Chapter 86 Le Petit Bistro

Chapter 86 Le Petit Bistro
The restaurant was called Le Petit Bistro. It was a fancy sort of restaurant up on the street.

I sat in Kai's car across the street, my knees drawn to my chest, watching through the window. Romeo was in the back seat, his body coiled like a spring, his eyes fixed on the restaurant's front door.

"She's actually doing this," I said.

"She's doing this," Kai confirmed.

"She's going to eat dinner with him. Laugh at his jokes. Let him touch her hand." My voice cracked. "She has no idea what kind of monster he is."

Romeo's jaw tightened. "That's the point."

I wish I had done more to stop her, but honestly I blamed myself for not being honest about things in the beginning. If I had been more honest, Ruby would have known not to hang out with someone like him. 

Through the window, I could see them. Ruby and Damien. They were seated at a table near the m window, a candle flickering between them. Ruby was laughing at something he'd said, her head tilted, her hair catching the light. She looked happy. 

She looked like a girl on a date with a boy she liked. Except in this case the boy was a dangerous werewolf.

"Calliope." Kai's voice was low, careful. "We're here to watch. Not to intervene. Remember that."

"What if he does something to her?"

"Then we intervene."

"Kai…” 

"Nothing's going to happen. Not yet." He glanced at Romeo in the rearview mirror. "Damien wants information. He's not going to hurt her until he gets what he came for. Or risk hurting her in public.” 

"What if he hurts her?” I asked nervously. 

"Then I’ll hurt him too." Romeo answered, his fists clenched. 

Kai rolled his eyes. 

"Okay you need to calm down. Don’t overreact."

Romeo's eyes flashed in the darkness, just for a moment, just enough for me to see the gold bleeding into the brown. Then he blinked, and it was gone.

"I'm fine," he said.

Kai snorted.

\-—————————-

The date lasted an hour twenty minutes and Kai and Romeo somehow found a way to bicker all through while I watched Ruby swoon at Damien.

When they finally left the restaurant, Damien's hand was on the small of Ruby's back. She was laughing at something he'd said, her head tilted up toward his, her body angled into his like a flower toward the sun.

"Here we go," Kai said.

We followed them at a distance. Damien's car was a sleek black sedan. He opened the passenger door for Ruby, waited for her to climb in, then slid behind the wheel.

"Where are they going?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"He's taking her somewhere."

"I know."

"Kai…” 

"I know. But we can't stop them. Not yet."

I watched the car pull away, its taillights glowing red in the darkness. Then I watched Kai start the engine and follow.

\-—————

The road twisted through the trees, away from the town, away from the lights, away from everything familiar. I pressed my face to the window, my heart pounding, my palms slick with sweat.

"Where is he taking her?" I asked.

Romeo leaned forward, his eyes scanning the darkness. "The woods. There's a clearing about a mile ahead. Probably where they..”  He stopped.

"Where they what?"

"Where they take people they want to hurt." His voice was flat. "Where they hurt people."

My blood went cold.

"We need to stop him," I said.

"Not yet."

"Romeo…”

"Not yet." His voice was sharp. "If we stop them now, Damien will know we were watching. He'll know we're protecting her. And then he'll just find another way to get to her or get someone else." He paused. "We need to wait. See what he does. See what he wants."

"And if he hurts her?"

Romeo's eyes met mine in the darkness. "He won't. Not tonight. He needs her alive. He needs her to trust him."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to scream that my best friend was walking into a trap and we were just sitting here, watching, doing nothing.

But Romeo was right.

And I hated it.

\---

Damien's car pulled into a clearing at the end of a dirt road.

Kai parked on the shoulder, far enough away that we wouldn't be seen, close enough that we could see what was happening. I watched through the windshield as Damien got out, walked around to Ruby's side, opened her door.

She laughed at something he said. Let him take her hand. Let him lead her into the clearing.

"Stay here," Romeo said.

"Romeo…” 

"If something happens, I'll signal. But until then…” 

"Until then, I sit here and watch?"

"Yes."

He opened the door and disappeared into the darkness.

I pressed my face to the window, my breath fogging the glass, my heart in my throat.

\-—————

The clearing was lit by moonlight.

I could see them clearly, Ruby and Damien, standing in the center of the grass, their faces turned toward each other. He was saying something. She was laughing. His hand came up to touch her face.

Then something changed.

Damien's posture shifted. His voice dropped. He wasn't charming anymore, he was cold, demanding. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could see Ruby's face. The confusion on it.

She tried to step back. He grabbed her arm.

"I need to go in," I said.

"Not yet." Kai's hand was on my shoulder, holding me back. "Romeo's there. Give him a minute."

"A minute? Kai, he's gonna hurt her.” 

"Ruby." Damien's voice carried across the clearing. "I'm going to ask you one more time. What do you know about Calliope and Romeo?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't…I don't know anything…” 

"You were her best friend. You were with her every day. You must have seen something."

"I didn't…” 

"You're lying to me."

His hand tightened on her arm. She winced. I saw her try to pull away, saw him hold her in place.

"Please…” 

"Tell me what you know."

"I don't know anything! She never told me anything. She just…” Ruby's voice cracked. "She just kept secrets. All the time. I don't know why. I don't know who he is. I don't know what they are."

Damien's head tilted. "You don't know?"

"I don't know anything."

"Then you're fucking useless."

He released her arm. Ruby stumbled back, her eyes wide, her chest heaving. She looked at him, looked at the coldness in his face, the emptiness behind his smile, and something in her expression shifted.

"You don’t really like me," she said.

"No."

"You only asked me out because you wanted information. About Calliope."

"Yes."

She laughed. She sounded shocked. "And I thought you actually liked me."

Damien didn't answer.

Ruby turned to run.

Marcus stepped out of the shadows.