Edward’s laugh snapped her back. "Anyway," he chirped, his casual tone a grotesque contrast to the horror. "Sit on your pretty little ass for a few hours. I’ll text you. I’m watching. BYE!"
The line clicked dead.
Ruby stared at the phone as if it might explode in her hand. Her pulse roared in her ears. Slowly, she placed it on the bed, her movements stiff and mechanical.
"Get out," she commanded, stalking over to Kavya.
"What?" Kavya’s brows furrowed. "Ruby, you’re not seri—"
"Get the fuck out, now!" Ruby roared, grabbing Kavya by the arm and shoving her toward the door. She ignored Kavya’s protests, the sharp thud of her elbow hitting the hallway wall, the curses she spat as the door slammed shut.
Ruby turned back into the room, her chest heaving. Flipping off the cameras in the corners of the room, she dropped to the floor.
She sat, gritting her teeth, and waited.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
THE TEXT CAMEat exactly 11:00 p.m., the sharp buzz of her phone breaking the tense silence in the hotel room.
Ruby glanced at the screen. An address, unfamiliar and vague, blinked up at her. A moment later, another notification appeared: Apple Pay: $20 sent from an unknown number — For your Uber, your friend, Eddie.
Her jaw tightened as her fingers tightened around the phone. The glass spiderwebbed with cracks, the sharp edges biting into her palm. She barely noticed the blood blooming against her skin, her focus consumed by a fury so intense it drowned out rationality.
"Son of a bitch," she hissed under her breath. Still, she opened the rideshare app, every motion mechanical and precise, her body operating on autopilot while her mind churned with violent possibilities.
The wait for the car was excruciating. Each second dragged out like an eternity, every tick of the clock reminding her of the stakes. Finally, a sleek black Tesla rolled up to the curb, the interior lights flickering on as the back door opened.
“Ruby?” the driver asked, warm and polite, though a hint of unease flickered in his eyes as he glanced at her bloodied hand.
She nodded curtly and slid into the backseat. The car smelled faintly of bleach, sharp and sterile, a detail that set her even more on edge.
As they pulled away, the driver tried to engage her in conversation, his attempts at small talk laced with nervous energy. "Long night, huh? You need some gum? Helps keep you awake on these late rides." He held out a packet.
Ruby didn’t answer, her eyes fixed on the passing streetlights. She didn’t trust herself to speak. After a few awkward beats of silence, the driver gave up, humming softly to the low music playing through the car’s speakers.
When they finally arrived, the Tesla slowed to a stop at the edge of an empty parking lot. The driver leaned forward, peering out at the dark, desolate scene. "Are you sure this is the place?" he asked, concern etched into his features.
“Yes,” she said sharply, her lips pressing into a tight line.
He hesitated. “It just doesn’t—”
“Yes.” Her tone brooked no argument, and the driver nodded quickly, raising his hands in a placating gesture.
"Alright," he said, watching her with a furrowed brow as she climbed out. "Be careful."
Ruby didn’t respond, slamming the door behind her. She stood alone as the car’s taillights disappeared into the night.
A red bullseye glowed down at her from atop the Target sign, the only source of light in the empty lot. As she approached, she noticed a piece of paper taped to the glass doors. The words Closed for Deep Cleaning were scrawled in thick, uneven letters.
Her lip curled. "Deep cleaning," she muttered under her breath, grabbing a trash can from nearby. With a grunt, she hurled it through the doors. Glass exploded inward, the shattering sound echoing like gunfire in the quiet night.
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sterile glow over the polished floors and neatly stocked shelves. Mannequins in half-lit aisles stood like forgotten sentries, their plastic smiles eerie in the silence. Edward’s voice slithered throughthe overhead speaker, a grating, mocking tone that made her stomach churn.
“If you can beat me,” he said, “are you going to enjoy it, Ruby? Watching me burn?”
She didn’t respond, her teeth grinding together as she moved deeper into the store, her footsteps crunching over shards of glass.
“I enjoyed watching your daughter burn,” Edward continued, his laugh like nails scraping against metal. “But not as much as I enjoyed watching Jonah burn.”
