Ruin’s Embattlement (Tenillo Guardians AIMC #19)

Ruin Chapter 8

It had been almost two weeks since the movie night with Desi. I had gotten a few more opportunities to spend time with her, although if I had my way, it would be every night. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

For one thing, I had a big job come in, and it was a rush. That was what Saint had stopped to talk to me about the night of our movie date. The following day, he told me what a customer wanted and how much the guy was willing to pay if we got it done in time. The man had some car show he was attending and wanted a custom design done. I had no clue why he left it so late, but the money was too much to pass up. I agreed to do it. This led to me working several long days, which ran into the evening. I was proud of the result and the fact I met the deadline. The customer was more than happy with the end product and promised to tell everyone where it was done.

I did get to drop in and see her a couple of times, but it was with the family present, not alone the way I desired. On Sunday, Mom cooked a family dinner. I went, but I had to share her with them, Konrad, and Isaiah. I didn’t mind Kon so much, but I was still unsure if I believed Isaiah and her were just friends. I watched them closely but didn’t see anything out of bounds. However, maybe they were just super cautious around others.

With the car finally done yesterday, I should’ve been finding a way to spend alone time with her, except I was now taking Konrad to San Angelo to get his belongings. He only had today to do it. As one of only two prospects, his hours off were short and not often. If we didn’t do it today, it might be weeks before he could take a whole day to go there and come back. I promised myself that as soon as we returned, I’d be full force ahead and woo her.

We were going in my truck. He’d drive back his car, and I’d pull his bike on a trailer we were taking with us. Thankfully, we didn’t have to waste time packing. Before we left San Angelo for Tenillo, we’d boxed up all his stuff and stored it with his bike and car. We left the compound at dawn. We drove the four hours there without stopping. Both of us were on a mission.

After arriving, we gassed up my truck, grabbed a quick bite, and headed to his storage unit. With there being two of us and the fact he didn’t have furniture or a ton of stuff to move, we had his boxes packed in my truck and his car within an hour. He gassed up his car, we bought drinks for the road and used the bathroom, and then we were on our way back. As long as we didn’t hit significant traffic or anything on the return trip, we’d be home by dinner or earlier.

On the drive there, we talked about how things had been going for him as a prospect and how he liked Tenillo. I wanted to tell him about Desi and me, but I held back. I didn’t want to jinx it. He seemed happy and more than okay with his decision to prospect. The drive back was a tad lonely since we weren’t together to chat, so I turned up my radio and listened to music.

We were about two hours from home when we hit traffic. I fought my impatience. I hoped to get home in time to see if I could hang out with Desi and Shane. Since Konrad had the whole day off, he’d made some kind of plans, although I had no idea what. All he’d said was he wanted to get back since he had something to do. My phone rang. I saw on the screen that it was him, and I hit the hands-free button on my steering wheel to answer.

The first thing he said was, “Hey, man, do you think this is going to last forever?” He sounded upset.

“I hope not. We’re near a city, and it’s Friday. The traffic starts earlier when it’s close to the weekend. Just keep your fingers crossed. Why? Are you worried you’ll be late for whatever you have going on tonight? Still not gonna tell me what?”

“Nope, I’m not.”

“Well, just make sure if you’re hooking up with one of those women who hangs at the clubhouse, don’t go without protection. They’re just like the ones who used to chase us in the Corps. They’ll swear they’re on birth control, but they lie.”

“You don’t need to tell me that. I know. But it’s not a hang around. I just have something that can’t wait. Later, if you’re around, why don’t we get a beer at the clubhouse?”

“Sure, if I’m around.”

“Should I give you the lecture you just gave me?” he teased.

“No, Daddy, no need. Hey, look, the traffic is picking up. We just might make it before dinner, after all.”

As we hung up, he made a happy sound. After that, there were a few minor slowdowns, but we were only pushed back about forty-five minutes. As I saw our fence, I had never been this glad to see the compound. We came through the gate, and then I stopped my truck out in front of the clubhouse so we could unload his bike and park it in a spot there. When it was unloaded, I took the trailer to the communal garage and dropped it off while Konrad started carrying boxes to his room.

I joined him and we made short work of it. As we were finishing up, others were beginning to arrive home from work. I left him to get on with his plans while I went to my place and showered. I’d gotten a bit sweaty and wanted to smell nice when I went to see if Shane and Desi would go into town with me and have dinner.

Not knowing for sure when we’d be back, I hadn’t asked them ahead of time. I preferred to surprise them rather than disappoint them if we didn’t get back in time. When I was ready, I took my truck and headed to Dad and Mom’s. It took me longer to head there than I planned because I was caught by Hazard on my way out. He stopped to ask me if I would be willing to do artwork on his bike. He wanted to tell me what he was thinking. I didn’t want to be rude, so I listened. When he was done, I told him to make an appointment to get the job on the books at Infidels’ Custom, and I’d draw something up for him.

I was halfway to Mom and Dad’s door when it opened, and Tyson and Shane walked out. I glanced behind them for Desi, but she was nowhere in sight. “Where are you two off to? I was coming to see if you and your mom wanted to go into town with me. Did you eat already?” I asked Shane.

“We haven’t eaten, but Mommy isn’t here,” he said sadly.

“Is she still at work?” I asked, checking my watch. Yep, it read six fifteen. Surely, she should be home by now, even if she had gone to one of the offices today. Unless it was an emergency, the club worked to manage her time so she could have time with her son. I knew this from something I overheard Dad and Mom say.

