Page 3 of Beautiful Ruins
“And if she’s nothing?”he pressed.
“Then she’s mine to deal with.”
The room went deathly still.
That did it.I saw it land—the change in posture, the recalculation.Ownership carried weight in this world.Claiming something, even something small and shaking in your hand, drew a clear line.
I reached into my pocket and withdrew a syringe, already loaded with clear liquid.I never left home without it.
The woman’s eyes flew to the syringe, panic surging so hard it vibrated through her body.She shook her head, a broken, desperate movement.
“I’ll be gentle,” I murmured, my voice low.
I pressed the needle into her neck.
She went slack almost immediately, strength draining out of her like someone had pulled a plug.Her weight folded forward, sudden and awkward, and I caught her before she hit the floor, irritation flaring at the inconvenience.
She was lighter than I expected.
“Christ,” one of the men cursed.“You’re taking her with you?”
“I am.”
“She could be trouble.”
I handed her off to one of my men without ceremony.“She won’t be.”
“And if she is?”the Bratva leader bit out.
I straightened, wiping my hand on my coat.“Like I said.Then she’smyproblem.”
He watched me for a long moment, eyes searching for any signs of weakness and finding none.Finally, he nodded once.
“Your problem.”
“Exactly.”
I turned back to the case, dragged it shut, and resumed the deal as if nothing had happened.Business first.Curiosity second.
And the girl?She’d wake up soon enough.And when she did, we’d have a very interesting conversation.
2
Izzy
The building was abandoned the way bodies were abandoned—left where they fell, stripped of anything useful, and forgotten because no one wanted to deal with what remained.Concrete walls wept with damp and mould.The air carried the sharp tang of metal and rust, clinging to the back of my throat with every breath.My footsteps echoed too loudly, each one bouncing ahead of me, betraying my presence as I moved from one level to the next in search of Nathan.
Every sound felt amplified.My own heartbeat seemed to scatter across the floors, chasing me down the halls.
I told myself I was being ridiculous.
I was following a man who’d been acting wrong for weeks.Late nights and vague answers.A phone he suddenly guarded like it contained state secrets.Sneaking out after midnight, assuming I’d sleep through his absence.When I’d run out of explanations, my mind had landed on the ugliest one.
Cheating.He had to be.Because that was easier than acknowledging I didn’t know who he was anymore.
“Great taste,” I mumbled, pulling my jacket tighter as I pushed deeper into the building.Was this really where Nathan would meet a would-be lover?The idea barely survived its own formation.Even in my own head, it sounded ridiculous.
The corridors twisted and doubled back, disorienting in a way that felt intentional.Broken doors hung open on rusted hinges, groaning softly when the air moved.Old machinery crouched in the shadows, hulking shapes frozen mid-task like animals put down and forgotten.Everything smelled old.Wet.Wrong.
