DEMON

Chapter 3

Ruby

"Someone took a shot at me." Would they target Crystal next or had they already? No, her sister would be more interested in her announcement than whatever was on her computer screen. Ruby hoisted her legs onto the edge of Crystal's desk as she leaned back in the visitor's chair. Her sister and Kade already had a small private investigator office and the paint fumes and orange scented carpet cleaner clung in the air. Wonder how long before my words registered. One... two...

"What?!" Crystal pushed away from her desk, papers fluttering to the floor. "Are you okay?" Her bug eyes were ready to pop out. "Was it Westridge?"

Ruby shrugged. "No idea. Has anyone come after you?"

"No." Crystal ran a hand over her face and a blonde strand loosened from her ponytail. "But that doesn't mean they won't. Where were you? At home... we might have to relocate again." She bent down and picked up the papers, her hand shaking.

"It was at the Uncles' warehouse. The one that recently got repaired after the gunfire with the police and Westridge's men."

"What?" Crystal paled and plopped back down in the chair. "What were you doing there? Who shot you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The shooter missed." She brushed her hair out of her face. "I was there with Tommy for practice. Well, training." How long ago had Westridge ordered the hit? Or maybe it was that blind date Crystal set her with last month. The one that ended up following her home a few times and showed up at her yoga class until she told him she'd draw up a restraining order if he stalked her again. Jitters danced up and down her skin.

Kade entered, and Crystal piped up, "Someone took a shot at Ruby today."

"What - where? Did you call the authorities?"

"Tommy did." Ruby nodded rubbing her arms. "But we think it might have been Westridge out for revenge."

With a frown, Kade glanced over to Crystal. "Has anything else unusual happened?"

"No," Crystal and Ruby said at the same time.

"For now, I think the hitman is just after me." Ruby stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. "Maybe it's a terror tactic. Come after me and miss, so I worry when I'll get snuffed, then go after the next in line."

"Kade and I could stay at the house with you until this blows over."

She didn't need a babysitter, least of all her sister and her doe-eyed boyfriend. Even if he was an ex-cop. "I'll be fine."

"Someone should be with you." Kade scratched the flame tattoo on the side of his neck. "I'll hire a bodyguard. Someone I know we can trust."

"No." Ruby's boots hit the carpeted floor. Bad enough she had no boyfriend or even a date, but she wasn't going to make some guy hang out with her. She could protect herself. "Whoever tried to kill me won't get an easy chance again."

Crystal took her arm. "Sis, look, we're just worried about you. You said yourself you had practice today beca - "

"Don't start. Just because I made a bad judgment about Paul that's no reason to believe I can't handle myself or some crazed hitman. Or maybe that nightmare blind date you set me up with...Carl, wasn't it? Besides, the gunman might have been targeting Tommy, not me." She tucked her red hair behind her ear. "I just need to find out who hired this guy and how much they're paying him. The Uncles can afford to double whatever he's getting."

"Just be careful." Her sister hauled her into a hug.

Kade gave her a nod. "Let us know if we can help in any way."

"Great. And while you're feeling so generous." She rummaged through Crystal's desk drawer. "I'll take an extra pepper spray with me." Finding one, she tucked it in her pocket. Never hurts to have a backup plan. The spray would be useless against a sniper, but it would stop someone in close quarters. Tomorrow she'd set up the house with traps and reinforce the locks, windows. Maybe even figure out how to smoke this guy out.

"You'll need better protection than that." Crystal crossed her arms. "Like a Kevlar vest."

Ruby shrugged and the shoulder where she'd been shot months earlier ached. "Even that won't stop a shotgun or rifle bullet. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just look out for yourself, okay?"

"A vest has saved my life numerous times." Kade placed an arm around Crystal's waist. "You never know when you might need it."

"Fine. I'll pick one up later from Uncle Gustin." Ruby wanted to bolt and not have to deal with any of this, but it would look rude. The lovely-dovey eyes her sister and Kade were giving each other made her want to gag and cry. Had she been this bad with Paul?

"Make sure it fits." Crystal leaned into Kade's side.

Like she didn't know that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Crystal moved away from Kade and took Ruby's hand. "I just know you've been...busy and you need to stay sharp."

