It’s a ploy,” Jester replies cheerfully as he heads into the hallway. “You caught us.”

“I’m getting the most expensive pizza in the city.” Houdini replies with a smile. “The one with the truffles and edible gold. And some of that mead from the brewery down the street from F&F. You know, the one that costs fifty dollars a bottle?”

“I’ll cover it,” I say. “Since I’m the one who can’t move anything.” Not that I don’t want to. And if Ruby weren’t here, I’d probably ditch the sling and carry my fair share. But it’s only been two weeks since I was shot, and Ruby is still in full-on worry mode. Every time she catches me lifting anything heavier than a feather, she scolds me about it.

“The doctor said it’s important not to push yourself too quickly,” she’ll remind me. “It could cause permanent damage to your muscles. You need to take it easy.”

I can’t be upset about her worrying, because if the positions were reversed, I’d be ten times as bad. If Ruby got shot⁠—

My gut twists.

The very thought of a bullet tearing through Ruby’s body makes me feel sick all over. Most nights, I have nightmares about it—of Henry turning the gun on her instead of me, of the bullet striking her, of her collapsing to the ground, covered in blood—that have me waking in a near-panic, convinced it actually happened.

That’s why I agreed to go to counseling, at Ruby’s suggestion. One night last week, after a particularly bad nightmare, she brought it up. “It’s helping me,” she said. “Not just with the nightmares and flashbacks. But with the guilt.” When I started to respond, she hurried to add, “I know we’re trying to let the guilt go. But it’s hard. Talking with Mabel helps. Maybe if you talk to her, or someone else you feel comfortable with, it might help you too.”

So I said yes, I’d try it. I’ve only had one appointment so far, but already, I think it’s going to help.

“I’ll cover it,” Ruby insists. “It’s my stuff, after all. Isn’t it tradition to buy beer and pizza for everyone who helps you move?”

“Rue, I’ve got it.” Yes, I know she can afford some pizza and beer, even the ridiculously priced stuff Houdini mentioned. But I don’t want Ruby to pay for it. I want to do it myself.

“Micah.” She arches her brows. “You guys are helping me move. That means I cover pizza and beer. And whatever else you want.”

“Fine.” I’m not going to argue about it. “But Houdini’s not buying truffle pizza with gold shit on it. He can have the regular pies from Gio’s.”

“Don’t you mean Pete’s?” Ruby asks. Her lips twitch. “If I’m ordering, then I’m getting pizza from Pete’s.”

“That’s not the name of an authentic pizza joint,” I grumble.

“Pete might be short for Pietro,” she offers. “Would that make it better?”

“It might.” Setting my roll of bubble wrap down, I pull Ruby into a one-armed hug and kiss her. “I’ll have to ask Rogue to look into it. See if Pete really is Pietro.”

She kisses me back. “Or I could just ask the next time I’m there.”

“I guess.” Surveying the room, I try to calculate how many more boxes we’ll need. “I think I’ll ask one of the guys to pick up some more boxes. I’m not sure we have enough.”

“We don’t have to do it all today. I already said that.” As Ruby glances around the living room, her smile droops a little. “I can always tell the realtor to hold off on listing it. If we need more time to pack, that is.”

My heart tugs at the sad look in her eyes. “Rue.” I cup her cheek. “You don’t have to sell. You could keep it. Rent it out. Or if you want, we can live here.” I think for a second. “I can add more security. Reinforce the windows. It wouldn’t be hard.”

She stares at the molding around the doorway to the kitchen before turning back to me. “No. I need to sell. I wouldn’t feel safe living here. And it’s too small. We need more room for Sampson.”

Our plan is to sell both of our places and find a new one together—one without memories of Henry and all the violence he caused. When we talked about it shortly after I left the hospital, Ruby confessed she was afraid to go back to her apartment. “I know it’s safe,” she said. “But I don’t think I can go back there. I’ll always be worrying. I’ll always look at the fire escape and wonder.”

