Page 71 of Ruin

Damn Taro for making me leave.

“You all right?” Dad asked.

“Yeah, good. Talk to you later about it,” I told him, which earned me a chin lift.

“We’re heading to the compound soon for a family barbeque. You’re going, right?” Mum asked.

“Was just there, caught up with the brothers.” I smiled. I didn’t say I was heading back there though, because I wasn’t sure I would.

Mum studied me a moment. “How about a coffee?”

“That’d be good.” I led Rayne into the kitchen, and we took a seat at the table with Dad while Mum busied herself making drinks.

A honk sounded out the front, and Rayne perked up. “That’ll be Nary.” She bolted from the room, and we all heard the front door being thrown wide.

“What’s Nary comin’ for?” I asked.

Mum smiled. “She said she’d pick up Rayne for the barbeque since they missed out on her sleeping over at Nary’s when Ayra was sick.”

A foot to my shin had me cursing and glaring at Dad. “What’s up with this?” He waved at my face.

The chair screeched when I pushed back to rub my shin. “What the fuck you talkin’ about, old man? You losin’ your mind?”

Dad’s eyes narrowed as he shook his head. “Cut the crap. Somethin’ is goin’ on.”

“Maybe it had somethin’ to do with the shit I’d just come home from, ever think of that?”

He studied me, and it felt like he was looking into my damn soul. “That ain’t it.”

I snorted. “Yeah, okay,” I deadpanned.

“Honey, did something happen?” Mum asked.

Goddamn. They weren’t going to drop it.

“Look, all I can say is that Mimi’s family is fucked up. Even on his death bed, her dad treated her like shit for not marrying an old man for a business deal. Her uncle was gonna do the same to his daughters if Wolf didn’t—”

“There.” Dad pointed at me.

I pulled my brows down. “You been smokin’ somethin’? Did Killer and Ivy pop over, and you four had another toke party—”

“That was one time,” Mum snapped, setting a steamy coffee in front of me and Dad. She glared at me before she went back for hers. “And don’t mention that in front of Rayne.”

Chuckling, I said, “I won’t.”

“Hey, hey,” Nary called from the front door.

“And then he said he wouldn’t come near me because my dad’s in the Hawks MC,” Rayne told Nary.

I looked to Dad, who smirked. “My job is done.”

“If he’s scared of Dad, he’s not worth it then. You need someone who won’t quiver in fear around Dad. Besides, he’s a pussycat.”

“I am not,” Dad yelled. The two girls giggled.

Nary entered first. I got a slap to the back of the head, then a kiss to the temple before she moved around the table to kiss Dad on the cheek.

“Where’s Ayra?” I asked.

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