Page 94 of Her Ruin

Sinking down onto the edge of his bed, I dropped my head into my hands and took a deep breath.

It was already too late. I’d already fallen for him.

* * *

The door openedabout two hours later, and Zayn looked more surprised to see me than I did to see his hands covered in blood.

“Oh my god, what happened?”

“Isla?”

We both stared at each other, and then Zayn pushed the door closed and turned to face me. He didn’t bother to hide his hands.

“Why are you here?” he asked calmly, walking to the bathroom, and I followed hesitantly.

“Why are you covered in blood?” I watched him pull his waistcoat off, then his shirt, balling them both in his hands and tossing them into a corner. He unbuckled and pulled his belt free of the loops. His pants got pushed down. “Are you just going to strip?”

He paused and looked up at me. “I need to get changed.”

“Because you’re covered in blood?”

He gave me a flat look. “Rye let you in?”

“Yes.” My arms were around my middle again, and I was sure I was holding myself together. “After he gave me a very eye-opening tour.”

Zayn hesitated, then nodded. “Not the way I would have done it,” he said calmly. “You see everything you needed?”

“Did I see…” My head was pounding. “Did I see everything Ineeded?”

Zayn was naked and wrapped a towel around his waist. He leaned over and turned the shower on. “I’m going to assume yes.”

I watched him step under the shower spray and tip his head back. He washed quickly, and the unsettling thought was that it wasn’t formehe was hurrying. When he finished, he towel dried and walked right past me into the main loft. Silently, I followed, certain I was having an out-of-body experience.

“I don’t have long.” Zayn broke the silence. “You can wait, or you can speak.”

“Whose blood?” I asked, my lips feeling swollen. “A customer or someone from the other club?”

Zayn was already buttoning up another black shirt. “Someone who got told to stay away and didn’t listen.” He shoved his feet into his shoes. “I operate on trust. My club, both of them, follows strict protocols. You violate that, you face the consequences.”

“Did you kill someone?”

He straightened and the coldness of his stare was heartbreakingly familiar. “No.”

“Have you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” I was definitely going to faint.

“They touched what wasn’t theirs.”

My eyes flew to his, and he didn’t blink. I felt sick. “More than one?”

“Yes.”

Tears spilled over as I watched him. “I can’t do this,” I whispered, and I saw his disappointment before he closed himself off.

“Understood.” Zayn ran his hands quickly through his hair, styling it quickly. “I have to go. You need to stay here. It’s not safe right now for you to leave.” He was already at the door.

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