Page 58 of Bound By Ruin

Well. Not my problem.

Rebel grabs the fruity, frozen cocktail and swallows a mouthful, then snickers as he tucks the umbrella behind Ted’s ear. “Nighty-night, bitch.”

We’re on our way back to our table when Ruin’s voice cuts back into our comms. They have a large connection radius, so we weren’t worried about anyone going out-of-bounds, but somehow, Ruin has managed to test the limits of modern technology.

“Get the doctor.”

I push past a meandering couple and scan the area for Ruin, not finding him, but seeing Thanatos hover at the far end of the dining platform. He’s watching Celia talk with Charlotte, but he’s simultaneously pulling out his cell phone to call Wren Sakovia, the doctor who agreed to work overtime to cover our asses tonight.

I have a feeling that he’s looking out for Celia more than my brothers and me, but I won’t complain about having another person in our corner.

“What’s going on?” I take one more look around the backyard, but there aren’t as many people lingering outside in the cold. Most guests are cozied up with their money and their egos indoors.

“I’ll meet you at the side entrance,” Thanatos tells Ruin, meeting my eyes from twenty feet away. “Rage, watch her.” After one last, lingering glance at Celia, Than steps back and quickly returns indoors to meet our younger brother at the designated location.

Grabbing Rebel’s forearm, I pull him forward. “C’mon. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

Rebel tugs his arm free. “Wasn’t planning on it,” he grumbles, jostling me with his elbow. “Quit pulling me around.” Sighing, he rubs the side of his neck, wiping away some of the makeup covering his tattoos. It clings to his shirtsleeve, but he doesn’t notice. “What do you think he’s found?”

“Don’t know,” I answer honestly. We miss Celia’s entire conversation with Charlotte, but I’m sure that sharing stories about Ted’s shrimp dick wasn’t very entertaining. Once we’re seated at the table, Charlotte looks over her shoulder for her missing husband. “Oh, where’s Ted?”

“He’s sitting by the fire pit,” Rebel answers, nodding toward Ted’s silhouette across the lawn. “Said he wasn’t hungry.”

Charlotte’s face pinches, and she huffs as she pushes out her seat. “I swear,” she mumbles, grabbing her purse. “He takes one look at his ex and can’t stand being civil.” Giving us a tight-lipped smile, she excuses herself and makes a beeline for her husband.

“What did you do?” Celia hisses, jabbing my thigh with her sharp fingernail. “I didn’t tell you to hurt him!”

“Relax,” Rebel drawls, rolling his eyes. “He’s the one doing all the damage. The bastard fainted. Can you believe it? A grown man fainting?”

I can, actually, believe it. I’ve seen dozens of men piss themselves—granted, they’re usually tied to an interrogation chair, but still. They pass out all the time.

We can hear both Ruin and Thanatos talking in our ear, the two of them discussing exactly who it is that needs medical attention—Sara.

The missing college girl.

I look away from Rebel so that he doesn’t give anything away. He may be flirtatious and chatty and good with people, but he doesnotlie well when he’s not on the job. It’s like a switch in his brain for effectiveness turns off the minute he takes a bow and walks off stage.

He needs to get better at lying, or he’ll ruin every future surprise I have in store for Celia and our child.

Rebel changes the conversation, steering us away from Ted entirely. “I think one of those shows is about to start,” he says, looking away from Celia to nod toward the venue. That’s likely true, given how the events for the evening are scheduled to begin every hour, on the hour. “Let’s go watch.”

“Where did Thanatos go?” Celia asks, ignoring Rebel’s suggestion completely. “He was standing right there, and then all of a sudden, he looked at me and…” Her eyebrows furrow together. “Ran off.”

Thankfully, our dinner arrives, two plates of medium-rare ribeyes paired with potatoes and broccoli and a salmon entrée completed with asparagus and rice. Rebel shoves a forkful of steaming potatoes into his mouth while I unwrap Celia’s napkin and place it in her lap.

“Maybe he had to pee,” Rebel muses, carving into his steak. “Reallybadly.”

Celia frowns, first at Rebel, then at me. “Stop lying to me. I know that something is wrong.”

“I’m not lying,” Rebel replies, his ears turning pink.Fuck me.He will never be able to lie to Celia for as long as he lives.

She scowls at my brother before turning to face me. “My earbud isn’t working. What did you do?”

Unlike Thanatos, I don’t have my phone to disconnect any of our units from the system. For this part, I don’t have to lie. “I didn’t do anything.” I hand Celia her fork. “Eat your salmon.”

At least she takes a bite of her meal. “Tell me where Thanatos and Ruin are.”

“They’re heading back to the car,” I say, trying to be honest without tipping her off.

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