Page 61 of King of Ruin

I shake my head against his chest. “No. You did right, Zek.” I release him and make out his sullen features through my tear-ridden vision. “I would have forced your hand and tried to convince you that we could run. We would all be dead without you.”

He strokes my hair away from my face before a small, sad, smile pulls up one side of his lip. “You’re right on both accounts. You could have me believing we got away scot-free until they came knocking on our door.”

I huff out a bitter laugh. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Fi. I’ve fucked up in so many ways, I can’t even begin to explain.” Zek gestures to the couch with his head and we both sit. He threads his finger through his hair before leaning over and propping his forearms on his knees. “I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to hurt any of them. And knowing I was saving you but condemning so much more than them was really fucking with me.”

My heart squeezes. It stings to hear the truth outright, but it’s not in a hurtful way. More like an “I understand but it also sucks” kind of way. Still, I don’t want him to feel bad about it.

I nudge him in the shoulder. “You got that soft spot from me.”

“Oh, that’s for sure. Without you, I would have been lost a long time ago. No telling who I’d be.”

“Still you. I don’t believe for one second, you would have turned out anything like him.”

He scoffs. “You’re saying that to someone who let you be locked up while I fell for the woman I was supposed to capture.”

I jolt back, a hand pressed to my chest, a wide smile taking over my mouth. “Okay first off, I kind of lied about my living conditions so you wouldn’t freak out. But wait, did I just hear you right? Youfellfor her?”

Zek sighs again and drops his head. “No. I mean–”

He scrubs his hands down his face, his brows tightly drawn together as he takes a thick swallow. I can see the moment he decides to say it–to be honest with himself and me. “Yeah. I did. It was impossible not to.”

He sighs, his shoulders dropping with the confession. “But it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Why?”

He shakes his head. “Just doesn’t. What matters now is moving forward, and for you and me,” he gestures between us, “everything’s about to change. And I need you to know that either way, you have options.”

“What do you mean?”

Zek sighs and leans back into the worn couch. “It means after tomorrow I can withdraw a shit ton of money and send you to the UK to study art, or travel around the world. You don’t need to stick around. I don’twantyou to.”

My heart stalls in my chest, and my stomach rolls. What he’s saying–implying–can only mean one thing. “You’re staying, and taking over for him.”

“Yes.”

I jump to my feet, ignoring the shivers already running down my spine. “You can’t! You’re not like him, Zek. Why would you want to continue to do the vile things he’s done?”

My voice is trembling, but when Zek peers up at me, I see the hurt and trepidation cross over him. The way he looks completely defeated. Then I realize.

He doesn’t have a choice.

“I wanted to leave. But Onyx showed me things that made me understand I can’t do what I’m about to do and then go. There would be chaos, death, and then someone else would take over and continue to do the things I could have stopped.”

He takes a breath and stands, tucking one hand in his pocket. “Because of Phineas, I used to think all mafia families were the same. I figured they all did terrible shit, and didn’t give a fuck who they hurt in the process. But I know better now and I owe it to so many people to do this.”

I shake my head, refusing to believe that he wants to lead such a corrupt and disgusting family. “You don’t owe anything to anyone.”

When Zek sighs this time, I know I’m fighting a losing battle. His mind is made up, and he’s only letting me know and giving me the option to go. I let out another sob, nodding as I pull him back into another hug. “Tell me what I need to do to help.”

He leans his head on top of mine. “I need you to make one last call.”

* * *

If she tries to kill me. At least I’m at a hospital. There’s no way I don’t at least make it a few feet inside before collapsing on the tile a bloody mess and being rescued right? Though, it’s also possible she could own the hospital and tell them not to intervene.

Can the mafia own hospitals?

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