Page 9 of Cursed by Death (Ruby Jane #1)

T he ride back to my place with the Detective was filled with tense silence and very much was not my best work.

I should have asked him where he wanted me to drop him off at but not only were my hands glued to the steering wheel but it appeared that my tongue seemed to be glued to the roof of my mouth. I couldn’t speak even if I had wanted to.

And I didn’t really want to, because what would I even say that could explain or even rationalize any of that? There was nothing.

Guess he was coming home with me. Maybe I could simply park, get out, and he could switch seats in order to take Thomas’s car home with him for the night. Hell, he could keep the car for all I cared, it’s not like I needed it and I was filthy rich. If I wanted a car I could simply go out and buy a new one.

The drive took a while and I was starting to get concerned because he still hadn’t said anything and he was looking a bit… constipated.

We were five minutes away when I lost the battle and opened my stupid mouth. “Are you mad at me? Because you’re looking a little mad right about now. And I don’t really get it. It’s not like I asked you to show up there. I never wanted that. A fool could have told you just how stupid it was for a person such as yourself to go there. You’re lucky to be alive right now. And your car is toast. I really hope it wasn’t a work issued vehicle.”

Okay, so I hadn’t meant to berate him like that. Apparently, I cared more than I thought I did, I had to or I wouldn’t be this upset about it.

“A person such as myself?” he whispered in a dangerous voice.

I knew I should keep my mouth shut but I just couldn’t seem to do it. The whole night had been a disaster and he could have made it so much worse by being there. “That badge might do you a lot of favors but not in a place like that. Going there was the stupidest thing you could ever have done. I’m sorry but it’s true. And now you’re on the shifters radar. They aren’t going to forget that or you any time soon. They’re probably going to actually seek you out now. You just made everything so much worse. What the hell were you thinking?”

I smacked the steering wheel in a fit of rage. All it did was serve to hurt my hand.

He said nothing, not a word the entire rest of the way to my home. It was infuriating.

I parked in the garage and we both got out. We stared at each other over the top of the car and I had no idea what he was thinking but I did know I no longer wished to argue with him. As quickly as my anger had come on it burned out even faster.

All I wanted to do was go inside and go to bed because I was beyond tired.

“I left the keys in the ignition for you. You can use it and keep it for however long you need to. I don’t care and I have other vehicles. Thank you for showing up for me tonight, even if it was the stupidest thing you could have possibly done. I might not act like it but I do appreciate it. Have a good night, Detective.”

He still said nothing so I left him there. If there was ever a time where I did not want to be in my big house all alone tonight was that night. I usually did not mind being alone all the time, I very much enjoyed my own company. But tonight, I felt raw, vulnerable even, and I really just wanted someone to hold me through the night.

Perhaps I should make a call, have the company I go through send company over for the night. I had been using them since I turned eighteen. I’ve not had a bad experience yet.

Maybe I would have them send me two men for the night. I was feeling extra needy and I was always greedy in the bedroom.

I was punching in the code to open up the front door and someone grabbed me by the arm and spun me around. The Detective loomed over me, glaring down at me.

He was clearly still pissed at me and I couldn’t even say that I blamed him.

It had been a rough night for the both of us.

“What do you want from me, Ruby?” he growled in that deliciously deep voice of his. “I offered you friendship. But the way you’ve been looking at me tells me you want something entirely different and I’m going to tell you right now that it’s not going to happen. I can’t give you that. I can’t give anyone that. I’m too fucked up and I don’t date because no one deserves my brand of fucked up. Part of it’s the job. Part of it’s just me.”

Oh, I was being rejected by the good Detective and it was completely embarrassing, to say the least.

Had I really been that obvious? I had let my guard down with him. I wouldn’t make that mistake a second time.

And, really now, who said anything about dating? I wanted him to fuck me, not hold my hand and take me out to dinner, for fuck’s sake.

“Not to mention, you’re too fucking young for me. I’m an old man compared to you. You need to find someone your own age. Settle down with them. Have yourself some babies. I’m not good for any of that.”

I wanted to vomit.

Have some babies? Settle down?

When had I said I wanted any of that? Never, because that is not what I wanted out of life at all.

And, how the fuck would he even know? It’s not like we’d ever had a conversation about it before. I didn’t even want to be having this conversation now,

“It’s been a long night, Detective.” I said in a quiet, soft voice that carefully hid all of the emotions I was feeling on the inside. “Please get home safe.”

I hit the last button on the keypad to unlock the door and heard the soft click. I pushed my way inside and quickly shut the door in his face, locking it for safe measure.

I thought about going up to my room, putting some comfortable pajamas on, and crawling into bed.

As exhausted as I was I knew sleep would not come easy to me tonight.

I went down to my basement safe room instead. I could see everything from down here and I didn’t have to worry about being bothered by anyone.

I stripped out of my hoodie, tossing it over the back of the couch, and went to plug my cell phone in. There were eight missed texts and three missed calls from the detective. I deleted them without bothering to read or listen to the messages and then I plugged my phone in to charge.

I dropped my ass onto the couch and picked up the bottle of whiskey off of the side table. I unscrewed the cap and took a hearty slug. I sat it back down on the table and picked up the remote. I hit a few buttons, bringing the wall of screens to life.

I was interested in seeing what the Detective did after I left him alone out on my front steps.

I watched him on the screens as I unarmed myself, removing both my gun and my knives. I sat them all on the table with my phone and the bottle.

The good Detective stood there on my front steps for quite some time after I left him there, just staring at my front door with a ravaged look on his face. Eventually he walked away back towards the garage. For some insane reason I was glad to see him drive off in Thomas’s car.

Part of it was me feeling good that I was able to do something to help him. The other part was me being gleeful over the fact that the car had GPS that I could spy on directly from my phone. I would now know exactly where the Detective spent his time if he went there with my car. I hoped he never got his back.

It was a bit stalkerish and I did not care in the slightest. There was zero shame in my game.