Page 62 of Ruined

Relieved, I stepped back, but grimaced at her wording. "He's no fucking friend of mine. We need to get him out of here, to Reuben's. It won't be long before…"

I caught the look on Daze's face. "Reuben is here."

"He's somewhere around here," she agreed. "He and the other men are dealing with a few bad guys. Nothing they can't—" A gunshot rang out. "—Handle." The first gunshot was followed by a second and a third.

"Just another night in Dusk Bay," Clarissa said. "Let's get this asshole into my car. He should be asleep for another few hours, but it's always a bit of a hit or miss, because it depends on their body weight and whatnot." She moved her hand back and forth, before grabbing Leon's ankles once again and dragging him out the door.

Daze and I exchanged glances before taking a wrist each and helping to throw him into the boot before Clarissa slammed it shut.

"I hope he doesn't vomit in my car," she remarked. "I hate when they do that."

I made a face and leaned against the car to send a text to Reuben. And then one to Damon. Leon better have some good answers as to where Kurt was, because I had a feeling I was going to get bawled out very soon.

CHAPTER 24

DAMON

We'd barely finished dispatching the last of the attackers, when my phone vibrated in my back pocket. Impatiently, I tugged it out and glanced at the screen.

"It's Mina," I said. "It seems she's taken care of Leon Graves and would like to meet up with us if we're not otherwise occupied." Those weren't her exact words, but close enough.

"So I see," Reuben said dryly. He looked down at his own phone. "I trust Daze is with her."

At some point during the last hour, she'd said she was needed and darted off into the night.

She was going to be hearing about that from me and from Reuben. She was supposed to be following our orders, not hers, or even Mina's.

"That's what my message says," Gianni said. "Daze is with Mina and Clarissa. Just over…" He turned a slow circle, eyes on a map app. "Two blocks in this direction."

"Hunter, Parker stay here and wait for cleanup," Reuben said. "I want all of these bodies gone before morning. The rest of you, let's go."

"Later, bro." Hunter saluted Reuben before we turned away from them and headed away down the street.

"This has been an interesting night," Gianni remarked.

"That's one word for it," I agreed. "Except the evening part." I nodded to the east, where the sun was starting to peek above the horizon. Morning wasn't far away. Chances were, the cleanup crew would be working in daylight.

"It's been a while since we've pulled an all-nighter," Gianni said. "Does that mean we're getting old?"

"Probably." I rubbed the heel of my hand on my forehead and blinked away the weariness that began to descend. Between being up all night, running around the streets being shot at, and killing, I was exhausted.

Far from old, but feeling it right now.

"It means we have other people to do this, most of the time," Reuben said. "People we would have left this to if not for Mina." He narrowed his eyes on Gianni.

"For what it's worth, I followed her," Gianni said easily. "If I knew what she was doing, I would have stopped her and we could have done just that. Sent someone else to pick up Leon." He spread his hands to either side. "But don't tell me you didn't have fun. At least a little bit."

The glance Reuben gave him would have withered anyone else, but Gianni just grinned. "It's not like you sleep anyway."

Reuben grunted.

I shouldn't have found that sound hot, but even in my state of tiredness, I did. Maybe because I was so tired. I was done fighting how I felt.

"Took you long enough," Daze drawled as we rounded the corner of the building to see her standing beside a car, Clarissa nearby. "We've been waiting for ages."

"For the record, when I told Ric you were here, he said something about putting you over his knee and spanking you," I said.

She grinned. "Don't threaten me with a good time."

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