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When he spoke, his voice was devoid of emotion
"You need to stay home until we ned to you, since the other one obviously can’t do his job He’s in the car behind me Ruby, if you leave the house, he has orders to arrest you" He didn’t react to her incredulous expression "If that’s the only way to keep you fro yourself, so be it You interfered with an investigation this afternoon The choice is no longer mine"
Ruby absorbed his callously delivered words, then nodded tightly Intent on hiding the pain curling through her systehtened her spine and placed one hand on the door handle "If you leave ether Don’t ever coive you the tiaze
"That’s a pro, painful seconds to respond, but besides ain his jaw and the accelerated rise and fall of his chest, he showed no reaction
Ruby got out of the car and closed the door behind her She refused to turn around and show hiive anyone the satisfaction of seeing her cry If he’d truly wanted to hurt her, he’d succeeded with flying colors It felt as though her heart was trying to claw its way out of her chest
As she reached the door, keys in hand, she saw it stood slightly ajar She hesitated for awhether or not she should go in Occasionally, the restaurant workers from downstairs used the stairwell to smoke, especially in winter Today, however, she felt a little junized it right away froht, save the fact that her friend was in pain, she pulled open the door and went inside
Bowen lay in the far corner, writhing on the floor and holding his ribs, his face covered in blood He looked up at her, apology in his half-swelled-shut eye
"I’m sorry, Ruby, I tried to stop therabbed her fro car, watching Ruby walk toward her building Every step she took in the opposite direction filled him with more andthat he go to her, carry her up the stairs, and hold her until the sickening fear passed If it ever did No a into Brooklyn, knowing once he got there his tea, Ruby helpless in the crossfire When they’d pulled up as she’d exited, he’d been staggered by relief, but the emotion had fast been replaced by fury
Fury over Ruby putting herself in such a vulnerable position Fury over her secretiveness
Fury at hi what she had planned
It felt so incredibly familiar He’d experienced it before, the split second of fear where he realized the person he would die for without hesitation hadn’t even given him the damn chance Only this time, the split second had stretched into an intolerable fifteenbut Ruby aunfire His worst fear realized
He had to believe this was the right thing to do
The farther she stayed froed to distance herself
froratiated herself with the same crowd On his behalf If she’d never le-mindedness, today wouldn’t have happened Their relationship could have easily been responsible for her death today
As she pulled the door open to her building and disappeared from his view, Troy felt it slam behind her like a physical blow She hadn’t even looked back once
Already he ered in the car, taunting hi hi her on his pillow In his bed