Page 37 of Deception and New Direction (Ranger Shield Security #3)

RUTHIE

“I still don’t understand why you called me your wife back there,” Ellie asked Wade as we all sat around Hank’s kitchen table.

“I’m gonna be calling you that sooner or later, so I figured I’d try it out,” Wade replied. “ Sounded good coming out of my mouth.”

I snorted then went to check on Granddad again.

“Woman, if you keep poking and prodding at me, I’m gonna end up agreeing to go to the hospital just to get you to leave me alone,” Hank grumbled.

“Stop being such a sourpuss and let me check you over,” I snapped back. “ Sorry not sorry, but I love you, and this is what people do for the ones they love.”

“You should have seen her, Hank ,” Ellie said. “ When she ripped that gun out from her brother’s hand and kicked him, it was so badass.”

“My fierce little Ruthie ,” he said out loud. “ Didn’t love you putting yourself in harm’s way but do love that feisty hellcat spirit.”

He pulled me into him and kissed me.

“Remind me to thank you later,” I whispered to him. “ Slowly , while naked, and with great attention to detail of your best parts.”

“Deal,” he whispered back.

“Okay, enough is enough,” Ellie broke in. “ Spill the tea, Archer . I had no idea you were married to a news anchor!”

Jack’s sister was a sweet person, but sometimes she didn’t know when it wasn’t a good time to bring something up.

“Got married in Vegas , annulled less than a week later, end of story,” Archer said, making it known the topic was done.

Giving Archer a reprieve, I turned to Ellie and Wade . “ Thank you for getting my message through about Granddad .”

“Not a problem, though we had already seen them on the cameras, so we had Diego , Axel , and Dane headed over there to check on him.”

According to Diego , they had parked their vehicle on the edge of the street and split up. They came at the house from three different sides, not knowing if my father was armed or not. My father had been talking to Mal on the phone, so he hadn’t heard Axel entering at the back door.

From his vantage point, he could see my granddad tied up to the chair with the gash and blood on his forehead.

He could also see my dad pacing with the gun in his hand.

He’d alerted Archer and the others with his comms. Archer had called the cops and an EMT .

Diego and Dane had come through the front door, which had been left unlocked from when Ronald , Jason , and I had gone to the bank.

Axel had picked the lock to the back door, snuck in, and made his way to my granddad.

My dad—who was likely startled since he was more focused on his phone call—panicked and, instead of shooting, just ran toward the back door when he saw Diego and Dane .

Axel , not knowing if he was running to escape or running to harm them, had jumped into action and tackled my dad to the floor.

The guys had subdued him until the cops arrived and gave my granddad basic care until the EMTs arrived.

By then it had become a shit show at the bank, so the guys were trying to get what info they could from Archer and relay it to my granddad, who stubbornly refused to go to the hospital because he wanted to wait at his house for me to come back. That man was stubborn, but he loved me in his own way.

My granddad was most distraught, though, over the fact that Ronald was involved. He felt betrayed by someone he’d trusted.

Apparently, the attorney had a gambling debt and had seen an opportunity when he first spoke with my father.

It appears Ronald originally believed my father when he told him I was madly in love with Mal and was going to get married.

But then, when that plan was foiled and Ronald realized that wasn’t going to happen, he panicked, since he’d planned on getting his cut of the money.

He was more than willing to help keep an eye on me until my father and brother could work out a plan, including breaking into my apartment.

Apparently it was Ronald who broke in, to see if there was anything of value he could use in the short term.

When Jack had told him the day we met that I was staying with him, he saw the opportunity and broke in to see what he could find.

When he found nothing, he tossed the place to make it look like a standard robbery.

To make sure he wasn’t caught, he had one of his friends—an unwitting accomplice in a blue Mustang —tail us to make sure we weren’t headed over to the apartment.

“If that man wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him myself,” Granddad mumbled from the chair next to me.

“You and me both,” Jack said.

“I can’t believe I ever thought my brother cared for me,” I said, upset that I had misread that so much. “ All along, he was just in it for the money.”

“Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it,” Ellie said, interrupting my thoughts. “ A wise woman once told me that famous quote from Maya Angelou . I find it’s a good reminder to not be so hard on yourself for past mistakes in life.”

She winked at me, recalling the time I had told her that when she was upset with herself for missing all the red flags from her abusive ex.

Touché, Ellie . Touché .

After making sure my granddad was okay for the night and promising to visit him the next day, which he begrudgingly accepted, we decided to all head out.

* * *

We arrived back at Jack’s house, where Dash promptly rushed up to us and started to whine. Dogs were smart, and I knew he sensed something was off.

“I know you said you wanted to shower,” Jack said to me. “ Go do that, and I’ll take Dash out.”

It felt good to wash the day off and just let the hot water run over me. I walked back out into the kitchen to see Jack standing there feeding Dash a few snacks.

He turned to me and reached out, pulling me into him. “ Feel better?”

“Yeah,” I replied, leaning into him farther, needing the comfort that only Jack could give me.

“I think one of my favorite parts of the day was you breaking your cursing streak and telling your brother off while you kicked him and ripped the gun from his hands,” Jack said softly, but I could hear the smile in his voice. “ What about you? What was your favorite part of today?”

“I’d like to say that it’s now because it’s all over and I don’t have to worry about any of them, but…” I paused, thinking about my honest answer. “ I think my favorite part is just being home with you and being yours.”

Jack’s face was stoic for a few moments. Then he bent down, and I was flung over his shoulder.

I shrieked at the sudden movement. “ Jack ! What are you doing?”

“You’re being sweet on me, so now I have to fuck you,” he responded. “ I’m taking you to the bed so I can worship you from top to bottom.”

He took that job very seriously. Two orgasms later, I was replete of any energy I had left.

As I lay there naked, up against his side, drawing random circles on his chest, I thought back to him lunging at Jason , and it gave me chills.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, likely feeling my chills.

“I know you’re trained for stuff like this, but I still didn’t like it when you lunged at Jason to tackle him to the ground and get the gun away.”

“Babe,” he said to me, lifting my chin up so I could look in his eyes. “ If you think for one minute I would let the woman I love die when I could have done something to stop it, you’re wrong.”

“You really do, don’t you?” I asked him, though I already knew that answer.

“Yeah, I love you with everything I have in me,” he replied.

“I love you too, Jack .”

“Yeah?” he asked me, rolling on top of me.

I nodded back to him. “ I do. I think I always have I just didn’t know it.”

He kissed me long and hard then made love to me again before he wrapped me up in his arms and we fell asleep.