Page 9 of Ruined (The Knights of Ruin)

She still wasn’t looking at me, her attention on my boots resting on her table.

For some reason I couldn’t figure out, I wanted to leave them there—which was stupid. She’d been through hell tonight with Annie and didn’t need me being a tool about putting my feet on her furniture.

But I didn’t move them.

‘Up here, kitten.’

Her gaze flickered up to mine, then away again. ‘Justin, Dane?’

Yeah, she really didn’t want to look at me. And the Dane thing... Second time that night. Definitely had something to do with that moment in the hallway.

I took another sip of my beer. I’d ask her about it after we’d cleared up the shit that had happened with her ex. No need for her to get weird about a fucking blow job, for Christ’s sake.

‘Looked like he was trying to make a run for it with Annie,’ I said. ‘When I got there he was putting her in his car.’

She was silent, looking fully at me this time, and I could see the panic in her eyes.

‘Shit. I knew he was going to try and pull something like this—I just knew it.’

‘Yeah, but that’s not all.’ This would be difficult for her, but she needed to know the truth. ‘He’s going to try for sole custody.’

She stilled. ‘What? He’s never wanted to before.’

‘Well, he’s serious now.’ I held her gaze. ‘He’s going after you with the big guns, too. Single mom. Shitty apartment. Biker boyfriend.’

Her eyes widened, then flared with anger. ‘No. Oh, fuck, no! He’s not using you. The prick!’

That’s what I loved about Cat. She always had my back. Always.

She shoved herself out of her chair, pacing angrily in front of the coffee table. ‘Why now? He hasn’t wanted this before. I don’t get it. And anyway you’re my friend—not my boyfriend.’

‘Yeah, but that’s how he’s going to play it. Fuck, if I wanted my kid, I’d tell every lie I could to get them back.’

She stopped and stared at me. ‘Not helping.’

‘Hey, that’s what he’s doing. I’m just telling it like it is.’

‘Well, don’t.’ She resumed pacing. ‘This is crazy. He’s doing it to hurt me. He doesn’t really want Annie—he never did.’

‘Why he’s doing it doesn’t matter. All that matters is how we stop him.’

She came to a halt again, her hands in fists at her sides. ‘Yeah and how the hell are we going to do that? He’s a lawyer. It’ll be his word against mine.’

That was the problem. He was a fine, upstanding member of the community. A professional. No one knew he was also an abusive prick. No one except me and Cat.

The thing was, I’d already had to stand on the sidelines once to watch him take out his anger-management problems on someone I loved. I wasn’t going to do it again. Still less when the person involved was a kid.

I needed to talk to Keep—see what he could do about the situation. He was friends with the police chief now, and that asshole was the chief’s son. He’d be able to work something out. After all I was Keep’s nephew, and he’d always told me that if I needed anything I only had to say the word.

I’ve never wanted to put anything on Keep—it wasn’t his fault his brother was the biggest asshole ever to walk the earth. But this wasn’t about me. It was about Cat and what she needed. And she needed something now.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll deal with it.’ I put as much authority as I could into my voice.

‘What do you mean, you’ll deal with it?’ she demanded. ‘How?’

‘Doesn’t matter how.’

‘Bullshit.’ Her whole posture was tense, almost vibrating. ‘Don’t give me that biker-secrecy crap—not when it involves Annie.’

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