Page 90 of Ruin
“Me too, if you don’t mind,” Lucian says.
Tommy gives him one as well, then hands me the lighter. After I light the cigarette, I pass it to Lucian.
I rarely smoke. In fact, I hate it. Most of the times I’ve done it have been when I’m absolutely shitfaced and hating my life more than normal. Right now, I’m just stressed the fuck out.
“I don’t know how you do that,” I say.
“It’s easy after you see so much death,” he comments. “It’s one of the good things about being a doctor.”
“Yeah, but it’s so…”
“Messy?” Lucian says with a chuckle. “All the beautiful things are.”
He holds my gaze, and there’s a knowing look there. I bring the cigarette to my lips, inhaling deeply before blowing out the smoke.
Can Lucian and I have something beautiful? I won’t know unless I try.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kolton
“What the fuck is up with you?” Shark asks as he drops down beside me with a plate full of eggs, bacon, and toast.
I glance at him, frown, then go back to my computer. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
I roll my eyes. “Just eat your food and shut up.”
“I went by your house last night,” he begins, stabbing a chunk of eggs. I click on an open cell in my spreadsheet and type in $500.00.
“And?” I say casually, but I already know where this is going.
“And you weren’t there.”
“I’m an adult, Shark. I can go where I want, when I want.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t here either.”
“What is your point?” I ask, getting frustrated now. I know what he’s trying to say. I know what he’s asking me. But it’s none of his business, so he can fuck right off.
“Were you with him?” he asks in a low voice.
“What does it matter to you?” I spit out, then snap my laptop shut and get to my feet.
Shark grips my wrist. “Be careful.”
“Fuck you, Kaison.”
I yank my arm from his grip and head down the hall into one of the offices so I can finish this work without being bothered. I have a ton of things I need to put together for the next charity event we’re doing, and with Coyote suddenly giving me a hard time about it, it gives me more work and less time to do it since he has me on a ton of other shit. But this is what I do. It’s how I get the community involved and how we show them we aren’t awful people—that we’re trying to do right here.
The door opens, and I groan as I look up, already knowing who it’s going to be.
“What the fuck, Kaison? Get out.”
He moves to stand in front of the desk, staring down at me.
“You need to be careful.”
