Ruby blinked, momentarily thrown. “Wait for—?”
“For Manny, of course.” Mrs. Ulerik coaxed. She set her tea, untouched, down on the table. “You’re not getting any younger, sweetheart, and it’s difficult to meet someone with a life like yours. Manny understands how hard that is. He’s been all over the country.”
Jonah snorted into his coffee and Mrs. Ulerik shot him a nasty look. “My apologies Mrs. Ulerik. You’re absolutely right. No one would know the struggles of traveling for work better than a drug trafficker.”
Mrs. Ulerik waved a dismissive hand, ignoring the jab entirely. “Anyway, I saw your video. Manny appreciates a strong woman. He’ll need someone like you to keep him in line.”
Ruby forced a smile and tried not to roll her eyes. Thanks to Kavya, a clip of her kicking over Blakely’s fence had made her an overnight social media sensation.
Jonah turned to Ruby. “Sounds like you’ve got options. He’s only a short stint away from being a free man.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not really looking for a relationship right now.” She pretended from her frog cup. “I had a really messy breakup. Trying to focus on healing before jumping into anything new.”
Mrs. Ulerik patted Ruby’s hand with a knowing look. “Oh, honey, you know what they say—the best way to get over someone is to get under—”
Ruby cut her off, her cheeks heating. “So... any idea when Manny will be home?”
She wasn’t a prude, but she wasn’t sure she could handle having a sex talk with a felon’s mom while on camera. Things were a lot less conservative than when she was a human, but she also hadn’t had sex since then. Her job left little space to venture out. She sipped from the tea, flustered and forgetting for a moment that she shouldn’t. The hot liquid pooled in her cheeks and she fought her gag reflex back from swallowing.
The older woman adjusted her shawl, tugging it over her shoulders. As she looked away, Ruby let the liquid dribble down her chin and back into the cup. “Any minute now. The post office is only a few blocks away.”
A dull thump echoed through the house, cutting through the conversation. Everyone paused and looked up to the ceiling.
“Anyone else in the house?” Jonah set down his drink and stood.
“Of course not,” Mrs. Ulerik said. The lenses of her glasses glinted in the soft light from a nearby lamp, making it difficult to tell where she was looking.
Another thud. This time followed by a quiet but distinct, “Shit.”
Ruby raised an eyebrow, her tone skeptical. “So that would be...?”
Mrs. Ulerik didn’t flinch. “Ghost.” She shrugged. “These old houses are always haunted.”
Someone stumbled down the stairs, each step growing faster, more panicked.
Jonah launched to his feet, spinning toward the noise. The figure coming down the stairs burst into view—gun first. The man was wild-eyed, his movements jerky as he waved the weapon around.
Jonah shifted his body, placing himself between the barrel of the gun and Kavya. His hands raised slowly, palms out. The man—a scruffy, sleep-disheveled Manny—was smaller than the file had said. If he wasn’t pointing a gun at her partner, Ruby might have made a joke about it. Hell, she still might. He was almost a foot shorter than Jonah, probably around 5’5, his Patriots T-shirt hanging loosely over his wiry frame. His forearm sported a faded, tacky heart-shaped tattoo with the word “Mom” in the center.
Kavya angled the camera toward Ruby, set it on the table, and also raised her hands.
“Get the hell out of my house.” Manny swung the gun between the three of them, his hand trembling.
“Manny, right?” Jonah pulled Manny’s focus toward him.
Manny stepped forward, pressing the barrel against Jonah’s forehead. Ruby opened her mouth in protest. Jonah shook his head, just barely, and she remained silent.
“Who’d you tell?” Manny’s knuckles whitened around the gun’s grip. “The cops? Are they on the way?”
From behind them, Mrs. Ulerik sighed, not at all concerned by the weapon pointed at her guest’s face. “I don’t think they told anyone, dear. If you had read my text and gone out the back way like I suggested, this wouldn’t be an issue.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Manny muttered, never breaking eye contact with Jonah. “Didn’t see your text until after I fell out of bed.”
That explained the first thud.
Mrs. Ulerik slipped the shawl from her shoulders, revealing surprisingly toned arms for a woman her age. She moved with a practiced grace, coming to stand behind Ruby. “It’s fine, sweetheart. We’ll take care of them.”
The ominous click of a gun being cocked snapped Ruby’s focus back to Manny. She bent her knees, ready to lunge—then pain knifed through her side.
