Page 94 of Wreck Me

Brutally bare.

Elijah Bane had masterminded the murder of my parents and Bastian’s father.

Fucking shit.

I needed to absorb the full weight of it first, before I could begin to strategize the justice that would be delivered upon Bane, the utter decimation and ruin.

I couldn’t allow such a complex and dangerous undertaking to be determined while my emotions were running high.

It was more than even that.

Before I engaged in any way, I had to inform Bastian and Caleb.

Bastian, of course, because it involved his father.

And, Caleb, because he’d wanted justice for us for years on end, he’d want to be a part of it.

However, I hadn’t told either of them about Jameson King’s ring coming into my possession yet, let alone that I’d entered into an agreement with Dante Mancini and he’d now not only proven Bane was responsible for their deaths, but he’d also just made it clear that he wanted to work toward that justice for them together.

Given the change in Bastian lately and the concerns Caleb had expressed regarding his behavior concerning the girl, bringing up anything to do with his father, let alone these details that had finally come to light concerning his murder, the last thing I wanted to do was share this with him. Losing his father was Bastian’s Achilles Heel. It had affected him so deeply that he really hadn’t been the same since. While losing both my parents had obviously impacted me too, I’d channeled that in a very different way and absorbed it differently too. It was why I was a workaholic, why I’d launched our nightly operations, and why I was a ruthless bastard to my enemies and cut down any threat immediately, why I was Ruin.

But for Bastian, it had broken him.

And even with Caleb and I fighting to help him piece himself back together, we hadn’t succeeded, not all the way. Him shutting down had been the only way he’d managed to continue on without hurting himself with the drug and alcohol abuse, the only way he’d been able to find a path through, by not feeling. Now some emotion was breaking through and he was actually reacting lately, it had pointed toward him entering another downward spiral, losing control of everything. He thought I’d brought him here a few days ago to keep him away from the girl, but in truth I’d done it to assess his mental state myself. But he’d locked himself down the entire time he’d been here.

And, so, as distasteful as it was to use manipulation with either him or Caleb, I’d had to with Bastian, and I’d had Caleb feed him information about the girl’s parents being out of town, had him emphasize that he would be alone all weekend as Caleb would be with me.

The little push had worked and he’d gone to the girl.

It was a bit of a risk leaving him unattended around her without either mine or Caleb’s watchful eye, but it was also necessary that he be free to act without pressure or influence, so that I could truly gauge where his head was at and what his intentions were truly toward her.

I’d know soon enough.

And then I’d make the decision on whether to tell him all the rest, or to delay until I pulled him back here to King Manor and took the time to stabilize him.

A rap on the door of my home office brought my thoughts to a halt.

It could only be one person.

My regular staff keeping my home running smoothly and my security personnel wouldn’t dare to interrupt me without a specific appointment on the books. Caleb wouldn’t bother to knock at all and rather would just barge on in without any preamble.

My Head of Security, however, was another matter entirely.

“Come in, Luke,” I called out, pushing out of my chair and rounding my desk as the door opened.

He stepped inside and closed it behind him, his tactical pants swishing, as he walked further into the room. His black tee strained across his broad chest and those linebacker shoulders of his, the thing tucked into his pants as was his usual way. Not exactly a plus in the presentation and fashion column, but he was all about function over fit. It also served to ensure his Sig P226 nestled in the holster strapped to his right hip didn’t go unnoticed for a moment. That was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the menacing edge that he projected to outsiders and my enemies alike. Ex-military and well-seasoned in the private security business, Luke Somers walked with the edge and confidence of a man who excelled at what he did, carrying his experience and skill with him like a well-deserved badge of honor. He was one of my greatest assets, without a doubt. And he was more than even that. Nobody was as close to me as Caleb and Bastian, but Luke was a definite third.

His studious and natural assessing gaze swept over me, silently ensuring all was well just like he confirmed each time he laid eyes on me.

And then it dropped to the ring and he shoved a hand through his black crew cut.

He was upset for me that it had taken years to reacquire my father’s ring, yet I still couldn’t wear it—outside of the private confines of my bedroom and this home office. I’d had to keep it hidden until things had progressed with Dante’s promise of proof. Hidden from Caleb and Bastian. The moment they laid eyes on it a flurry of questions would follow.

Now Dante had come through, it shifted things. Caleb could know. I just didn’t like the idea of having him keep it secret from Bastian. It was one thing for me to do it, but now the two of them were living together in such close quarters, it would be harder for Caleb. As a rule, we didn’t have secrets between us. I mean, there were aspects of my business—the illegitimate parts—that I didn’t necessarily share, but that was because it was of no real consequence and had no effect on them or our friendship.

But this was different.

Beyond the momentary distraction of the ring, Luke didn’t waste any more time, reporting in, “The situation regarding Gemma Carlton has been dealt with, as per your specific instructions, King.”

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