Nash's Revenge

Nash Mitchell pulled the hood of his jacket over his head as he ducked behind a parked car. There was a light mist of rain that was threatening at any moment to become something more than the mist that was lightly coating his jacket. Sighing he looked across the road seeing Ruby Paxton exit the building like clockwork. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out her routine. There wasn’t a day that went by that Nash couldn’t tell you where she would be, it was almost like she was a robot following written commands.

Throwing his cigarette down he stepped on it effectively putting it out as he crossed the street following behind her. Today, today would be the day he made contact with her for the first time. Straight ahead was Rosa’s Cafe, a small quiet little stop where she liked to go after her painting class. Ruby wasn’t aware of him, lost in her own thoughts her one goal was to make it to the cafe before the skies released the heavens upon her.

Watching Ruby slide inside the building Nash stopped watching her from the window. It was hard to believe that the petite girl that stood at the counter ordering her same iced caramel macchiato was the daughter of Patrick Paxton. The same Patrick Paxton that was single-handedly responsible for his father’s death. Nash balled his hands into fists just thinking about it.

Unlike Ruby Nash wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. No, he was born to a drug-addicted mother who overdosed before he was even old enough to remember her. His father had raised him alone with only the occasional help from whatever girlfriend he might have at the moment. Brock Mitchell was nothing more than a paid thug but he had given Nash the best life he could.

He had been working for Paxton for a good 8 years before the coward betrayed him. Brock’s work was strictly under the table. Nash was sure he had some official made-up job title but Brock was simply put Paxton’s hired gun. He handled the messy problems that Paxton himself couldn’t be tied to. He guessed that Paxton began to see his dad as a loose end and had set him up.

Nash closed his eyes remembering the day he watched his dad die. Rarely did he ever go with his dad on hits but that day his only task was to deliver a package. Nash had sat in the car as his dad walked down a deserted alley on a cold February night. It was clear Brock had recognized the men who approached him, when they pulled their weapons Brock was caught off guard and reacted too late. Nash had run to his side only to end up with a gun to his head, “forget you ever saw us, kid. Paxton doesn’t want any loose ends.”

Brock Mitchell died in his son’s arms that night coughing up blood. The police had called it a robbery gone wrong and Nash had kept his mouth closed about what he had seen. He knew the police would never be able to tie Paxton to his father’s murder. Instead, he began to hatch a plan. A plan that would end up with him taking from Paxton the one thing he held dear in life. Ruby. It had taken him five years to get to where he was today but being left orphaned at 16 hadn’t left him much room for revenge. Instead, he had focused on surviving the multiple foster homes he had been placed in until at the age of 18 he was released.

Shaking himself out of his memories Nash looked inside seeing Ruby had managed to grab a booth in the corner. Walking in he walked to the bar ordering himself a plain black coffee. He had never seen the need for creamer or sugar, it just took away from the stout pick me up he needed. With the rain now falling harder outside the place was packed, just as he had assumed it would be. He had waited on this day forever. Had followed Ruby for months trying to figure out the best possible time for their meeting. Today was that day.

Looking around the room Nash made his way to Ruby’s table. Her attention was on her phone so when Nash cleared his throat to gain her attention she jumped. “I’m sorry to bother you. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I sat across from you while I wait the rain out.”

Ruby looked up at the man that stood beside her booth. One look at him and she knew he was everything her dad had ever warned her about. “Yeah, sure. It’s pretty packed in here today.”

Nash’s confidence was boosted at her words. Step one was now done. As he slid into the booth across from her he couldn’t help but notice the way she was watching him. Nash knew he stood out, even with his tattoos covered his gauged ears usually brought attention to him, at least from people like her. Ms. Straight and narrow Ruby.

As he arched his brow at her Ruby looked down embarrassed that the stranger had caught her sizing him up. While he may indeed be everything her dad had told her to stay away from and he practically screamed out danger, he also screamed out sexy as hell. A small smile played on her lips. If her dad only knew that she had no interest in the guys he had introduced her to, no she was all about the bad boys she had only ever read about in her books. Unfortunately, this stranger was as close to a “bad boy” as she had ever been. Looking back up at him she saw that he was now studying her.

