28

Opening the door to his room, Ruger found Krissi sitting on the bed, her back against the wall, her legs crossed in front of her and her computer open in her lap. A textbook lay open on a pillow beside her. She looked up as he came in.

“I didn't expect you for a while yet. Did you get everything taken care of at Drifters?”

“No.” he sat in the chair to one side of the bed and watched her. She frowned and looked at him.

“Then why are you back so early?”

“I had a visitor today and I couldn't concentrate after they left.” Ruger paused looking for any reaction from her. “It was your father.”

Krissi’s eyes went wide, her mouth fell open and a line of red crept up her face.

“Wh-” She had to stop and try again. “What did he want?”

“To know where you are and why you haven't been at home, work, or school in almost a week.”

“That son of a bitch.” Krissi spoke through gritted teeth. “He's having me followed?” Ruger knew that though it sounded like a question it really wasn't. “Did he threaten you?”

“Not out right.”

“That's unusual. It's not like him to veil his threats.”

“It was only thinly veiled.” Ruger gave her a wry smile.

“That sounds more like him.” She closed her computer and set it aside. “I moved to get away from him. I was sick of his interfering in my life.” Krissi slid off the bed and began pacing the narrow walkway between the bed and the chair he sat in. “Stubborn, meddling man who won't leave me alone.” She started out in a normal voice but was soon yelling as she went back and forth over the short path, ranting about her father. Ruger could see she didn't need any input from him, so sat back and watched her. “I told him I don't want any part of his life. Not the drugs, not the crime, nor the money any of it earns.” By now she was waving her arms wildly as she raged. “I moved hundreds of miles away and still! He finds a way to nose into my life!”

The bedroom door opened and Chris stuck his head inside. “Is everything okay in here?”

“It's fine.” Ruger said with a slow nod.

Chris gave him a long look as if gauging the truth in his words then glanced over at Krissi. “That's not the way to get those ribs to heal. Rant and yell and stomp all you want but stop waving your fucking arms around like that.”

Ruger might have protested, but Chris was only saying out loud what he'd been thinking. Krissi looked at Chris for a second, blinked and dropped her arms to her sides. Chris ducked out and closed the door.

Ruger waited for the rant to start again but she sat on the edge of the bed, head down and shoulders drooping. Apparently, all it had taken to stop her tirade was to stop her momentum. Ruger watched her for a few seconds.

“Do you want to know what I told him?”

She looked up, her eyes tired. “What? Did you not tell him whatever he wanted to hear?”

“I told him some of it. The stuff I felt I would want to know if I were in his position, but not all of it.”

“What didn't you tell him?” Krissi’s eyes brightened and some life returned to her face. Ruger recounted his conversation with her father. 

“You told him you were more worried about my trust than his? I bet that went over like a lead balloon.”

“I did. It's the truth and I wanted him to know it. He didn't take it as poorly as you would think.”

Her eyes pooled with liquid and she looked away. “My dad's not a nice guy.”

“I know that. We've had him on our radar for a long time.”

Krissi frowned. “On your radar?”

“Any club worth their salt knows who your dad is. They either want to get in bed with him or want to stay out of it. We're part of of the second group.”

She looked at him a minute. “I guess that makes sense. I mean I know there are a lot of clubs that work with them, but once I had a choice I did my best to keep away from any of his business.” Krissi’s gaze dropped to her folded hands. “After watching my mother and the way he'd treated her, I wanted nothing more to do with him. Ever. But until I was 18 I couldn't leave. Even after that I didn't have the money to get away until recently.”

“What did you do?”

“I tried to live my life without him. But it was impossible with him right there, able to send his goons to watch me. They treatened and scared off any guy I tried to date. If he got the impression that I wasn't treated well by my boss he would show up and threaten them, and in the end, I'd lose my job. They didn't want to have to deal with him. Not that I did, I just couldn't get away from it.”

Ruger got up and moved to sit beside her on the bed. “Well, he's not scaring me away. He might have shown up here uninvited but he won't stay. He can try to run me off but unless you want me to go, that's not gonna happen.” Reaching over he covered her hand with his. “It's not just you anymore, baby. If we're together, it's you, me and the Souls.”

Krissi took a deep breath and let it out is a rush, some of tension drained from her. “You're serious? He didn't scare you into dumping me?”

“Honey, I don't know what kind of idiot assholes you've dated in the past, but in case you haven't already figured it out, I don't scare easy. When I find something worth my time I hold on as long as I can.” Her reaction to the news of her father's presence in town had convinced him that she didn't call him or know he was there. The tirade could have been faked but he'd never heard of anyone who could pale, then flush, on cue the way she had done when she'd heard he was here.

