Ruin & Rule

I huffed. “On my bike, maybe, but nowhere else.”

“Peaceful.”

I laughed. “Um, biggest lie yet.”

She shook her head, seriousness drenching her green eyes. “You are peaceful. You fight for what you believe in. You fight to protect what’s yours, but in your heart… you’re kind and gentle and not a part of this world.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Same as me.”

My heart clenched. The words I love you weighed on my tongue. I hadn’t said it yet. But, fuck, I wanted to.

Her lips twisted into a smile. “You’re also an idealist.”

I nodded, pulling myself back from love and her being mine forever. “Okay, kind of agree with that one.” I had hopes. I had dreams. And I wasn’t settling.

“Those all sound pretty good. Any bad traits I should watch out for?”

She sighed, her eyes latching onto my lips, making me hard and dying to kiss her. “Superficial and vain.”

I sighed dramatically. “Ah, so the perfection ends.” Pressing my body against hers, I murmured, “Pity I agree with them the most.”

She whispered, “Reliable. You’re also reliable.”

The traitorous word slashed through the memory, dumping me back to the present.

Reliable.

Fuck that, I wished I was the most unreliable bastard. I wished that part of the damn Libran personality had screwed up. I was the most reliable person I knew. Pity others saw that—exploited that.

Reliability was the main reason my life fell apart.

I was too damn trusting. Too damn reliable.

Too fucking blind.

I balanced the eraser on my knuckles, flipping it over and over from one side of my hand to the other. Get rid of it.

My heart hurt to think of everything I’d lost. It was time to destroy it.

Not yet.

I can’t.

… not yet.

My stomach clenched thinking about tomorrow. It didn’t just clench, it fucking twisted until my last prison lunch threatened to escape though my fucking nose. For the billionth time, I second-guessed myself. So much could go wrong. So much shit could hit the fan and rain all over my headless corpse.

Wallstreet had given me the key to my future. He’d given me more than anyone, but like anything, it was up to me to make it work.

I checked the small clock on the bedside table. Four hours and counting. Four hours before I would be initiated and say good-bye to my past forever.

The next day I took control of my empire.

If it went well, I’d live to see another sunrise. If it didn’t…

I’m too young to die.

Should’ve thought about that before you agreed to this.

A thrill of excitement ran down my spine. It was a potent mix of fear, retaliation, and the knowledge my life would never be the same.

The moment I entered the disgustingly dirty common room, the large men—some bald, some with ponytails, others with more body hair than facial hair—all turned to face me.

Grasshopper appeared from the tattered boxing ring in the middle of the room, where the rigging had been draped with extra jackets of the Corrupts, along with the items I’d told him to put in place. A large bucket of water, a blowtorch, towels, and a tattoo artist with a fully equipped mobile studio.

I nodded.

He nodded in return.

I hadn’t expected to find help on this side of the world, but Wallstreet had earned not just my loyalty in this Club but Grasshopper’s and Mo’s, too. I felt a kinship with them that I hoped wouldn’t bite me in the ass in the future.

“Everyone, pay attention,” Grasshopper shouted, cutting out grumbling conversation. “As you know, Kill, has been hand-selected by Wallstreet. We all know his instructions, and there won’t be any arguments. Got it?”

The room suddenly thickened with animosity.

Couldn’t really blame them. Staring at me with my unweathered face, no calluses on my hands, and no experience other than prison.

But it wasn’t up to them to decide if they liked me. It was up to them to obey me.

Stepping forward, I clasped a hand on Hopper’s shoulder. “I’ll take it from here.”

A few of the older members snickered, elbowing each other with anger in their eyes. I locked them in my stare. “I know a few of you won’t survive the transition. I have no doubt I’ll strip a few of you from your patches. And I also have no doubt that some of you will try and end this. But I’m here to tell you that I know how your mind works. I know because mine used to work the same way. You feel betrayed by someone you trusted. Furious at change.

“All I can offer is this. Yield or suffer. There is no other way.”

Stalking to the boxing ring, I swung up through the ropes, pointing at the tattoo artist. “Today, you will swear allegiance to me; there won’t be a ceremony to welcome me into your Club because the Corrupts no longer exist.”

Men moved forward with outrage. “What?”

“Listen here, you little pissant.”

Grasshopper jumped into the ring, waving his hand at the uproar rippling around the room. He dropped his voice. “Uh, Kill? What you doing, dude?”

I’m doing what he told me.

“I’m dissolving the Corrupts. From now on we’re Pure Corruption.”

His blue eyes narrowed. “And he sanctioned this?”

I nodded. “He knows. It was his plan. He knew I wouldn’t be able to take over as Prez and keep the name. It just wasn’t going to work. So I’m starting my own crew with his men.” Glaring around the room, I preached, “You follow me, I promise you everything Wallstreet ever did. I’ll give you money. I’ll give you power. I’ll ensure you never go to jail to serve time on shithead crimes that we don’t need to do. Our law will be steadfast and you’ll be true brothers again.”