“You come here a lot?” Ruby asked.

Nash shook his head, “this is actually my first time inside. I stopped in to grab some coffee. Not too much fun riding a motorcycle in the rain.”

Ruby perked up, “you have a motorcycle.”

Nash couldn’t help but laugh, “yeah I do.” Letting out a sigh he looked up at her, “my name is Nash by the way.”

He was rewarded by a smile, “I’m Ruby. This place is my normal Wednesday afternoon hangout and unfortunately, this is as entertaining as the place ever gets.”

Nash nodded, “and why just Wednesday?”

Ruby shrugged, “I go to some stupid art class on Wednesdays. It’s kinda pointless. I suck at drawing and painting. Like I need a paint by number or something.”

Tilting his head Nash studied Ruby as she spoke, he hadn’t thought she would be so open. The girl looked nothing like her dad. If you didn’t know who she was you’d never put them together. Ruby took more after her late mother. She was short, petite, and she had recently cut her long brown hair to her shoulders. “So why go?”

Ruby snorted, “cause it’s what my dad wants. You know how parents are.”

Nash narrowed his eyes at her, was it possible that Ms. Perfect was bored with her perfect life. “I don’t know. I kind of do what I want to. Once I turned 18 I was left to make my own decisions.”

Ruby looked down, “not my family. My dad is pretty strict. I think me turning 18 made him worse.” She laughed shaking her head, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Ruby looked up, “I don’t know really. I just don’t meet many new people and here I am complaining about my dad.”

“I don’t mind. I have nothing better to do at the moment.”

Ruby looked down at her phone as it started ringing at the disappointment in her face was clear. She picked up the phone holding it to her ear, “hey dad. No, I stopped for some coffee and to wait out the rain. No, I don’t need you to send somebody to pick me up I’m fine. Dad…”

As she hung up the phone Nash leaned back, “are you like 16 or something.”

Rolling her eyes Ruby laughed, “you’d think huh. No, I’ll be 19 this summer. My dad is kind of overprotective I guess.”

“You want a ride home?”

Ruby looked up, “in the rain?”

Pointing toward the window Nash shook his head, “it’s stopped for the most part. Besides you did get kind of excited when I said I had a bike.”

Ruby shook her head, “my dad would kill me, he already had someone headed this way.”

“Do you always do what your daddy tells you to do?”

Ruby let out a breath, “ok fine.”

Step two complete Nash thought as he smirked at his own streak of luck. “Come on before it starts to rain again.”

The two stood up throwing their cups away before heading outside. The streets still held water as they made their way across the road to Nash’s waiting motorcycle. Picking up his helmet he handed it out, “I hate to mess that pretty hair of yours up but if you want to ride with me you have to wear it.”

Ruby snatched the helmet, “whatever. So do you know where the Ridgemont Heights are?”

Nash nodded, “yeah, that’s a pretty fancy place you and your parents live there?”

“Just me, I did manage to move out of my parent’s house thank God.”

Nash closed his eyes as Ruby moved onto the bike behind him. As he took off he was highly aware of her body pressed against his. Luck was definitely on his side today, his plan was going better than he ever expected. The impromptu ride home hadn’t been in the original plan but he couldn’t pass up on a chance to piss her dad off.

He would make this girl fall for him, he would get her to openly reject her father, then he would kill her. Patrick Paxton might not know who Nash was but he would soon remember. For now, he would have his fun. Ruby wasn’t bad to look at and if he was going to play this part out he had to at least be attracted to her in some way.

Pulling up in front of the luxury apartments that Ruby lived in Nash sealed the deal by asking her for her number as she handed him back his helmet. The smile that appeared on her face let him know that breaking her wouldn’t be as hard as he first thought. This girl was ready to break some rules. Step 3 done.

As he drove away Ruby made her way into her apartment building trying her best to hide the smile that was plastered over her face. Nash was just the right amount of danger to send shivers down her spine and when he had asked her for her number she hadn’t even thought twice about it. Looking down at her phone she momentarily hoped it was him but seeing her dad’s name pop up she knew she was about to get the cussing of a lifetime.