I didn’t want her coming back here, either. I could say it was because of her PTSD, and that would be true. But it’s more than that. I want Ruby to live with me. I want to be there for her when she has a nightmare. I want to wake up every morning with her in my arms. I want everything I got used to in the weeks she stayed with me to continue.

So I asked Ruby to move in with me. “We can sell my place, too,” I explained. “After everything, I don’t want to stay here either. We can find a place together. Another condo. Or maybe a brownstone, like Rogue and Sofia have.”

“With a little yard for Sampson?” she asked. “And do you think we could find one with a solarium?”

“We could absolutely find a place with both,” I told her. And I will. I don’t care how much it costs. If Ruby wants a yard and a solarium, I’ll make sure she has them.

With that agreed on, I put my condo on the market. Ruby got in touch with a realtor. And since I didn’t want Ruby potentially getting triggered by going back to my place, we moved in with Rogue and Sofia temporarily. Which is actually working out really well, because now Ruby has Sofia close by for extra support when she needs it.

Not that I don’t want to give it to her. But Sofia understands in a way I can’t. And Rogue told me the other day that he thinks it’s helping Sofia, too. “It’s still hard for Soph,” he confided. “She doesn’t like to admit it. But having Ruby here… I think it’s helping Sofia, too.”

With a small, resigned sigh, Ruby says, “It’s better to sell. Plus, I need the money to put towards our new place.”

“You don’t need to—” I start.

“Micah.” She gives me a gently stern look. “I want to. It’s important to me.”

“I just don’t want you to regret selling this place,” I tell her. “I know you shared a lot of memories with your dad here.”

“I do. But I have more memories here.” She rests her hand over her heart. “And those I’ll carry wherever I go.”

My chest squeezes. “Rue.”

Her eyes shine a little as she smiles at me. “It’s okay. I’m a little sad, but I’m happy, too. Moving in with you, finding a place together… Those are exciting things. Things to look forward to.”

“They are,” I agree. Drawing her close again, I kiss her forehead. “I’m definitely looking forward to living with you. In our own place.” With a smirk, I add, “Where we can have sex anywhere we want.”

Desire heats her gaze. “Maybe we’ll put up some of that one-way window film? So we can have sex while we watch the sun come up?”

My dick jumps to attention. “I think that could be arranged.”

Ruby’s face lights up. “Good.” Then she narrows her eyes at me. “But not yet. Not until the doctor says it’s safe.”

“Oh, I think it’s safe now,” I reply, my voice going rough. I cup her ass, pulling her against my erection. “In fact, I think sex would be medicinal.”

“Micah.” Her cheeks flush pink. “Jester and Houdini could be back any second.”

“I can tell them to take a break. Grab some coffee. Some overpriced pizza.”

From Ruby’s thoughtful expression, I can tell she’s thinking about it. But after a few seconds, she shakes her head while smiling ruefully. “We can’t. They’re here to help. And anyway, the doctor said we should wait at least another week.”

I knew I shouldn’t have let Ruby come to my last doctor’s appointment with me. Then I could have told her I got the all-clear, and she’d be none the wiser.

Except I don’t lie to Ruby. I don’t hide things, even if I’m worried the truth might upset her. Because if I want us to work out in the long-term, which I do, it’s important that we’re honest with each other.

Ruby steps out of my arms and turns her attention back to the dishes she’s packing. “I’d better get something done before the guys get back. Or they really will think it’s a ploy to get them to do everything.”

“They don’t mind,” I reply while surreptitiously adjusting myself. “They just like to give me shit.”

“Isn’t that what friends do, though?” she asks. “Kylie and Jordan were all over me before I finally introduced them to you. Suggesting I was dating a naked trombone player or an Irish jigger…”

“A naked trombone player?”

Ruby laughs. “You had to be there.”

“Okay…” I’m not sure where naked trombone players and Irish jiggers fit in, but what do I know?

