Page 50 of The Hellkeeper

“This is my brother, Theo,” she says, introducing the guy sitting next to her.

Theo stands, offering a polite smile.

“Hey,” he says.

I shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Theo’s visiting for a few weeks,” Ruby explains. “I figured, hey, we’re all here, might as well introduce everyone.”

I nod along, scanning the menu.

Ruby suddenly perks up. “Oh! Did you ever finish those romance books I recommended?”

I wince. “About that…”

“Amelia!”

“I got distracted!” I protest.

“With what?”

I open my mouth, then close it. Yeah, no way am I telling her that a jealous, raging man showed me he could get me off better than words on paper.

“Life,” I say instead.

Ruby sighs dramatically. “She’s hopeless.”

Theo chuckles. “I mean, I kinda get it. I don’t really read romance either.”

Ruby gasps, clutching her chest. “Betrayal.”

“You act like it’s a crime.” I grumble.

“It should be!” she declares. “But fine, maybe I can find something with romance and… I don’t know, mystery? Suspense? We can all read it.”

“That could work.”

Theo shrugs. “If there’s a solid plot, I’m in.”

Ruby’s face lights up. “There we go!”

I hum in acknowledgment, sipping my coffee. “So, Theo, what do you do?”

“Oh, he’s—”

Theo cuts her off. “I work in security.”

“That sounds interesting.”

Theo nods. “It has its moments.”

And just like that, the conversation flows easily. I let the rhythm of their voices soothe my mind.

“You know, Theo teaches me self-defense all the time. Maybe he could show you a thing or two? A girl can never be too safe.”

“Yeah, if you ever want to learn—”

A voice cuts through the conversation like a blade.

---