Time and again, p.1
Time & Again, page 1
Time & Again
Ruby Killingsworth
Volume 2
Amanda Cherry
Copyright 2024 Amanda Cherry
All rights reserved.
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.
Other Ruby Killingsworth Stories
Rites & Desires (DefCon One Publishing, 2018)
"Facing the Music," Cobalt City Dragonstorm (DefCon One Publishing, 2021)
Femmes Fatale, with Erik Scott de Bie (DefCon One Publishing, 2022)
Bad Intentions (Femmes Fatale 2), with Erik Scott de Bie (DefCon One Publishing, 2023)
"Villian Origin Story," 99 Fleeting Fantasies (Pulse Publishing, 2024)
CONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
About the Author
About the Cover Artist
DEDICATION
To everyone who's making the most of a second chance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book was one of those books. Every author has them, you hear about them in your early career, but until you have one, you don't know exactly what it means. Now I've had one, and I have been humbled by it. And even though my name is the one on the cover, this book was absolutely a group effort.
My loudest, most profound thanks to Erik Scott de Bie for talking me down off the ledge multiple times, for reminding me that I actually do know how to write a book, and for not letting me make major career decisions while running a fever. Every author needs someone like you, and I am so glad you continue to put up with me.
Giant thanks to Dawn and Jeremy, without whom I would never have dared attempt writing a book in the first place, and to Nate Crowder for creating this amazing universe we all get to play in. I know a lot of words, but none of them are strong enough to express my gratitude to the three of you.
Shout out to Rosemary, Gabrielle, and the rest of the Writing Church family; Jennifer Brozek and the Wit 'n Word crew; Laura Anne Gilman, Emily Skaftun, and the Brewery Patio league; Seanan McGuire, Crystal Frazier, and the We Blend adventuring party; Elsa Sjunneson, Scott James Magner, Lindsey Johnson, Erin Wilcox, Ben Gorman, Sarah Gulde, Kelsey Dawn Scott, Cherie Priest, Joseph Brassey, Tom Hoeler, and all my amazing friends across sci-fi and fantasy publishing who keep us excited about what we do and the future of this business.
Thanks to the Dungeon Scrawlers--Allie, Erin, and Yang especially--for making space for me to live out yet another dream. And to Tom, Scott, Tami, Karen, Lance, Kelli, and the rest of the Random Rockers for giving me the chance to feel like an actual rock star. You all keep my creative well filled so I can continue to pour feelings onto the page.
Thanks to Jet City Roller Derby for a dozen years of badass athletes to watch and learn from. Your grit, enthusiasm, and generosity are admirable, important, and greatly appreciated.
Thanks to the Batteys for being amazing friends to our whole family, incredible supporters of my work and my ambitions, and A+ Disney companions.
Thanks to Mac for being my biggest fan, my most enthusiastic cheerleader, my helper, my skating buddy, and my favorite fellow Swiftie. You are awesome.
And finally: a million and more thanks to my husband, Andrew, for dealing with crises and deadlines and how very Extra I get around book launches, convention readings, podcasts, and band jobs. Without you, I would definitely not be where I am. Thank you for being my shoulder to lean on and my partner in snark, my favorite sailing partner, and the best dad our human kid and perfect pups could possibly have.
CHAPTER ONE
Ruby Killingsworth did not make a habit of going to meetings.
Not that meetings weren't a fixture of her life; she attended plenty, several per week on average. She sat in on some, presided over most, and had even been known to call into a few from her limousine or bathtub. What she did not do, what she had not done more than a handful of times in the past twenty years, was go to meetings. Since her very first foray into the Goblin Records C-suite as a fresh-faced twenty-two-year-old, meetings, for the most part, came to her.
But not this morning.
Not this meeting.
It had taken a lie to get this meeting on her books to begin with, and this conversation was too important to risk not being the one to do the traveling.
As she dashed across the street with just enough magic in effect to keep passers-by from recognizing her, she had to hope it would be worth the trouble. The late July morning was muggy and warm, making Ruby thankful for the breeze off the plaza, even if it did mean she'd need a minute to magically repair her appearance once she was finally back in the air conditioning.
She paced herself as she rounded the corner, taking care not to let herself perspire. The plaza side door opened automatically as she approached, a touch of tech that felt enough like magic to make her smile.
A quick whiff of actual magic meant the receptionist waved her past without either woman having to speak. And another made the three young men she found waiting for the elevator choose not to board the car when it arrived. Finding herself alone in the elevator as the doors slid shut, Ruby took a deep breath to center herself before working the magic necessary to assure her face, hair, clothing, and accessories would appear fresh, flawless, and un-mussed by the time the lift reached its destination.
