Page 68 of Beautiful Ruins
Movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. Jasmine burst through the door, eyes wide as they swept over the carnage. She made a beeline for me, threading her arm through mine.
“What the hell is going on?” She said, tugging us to one side.
We pressed our backs to the wall, frozen as the chaos tore through the centre of the room. I didn’t bother to answer her. The scene playing out in front of us was self-explanatory.
Scout flew in seconds later. He didn’t hesitate, just grabbed Bear under the arms and tried to yank him backwards, boots scrabbling on the blood-slick floor.
“Dude, come on,” Scout shouted, voice cracking with the effort. “He’s not worth it. You’ll go down for this, man. Don’t give them a reason.”
Bear shrugged him off, throwing an elbow backwards, nearly catching Scout in the chin. “He tried to kill us, Jesse! You think I’m going to let him live?” Another fist connected with Snake’s nose, a sickening crack cutting through Bear’s grunting.
Scout’s eyes widened, his stare flicking from Bear’s red-knuckled fists to Snake’s twitching, barely-conscious body. He finally glanced at my father, who still stood up against the bar with the kind of grim purpose you only got from decades of cleaning up other people’s blood.
A moment passed, like everyone was waiting for someone else to pull the trigger.
“Chief?” Scout said, his voice hollow.
Dad’s cop mask didn’t slip, not even for a second. Hestrode across the bar in three long strides, tracking red across the tiles.
“Righto, Declan. That’s enough.” Dad grabbed Bear before anyone else could move, one hand flattened against the back of his neck, the other clamping around his shoulder.
Bear just dropped, like every wire holding him up had snapped at once. His knees hit the floor with a thud, hands limp in his lap. All his rage had burned through him and left only ash. His chest heaved with deep, wheezing breaths. Blood dripped from his knuckles, skin stripped and cut open. He didn’t look at any of us, just glared at the floor, nostrils flaring.
Snake groaned, rolling onto his side. His nose was now a crumbled mess, cartilage caved in and leaking red. He spat blood-tinged saliva onto the tiles and tried to sit up, but without the use of his arms, he flopped back onto the ground with a grunt.
Dad knelt and caught Snake by the collar, hauling him to his feet. Snake’s head lolled to the side, neck slack, but his eyes were still alive.
“Come on, Anthony,” Dad said, his voice low. “We have some questions for you.” He glanced up, just for a second. With a final nod, he shoved Snake towards the front exit.
As they passed us, Snake grinned through broken lips, crimson spilling from the corners of his mouth. “You’ll see me again, sweetheart. Daddy won’t stop it.”
My skin crawled at the sound of his voice. I wanted to spit, scream, run—all at once. But I didn’t move. Just trembled beside Jasmine.
Dad gave me one last look, then shoved Snake out the door, the two officers flanking him like prison guards. The door slammed shut. The room didn’t relax—it held its breath. My fists clenched at my sides. My chest ached.
The room stank of metal and sweat. The chaos had left itsshadow behind, and we were all waiting for it to attach itself to us.
Scout was the first to speak. “What the fuck, Bear?”
Bear’s gaze snapped to Scout, his eyes narrowed. “Don’t act like you don’t want the prick dead.” His voice was raw, almost pleading. “He tried to have us killed, Jesse. Rowan almost died. Or have you forgotten already?”
Scout sucked his top teeth, then sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “No, I haven’t fucking forgotten. But what’s the point, bro? You kill him, and you go down for it, then what? You think that’s what Rowan wants? What any of us want?” He shook his head, glancing at the streaks of red staining Bear’s hands. “Let the chief lock him up. See how he goes in prison. Snake won’t last a week.”
Bear let out a soft, hollow chuckle, but it was louder than a scream. “Whatever,” he muttered, dropping his head between his knees, arms dangling. He was built for violence, but now he crumpled into the ruins he’d made.
Jasmine was still clinging to my arm, her nails leaving crescent indents on my skin.
Scout ran a hand through his hair, then turned his attention to me, searching my face. “I’m going to sit with Rowan,” he said, his usual bright blue eyes now dull and hollow. “You good, Sades?”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah,” I choked out, the word scraping against my throat. “I’ve got this.”
I wasn’t sure if I was lying to him, or just to myself, but the words left my lips and sat between us, heavy and unfinished. He offered a small, tired smile and disappeared down the hallway, boots squeaking against the sticky floor.
Jasmine placed her hands on my shoulders, her eyes darting between mine. “You okay, Coop?”
I tried for a smile, but I was sure it looked more like a grimace. “I’m fine.”
“Okay. I’m going to sit with Scout and Rowan.” She kissed my cheek and darted off after Scout, leaving just me and Bear in whatever storm was brewing in his head.
