Page 33 of Ruined

I ran everything I knew about Kurt from before through my mind. "He frequented a gym. He was obsessive about fitness. He taught self defence classes there too. And boxing. He also liked to go camping. A couple of times, he wanted me to go with him, but I refused."

"Who trained you to become an assassin?" Gianni asked. "Was it Kurt?"

"No. It was Zara Levin and her sister, Paola. My father wanted me to learn from the best."

"Ohhh, the Sisters of Death," Gianni said in appreciation. "I've always wanted to meet them, but you know what they say. You only meet them once and they're the only ones to survive the experience."

"Only if someone hires them to take you out," I said. "Then your chances of survival are approximately zero percent." If I was scared of anyone in my life, it was the Levin sisters. They were card-carrying badass bitches, if they ever were any.

"They're almost as deadly as the Sparrow," Gianni said. "And now I'm as hard as hell." He made a face and adjusted the front of his pants. "There's something about women who know how to kill that just gets me going every time."

"Is there any chance the Levin sisters are working with Kurt?" Reuben asked softly.

"I doubt it," I said. "They didn't like him and he didn't like them. I think he was concerned they'd influence me against him." Not that I needed any convincing.

"They were quick to take me up on my request to hunt him down. For a fee, of course." They did nothing for free. Including getting out of bed in the morning. Why should they when they could ask anything they wanted in return for a job?

"That answers the age-old question," Gianni mused. When we both turned to look at him he said, "I'd always wondered who the assassins hire to assassinate someone the assassin wants assassinated. Now I know. The Levin sisters. I bet they hire you too."

"I think people are too scared of them to piss them off. So they wouldn't need to hire someone to kill them," I said. "But that's a job I'd accept."

I owed them everything for all they'd taught me. They'd kept me from losing myself. That was a debt I doubted I could ever repay.

CHAPTER 13

DAMON

"You brought me all the way here to question my loyalty?" Caleb stood with his palms pressed against the top of Reuben's desk, his upper body leaning forward as though he might loom over his older brother.

He was taller, around the same height as me, but he lacked Reuben's presence. Caleb was commanding, but compared to Reuben, he might as well be in the background.

No, I wasn't biased. Much.

"You're always looking for an excuse to borrow my jet," Reuben drawled. "We thought you might enjoy the ride."

"Bullshit," Caleb snapped. He pushed himself back from the desk and turned around, a hand on the back of his head. He stood with his eyes closed for a few moments before turning back to Reuben.

"You think I'm working against you? With a lowlife piece of shit like Kurt Lasalle? Why the fuck would I do that? I've worked hard all these years to build our family into what it is. You think I'd throw that away? For what?"

"If you thought you could replace me, you might take the opportunity," Reuben said evenly.

Caleb's jaw clenched, but he didn't deny the suggestion. If he thought he'd succeed, he might well step out of line. But if he was going to take that bet, he'd have to be very sure he'd win. Otherwise, he'd be stepping out of an aircraft without a parachute. Literally.

Caleb dropped his hand to his thigh with a slap. "I'm not working against you with Kurt fucking Lasalle."

"Who are you working against him with?" Gianni leaned against the door frame, his head cocked.

Caleb looked like he might lunge at Gianni and punch him in the face, but managed to restrain himself.

"I'm not working against Reuben," he growled. "I have my people looking for Kurt, as requested." He shook his head. "Why are we even having this conversation?"

"Because someone told him Mina was here," I said. I reclined in one of the chairs to the side of the room, my ankle resting on the opposite thigh. A subtle reminder that I was more trusted around here than Caleb. A reminder that didn't go unnoticed, from the glare he gave me.

"Who told him?" Caleb demanded. "You said she was?—"

"Yes, I did," Reuben said. "But Kurt had that information anyway." He didn't explain how he knew. Caleb didn't need to be privy to that. Unless Reuben thought he did. He wouldn't hear it from me or Gianni.

Caleb frowned and sank down into a chair, elbows propped on his thighs, where they threatened to wrinkle his perfectly tailored suit. He exhaled, long and slow. "What are you thinking?"

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