Page 122 of Ruin
The call ends and I stay outside for a moment. My phone dings with a text. A photo from Lucian. It’s a picture of him lying in the hotel bed, shirt off, winking at the camera. Fuck, he’s so hot.
I text him quickly before heading inside.
Me: You trying to make me hard or what?
Lucian: Did it work?
Me: It always works.
Lucian: You better not jerk off. That cum is mine.
Me: Yes, sir.
Lucian: Good night, sweet boy.
Me: Night.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Kolton
Crete walks into the laundromat—why is it always a laundromat?—like he owns the place. The guy behind the counter nearly falls off his stool when he jumps to his feet, eyes going wide and taking a few steps back.
“What’s wrong, Nuno? Did you think you’d get away with this shit?” Crete says.
“It wasn’t my idea,” he says, shaking his head.
“It never is, is it?” Crete says, leaning on the counter.
“It really wasn’t this time. It’s Filipe. He’s so hung up on it, that he’s acting crazy. I told him it was a bad idea, but he didn’t listen. He sent those guys up there, not me. I swear, man, it wasn’t me.”
“Uh huh,” Crete says with a nod as his eyes graze over the counter. They settle on something I don’t see, and he moves so quickly I hardly catch it. Nuno’s hand is flat on the table, andthere’s a pencil sticking out of it while he howls in pain. Crete’s hand is around his throat, and his face is already turning red.
Shark whistles. “I think I like this version better.”
I huff out a laugh.So do I.
The few customers that were in here carefully make their way out, looking as if they’re used to this shit, but don’t want to be involved. They know to look the other way.
“This is how it’s going to go, you little piece of shit. You’re going to live with the choices you made, you got that? You fucked up your chance to hit it big thanks to that puny little dick of yours. It’s no one else’s problem but yours, and you can tell Filipe what I said. If you, him, or any of your boys even think of crossing over into my state or theirs—or any other to fuck with the Hell’s Mayhem, I’ll cut your balls off and shove them so far up your ass you’ll choke on them.”
Nuno nods shakily, tears staining his cheeks. Crete lets go of his throat and pats his cheek, smiling.
“See, I knew we could be friends.” He looks at me, Shark, and Coyote. “And these guys? They’re your friends now too. Same as me, you got it?”
“Yeah, I totally got it,” he says, then looks at us. “I’m sorry. You won’t have any problems with us in the future.”
“That’s my boy,” Crete says with a proud smile. “Now, have a lovely day.”
He turns on his heel and heads for the door, so we follow. Twenty minutes later, we’re grabbing some food at a diner, and then we’re heading back.
“Why the fuck didn’t someone tell me it would be so goddamn easy?” Coyote complains.
“Had you told us what the fuck was going on, maybe someone would have,” Kaison says.
“I’m sorry, okay? I fucked up. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Yeah, well…” Shark says as I turn onto the main road.
