Ruby and the Gangster

Chapter Two- The Call

Yerky POV

“f**k…”

I lay flat on the bed, breathing heavily while staring at the ceiling.

“Cash is on the table,” I muttered.

The girl beside me quickly got dressed without saying anything. A few seconds later, the door shut behind her.

Silence.

I sat up slowly and ran a hand through my damp hair.

Something felt wrong.

Ever since the warehouse incident, my instincts refused to calm down.

Who else knew about the drop?

Was someone really trying to kill me…

Or was I just losing my mind?

I cursed under my breath before dragging myself into the shower.

Cold water hit my skin, but it did nothing to quiet the thoughts in my head.

If somebody was after me, I’d find out soon enough.

After showering, I put on a black hoodie and grabbed my phone.

I pushed open the door to the dry-cleaning store and nodded at the old man behind the counter.

“Just underwears,” I said calmly.

Without another word, he unlocked a door behind him.

I stepped inside.

The smell of smoke, drugs, and money filled the hidden room instantly.

Stacks of cash sat on a table beside guns and small packets of hard drugs.

“s**t, man!” somebody yelled from across the room. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Laying low,” I replied.

“Don inside?”

“Yeah.”

I walked toward the second door and pushed it open.

My uncle sat behind a desk smoking a cigar, looking like the devil himself.

“If you weren’t my nephew,” he growled, “I would’ve shot your ass already.”

Before I could respond, he stood up angrily and shoved my head.

“What you did has put business on hold,” he snapped. “The Feds are watching me because you killed two idiots for nothing.”

“It wasn’t for nothing,” I said coldly. “They tried to set me up.”

“Then why’d you run?”

“Because I was outnumbered.”

I stepped closer.

“Someone knew about the drop-off location before I got there,” I continued quietly. “Someone’s trying to kill me.”

For the first time, his expression changed slightly.

But only slightly.

“For now, I don’t want you here,” he muttered. “Disappear until I call you.”

My jaw tightened.

“f*****g hell,” I muttered before slamming the door behind me.

Ruby POV

“Tracy… where exactly did you get money for all this?” I asked suspiciously while staring at the shopping bags in my hands.

“Girl, you ask too many questions.”

She laughed and flipped her hair dramatically.

“Just enjoy the free clothes.”

I smiled unsure of myself.

“I mean… I do love these dresses.”

“That’s what I thought.”

We reached the corner leading toward my street.

“See you tomorrow at school,” Tracy said before walking away.

I adjusted the bags in my hands and started heading home alone.

Then I heard my name.

“Ruby.”

I turned around immediately.

Yerky.

He stood a few feet away with his hands tucked inside his hoodie pocket and the most annoyingly attractive smile I had ever seen.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said.

I smiled before I could stop myself.

“Yeah… I live around here.”

“You do?”

I nodded.

“What about you?”

“Nah,” he replied casually. “Came to see someone.”

For a second, neither of us said anything.

Then we both laughed awkwardly at the same time.

God, this was embarrassing.

Before I could lose courage, I stretched my phone toward him.

“Can I have your number?”

His eyebrows lifted slightly, almost surprised.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Sure.”

He took my phone and typed his number in.

Our fingers brushed briefly when he handed it back, and somehow that tiny touch made my heart beat faster.

“I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.”

He gave me a slow smile that completely flipped my stomach.

And as he walked away, I found myself staring again.

This was bad.

Very bad.

I barely knew him, yet there was already something pulling me toward him.

Maybe it was the danger.

Maybe it was curiosity.

Or maybe I was just stupid.

Either way, I knew one thing already:

Yerky Roberts was going to become a problem in my life.

And deep down…

I wasn’t sure I wanted to stop it.

As I continued walking home, a strange feeling suddenly crept over me.

Like somebody was watching.

I slowed down slightly and glanced behind me.

Nothing.

Just an empty street.

I kept walking.

A car engine started somewhere behind me.

My heartbeat quickened.

Slowly, I turned again.

A black car rolled quietly down the street.

The same black car from outside the club.

My stomach tightened instantly.

The windows were tinted too dark to see inside.

The car slowed.

So did my breathing.

Then suddenly—

It drove past me.

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

"Relax, Ruby,” I whispered nervously to myself.

“You’re being paranoid.”

But even after the car disappeared, the uneasy feeling stayed.

The next morning, I walked into the kitchen sleepily.

"Morning, Daddy.”

Dad looked exhausted already.

“Morning, princess,” he replied softly while placing eggs onto my plate.

It was that time of the month, and honestly, I was grateful for him.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Better,” I yawned.

“My shift starts by nine, so I’m heading out soon.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

I scooped some eggs into my mouth and smiled faintly.

After eating, my eyes drifted toward the framed picture sitting on the table—Dad holding me when I was four years old.

I never got to meet my mother.

Sometimes I wondered what she looked like.

And sometimes, I felt sorry for my dad… being alone all these years.

But more than anything, I was proud of him.

Two jobs. Long nights. Sometimes working in the mines.

Everything he did was for me.

I just hoped I could make him proud someday.

Last night, he asked if there was someone I liked.

And somehow, my mind went straight to Yerky.

Why did I think about him?

Why was I thinking about him at all?

Did I actually like him?

“No, no, no,” I muttered before laughing at myself.

I sighed and grabbed my bag.

I needed to see Miss Rita today.

My research was seriously lacking.

Later That Evening — 6 PM

Ruby POV

The meeting with Miss Rita was disappointing.

My research was lacking badly, and now I wasn’t even sure I had chosen the right topic anymore.

I dropped onto my bed in frustration.

Dad was probably having his evening rest.

I walked toward his room and knocked lightly.

“Daddd?”

But he was on the phone.

And the conversation sounded… chilling.

“Mr. C, how you doing?”

“Who is this?”

“It’s Nick from Downtown. I’d like you to handle something for me.”

“I got out of the game twenty years ago,” Dad replied coldly. “I don’t do that anymore.”

“You were never out, Church. I just stopped calling.” The voice chuckled darkly. “I need you now. You’re out when I say you’re out.”

“I ain’t doing shit.”

Silence filled the room briefly.

Then the voice returned colder than before.

“You got a beautiful girl, Church.”

Dad’s grip tightened around the phone.

“Let her stay that way.”

“If you touch my daughter, I swear I’ll hunt yo—”

The call ended abruptly.

I froze outside the door.

My breathing turned shallow.

Church?

What game?

Who was Nick?

And why did my father suddenly sound like a completely different person?

Slowly, I stepped away from the door and returned to my room.

Maybe it was just work.

Maybe.

But deep down…

I knew it wasn’t.

My hands trembled slightly as I picked up my phone and dialed Yerky’s number.

I didn’t even know why.

It just felt like the right thing to do.

First ring.

Straight to voicemail.

I frowned and called again.

Same thing.

Suddenly, fear crept into my chest.

Not for me.

For him.

Like something bad was about to happen.

Like he was already in trouble.

Then my phone buzzed.

Unknown Number.

My stomach tightened.

Slowly, I answered.

“Hello?”

Silence.

Then a low male voice whispered:

“You should stay away from Yerky.”

The line went dead.