“Ruby!” She skidded on the slippery tiles in her excitement to see me, slamming into my legs. “Hey, baby. I missed you so much. Are you okay?” She thrashed her head around, pushing into my hands as I rubbed her head and neck. Her whole body wagged with her tail, and little grunting, sniffling noises escaped her throat. “What did the vet say?” I found Brad smiling at us when I raised my eyes. Hands hidden in the pockets of his jeans, he turned the power of that steely gaze on me. I felt it pulling me in, urging my heart to embrace him. I yanked my eyes back to Ruby.
“She had bruised ribs and a knock on her head. No permanent damage. She’s on pain meds for a few days, but she’ll be fine.”
My fingers encircled her ears as I rested my forehead to hers. “Thank goodness. I’m so sorry, Rubes,” I whispered. She snorted in my face, making me giggle.
“Are you all right?”
No. “Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks for bringing her to me.”
I couldn’t look at him. It tore at me, recalling the look in his eyes as he ordered me to leave. I love him with every part of me, but he’d never love all of me back. Not now that he knew.
“Are you coming home?” The last word broke from his throat.
“I’m living here for now, until the sale of Granny’s place goes through, and I can find a place of my own.”
“What? No, Veronica.” His eyebrows lowered, mouth drawing in a tight line. “I didn’t want you to leave forever. I just needed some space to deal with the bombshell you dumped in my lap.”
“Oh, I dumped it there, huh? I never asked for any of this.” My arm swept between us.
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Look, Brad, you don’t want me. Not really. You’ll look at me and see all the bad shit that’s happened. You’ll see your dead sister. You’ll always be dealing with me spacing out and having bad dreams. It’s best if we just called it quits.” I chewed the side of my mouth and swallowed back tears.
“I look at you and I see the future, not the past.”
Oh, Jesus. I wished I could believe him, but I’d been burned so many times.
“I can’t do this.” I shook my head. “I can’t. Please … just go.” Gripping onto Ruby’s collar, I watched as he scrubbed the back of his head, his chest rising and falling in a harsh movement. He left, clicking the door quietly behind him.
I kept my composure enough to get Ruby a bowl of water and settle back on the couch. And then, I let go. Breaking into wracking sobs as my heart bled out for what would never be.
Brad
Alcohol hummed through my blood, muffling my senses. The couch held my weight, something I’d find challenging if I had to do it on my own right now. I switched on the TV for a distraction.
“… where it has been alleged that the office of high profile lawyers, Lindstrom and Associates, also acted as the base for an exclusive underground club where women were subjected to sexual exploitation and untold horrors. Forensics are seizing evidence as we speak. The investigation is expected to be ongoing for months to come. Perhaps most disturbing are the allegations that several high-profile members of the courts and the police may be involved. Back to you, Jim.”
I almost punched my finger through the red button on the remote. I didn’t want to hear that shit.
I wished I could go back in time and tell myself to stay in Rocky. Tell my parents not to get on the plane. Or sell Gran’s house and move to Sydney. Why didn’t I do that? I took another swig of beer, flopping back to fiddle with my phone, until the screen went fuzzy and my eyelids drooped closed.
Bang, bang, bang.
My sticky eyes eased open. The effort required was too much. I grunted when someone pounded on the door, as a headache pounded inside my skull.
“Fuck!” I shoved my head in my hands, and silently cursed myself for speaking.
“Open up! I know you’re in there.”
Ben. Shit. He wouldn’t stop banging until I let him in. I heaved to the side, rolling off the couch to my hands and knees so I could crawl to the door. My arm stretched up to twist the lock, draining the last of my energy. I flopped back against the hallway wall, legs outstretched so he had to step over me to get in.
“Mate.” He pinched his nose as he shut the door. “Ever heard of a shower?”
“Sprays water at you. Dirt goes down the drain?” I slapped a hand over my eyes when he flicked on the light, and then cursed again because that fucking hurt.
“That’s the one.”
“It’s down the hall. Help yourself.”
“Throw yourself in there, dickhead. You smell like a locker room in a brewery.”
“Mm. Maybe in the morning.” I let my shoulders slide sideways so I could go back to sleep on the floor.
“Nuh uh. Get up.” Pain lanced through my head as he gripped me under the arms and dragged me up.
“Fuck! My head!” Leaning back on the wall, I wrapped my fingers over my face. “What’re you doing here, anyway?”
His voice drifted from the direction of the kitchen. “You called me.”
Bad decision.
I felt a tap on my wrist, and dropped my hands.
“Here, take these.” His hands offered up a glass of water in one, and a blister pack of paracetamol in the other.
Taking the water, I gulped down half the glass. He popped out two capsules and dropped them in my palm. “Thanks, mate.”
“You’re welcome, wanker,” he said, scowling at me.
