Page 14 of Ruby

Me

Got it memorized

Sin

Later

The other guard, Nelson, wanders over to me. “Going for lunch, are you good to cover my post?”

“Of course,” I reply. He seems a little wet behind the ears, so now could be a good time to poke him for information. “How long have you been working here?”

He shrugs. “A few months. Boring as fuck, but it pays okay.”

I thumb behind me. “What’s in the sheds out back?”

“They use it as storage,” he replies.

I don’t want to pepper him too much; his loyalties are to the men who employ him, but he doesn’t seem to find my questions odd.

“Can’t believe they’re gonna turn this into a resort,” I snort. “Not exactly screamin’ Dollywood, is it?”

“Lanzetti has grand plans,” Nelson informs me. “Though, I have heard them whispering about money troubles. I guess that’s why the Dirty Crows showed up.”

My ears perk up. “Heard about what they did in town.”

“No, I mean here.” He leans closer. “Personally, I think that MC Prez is askin’ for it, especially with Calloway so close to the farm. The Stilettos are already sniffin’ around like dogs in heat. This is only gonna stir up trouble.”

“So the Crows were hired by Lanzetti?” I puff air out of my cheeks, playing the part. “Doesn’t make sense why they’d draw attention to themselves.”

“All I know is their Prez is a little crazy.” He whirls a finger around the side of his head to emphasize the point. “As far as I know, Lanzetti owes him money, and he tore up the town to prove a point and draw attention. Why he did that, I don’t know. He was supposed to be goin’ for a low profile.”

Now is the time to step up the shade of dumb. “Heard they had one of those biker chicks on the back from the Devilheads?”

He shrugs again. “Don’t know about that. They don’t have anything to do with Lanzetti, but she’s probably fuckin’ one of ‘em.”

So the girls were right. The Crows are working for Lanzetti. The question is, why? What could the Crows have that possibly interests Timothy Lanzetti, his expensive resort, and failed wind farm?

This plot just got even thicker.

CHAPTER 7

RUBY

Lover Boy

Need to meet up

I stare at the message, my annoyance at boiling point all over again. I don’t like being lied to, and despite what Drifter says, that’s exactly what he did. He used me… Granted, it was for hot sex that I can’t stop thinking about. And maybe—just maybe—I used him back because, let’s face it, I had no intention of seeing him again. I didn’t even know he was staying in town.

That’s the ideal scenario with a random hook-up, right? You don’t have to see them ever again because you assume they’re just passing through.

Then there’s the fact he broke into my phone to add his number—okay, smart, I guess, but this dude could be a serial stalker for all I know.

Anyway, I’d like to deny that I spent half the afternoon doing a background check on him and looking into his history a little closer, but I can’t. I tell myself it’s because we need to be sure we can trust him. After all, we are welcoming him into our territory, our town, and I’m not convinced he’s earned his rank.

But let’s face it—he’s earned his rank in bed.

Lover Boy