“Don’t worry,” she says with a smile. “Now that they’ve met you, they think you’re completely normal.”

“That’s good,” I say with a chuckle. We met up with Jordan and Kylie last weekend, and it was great seeing Ruby with her friends, finally able to enjoy normal life again. Although I’m not sure how I’ll feel when she wants to go somewhere without me.

“It still freaks me out,” Rogue admitted when I brought the topic up. “The first few months after Sofia was attacked, I was like a damn stalker. I followed her everywhere. But I’ve been trying to be better about it.”

I should feel better about Ruby going places alone now that Henry’s no longer a threat. He’s in jail awaiting trial, and with the evidence we found, plus the confession I recorded, he won’t be a free man for decades, at least.

Or ever, I think darkly. Because I know a guy with connections in the prison system. A guy who used to be a bounty hunter before he joined a security company out on the West Coast. Rafe understands what it’s like, needing to protect the woman you love from a predator. And if I tell him I want to make absolutely sure Henry can never hurt Ruby again, I know he’ll pull some strings to make it happen.

I’m still thinking about it. Maybe I’ll be satisfied with a long prison sentence. Or maybe I’ll decide it’s too much of a risk, and make a call to my old friend.

“Oh.” Ruby sets the last of the plates in the box and folds the flaps down. “I almost forgot. While you and Houdini were moving my bed out to the moving van, I saw Greg.”

“Oh?” Guilt pokes at me. I still feel bad about scaring the guy, even though I don’t regret doing it.

“Yeah.” She tapes the flaps down before continuing, “He said he’s moving to Florida next month. He’s just ecstatic about his sudden windfall.”

“Good.” Glancing at the open door, I lower my voice before adding, “I hope it makes up for everything.”

“Micah.” She smiles. “I think so. You arranged for him to win”—she uses her fingers to make air quotes—“five million dollars. Plus a new house on the beach with living expenses included. I think it’ll help.”

Greg Haverford doesn’t know it came from me, of course. And he never will. As far he knows, he’s the winner of some obscure contest that he doesn’t even remember entering. It can’t erase the fear we caused by interrogating him. But I hope, in time, he’ll be able to move past it.

Ruby puts an empty box on top of the packed one, then comes back over to me. Wrapping her arms carefully around me, she goes up on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “It was a very nice thing to do, Micah. And I know Greg’s going to be very happy there.”

“I hope so,” I reply. “I told my attorney to keep an eye⁠—”

Midway through my sentence, I’m cut off by the high-pitched shriek of an alarm.

Ruby stiffens. All the color drains from her face.

Instinctively, I clutch her to me. Adrenaline surges. My pulse triples in speed.

She trembles in my arms. “Micah.”

Pushing her behind me, I raise my voice to be heard over the ear-splitting sound. “Stay behind me. Hold on to my waistband.”

As soon as I feel the tug of her hand on my pants, I jog into the kitchen to grab my gun from the cabinet beneath the sink. I’ve been carrying it whenever I have Ruby with me—I have a concealed carry permit, of course—but I worry about it being a trigger for her, so I try to keep it out of view as much as possible.

Once my Sig is in hand, I feel slightly better. Not good, not even close to it. Not when the damn fire alarm is going off in the hallway, and my friends are still outside with the moving van, and shit, what if Henry has an accomplice we don’t know about?

Rogue checked. He did a deep dive into Henry’s background. There was nothing even remotely suspicious. Henry’s parents are gone. His sister lives in Tokyo, and she hasn’t travelled back to the States in years. She’s married with a successful husband and three young kids. And when she was questioned about her brother, she didn’t try to cover for him. Instead, she told the police about the hundreds of drawings he kept stashed in his bedroom as a kid—drawings of the girls from school he had crushes on.

“I found them once, and he got so mad,” she recalled. “There were so many of them. There had to be hundreds. And they were all of the same couple of girls. Popular girls he would never have had the courage to ask out. I told our parents about it. But they just brushed it off. He’s creative, they said. Just leave him alone.”

