I try keeping myself busy with a few other things before I finally give in and decide to go to his floor and see if he’s okay. I know he told me to stay out of his way, but I just can’t. I circle around the desk and beeline to the elevator. I’m done waiting.
Nathan opens the door and once I step in his knowing smirk rubs me the wrong way. “What, Nathan? Why are you looking at me like you caught me fucking my boss?”
“No reason,” he tells me. “What floor are you going to?”
“The top one,” I tell him, determined to not let his knowledge about the man upstairs stop me.
“Ru—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“No, I don’t want to know. I’m going up there and nothing you can say is going to stop me.”
“He won’t answer your questions, Ruby. It’s a lost cause.”
“Maybe for you it’s a lost cause, but I don’t see it the same way.”
He shakes his head and sighs, but doesn’t try to argue anymore. I’m sure he knew there’s no use in arguing with me. Nathan and I haven't known each other for a long time, only a few days, but he knows I don’t give in very easily thanks to the talk we had my second day. So, instead of trying to change my mind, he presses the button to the top floor and the doors slowly shut.
We ride up in silence, my own heartbeat the only thing I can focus on. I would be lying if I said I’m not extremely intimidated by the man I am on my way to see. He towered over me downstairs and looks like he could probably crush me like a soda can, but my curious mind wanting to know more beats out my insecurities by a long shot.
When the doors open again, I take a deep breath and step out into a small lobby looking room. There is a stairwell to my left and to my right stands a big burly man with an earpiece in his ear and all black clothing on.
His arms are crossed over his chest, and he stares ahead never breaking his stance as I approach. Once I get close to the door I stop and glance up at the big man. He says nothing so I reach my hand up to knock on the door.
My fist is caught in his tight grip before it reaches the big wooden door and I flinch, letting a squeaky gasp escape my lips. He releases my hand quickly, pushing it back towards my body. I grab my fist lightly and rub back and forth, trying to ease the pain radiating throughout my hand. I honestly think he broke something. I hope not.
“You lost?” he finally asks when I don’t move.
“No.” I drop my fists to my sides and clinch the one throbbing, my confidence building again. “I need to speak with the man who just came up here. He left something in the lobby.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” His gruff voice sends chills down my spine, but I hold his stare anyway.
“Fine, he didn’t leave anything down there, but I do need to talk to him.”
“Why did you lie?” he asks, his frown deepening.
“I didn’t think you’d let me talk to him,” I explain, truthfully.
“Why should I let you talk to him now?”
I want to see for myself if the guy is okay. There was so much blood all over him before, there is no way I can believe at least some of it wasn't his. I probably should be more freaked out with the fact he was covered in blood, but while I’m a little intimidated by him, I’m not scared.
“Because I care.”
His eyes narrow and he turns his shiny bald head to the side slightly and pushes his finger into his earpiece gently, like he’s trying to listen harder. “Are you sure, sir?”
He jerks upward again and steps to the side of the door to unlock it. He opens it and goes back to where he was standing before and nods me inside without another word.
He closes the door behind me, and I’m left in the front of what looks to be the most pristine apartment I’ve ever seen. The ceilings are so high and there is a huge glass table in front of me with a statue of a golden lion sitting on top of it. I wonder how the table can hold the statue so easily, it sure looks heavy.
The lion is on its belly while the head rests on the paws, but what catches my attention about the statue is the lion's face. Everything about the lion's posture tells a story of relaxation or rest, but the lion's face wears a pained expression and it strikes me like a lightning bolt.
In my head, the bloody man is the lion in front of me. He’s calm, cool, and collected on the outside, but inside I bet a whole shit storm is brewing so deadly it could wipe out nations. He’s hurting and I can’t for the life of me understand why I know, but I do. He needs someone to care and I think it’s maybe why he told the big man outside to let me in.
Someone clearing their throat pulls me out of my thoughts about the lion and I glance behind the statue and spot the bloody man staring back at me. He isn't bloody anymore though, and I raise my eyebrows as I notice all he’s wearing is a towel and the leftover water droplets from the shower he clearly just finished.
His warm brown skin is a contrast to all of the white walls and gold trim in his apartment and his low cut black hair is no longer hidden by a backwards hat and is faded to perfection.
“I thought I told you to stay out of my way, little one.”
“Well, yeah, you did,” I tell him, clearing my throat with a small cough and slowly making my way around the table. “And I guess I tried a little.”
“I hope you don’t call coming into my home trying a little.” He frowns harshly, shaking his head.
“Oh, no. I gave trying a chance. Then I just said fuck it and now, well, here I am.”
“Heeding a warning from someone, especially someone like me, would be pretty smart in this situation.”
I stop walking.
We make no moves to change the dynamics of the room as we stare at each other. Truthfully, I don’t care about his warning, I care about my curiosity. “Well, a warning doesn’t mean much without reason.”
“You need more of a reason to believe me when I say stay away from me?” He chuckles a humorless laugh. “The first time you saw me I was covered from head to toe in another man's blood. Which, while we’re on the topic of heeding warnings, you should think twice about telling anyone what you saw, I don’t need the cops sniffing around.”
“I’m no snitch,” I growl out, a frown deepening on my face. “I don’t know anything about you other than what I’ve seen and it was enough to catch my attention. I’m interested, which is why I’m here.”
He shakes his head and crosses the room to me, my breathing picking up faster and faster the closer he gets. “And what is it that caught your attention, little one?” he asks, his eyes hazy, his body close, and his tone patronizing me as I listen to him talk.
“Aside from the blood, I haven’t figured it out yet,” I shrug. “Today, I just wanted you to know I care, and I came up here to see if you were actually okay because were covered in a lot of blood. I honestly didn’t believe it all belonged to someone else.”
He keeps his eyes trained on me as he asked his next question. “Believe me now?”
I rake my eyes up and down his body, again, not missing the bulge under the towel which is extremely noticeable, and not hiding the fact I am all the way checking him out, before looking back up at his face. I don’t see any blood or cuts at all, so I answer him truthfully. “Yes.”