Ruin (Rhodes #1) by Rina Kent

                             “It’s not Kane’s fault.” I lean against the bed’s frame. “When I caught up to you and saw you drowning in your own blood, she caught my attention through the window crying your name.”

                             Aaron’s brows furrow, sweat forms on his forehead. This time it’s due to the effort he makes to move. Dylan and I support him. He refuses help at first, being the little twat he is, but accepts assistance begrudgingly after he almost falls to his face.

                             “She’s a feisty one.” I hand him trousers as he unclasps the hospital gown. “You make a good pair.”

                             Despite struggling to put his feet in the trousers without falling unconscious, Aaron still manages a glare at me, jaw clenching. “Fuck. Off.”

                             “She’s an innocent girl.” Dylan’s voice isn’t as carefree as mine. “When did you start kidnapping innocent girls?”

                             “It’s...” Aaron collapses onto the bed, coughing and panting as if putting his trousers on equalled running a marathon. His words come out in short breaths. “It’s not girls. It’s only her.”

                             “That’s not the point.” Dylan towers over him. “What will you do with her, huh? We certainly won’t let you kill an innocent girl. The only alternative is letting her go which means she will testify against you and send you to prison. It may take all the damn judges we’ve gathered so far to save your arse from this one. Great job in ruining years of our effort.”

                             I stare at Dylan. I know Aaron’s foolishness will delay our revenge, but this isn’t the right time to call him out on it. He can barely blink straight.

                             “Can we have this conversation after I’m out of here and injected with copious amount of morphine?” Aaron puts one hand in his shirt but struggles to pull it through.

                             With a sigh, Dylan throws his hand in dismissal.

                             I help Aaron put the rest of his clothes on. He doesn’t seem to have the energy to breathe right.

                             He slumps into a wheelchair for Dylan and I to escort him out of the hospital. If we insist on keeping him here, he’ll probably escape in the middle of the night and aggravate his wound. Better keep him on the estate’s grounds and under my watch.

                             As I wheel him out of hospital, Aaron turns around slowly, shoulders tense. “What did you do to her?”

                             I smile. “She’s as you left her.”

                             He nods, a wave of relief seems to wash over his face and relax his limbs.

                             Interesting.

                             Who said Aaron is long gone? I may fulfil Father’s wishes after all— without the asylum.

                             All I have to do is use the crack in Aaron’s previously impenetrable armour; Mae.





                             Chapter Twenty-Two

                             Mae



                             Arthur doesn’t look at me anymore. It’s like I’m a contagious disease he’s afraid to catch. My presence seems to suffocate him, disintegrating him inch by inch. I hate this. I despise how he subtly avoids me. Yes, I’m aware he’s doing so to protect me from himself. Yet, I abhor the gloominess in his eyes. It feels as if he’s erasing me. Writing me off. The screams of the women deafen me every night. I can no longer sleep. The image of Arthur doing things to them, that only I should be entitled to, haunts me. I was the one who suggested the women so he wouldn’t draw my blood. It’s been years, I should’ve been used to this. It turns out I’m not. I need them gone.