No one thinks the sister is a threat. But what if she is?

Or what if he wasn’t working on his own? Just because he admitted to acting alone doesn’t mean he couldn’t be covering for someone. Maybe he had help hacking into the security camera and Haverford’s computer. Crazier things have happened.

And now we’re right back where we were two weeks ago.

Shit. Did I fail Ruby again?

Ripping off my sling, I toss it aside. Reaching behind me, I grasp Ruby’s hand. “Stay with me,” I order, almost shouting so she can hear me. “Keep close. Don’t let go.”

Out in the hallway, the fire alarm keeps blaring. Flashing blue lights blink on and off. As I tow Ruby through the living room, a hint of smoke hits my nose.

Just as we’re about to reach the front door, Houdini and Jester come racing in.

“Shit,” Jester shouts. Relief washes over his face when he spots me and Ruby. “Are you guys okay?”

Houdini’s expression is thunderous. “What the fuck’s going on?” he barks. “What are the fucking odds?”

“I don’t know!” I yell. The alarm seems to be getting louder. “We need to get Ruby out of here!”

Ruby presses against my back. “Be careful!”

I turn my head to give her a hard and fast kiss. “Stay with me. It’s going to be okay!”

I hope.

Shit, I hope.

In unspoken agreement, Houdini moves in front of me, while Jester takes Ruby’s six. Four of us in a row, we begin hurrying down the hallway towards the stairs. With every step, my body tenses, anticipating the burn of a bullet or the breath-stealing blow of an explosion.

All around us, residents are pouring into the hall. My head is on a swivel, gauging each one as a potential threat. Could Henry have been working with the skinny blonde with the bright red glasses? Or the heavyset man wearing a T-shirt with a pot leaf on the front?

I shouldn’t have brought her here. I should have put it off. I should have paid for some damn movers, despite Ruby’s insistence on packing herself. I should have—shit. I should have done something instead of screwing up all over again.

“Wait! Wait!” A reedy voice to my left catches my attention. “Wait!”

My fingers tighten around my Sig, hidden beneath my shirt. My gaze cuts in the direction of the voice, unsure of what to expect. A woman in trouble? A woman with a weapon, intent on hurting Ruby?

“Wait!” The woman catches my arm. She’s white-haired, about seventy or so, and looks oddly familiar. “Can you help? Please?”

But I don’t want to help her. I want to get Ruby out of here.

Except the decision is taken out of my hands. Ruby drops my waistband and turns to the woman. “Mrs. Davis?” Ruby yells. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Ruby pokes me in the side. “Micah. She needs help!”

Shit.

Shoving Ruby behind me again, I face the older woman. “Do you need us to carry you out of here?” I jerk my head at Houdini. He can carry her out no problem. And that’ll still leave Jester to have Ruby’s back.

“No!” Mrs. Davis shouts. “I need help putting out the fire!” She gestures at an open doorway up ahead. Smoke is billowing from it. “I burnt—” Then she gestures again. “The stupid fire extinguisher! I can’t get it to work!”

“I’ve got it,” Houdini barks. Then he races into the woman’s apartment. Less than thirty seconds later, he comes jogging back out. His lips are rolled in like he’s trying not to laugh. “Fire’s out!”

From the other end of the hallway, Greg Haverford comes running towards us. His hair is sticking up like he just woke up from a nap. His eyes are wild and worried. “What happened?” he yells. “Where’s the fire?”

Before anyone can answer, the fire alarm cuts off.

The older woman’s hands flutter nervously. “It was me. I’m so sorry!” She glances at me, Houdini, and Jester clustered around Ruby in a protective circle. “Oh, my.” Her eyes widen. “Well. Ruby. Your friends are certainly something.”

