Page 8 of Made For Ruin

“Then what is?”

I stare out the diner window at the mountains rising behind town. “Last time we crossed paths with Enzo, three of our guys ended up in the hospital.”

“This is different. We’re not working against him this time. Just need to make sure everyone plays nice. All I’m asking for is one night.”

“Reign-”

“Give you something to do besides sit up in that cabin and brood.”

I glare at him. “I don’t brood.”

“Right.” His lips twitch. “You what, meditate? Commune with nature?”

“Fuck off.”

But even as I say it, I know I’m going to help. Reign and I have pulled each other out of too many firefights, saved each other’s asses too many times to count. Twenty years of friendship means something.

I sigh and scrub my hand across my beard. “How many guys you got?”

“Eight. All former military.” He meets my eyes. “Could use one more.”

I drain my coffee. “Fine. One night. But if Enzo starts anything, I’m throwing him through a window first and asking questions later.”

Reign’s mouth twitches. “I always did appreciate your subtle approach to conflict resolution.” He stands and drops a wad of cash on the table. “I’ll see you at eight tomorrow night. Wear something nice. Preferably without pine needles stuck to it.”

I flip him off as he leaves, his laughter carrying back to me.

“More coffee?”

I turn at Lainey’s voice. She’s changed into a clean uniform since the incident with the dish water earlier, her hair falling loose around her shoulders now. The coffeepot in her hands catches the morning light, and I notice the slight tremor in her fingers as she gestures with it.

“No thanks. All set.”

She shifts her weight, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Busy morning coming up. Looks like rain.”

Something in her tone makes me pause. Like she’s searching for words she can’t quite say. For a second I let myself wonder if she feels this thing between us too.

I stand, pushing those thoughts away where they belong. “Yeah. Looks like it.”

Then I head for the door without looking back. The mountains will be shrouded in clouds soon, perfect weather for staying up in my cabin and forgetting about everything else.

THREE

LAINEY

The restof the day goes by in a blur.

The oven being out was a pain, but we made do with what we had. We served toast instead of muffins and cold sandwiches instead of hot ones. Most of the regulars didn’t even notice, or if they did, they didn’t complain. We also got a surprising influx of new faces. By the time I get back home, it’s a little bit past seven, and I’m exhausted.

When I step inside, my best friend and roommate, Ruby, is sprawled on the couch, scrolling through her phone. Spike, our bearded dragon, is perched on her shoulder like a scaly little guard dog.

“Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence,” Ruby says with a laugh as she looks up at me. “Spike and I were starting to think you’d been kidnapped.”

I let out a tired laugh. “Nope, not today, unfortunately.”

I drop my bag by the door and walk over to the couch.

Our apartment isn’t much—600 square feet of mismatched furniture and dreams we can barely afford. The kitchen’s little more than a narrow galley with counter space for exactly one person to cook, assuming the ancient oven decides to work.

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