Page 30 of King of Ruin

Surprisingly, one of the docks is clear of any guards and we manage to make it to the end without any interference. Still, I know better and understand that this is the territory of my father’s enemy. They shouldn’t be too far away and it’s best we be quick and quiet.

I pat a humming Fi, and point to the edge. “Hurry on, I’ll stay here and make sure no wild bears come to steal them for lunch.”

At first, her brows curve as she considers just how serious I am. But before she gets lost in that head of hers, I wink.

She giggles. “Okay.”

She skips to the edge, setting the fish down in a row before flopping on her butt.

Everything’s calm for a few minutes as she struggles with the rubber band. But when she finally snaps it off the bag and carefully pours the first fish into the serene water, I hear the footsteps.

It’s only one pair and the slow stride of the person tells me they aren’t in a rush, or inherently wanting to scare me. After another few seconds, a man appears next to me, and although I don’t turn to look at him, I know he’s loaded. The suit visible in my periphery is pressed, his cologne smells expensive, and the watch sparkling on his wrist is damn near blinding.

“I have to say, you are one lucky kid.”

Lucky.Hmph. First time in my life I’ve ever even heard the term when directed at me.

I shrug and keep my eyes on my sister who lets out the second fish. “Oh, yeah? How so?”

“Well, first of all, you’re on private property. Second, there are two dozen men here that almost emptied a clip in your back.”

“But they didn’t,” I state the obvious, unbothered by the fact I’m being slightly rude to someone clearly important to my wellbeing.

I’m not sure if it’s the fact death is a dream to me now, or that I honestly no longer have the energy to try, but tonight, I’m all out of fucks. The Embros family has a reputation. They wouldn’t hurt my sister, and honestly, they’d probably send her someplace way better than here, so for once, I’m not worried.

Or maybe it was what I had to endure twelve hours ago. Vomit, blood, cum, and tears flip through my mind, and hot, burning bile rises in my throat making me burp.

The man sighs, thankfully sensing the fact that I’m missing a few crayons from my box, and not that I’mmeaningto be a total asshole. “You’re a big kid. Damn near look grown and my men thought you stole the little girl.”

This makes me laugh. “Anyone that steals my sister will bring her right back, apologies and all.”

“That so?”

“Yeah. You see those fish over there?”

I point to Fi, who’s taking a long time releasing the third fish. She’s lost in between sudden sobs and her speeches of goodbye to even realize I’m a few meters back having a conversation with a stranger–something she’d surely scold me about later.

The man nods. “Hard not to. What is she doing exactly?”

Running a hand through my hair, I sigh. “This girl stole saltwater fish from Petco because ‘they don’t deserve to live in a small box where people hit the glass’. And now she’s setting them free.”

This causes the man to laugh. It’s high and friendly and I can’t help but turn to look at him. I’ve never heard a man laugh before. At least not one that wasn’t followed with the back of a hand slamming into my face.

He’s got dark hair and black eyes. They look like the expensive jewelry stones you see on late-night QVC. I think the shade is onyx.

When he stops laughing, he glances back at my sister. “My daughter is similar. Even with all the bad I do, she thinks I’m some sort of Batman. Almost fourteen years old and she still looks at me like a superhero.”

“My sister will be this world’s first superhero.” I cover a yawn and watch as she moves on to the fourth fish. Two more and we can make the long journey home.

A quick peek at the man’s watch tells me that Mom will be expecting us in an hour. We’ll need to leave soon if we’re going to make it even close to being on time.

“Then you better protect her.” The man’s voice is lower now, more serious.

“I am. Believe me.”

“Says the boy that brings her to a private port with guarded men.”

“Men we were able to get past without so much as a second glance,” I counter, letting my eyes peer at him from the corner.

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