Page 55 of Damian
The man outside laughed, low and cruel. “You think that little popgun’s going to stop me?”
I swallowed hard, sweat slick on my palms. “Try me.”
Silence followed, thick and menacing. For one horrible moment I thought he’d given up. Then came the metallic scrape—tools on the lock.
He was going to pick his way in.
Ruby whimpered behind me. “Morgan, what if he—”
“He won’t.” My voice cracked, but I forced steel into it. “He won’t, because Damian’s coming. And until then, it’s just you and me, Rubes. Like it’s always been. I won’t let them take you again.”
The lock clicked faintly under pressure. The doorframe moaned.
I tightened my grip, brought the pistol up, and aimed dead center. My heartbeat filled my ears, drowning out everything else.
If he came through, I would shoot. No hesitation. No regret.
The scrape stopped. Silence pressed against the house.
Then, softly, right against the door: “You’ve got fire. I like that.”
My stomach twisted, bile burning my throat.
The sound of retreating footsteps followed, slow and deliberate. Gravel crunched. A car door slammed. The distant growl of an engine rumbled into the night.
But I didn’t lower the gun. Not yet. Not until Damian was back and I knew—really knew—we were safe.
Ruby opened her door again, tears in her eyes, trembling so badly she could hardly stand. “He’s gone?”
I shook my head, my own hands shaking. “No. He’ll be back.”
74
Morgan
Ididn’t lower the pistol until my arms burned. Even then, I kept it in my lap as I sank onto the sofa, eyes locked on the door like sheer willpower could keep it closed.
Ruby edged into the room, her blanket wrapped around her shoulders like armor. She sat beside me without a word, pressing her knee to mine. For a long time, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the ticking clock and the hollow thud of my heartbeat.
Finally, Ruby whispered, “He knew your name.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
“And mine.” Her voice broke on the last word. “He knew about me.”
I turned to her, cupping her face in my hands. “Listen to me, Rubes. That’s on them, not on you. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Her chin trembled. “I’m not brave like you.”
I huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Are you kidding? You stayed quiet when he was at the door. You didn’t scream, didn’t run. That’s brave.”
She looked at me like she wanted to believe it, then finally nodded. Her head dropped against my shoulder, the blanket spilling over both of us. I pulled her close, holding her the way I used to when the nightmares after Dad died left her shaking.
But this was different. This wasn’t a nightmare we could wake from.
My eyes stung, but I refused to let the tears fall. Damian’s face flashed in my mind instead—his steady hands, his voice promising he’d come back, the way he’d kissed me like nothing else in the world mattered.
“Where is he now?” Ruby asked, her words muffled against my shoulder.
