Page 7 of Made For Ruin

Reign holds up his hands.

“Fair enough.” Then he lowers his voice. “Anyway, there’s another reason why I’m here. I need your help.”

I set down my mug. “With what?”

“I have a job.”

“No.”

Reign chuckles. “You don’t even know what the job is.”

“Don’t need to.” I push my coffee away. “I’m done with that life. You know that.”

After fifteen years in the Marines, civilian life had felt impossible – too quiet, too normal, too safe. When Reignshowed up in Cooper Heights suggesting we start our own security company, it had been exactly what I needed.

For five years, we built our reputation handling the kinds of problems that required absolute discretion and specialized skills. We operated in the shadows, taking contracts from clients who couldn’t go through official channels. The work was dangerous, lucrative, and gave me the rush of adrenaline I craved after leaving the service.

But that was before last year when everything changed. Now the thought of going back makes my hands curl into fists under the table.

“Just hear me out.” Reign leans forward, lowering his voice. “This isn’t like the other jobs. It’s personal.”

My jaw tightens. Personal means complicated. Personal means messy. But something in Reign’s tone makes me pause. After twenty years of friendship, I know when my friend is truly worried about something.

“What’s the job?”

“You heard about The Summit? Opens tomorrow night.”

I can’t help but snort.

Everyone in Cooper Heights has heard about The Summit. The whispers started months ago about a new high-end club where the wealthy and powerful can indulge their darker appetites behind closed doors. The construction crews have been working around the clock to transform the old mountain lodge into something sleek and exclusive.

“Yeah. What about it?” I ask.

“I’m handling security for opening night. And I need backup.”

That gets my attention. Reign never asks for backup unless something’s seriously wrong.

“Why?”

“Enzo Castellano just got out of prison. And word is, he’s coming to The Summit’s grand opening tomorrow night.”

Fuck.

Enzo Castellano runs one of the most notorious crime families in the country. The kind of man who remembers every slight and makes sure debts get paid in blood. Our last encounter left me with three broken ribs and a knife wound that still aches when it rains.

“How the hell is he even out?” I ask. “He’s been in Blackwater what, a year? He was supposed to serve twenty.”

Reign shrugs. “You know how things go. His daughter Lorena’s getting married next month. Wanted to walk her down the aisle.”

I snort. “And they just let him out for that?”

“Money talks.” He takes a sip of coffee. “And Enzo’s got plenty of it.”

I sigh and shake my head.

“Look, things have been quiet the past few years,” Reign says. “No one’s expecting trouble, but the owner wants neutral security on site. Someone who knows how to handle Enzo if things go sideways. You’re the only other person in Cooper Heights who knows how he operates. Plus, the pay’s good.”

“Money’s not the issue.”

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