Page 52 of Keeping Knight

A lot.

My hand finally catches the doorknob, but my sweat-slicked fingers just slide over it.

Liam is less than a foot away. He’s close enough to smell the cinnamon gum he always chews and the lemon-pine scent of his favorite cologne.

“I didn’t say you did it,” I whisper, my throat too tight to speak louder. I hate sounding so scared. So uncertain. “But we dated. Of course you’d be a suspect.”

“The police came to my job,” he snaps. “My job. Do you have any idea how that looked?”

“Liam.” My hand slides across the metal doorknob again. “Back up. You’re scaring me.”

“Oh, are you going to accuse me of another crime?” he retorts. “Another assault?”

I cast a desperate look at the officers again. They’re laughing at something one of them said. Not a single eye turns my way.

Where is Micah, I wonder. Why isn’t he here yet? I thought he was right behind me. Why isn’t he⁠—

Liam’s lips peel back into a snarl. Then he grabs my arm with a bruising grip. “You fucked with me, Ruby. And you’re going to be sorry.”

Chapter Twelve

MICAH

By the time I get away from the police officers, my worry is a living thing.

Catching up with Ruby should have been simple. She was only fifteen, twenty feet down the hallway from me. I should have been able to catch up with her in seconds.

Would have, if not for the two cops who grabbed me.

Logically, I can’t blame them. They see a man running down the hallway after a woman, without a police badge, no less, and I can understand why they jumped to conclusions.

Logically, I get it. They needed to make sure I wasn’t trying to hurt her. But during the minutes I spent with them, explaining who I was and why I was there, Ruby was alone. Vulnerable. Potentially in danger.

If only I hadn’t told Rogue and Jester to stay behind, they’d be with her by now. But I assumed I’d catch up to her easily and wouldn’t need any assistance. “Watch the rest of it,” I tossed over my shoulder as I hurried from the room. “I’ll get Ruby.”

Except I didn’t. Because I messed up. Again.

As I race towards the door at the end of the hallway, Ruby’s stricken face flashes behind my eyes. She didn’t just look shocked. She looked devastated.

Anger surges at the memory of the terrible things Sylvia said. No, not just terrible. Abhorrent. To accuse Ruby of causing her father’s death⁠—

I reach the metal door that leads to the waiting room and give the doorknob a hard twist. Then I shove it open, surprised at how heavy it is.

A beat later, there’s a feminine yelp.

My lungs seize.

As the door swings open, I’m met with a picture that fills me with rage.

A man is grabbing Ruby. She’s pressed up against his chest. His hand is clamped around her arm so tightly his fingers dig into her skin.

“What the fuck?” the man blurts.

Ruby glances over her shoulder at me. Her frightened expression shifts to one of relief. “Micah!”

“Get your hands off her,” I growl. “Now.”

The man looks at me. He’s familiar, and a second later, I place him.