Page 14 of Made For Ruin

I blink at him, confused. “Sure about what?”

His expression softens. “About this whole thing. About going to The Summit tonight.” His voice drops low. “You’re about to walk into a shady nightclub to hand over thousands of dollars to some guy you don’t even know. That’s risky as hell.”

“What other choice do I have? Derrick needs me. He’s my brother.”

“Yeah, and he’s also the reason the diner is in so much debt in the first place.”

“That’s not fair,” I snap. “Derrick made mistakes, but he’s trying to fix them. He’s in over his head, and I’m not going to just stand by and watch him drown.”

Axel crosses his arms, his jaw tightening.

“I get that. But you’re not exactly a lifeguard here. You’re walking into a situation you don’t understand. These people—they’re not like us. They don’t play by the same rules.”

“And what, you think I’m too naive to handle it?” I shoot back.

Axel sighs, running a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I’m saying. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I can take care of myself.”

He steps closer, his amber eyes searching mine.

“Can you? Because this isn’t some high school drama or a bad date. This is serious. And if something goes wrong, things could get bad quick.”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong,” I interrupt, though I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince him or myself.

Before he can respond, the door bursts open, and Ruby strides in, holding up a small black clutch.

“Alright, I found it. Now let’s—” She stops mid-sentence, her gaze darting between Axel and me. Her eyebrows shoot up. “Uh, everything okay here?”

Axel steps back and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Yeah,” he grumbles. “Everything’s fine.”

Ruby narrows her eyes but doesn’t press it. Instead, she holds out the clutch to me.

“Here. It’s got your ID, some cash, and pink pepper spray for your purse. It matches your dress and can blind a man at ten feet.”

I can’t help but laugh, the tension in the room dissolving as I take the clutch from her.

“Thanks, girlie. I’ll text you if anything goes sideways, okay?”

“You better. And don’t let this guy”—she jerks her thumb at Axel—”talk you out of calling me if you need backup.”

“I won’t,” I promise, squeezing her hand.

Axel rolls his eyes but doesn’t argue. Instead, he steps toward the door. “Let’s go. We’re already late.”

FOUR

MARCUS

“Name?”The bouncer barely glances up from his tablet.

“Ruins.”

His eyes snap to my face. “Mr. Ruins.” Recognition flickers as he takes me in. “Welcome to The Summit. Mr. Mitchell is waiting for you in the VIP lounge.”

I grunt in acknowledgment and shoulder past him down the hallway.

It’s opening night at The Summit, and the energy crackles through the air like static electricity. I make my way down the hallway, the thrum of bass growing louder with each step. As I round the corner, the full spectacle hits me.

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