She wasn't looking forward to what she was here to do, and she wasn't about to go into this meeting feeling anything short of her best.
The elevator was fast, shooting upward with enough speed Ruby felt her stomach drop a little. Or maybe that was just the reality of being here setting in. Either way, it was unpleasant. Mere moments later, an automated voice announced the car's arrival as it slowed to a stop near the top of Starcom Tower. As the doors began to slide open, Ruby slipped a swirl of magic into the air to compel the staff in the outer office away from their posts.
That should be enough.
In case this meeting didn't go as she intended, she wouldn't be leaving witnesses.
The doors came fully open, and Ruby stepped out of the elevator, looking as polished and put together as any human possibly could. It was a pain in her ass to have come here today, but she knew better than to let that show. She'd come to ask a favor, not a position she found comfortable; she'd set her life up in such a way as to generally be the one granting the favors, rarely requiring such consideration for herself.
This was new territory, and she did not like it. She armored herself mentally for the conversation she had come here to have. It wasn't going to be pretty. And she'd use magic if she needed to. Because not getting her way this morning would be unacceptable. She hoped she wouldn't have to, though. She hoped that logic and reason would be enough.
But hope was not a plan. And Ruby Killingsworth had plans.
She clutched her handbag a little tighter and started across the lobby. Her heels sank into the oddly high-pile carpet, giving her steps a quietude she found unsettling. The door was closed as she approached, with nary a sign of either of the two assistants who usually staffed the desks in this office. Good. Her magic had done its job, then.
She considered for one moment the possibility of changing her mind. Surely there was some other way to attack this problem. But no. She'd exhausted every means she had to resolve this trouble on her own, and she'd gotten all the help she could from friendly quarters. She was out of options, and she knew it--otherwise, she wouldn't be here.
Annoyed with this sudden bout of second guessing herself, Ruby shook her head and set her jaw. She looked down at her wristwatch, the delicate diamonds sparkling brilliantly under the high-efficiency lights. 12:11.
It was now or never.
~
Jaccob Stevens had never cared for publicists.
He understood their utility, of course. He'd never been great at talking to the press himself, and between his position at Starcom and his career as a hero, he'd had plenty of occasions to prove that. So keeping a professional on retainer who could handle those things in his stead made all the sense in the world.
It was just that those people made him uncomfortable. Facility with words and comfort while in the public eye felt to him like untrustworthy traits in a person. Every word out of the mo uth of a media professional seemed to Jaccob to be disingenuous.
Maybe Lyle Prather had gotten to him a little more than he'd like to admit. But no matter its genesis, Jaccob's distrust for media relations people remained.
At least he was sure Mike's publicist meant well. The way she'd handled things after the White House bombing had been enough to prove that point. Still, Jaccob wasn't looking forward to talking with her. And he also wasn't sure why this meeting couldn't have been a phone call.
Despite his best efforts, and those of Elizabeth and their respective legal teams, word of their recent divorce had hit the news just this week, and no amount of avoiding his rock star son's spokesperson was going to change that. Best to get through with this and on with his life.
He'd glanced at his StarPhone where it sat on his desk. 12:11. He wasn't sure when or how come he'd taken to setting meetings in twelve-minute increments, but that had been the way of things for long enough, it just felt natural at this point. He could only hope his appointment would show up on time. He was due in the lab at 12:36, and he patently refused to waste his technical staff's time by making them wait while he talked to a media specialist--even if the point of the meeting was to support Mike.
He'd always been better behind a work bench than behind a desk, and he knew his best utility to his company lay in his technical prowess. There had been a lot of very vocal doubt as to his ability to run the company since Elizabeth's departure from the C-suite to run their charitable foundation, and it had gotten louder as rumors of their separation had wound their way through the halls of Starcom. If he could have his next piece of wearable tech ready to announce at the next shareholder meeting, that would do a lot to assuage concerns.
The new generation of Starbands were small enough to pass for a fashionable bracelet (or so said the women in his R&D department); they contained the self-same shielding technology Jaccob always had on his person and an emitter that allowed them to fire a single stun blast if the need arose. In Jaccob's estimation, this was the generation they'd be able to release onto the consumer electronics market.
He was close. He knew he was close; this iteration was the best yet, but the prototype still needed some bugs worked out of it. He was more than ready to get through with this meeting and onto the next thing.
Just as the clock on his StarPhone changed over from 12:11 to 12:12, the door to Jaccob's office blew open, seemingly all on its own. He snapped his head upward at the sound of the door hitting the stop. His breath caught in his throat when he realized who was walking through it.
He'd been prepared for a media rep. He'd even been prepared to field questions related to his recent divorce, his ex-wife, his grown children, and his personal life. He had not, by any stretch of the imagination, been prepared for her.
