Page 21 of Bound By Ruin

Heather was right—Adella is pure venom.

Just not the right kind for my family.

Rebel’s gone quiet, and it’s not until we’ve stepped outside that I understand why. Ruin is holding him hostage, pressing his chest and face flat against the brick side wall as he fights to break free. Thanatos is nowhere to be found, even now, and it takes me a second to understand why.

“Do you want me to shoot?” he asks, still hidden from view. A perfect hit man.

I lean down to whisper in Celia’s ear. “It’s your call, beautiful.”

She clenches and unclenches her jaw, staring mutely into the busy traffic on the street in front of us. The streetlight changes from green to red, then back to green again before she speaks. “No,” she says finally, closing her eyes. A silent tear tracks down her cheek before she hastily brushes it away. “I want her to remember the day she ruined her life for good.” Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she dials her brother’s number and leaves a quick voicemail for him to call her when he gets the message and to avoid all contact with their mom.

Gently swinging her around until we’re facing one another, I cup her warm cheek in my palm. “Are you sure about this?” Cutting off our dad was easy for us—but we had each other as a support system, and our father never was one to begin with.

Celia’s been relying on her mother for years. It’s not an easy tie to break.

Nodding, she swallows hard. “I think I’ve always known that she wasn’t good for me. This was the proof I’ve been too afraid to see.”

Rebel crashes into Celia from the side, wrapping her tightly in his arms and murmuring words of encouragement in her ear. “You’re so fucking strong, baby, so strong. We can still go in there and fuck her shit up. Just say the word. I promise, I’ll make it hurt.”

Although I’m annoyed that he stole her from me, I’m grateful when she laughs. “I don’t want you to do that, Rebel.” She meets Ruin’s gaze from over Rebel’s shoulder. “You either, okay?”

He’s taken to wearing his mask in public, and a part of me withers to see it. I wish he’d not give a damn about his appearance, but I know there are likely more layers to his rationale than I realize. Grunting, he acknowledges her request.

Thanatos finally arrives, jogging across the parking lot toward us. “She’s still sitting at the table. I think she’s in shock.”

“Let her rot,” Rebel huffs angrily. “Now,can we go home?” He slips his hands into Celia’s dress pockets and caresses her hips, earning a blushing smile from our woman. All four of us stare at her, waiting for her call on where to go next. After the bullshit she just experienced on her mother’s behalf, we’re all on the same page about the rest of the day.

Let Celia decide how she wants to decompress, if at all.

Shaking her head, she releases a long exhale. “We’re not done yet, are we? We still have step two to complete.”

“We’re still on step one,” I clarify, licking my lips. Thanatos meets my gaze over Celia’s head and nods. We talked about this at length outside of Ruin’s door this morning so that he would hear the plan, too. After flaunting Celia around the city, we need to ensure that our father takes the bait and comes for her. If not tonight, then tomorrow night, or the next, or thenext.No matter how long it takes, we’ll catch the bastard, and we’ll make him suffer.

“Pretending that everything is normal?”

Rebel murmurs therealreason we’re parading Celia around the city in between a series of kisses across her jawline. “Putting you on display, baby. You’re our arm candy until our dad comes out of hiding.”

Her jaw pops open. “You can’t be serious.”

Thanatos crosses his arms over his chest as he comes to a stop behind her. “I don’t joke. This is the plan, Princess. You agreed to do whatever it takes.”

“It won’t take long,” I assure her, turning her face back toward me. “He’s getting impatient. Making mistakes. It’ll be easy to grab him once he’s stepped out of the shadows.”

I glance at Ruin, gauging his response. We all agreed that when the time came, we would let Ruin make the killing blow. It’s only right, after everything our dad has put him through. My youngest brother stands completely still, looking out of place against a cafe backdrop, but without an ounce of discomfort, even in broad daylight. His eyes are trained on Celia, like she’s the only thing keeping him anchored to the present. I doubt he’s truly listening to our conversation, lost in the fog of his thoughts about Celia.

He’s been doing that a lot—losing pieces of himself.

I only hope that no matter what happens, she can help him find whatever it is he’s been looking for—whether that means regaining what he’s lost, or creating something new to fill the void.

Chapter10

Ruin

My brothers enjoy watchingCelia in the daylight. Rebel and Rage take turns escorting her around the city, going nowhere in particular to leave her scent all over. A picture taken here, an ice cream cone purchased there. It’s almost like they’re tourists basking in each other’s attention rather than the attention of the city.

For me, Celia always glows brightest in the dead of night.

After taking a heavy hit from my joint, I exhale the smoke from my lungs as slowly as possible, letting the burn settle my nerves. Funny thing, the feeling of burning alive. I sense flickers of it every time I take a pull, like a nightmare on the verge of collapsing around this fragile reality we call life. I can picture it—the walls collapsing, the rubble and smoke billowing into the air, the intensity of heat rolling across my skin and the bright, blinding light of it all singing my eyes.

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