Chapter Three- Nick sent us
1032 Words
Ruby POV
“You have to come to the party, Ruby,” Tracy giggled, showing me an invite on her phone.
It was Dayo’s seventeenth birthday, and he was throwing a huge party at his house.
I looked at the invite and smiled reluctantly.
“You did get an invite too, right?” she asked.
“I did… but I don’t think I’m going. Dad and I already planned movie night.”
“Oh, forget movie night. This is going to be the party of the year,” she laughed dramatically, shaking her body.
Before I could respond, the bell rang.
We both stood up and headed for class.
Mailstreet Apartments
“Hughes, there’s nothing that can be done about your leave.”
“Sir, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Hughes argued into the phone. “This is unfair. I’m close to something big, trust me.”
“You want to talk about unfair? Tell that to Matthew’s wife and kids. Stay put until your leave is over.”
The call ended immediately.
“Aghhh!”
Hughes hurled his phone across the room in frustration.
The device smashed violently against the wall.
Breathing heavily, he rubbed both hands over his face before walking toward the evidence board hanging in his apartment.
Pictures.
Names.
Strings.
Drug routes.
Gang territories.
And right at the center—
Yerky.
Hughes stared at the picture for a long moment.
“You’re hiding something,” he muttered quietly.
Churchill POV
I left work feeling exhausted. I had to get home before Ruby
slept—it was movie night.
“s**t,” I muttered under my breath.
I still needed to get some Chinese food. I turned toward Mr. Choi’s restaurant, adjusting my coat as I walked.
It was raining lightly, and I was already frustrated and tired.
My steps were slow. My body felt heavy.
But then I noticed something.
Two men behind me.
Walking slowly.
Following me.
My brows furrowed.
What’s going on?
I increased my pace.
They did too.
My heartbeat quickened.
I started running.
They ran after me.
“f**k…”
I turned sharply into a corner, heading toward Mr. Choi’s place—but before I could reach it, another man stepped out and slammed me against the wall.
Pain exploded through my jaw as
a fist connected with my face.
I staggered, crashing onto the wet pavement.
“Get him up!” someone ordered.
Rough hands grabbed my shirt and dragged me upright.
Another punch landed.
And then another.
Blood filled my mouth.
The taste was metallic and sharp.
My vision blurred.
For a second—
Everything shifted.
A memory flashed through my mind.
Blood everywhere.
A younger version of myself standing in a dark room, holding a gun with shaking hands.
“Take the boy and go!” someone screamed.
The memory vanished instantly.
A brutal kick slammed into my ribs.
I groaned loudly, collapsing again as rain poured harder over the empty street.
“This is what happens when you ignore Nick,” one of them spat.
Nick.
The name hit me like a bullet.
Another flash.
A younger Nick, laughing softly as smoke curled from his cigarette.
Bodies lying on the floor.
Money stacked on tables.
Gunshots echoing.
And then—
A child crying.
Hidden under a bed.
“Stay quiet,” I whispered in that memory, kneeling beside him.
Back to reality.
A boot slammed into my face.
I coughed blood onto the ground.
“Please…” I whispered weakly.
But I wasn’t begging for myself.
Ruby.
My mind went straight to her.
Her smile.
Her laughter.
Her tiny hands holding mine
years ago.
Not my daughter.
Please… not her.
At home
Ruby POV
It was already past 10 p.m.
My dad wasn’t home yet.
So unlike him.
He didn’t have a night shift today. It was movie night.
Even if plans changed, he always called me.
“Calm down, Ruby,” I said out loud.
“It’s raining. Maybe getting a cab is difficult.”
I tried to convince myself.
I picked up my phone and dialed his number.
Straight to voicemail.
I tried again.
Same thing.
My chest tightened.
I called again.
This time it rang.
I sighed in relief and picked up immediately.
“Dad, where are you?” I asked quickly.
A pause.
Then a woman’s voice.
“Um… your dad was beaten badly, but he’s in the hospital now. He’s stable.”
“What?!” I froze.
“What did you just say?”
She repeated it.
My phone slipped slightly in my hand.
Without thinking, I ran out of the house.
I didn’t even look back.
I ran past the Marlins’ house.
Past the daycare.
Past the mini bar.
I just kept running until I
crashed into someone.
“Ruby?”
I looked up.
Him.
Yerky.
Those ocean-blue eyes locked onto mine instantly.
“Where are you going this late?” he asked softly.
I pulled away from his hands, shaking.
“The hospital… my dad… he’s in the hospital.”
“Calm down.”
He held my shoulders gently.
“I’ll take you, okay?”
I nodded quickly.
He opened the car door for me, and we drove off into the night.
At the hospital, I rushed inside immediately.
I stopped a nurse.
“My dad was brought here,” I said, tears already falling.
“What is his name?”
“Churchill Miller.”
“Please take a seat. The doctor will speak with you shortly.”
I sat down, my leg bouncing uncontrollably.
“Ruby?”
An African-American doctor walked toward me.
“Yes… is my dad okay?”
“Your father is stable. He was beaten badly, but a woman and her son found him and called 911 in time.
He is sleeping now, but you can see him.”
“Yes… please.”
I followed him inside the room.
And there he was.
Covered in bandages.
Sleeping peacefully.
I moved closer.
“Kissed his cheek softly.”
He opened his eyes slightly and looked at me.
Weakly, he whispered.
“They can never know about the boy.”
My body froze instantly.
“What boy?” I thought.
- Writer
