ask if she knew what he meant, Ruby said, “I have no idea what that means. I don’t know anything that could get anyone hurt.”
“If you’re lying,” Ivan cut in, “you’re risking your safety and your sister’s.”
“Obviously,” she replied. “I’m not lying. I don’t know what those men want me to stay quiet about, Erin.”
You’re lying. I wanted to shout at her, to demand she tell me the truth, but I knew her too well for that. She would clam up and grow obstinate. Instead, I calmly nodded. “I believe you, Ruby. I know you wouldn’t lie about something so serious. Something that could get us both killed.”
“I wouldn’t,” she insisted, brazenly lying to my face. Then, with a nasty look, she glanced at Ivan. “If anyone has a reason to hurt you, it’s because of him.”
Before Ivan could turn in his seat to tell her off, I placed a calming hand on his arm and pinned her in place with a stern glare. “Ruby, don’t even try it. We aren’t your enemies, and you’re not going to turn us against each other. We’re all family, and we’re all in this together.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Whatever.”
Feeling the aggravation pulsing off of Ivan in waves, I turned in my seat and let my hand slide down his arm to his hand. He instantly curled his fingers around mine, showing me that we were okay and would talk about this whole mess later. He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, drawing a disgusted noise from Ruby in the backseat.
Anxiety started to build low in my stomach, swirling like a knot of snakes. Nauseated and on the verge of tears as my hopes for the day were dashed within minutes, I nevertheless put a smile on my face and asked, “Would you like to grab breakfast before we head home? Or maybe stop at Target or some other place you need to visit?”
“When do you meet your PO?” Ivan asked, crashing into my desperate attempt to get the day back on track like a runaway car. “Is it walk-in for the first visit or an appointment?”
“Appointment,” Ruby said before tearing into the Pop-Tart foil with her teeth. “I want to go home. I need a shower and a nap.”
Deflated, I kept my smile in place and nodded. “Okay. Home it is.”
Ivan tried to keep hold of my hand as he backed out of our parking space, but I tugged it free and interlocked my fingers on my lap. My worst fears about our living situation were coming true. Ivan and Ruby disliked each other so much they were going to fight nonstop. Imagining months of them at each other’s throats made me sick. The damage their inability to get along would inflict on our marriage, and my relationship with my sister was nothing to the risk of her relapsing and using drugs again to deal with the stress.
The tension in the SUV was unbearable. When we finally parked in our garage, I bailed first, unable to spend another moment with the two of them. Ruby followed, and Ivan trailed her. In the kitchen, it all came to a head before I could even try to avert the impending disaster.
“Let’s just cut the shit,” Ivan announced, slashing his hand through the air. Ruby crossed her arms, ready for the fight that was coming, and I held my breath and waited for the fireworks. “You’re a guest in our house. We don’t expect you to pay rent. We don’t expect you to buy your own groceries or other necessities. What we do expect is that you keep your room clean, get a job and go to all of your probation appointments and classes. If you fuck around and get in trouble, you’re out of here. If you do something that puts Erin in danger, you’re out of here. If you keep up the attitude, you’re out of here.”
Ruby looked at me in disbelief. “Is he always a controlling asshole like this?”
“Ruby!”
“If you don’t like the rules at my house—”
“Your house?” Ruby interrupted. “I thought this was Erin’s house, too.”
“Stop!” I stepped between them like a referee, my arms out wide to keep them separated. “Ivan, stop antagonizing her.” He frowned but didn’t say anything in protest. Turning toward Ruby, I said, “Let me show to your room. You can get that shower and nap you wanted.”
I didn’t stick around to see if she made a childish face at him. I pivoted