Ruined 14

Ruin

She was fucking gone by the time I got back to her father’s house. And the old man hadn’t even noticed. Even sober he was beyond useless. 

And she had left in a hurry. Half of her belongings were still strewn around her old childhood room.

She had left even after saying she wouldn’t. 

But then wasn’t that what she was good at? Leaving? She always fucking left. 

But hadn’t I known she would, deep down?  I had suspected she was planning something when she went from annoyingly argumentative to sex kitten who was all sweetness and light. It made me suspect she had been trying to seduce me so she could leave when I passed out asleep. 

I wouldn’t put it past her.

“What do you mean you don’t know when she left?” I rounded on the old man with a snarl. Cutter didn’t even raise his eyes to me, just sipped at his crappy coffee. “How can you not know?”

“Because she’s an adult Ruin, a grown-ass woman. She can come and go as she likes.” Finally, his eyes met mine and there was hatred in them. Hatred I hadn’t seen for many years. Thirteen to be exact. 

“Fuck off.” I turned from him in disgust. She couldn’t have that much of a head start on me, I had only been gone three hours. If I called in a few favours I would be able to find her. 

Hopefully.

I was scrolling through my contacts when the screen lit up.

Truth.

“Brother.” I sighed. “This best be important. I’m kind of up to my eyeballs in shit right now.” No

Matter what was going on in my private life I still had to take club calls. Truth was on the road if he was calling it meant something had gone wrong. And I didn’t have time to deal with it now if I had any chance of catching up with Avery and Parker.

Did she really think so little of me? But I knew the answer to that. Of course, she did. She had no reason to trust me when I said I would look after them both.  

She had left to try and protect the kid. I respected that. It made me furious but I respected it. 

“I’m with Avery.” His voice was deadpan and rage flooded through every atom of my body. Why did he mean he was with Avery? Like they had run off together? “What the fuck do you mean by that? I swear…”

“Not interested in her at all are you brother? I knew you were full of shit. But I mean I’m with her because I ran into her.”

I forced my shoulders to relax. They weren’t together. Not like my jealous ass had first thought anyway. 

Me, jealous? It was a new feeling for me. 

“Is she ok? Where are you?” I was already moving towards the door. But his next words made me freeze.

“No she’s not Ruin, she a fucking mess.” He paused for a moment and I felt his next words like a punch to the gut. “Parker’s missing. It looks like someone took him.”

***

It was easy to spot her, she was the one that the people passing were glancing at with sympathetic smiles and hushed whispers.

Avery was huddled down on the plastic chair someone had got for her, curled up on herself as the police around her busied themselves. 

I hated that they were there but I didn’t blame her for phoning them. It would have been any mother’s instinct to call them. She had been away from the club for so long, it wasn’t any surprise that she forgot that we dealt with things ourselves. 

At least Truth was still with her, hovering at her shoulder like some overgrown bodyguard. 

It was Truth that saw me first, his chin tilted up in greeting but he shook his head softly. A plain warning on his face.  He didn’t have to say anything.

I had to behave. 

“I’m sorry but you can’t come ….” The young constable stepped into my way and for a second I stared down and the younger smaller man cowered. 

Did he really think he was going to be able to stop me?

“That’s my old lady. My kid that’s missing….” I made a move to push past him and again he stepped into my way. His eyes trailing down the worn denim of my jeans before settling on the leather on my back. His lip curled. I knew what he saw. He didn’t believe me. And I didn’t blame him. Avery didn’t look like a typical old lady. 

She wasn’t even my old lady. Not really. 

Not yet anyway. 

“Get out of my way….” there was no mistaking the warning in my voice. Avery’s head shot up and there was nothing but misery on her face. “Ruin?” For a heartbeat she seemed confused and then she was stumbling to her feet, half running and half falling into my waiting arms.

And they were waiting for her. I pulled her in close, one hand on the small of her back and the other smoothing back her dark hair. “Ruin.” She sobbed against my hoody, wetting it with her tears and god knows what else. Not that any of that mattered. 