"Look, my mind hasn't turned to mush. I know how to take care of myself." Yes, Crystal was the elder by a few minutes, but just because Ruby had spent months sitting on the couch with junk food didn't make her forget everything. She hadn't turned incompetent. First thing, she needed to book more sessions with Tommy and get her training to top level. At the thought of their last sparing match, a delicious shiver raced through her. Stop thinking like that - he's a colleague and practically an adoptive brother. Then the assassination attempt slipped into her thoughts, and the earlier excitement crashed her back to Earth.

Second, she needed to pick up healthy food and ditch the junk. Already, her mind seemed sluggish...it had taken over an hour to do the crossword puzzle yesterday. Usually it only took her half that time. Maybe a raw diet. She'd lost the motivation for cooking or running the catering company.

The catering gigs had been a cover for her and her sister: a way to get close to Westridge and his Board of Directors and scope out the layout of the home for a future robbery. Then Gustin and George would create a mock room using fake replicas or even marked cardboard boxes for the girls to practice what they needed to do to avoid security alarms, cameras, and gather the computer data while they broke into the safe.

Ruby had received a few catering orders, but she'd turned them down. If she never cooked again, she'd be fine with that. Too much trouble for little appreciation. There was enough money in her bank account to cover expenses for a few months. That would be enough time to get rid of this assassin, get back to her fit shape, and figure out what she was going to do for the rest of her life. Easy. Her sister had found happiness with Kade and working with him as a consultant and IT guru. She may not be the whiz her sister was on computers, but she could hold her own.

"Our offer still stands." Kade's white teeth showed against his bronze skin. "I can follow you home and do a sweep of your hou - "

"Not necessary." Ruby held up a hand. "Maybe I'll buy a large dog." At least someone would be happy to see her when she came home and curl on the couch with her while she vegged in front of the TV.

"Okay, but call me as soon as you're home." Crystal stepped forward and hugged her. "Password is brownies."

"Of course." Burnt brownies was code for I'm in trouble. Baked brownies meant everything was groovy. They'd come up with the code words when Ruby had been with Paul. The thought had her throat tightening and blinking back tears. Damn it. Now she didn't think she could toss out that pralines and pecans ice cream in the fridge before eating it all. Salads first thing tomorrow.

#

Ruby flipped on the TV while the popcorn cooked in the microwave. As a precaution, she'd triple checked the house, called her sister, then scoped out all the security cameras in the warehouse area including the Uncles' but didn't find anything.

Maybe it was a random shooting. Right.

More likely, Westridge had promised money to someone to kill her and Crystal, and because he or she had botched the job, ran. Westridge's funds were frozen until after the trial, so he had no means at the moment that they knew of to pay for a hitman. The memory of crazy Carl surfaced. Was it him who had just gone ballistic? Or was the assassin actually after Tommy and she was just in the way? So far, her gut said she was the target. If Westridge was involved, she guessed he'd promised future favors and cash. Whoever was responsible, she would found out who it was and deal with them.

"Another victim of what police are thinking is linked to a serial killer was found today." The newswoman's voice cut through the popcorn in the background. "A fifty-four-year-old woman was found dead by strangulation in her apartment. The first victim was a twenty-year-old black male. Police Detectives have no lead in the murders nor will they say if there is a connection between the two victims yet."

The acid scent of scorched popcorn hit her. s**t on a stick. She'd burnt the popcorn because of the news report! Ruby dashed into the kitchen, mashed the microwave's off button, tossed the blackened popcorn bag in the sink and ran water over it. Thankfully, the smoke alarm didn't go off. Maybe she needed to check the batteries.

Ruby turned off the water and left the smoldering bag in the sink. Glancing at the TV to change the channel, Ruby stopped as the police flashed the woman's photo before she was killed. She looks familiar. Where have I seen her before? Probably at a party she'd catered.

The thought of a heavy meal after hearing about the murder and knowing she'd seen the woman somewhere before, made her uneasy. She needed something sweet and soothing to calm her nerves and since there was no wine in the house, Ruby grabbed a spoon from the drawer, then the praline ice cream from the freezer. Sitting down, she flipped to a previous Game of Thrones episode and took a huge bite, letting the ice cream melt in her mouth.

A half carton later, a scratching sound at her back door destroyed her sugared solace.