"Yeah." I step back. Let him in. "Ruin, this is Nora Hayes. Nora, my brother—"
"Call me Ruin." He extends his hand to her. "Everyone does."
She shakes it. "I'm so sorry about your apartment. About the mess. About—"
"Don't care about the apartment." Ruin waves it off. "Already hated the layout anyway. Been wanting to knock down the wall between the living room and kitchen for months. Now I've got an excuse."
I knew it.
Nora looks between us. "You're serious."
"Completely." Ruin grins. It's the kind of grin that made him popular in every foster home we landed in. Charming. Easy. "So, what happened? Marcus said you two had a problem but he was being all mysterious about it."
I gesture for both of them to sit. Nora takes the bed. Ruin takes the chair. I lean against the wall.
And I explain.
Everything.
Castellano. The arranged marriage. Nora running. The men in the parking lot. Them coming back with more friends. The fight in the apartment. The Savage Riders getting involved.
Ruin listens without interrupting. His expression gets darker the longer I talk.
When I finish, he looks at Nora.
"You've had a shit week," he says.
She laughs. Actually laughs. "That's putting it mildly."
"But you're safe now." It's not a question. "King and the Riders handled it?"
"Yeah," I confirm. "They sent Castellano's men back with a message. He probably won't try again."
"And if he does?"
"We'll handle it." I look at Nora. "Together."
Ruin catches the look. Catches the way Nora's eyes soften when I say *together*.
"Oh," he says. Slow. Understanding dawning. "Oh, you two—"
"Yeah," I say before he can finish. "We're—yeah."
"My brother." Ruin's grin is back. Wider now. "Finally. I thought you were going to be alone forever."
"Shut up."
"No, seriously." He stands. Crosses to me. Grips my shoulder. "I'm happy for you, man. Really. You deserve this. Deserve someone who—" He glances at Nora. "Someone who looks at you like that."
"Like what?" Nora asks.
"Like he's worth something." Ruin's voice is softer now. "My brother doesn't think he is. But maybe you can convince him otherwise."
I clear my throat. "We should talk about the apartment. The damage—"
"Will be fixed by the end of the month." Ruin waves it off. "I'll do most of the work myself. Might actually make it livable for once."
"What about Nora's apartment?" I ask. "She can't go back there. Not until we're sure—"