My heart is still racing. I’m not convinced it’s safe. I want to throw Ruby over my shoulder and carry her out of here. But now that the alarm is off, and we’re all standing around like we’re having a normal conversation…

“They are,” Ruby replies. She comes out from behind me and presses close to my side. I can feel her shaking. Her face is far too pale. But she takes a steadying breath to gather herself. “What happened, Mrs. Davis?”

“Oh, the biscuits,” the older woman says. Her hands flutter again. “I was making biscuits, and then I got wrapped up in this TV show. These couples were dating, but they couldn’t see each other. So they had to decide if they liked each other sight unseen.” She makes a skeptical face. “Lovely concept. But I don’t believe it.”

I quickly scan the hallway. Aside from me and Ruby, Houdini, Jester, Mrs. Davis, and Haverford—who thankfully doesn’t recognize me without the silicone mask on—it’s empty. The smoke is already fading. The emergency lights are still blinking, but without the alarm sounding, everything feels less threatening.

Still. I’m not letting down my guard.

“The fire?” Haverford urges. He doesn’t look worried anymore. He just looks annoyed. “Is it out?”

“Yes,” Houdini says. I notice him hunching a little, trying to keep Haverford from noticing how tall he is. “I put it out. Fortunately, the damage doesn’t seem too bad. I opened a window, too. So the apartment should be airing out.”

“It was the biscuits,” Mrs. Davis repeats. “Those stupid biscuits. And the show. I got distracted and I forgot to check on them. I didn’t realize they were burning until the smoke alarm came on.”

Ruby stares at the other woman. “You burnt your biscuits?”

“I did. I’m so sorry.” Glancing at Haverford, Mrs. Davis says, “I’m sorry, Greg. I know you wanted your last month here to be quiet. I promise I won’t start any more fires until you’re gone.”

Haverford covers his mouth with his hand. He makes a sound halfway between a laugh and a cough. “That would be very nice, Mrs. Davis. Thank you.”

Ruby tugs on my arm. “Should we go outside? Or back to my apartment?”

“We’ll check the building,” Jester says. “Why don’t you wait outside until we’re sure it’s clear.”

I nod at Jester. “Thanks.” Then I put my arm around Ruby’s waist and hustle her to the stairs. As soon as we reach the stairwell, I lift her into my arms, koala style, and carry her the three flights down to the lobby. Only when we’re out on the sidewalk do I put her down again.

“Micah,” she scolds. “You shouldn’t have been carrying me.”

“I needed to,” I admit as I pull her into my embrace. “And I’m fine.”

She tilts her head back to meet my gaze. Some of the color is back in her cheeks. The panic I saw in her eyes earlier is gone. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Framing her face with my hands, I lean down to kiss her. “I’m sure. Are you?”

“Yes.” After a brief hesitation, Ruby adds, “I was scared. When the alarm went off. I thought… maybe it was happening again.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Her hand comes to my cheek. “You protected me. Even though it ended up just being Mrs. Davis’ burnt biscuits. And I wasn’t scared like I was before. Because you were there.”

“Rue.”

“I love you, you know.” Ruby holds my gaze. “So much.”

Warmth swells in my chest. My heart squeezes. “I love you, too. And I will always, always protect you.”

The corner of her mouth pulls up. “Even from biscuits?”

I smile. “Even biscuits.”

“It’s kind of fitting, when I think about it,” she says.

“What is?”

Ruby grins at me. “The biscuits. Since you burned ours in class and all.”

A laugh rolls out of me. “I thought you said it wasn’t my fault they burned.”

She giggles. “I was just trying to make you feel better.”

“Rue.” I kiss her again, this time taking my time with it. When we break apart, I just look at her for a moment, memorizing everything.

How beautiful she is.

How her smile lights me up from inside.

How she shows me in so many ways that she loves me.

“I really, really love you,” I tell her. “Signing up for that class was the best decision I ever made.”

“Micah.” Her eyes shine as she looks at me. “I really, really love you. And I couldn’t agree more.”