Jaccob's past had come calling, and not a piece of his past he was strong enough to deal with at the moment.
"I can't see you now, Ruby," Jaccob said, his voice breaking a little. Ruby didn't so much as slow her walk. The office door closed itself softly behind her. Jaccob swallowed hard. "I have a noon appointment." He was proud of how normal he'd managed to sound.
"The appointment's at twelve-twelve," she corrected him. "And I'm it."
Jaccob took a deep breath, stroking his beard in a vain attempt to soothe his nerves as he tried to figure out someplace--anyplace--appropriate to look that wasn't back at Ruby. Finding none in evidence, Jaccob finally met her gaze just as the silence was beginning to grow awkward.
Ruby had stopped a little more than halfway to his desk from the doorway. She stood stock still, looking back at him with a hint of a smile on her face. Was she giving him a moment to gather himself, or keeping her distance for her own reasons?
Jaccob breathed in deep again, realizing as he did that he could smell the familiar floral note of her perfume. That ... did not help.
Her crimson-colored blouse was all but see-through, and her black skirt hugged her hips perfectly. Her hair was down, falling onto her shoulders in loose waves that turned under at the ends. Her lips were as red as her top, and her tiny diamond earrings set off the sparkle in her eyes. She looked flawless. And he couldn't stand it.
Jaccob had never been much for reading noir novels, but in this moment, he suddenly felt like he was living inside of one. She walked into my office like a blast from a furnace on the coldest day of the leanest year ... He had half a mind to adjust his air conditioning.
He'd seen Ruby precious few times in the two years since he'd abruptly ended their romance on the heels of learning she'd kept the secret of her magic from him. They'd even worked together briefly not long after their breakup when, desperate and out of options, she'd called him for help exorcising a demon that had taken up residence both in her building and in the person of his former flame, Vivienne "Lady Vengeance" Cain.
That moment, when he'd watched Ruby save Vivienne, and almost die trying ... It was a lot. He'd walked away from that encounter with his heart mostly intact, and with every intention of continuing to stay the hell away from all things magical--especially those involving Ruby Killingsworth.
So much for good intentions.
"But--" Jaccob could barely form words. His head was spinning. Why was she here? Had she seen the news of his divorce? And how come the pretense?
Just looking at her was making him dizzy. She was a thousand might-have-beens in a low-cut blouse--and today, of all days, he wasn't sure his heart could take it.
"Yes, yes, Jaccob," Ruby said back, having no patience for his slack-jawed need to process what was happening. "You've been lied to. I'll thank you to save the outrage for some other audience. I don't have the time. You thought you'd be meeting with Mike's publicist because that was a meeting request I could be reasonably sure you'd accept. Which you did. Meaning I was right."
Jaccob sighed and hung his head. "I took your call. Last time."
"That you did. And you even agreed to help. And then you stationed an obsessed madman on your roof who nearly put a bullet through my skull."
"You know I didn't mean--"
"I know you didn't."
"It was an emergency."
"The hell, Jaccob," she snapped. "What do you think this is, a social call? I'll have you know I don't like this any more than you do."
"So you need my help? Again?" he asked, rolling his chair back from his desk and crossing his arms over his chest. She didn't strike him as the kind of person who regularly needed help; she'd only come to him last time because she was desperate. And because the situation involved Vivienne.
He was suddenly more curious than he wanted to be as to what she was doing here.
~
Ruby felt the bile rising in her gut. She did need his help, and she hated it. But she'd come this far; there was no way she was going to leave here without his agreement. Time to get to the point.
"Listen to this."
Ruby pulled her StarPhone from her handbag as she took a few steps forward. She pressed a button on the device and then set it on the edge of Jaccob's desk, careful to keep plenty of distance between them. He was afraid of her, she could tell, and although she wasn't sure how she felt about that, she did know she didn't want to scare him off.
Music began to play from the phone on Jaccob's desk.
"That's Mike," he said, when the singing began.
"Indeed." Ruby stepped forward again to pick up her device. "That audio was taken last month in my office. They've only just finalized the lyrics and the arrangement. Mike and his producer are scheduled to go into the studio with it beginning tomorrow. But then this showed up in my email last week."
She poked at the phone's screen until music started playing again. She set it down and watched as the wheels in Jaccob's mind began to turn.
"That's ... that's the same song," he said.
Ruby nodded but didn't speak.
"But that's not Mike."
"And we have a winner!" Ruby snarked, frowning at Jaccob. "It is the same song: a song that Mike has written but has not yet begun to record. And I know he wrote it himself, because I've been in on the process since it was nothing more than four catchy lines and a somewhat clever hook--that's what you heard in the first recording."