“Are you sure the rest of the Souls will agree to standing up against him?” Her eyes had a sad fearful look.

“I have no doubts, baby. We've deliberately not gotten involved with his dealings.” That was true, as far as it went. He didn't need to tell her all the whys behind their keeping away from him. Ruger frowned and looked down at her. “You and I both know he's deserved it, do you know how he's managed to keep from doing time?”

“Oh, he deserves it and more. Unfortunately, New Mexico has done away with the death penalty.” She rubbed the fingers of one hand over her forehead. “With the number of people he's killed and had killed, plus the rest of his crimes, he deserves it.”

“Even though he's your dad?” Ruger couldn't help but ask. He had issues with his own father but he hadn't wished him dead.

“He didn't raise me. He's only barely my Dad. He donated DNA and gave Mom heroin and money now and then. Showed up once in a while to screw her, screw with her or show us off to someone.” Krissi’s hands had fisted in her lap and she stopped to unclench them. “He's not just a criminal. He's evil. The only way he's ever going to stop is when he's dead.”

Ruger shook his head. He hated that she had grown up that way. Not that his childhood had been much better, still with now she described things, he understood why she felt the way she did.

“How is it he's never done time?”

“He was arrested a few times but nothing ever stuck. He never served more than a few months while he waited for trial.”

“How did he manage that?” Ruger had his suspicions but he needed to hear her say it.

“Blackmail.” Krissi shrugged one shoulder and shook her head. “He either had information on someone, paid them off, or threatened someone they loved. There were a few he couldn't get to thought. That's when he would spend a little time in the local lock-up. But in the end, he would get to the judge, either with a secret he didn't want made public or by paying him off, and got the charges dropped.” Her jaw bulged as she clenched her teeth.

“I'll keep that in mind.” Ruger said, his mind racing with what he needed to share with Tuck, but now wasn't the time.

“I'm not sure I can take much more of this.” She said, still sitting beside him on the bed.

“Much more of what?” Ruger asked. Her father in the area wasn't something he could change, as much as he might want to.

“Of being stuck here.” She rolled her head on her neck as if stretching sore muscles. “I feel trapped in this room.” It took Ruger a second to realize that she was changing the subject. He started to speak but she lifted one hand to stop him. “I know I can go downstairs, and I do to eat, but I'm not comfortable down there without you.” She pulled her shoulders up around her ears. “I feel like I've got eyes on me all the time.” Her shoulders rolled back and she shuddered, reminding him of that skin-crawling sensation of being watched. “I'm falling behind at school and I need to get back to work before Walt gets tired of waiting and replaces me.”

“I'm not sure it's safe. We haven't been able to determine if that ass wipe was working on his own ideas or who was helping him.”

“But you said he's in jail.”

“He is. But whoever helped him, and whoever, if anyone, gave the order, are still out there somewhere.”

Her head hung for a moment then she spoke, softly at first then louder. “I can't live my life in fear of what ifs and maybes. If I did, I never would have come to Tucson, never would have walked into Drifters that night, never would have met you.”

Ruger took a deep breath and tried to put together an argument that would convince her. “I don't want you to let fear rule your life, but I also want to make sure nothing like what happened last week ever happens again.” He laid one hand on her top of hers.

Krissi closed her eyes and took several breaths. After a moment, she opened them again. “I'm not sure where to go from here. I need to get out. To get on with my life.”

Ruger sat beside her feeling a little desperate. He understood how she felt and her need to resume her routine. He would have gone bat shit crazy if he'd been stuck here like she had been for the last week. But her need to get out conflicted with his need to keep her safe. There had to be a compromise.

“Would you be willing to let one of my brothers shadow you when I can't be around?” He watched her closely for any reaction. “Also, your apartment will be hell to defend, would you agree to stay at my house instead, for now?”

“I'd be able to go back to school and work? I would just have one of the Souls with me? And spend my free time at your place?” She looked at him with narrowed eyes as she made sure she had things right.

“That's about it.”

“Would I have one of the Souls with me even at your place?”

“If I'm not there, yes. But you don't have to stay in the same room or entertain whoever is on duty. You can go in the bedroom or do whatever you want while there.” He knew better than to cross his fingers or give any other outward sign of it but he hoped like hell she'd agree to this. Ruger didn't know what he'd do if she didn't.

After a moment, Krissi nodded. “Okay. If you can get your brothers to agree to it, I'll let them shadow me. But I don't want anyone who has to be ordered to stick with me.” The look on her face told him she was serious. He knew she'd chew his ass out, or worse, if he assigned someone to stick with her who didn't want to be there, if she found out. And for some reason, he knew she would find out.