“It’s ok baby I’m here.” I pressed a kiss to her head, ignoring the looks people were giving us. Ignoring the look Truth was giving us. I probably owed him an explanation but not now. He would have to wait. “I’m here.” I tilted her chin up with my fingers. And not caring that we were causing a scene or that her face was covered in snot I kissed her. 

Behind me, someone cleared his throat, loudly and I pulled away. “Tell me what happened?” 

Instead of words, another sob escaped her lips when she opened her mouth. I had seen her broken before but never like this. This wasn’t broken, this was gone. “Truth?”

“Yes, brother?” He strode forward and if he was disappointed to see the woman he had eyes for in my arms, it didn’t show on his face. 

“Want to fill me in?” I stroked down her back again and again as he spoke. And then I nodded. 

It didn’t look good, not that I could say any of that out loud. Not without freaking her out even more. And that was the last thing I wanted to do. 

“Wicked and some of the others are on their way…” 

He nodded once. He understood I didn’t need to elaborate. He would relay all the information to them.  And they would get to work. If anyone could find Parker they would. 

“Don’t forget to put feelers out about her husband,” I added.

“Husband? You said she was your woman?” A middle-aged man with a gut said sharply and I turned to him with a snarl. “Soon to be ex-husband. She is my woman.”

“I am not your woman Ruin.” She mumbled into my chest and I couldn’t help but smile. Arguing, maybe she wasn’t totally hysterical after all. “Hush now woman.” I pressed her head back against my chest and she didn’t fight against it. 

“Is her husband happy about this separation?”

“No, he …..” She hiccuped, her hand wiping across her face angrily. “No, he doesn’t think we should separate at all but….”

“But you decided to rough it?”  Grey eyebrows quirked upwards and I wanted to smash the smug look straight off his face. On any other day I wouldn’t have hesitated but today I couldn’t risk being locked up. I couldn’t find Parker if I was in a cell. 

“My husband wouldn’t have done this. He’s many things but he loves Parker….” She didn’t sound sure though. Would her husband have really kidnapped Parker to get back at her? Was he that petty?

“People do crazy things when they are losing their families. But even if he isn’t involved we will need to speak to him if he’s the boy's father.”

Avery shot a glance up at me, no doubt waiting for me to explode in anger. “It’s ok baby,” I whispered it into her hair. I hated it but I wouldn’t bite. 

“I’ll get you his details.” She sounded resigned. I knew she had been running from him. That she was afraid of him but for Parker, she was going to have to be strong. And she knew it. I watched as her shoulders straightened. “But I’m telling you now that he won’t be involved.” She moved out of my arms but turned back at the last second, her hand reaching for my arm and her eyes pleading. “Ruin?”

“I’ll be right here baby, just like I said I would be.”

***

They let me take her home four hours later. And the entire drive home, I drove her car, instead of her being at my back because let’s be honest we would have crashed, she was silent. Curled up around her knees and staring out the window. There were no more tears though although I had a feeling that was because she had nothing left to cry out.

Either way, her silence was torture. I knew she was hurting but I wanted my mouthy, sarcastic Avery back. I missed her sharp tongue. 

“He's going to be fine Avery.”My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I waited for her to answer me. She didn't turn, her eyes didn't even flick in my direction.

 ” I know.” she didn't sound sure though. She sounded dead. 

”Baby I promise you.” I had never meant anything more in my entire life. He was my son as well. I might not know him but I wasn’t about to let some scum take away my chance to get to know him.

“What can you do Ruin?”

I let my eyes settle on her. “You forget who I am, hell Avery you forget who you are. We will get him back.”

She nodded once. “We will need to tell the club…,” She sounded unsure again.

“The club mostly knows and the others won’t care.” I was trying to be as honest as I could but without freaking her out. “He’s my son Avery.”

“Ok.” Her eyes skirted away, her entire concentration on the wet empty road in front of us. Instead of me.

“And you’re my woman.” I let my lips twitch as she jerked.

 “Ruin….” She shook her head. But she didn’t argue. So I was taking that as a win.