Page 38 of Bound By Ruin

“Who, Ruin?” Thanatos hums in the back of his throat. “Where do you think?” He tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling—or, more accurately, at the intricate catwalk erected over our heads. Although the ballroom is hardly a stage inside a theater, it’s treated as one to give the room a Las Vegas vibe. Hundreds of lights beam down at us from above, each one attached to a system of wires and metal bars that criss-cross just beneath the ceiling. It’s dark and shadowed above the bulbs, likely for effect more than anything. I’m sure as the night wares on, they’ll dim the lights so it looks like we’re standing beneath a night sky.

If Ruin is hiding somewhere, it’s up there in the rafters, like he’s a character from thePhantom of the Operaor some shit. He’s always had a flare for the dramatic. I’m sure he gets it from Rebel, the two of them feeding off of each other’s energy.

The tech crew will have access to the scaffolds and catwalk, but I have no doubt that Ruin has found his way up there, too. He’s probably smoking, too, staring down his nose at the festivities from high up above, no doubt keeping an eye out for our father as much as he is for Celia. When it’s his turn in the rotation, I imagine that he’ll carry her up there just to watch her reaction to the height and heat.

I bet it’s sweltering up there.

“He should go last,” I muse, sighing. “He’ll ruin her hair and makeup.” Not to mention her dress and shoes. The pair cost us a fortune, taking out most of Rebel’s winnings from a few nights ago. If her dress tears, someone will start a rumor that she was having sex in the bathrooms and that her lover got too rough when he lifted her dress. These parties always attract the juiciest gossip on account of how much time the clientele have on their hands.

Then again, with how uptight Than looks right now, he might need to be the start of a dirty rumor.

“Why don’t you go next,” I tell him, relinquishing my spot as Celia’s second date for the night. My fist clenches as soon as the words pass my lips, but I won’t take them back. Than needs to loosen up, or he’ll be a perpetual stick in the mud for the rest of our lives.

I know that he likes her. They could even be friends. He’s just too goddamn stubborn to admit it.

Rather than look relieved, Thanatos damn near panics. “I don’t want that. I don’t need a turn at all. I’m not here to party.” He twitches, shifting his weight from foot to foot and showing a nervous tic that I’ve never seen before.

He won’t look me in the eye.

“Are you scared of her?” Lifting an eyebrow, I study his reaction. It’s not like him to have anxiety. “Or is this about Dad? Celia made a good point the other night. He probably won’t show up without an invite.”

Good thing that Ruin and I left the bastard notes all over town. For the past week, any back alley he could have walked through had his initials painted in blood red, with a safety deposit box number that matches our old home address directly beneath it. We rented out every single box in the city with that number and placed a personal invitation to tonight’s gala inside.

If our father was waiting for an invitation, he finally has one.

I should have let Thanatos in on the secret, but if he knew that our father wereactuallycoming, I never would have gotten him to agree to attend as a guest. Instead, he’d be perched up above in a makeshift sniper nest, scoping out the event. Although that would have come in handy when our father shows his face, we owe Ruin the kill. Thanatos would pull the trigger a dozen times before our brother could ever get close.

For that reason, I need Thanatos on the ground tonight.

But I also need him to make up with Celia and put water under the bridge. They’ve had their differences—he gave a shit apology—and they’ve been getting along better ever since their training started. I can see the tension between them softening more with each passing day. By the time the baby comes, however, I need them to be a rock solid unit like the rest of us. If I go down for any reason, I need someone responsible to be there to take care of her when I’m gone. I can’t count on Ruin to change diapers, and I sure as shit can’t count on Rebel to make our kid lunch before school. A nanny would help, but I doubt Celia wants one if it means taking away quality time with her child, and I’m not letting Adella fucking Monrovia anywhere near our family, no matter how much we might need the help.

That leaves someone like our bratva queen Valentina Baranova taking position as auntie, but for a fatherly role…

I need Thanatos.

Which means that he and Celia need to start bonding ASAP.

That can’t happen if Than is preoccupied with something else. Our father is an easy problem to solve when you get down to the brass tacks of the situation, so I doubt Than is anxious about committing patricide. Which leaves only one other possibility…

“I’ve never known you to be scared of anything,” I admit slowly, watching Than to check for cracks in his armor. They’re starting to show. “Tell me, then, what is it about Celia that’s got you tied up in knots, brother?”

Thanatos stares out at the sea of people before answering my question. He doesn’t seem surprised that I’m asking, which means that he’s been pondering that same thing. “She’s good for you.”

I wait a second before responding. “She’s good for all of us.”

He keeps his expression neutral, hiding something from me. If I had to guess, it’s that he feels guilty—either for not liking her, as he vehemently expressed when they first met at the safe house in The Backyard, or…

For liking her too much.

Until he tells me the truth, I won’t mention my suspicions. He could flee the minute our father is out of the picture, and that’s the last thing I want. We’ve already been separated for all the years he wasted chasing our father down; Thanatos deserves more than a life on the road, hunting his next kill.

He deserves a family—and I intend to give him one.

“You’re going next,” I unilaterally decide. “Give Rebel another hour with her, and then I want you to sweep her off her feet.”

Thanatos’s eyes narrow. “You can’t be serious.”

My lips curve into a smirk. “I’m dead serious. I want her to have a good time tonight. I wantyouto have a good time. What better way to ensure that happens than by putting two of my favorite people together?”

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