“No, she had somewhere to go tonight. She left about twenty minutes ago and said she’d be back by nine or so. Shane and I decided to have a guys’ night and grab dinner in town. Do you want to join us? The more, the better,” Tyson offered.

I was upset I missed her, and a part of me wondered where she went, but I decided to ask her when she returned. It had been a while since Ty and I had time together. Hanging with him and Shane would be fun. It was better than sitting at home and counting the seconds until Desi returned.

“Sure, if you’re positive you want me to tag along,” I said.

“Yay!” Shane shouted as he jumped in the air, and then he took off running for Tyson’s car.

My brother grinned and rolled his eyes. “Well, shit, I guess I have to let you come along now. I only pretended to want you to go. Who wants to hang with their stinking big brother?” he grumbled as he smirked.

“I’ll show you stinking,” I growled as I prepared to chase him. He took off running for the car. Shane was already there, laughing as he watched us. He shouted out encouragement first to Ty and then to me. When we got close enough to Shane, we rushed him and wrestled his little body into his booster seat. He giggled the whole time.

As we took off, I looked over the seat at Shane. “Do you think we should trust Ty to drive? I mean, he’s not as good of a driver as I am,” I teased.

“That’s bull! I’ve always been a better driver than him, Shane. Don’t believe him. He’s just jealous because I’m better than him at everything,” Tyson boasted as he winked at Shane in the rearview mirror.

We kept up our sparring, which made the little guy giggle and egg us on until we were almost to the town limits. At that point, I stopped to ask them, “Where are we eating?”

“It was Shane’s turn to pick, and he chose Maddie’s Diner. He wants pie,” Ty informed me.

Maddie was an older woman who’d been serving and cooking for people most of her life. After being a waitress for years, she saved enough to get her own place. She served more than decent food, but people loved her homemade pies the most. Just the thought of them made my stomach growl.

“Sounds great to me. I wonder what kind of pies she has tonight?” I mused.

Typically, there were at least half a dozen, though often more were available unless they had been gobbled up by customers, which happened. The rest of the drive was spent by the three of us speculating on which kinds she’d have and naming our favorites. When we got to Maddie’s, the place was packed. It was a nice family restaurant to take the kids. Good food and it didn’t break your wallet. Growing up, we didn’t have a ton of extra money since our biological dad hadn’t supported us. He up and left one day, and that was it. Maddie’s was the place we went whenever we were treated to a meal out.

We walked inside, holding Shane’s hands with him between us. He was skipping, and we were swinging him in the air. Maddie didn’t believe in her customers waiting to be seated if there was an opening. You came in and found your spot, and then someone would wait on you. It was crowded, but I spotted a booth in the far back. Moving in that direction, we snagged it. While I would’ve loved to be here with Desi and Shane, being with him and my brother was still a treat. The young woman who came to take our order smiled wider when she saw Tyson.

“Hey, Tyson, it’s good to see you. It’s been a while. Oh, and hello, Tanner. I haven’t seen you in ages,” she said. Her name tag read Rhoda . I tried to place her. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but I couldn’t recall where I knew her from.

“Oh, hey, Rhoda, it has been a while. I’ve been busy with college. Tanner is home for good from the Marines. And he’s now called Ruin. He joined the club. Ruin, this is Rhoda. She and I were in the same grade in high school,” he volunteered.

“Oh, wow, congratulations on being home and joining the club. I bet your family is proud,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you. I’m glad to be home.”

“How have you been?” Ty asked her.

“I’ve been busy working and taking classes, although I have been doing most of them online. I’m glad you guys decided to drop in.”

“Shane insisted we had to eat here. He wants pie,” I told her. She checked him out.

“Hi there, Shane. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Rhoda.”

“Hello,” he said cheerfully.

“He’s Desi’s son,” I informed her.

“Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve seen him, I didn’t recognize him. Okay, what can I get you guys?”

We gave her our orders, and then she hurried off to get our drinks. Every time she came to the table, she’d spend a few minutes chatting. We all talked to her, but I saw how she focused on my brother. I’d have to clue him in on it. From what I could tell, he seemed oblivious to her interest. We took our time and savored our meal after our food came. When it was time to decide on dessert, it took Shane forever to pick a pie. He said there were too many yummy ones. In the end, he chose the strawberry. Tyson got the Dutch apple, and I picked Key Lime.

It was as scrumptious as ever. I swear, Shane almost licked his plate clean. We thanked Rhoda and paid the bill, leaving her a nice tip. As we walked out, she called after us, telling Tyson she hoped he’d stop in again soon. As we got buckled in the car, Shane asked if we could take a ride through town. Not seeing a problem with it, we said yes.

As he stared out the window, I softly razzed Tyson. “Hey, what’s up with Rhoda?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, in case you didn’t catch it, she likes you, little brother. I bet if you asked her out, she’d say yes in a heartbeat.”

He frowned, then shook his head. “She’s nice, but I’m not into her like that. If we went out, it would only be as friends. I don’t want to raise expectations.”

“Okay, I can understand that. Tell me, who have you been dating? Is there someone you do want to raise their expectations?”

He didn’t answer me at first. He appeared uncomfortable. I was about to push when he responded. “There is someone, but they aren’t into me. So until I find someone who is and I feel the same, I’ve been focusing on school.”

I tried to get him to tell me who it was, but he refused, so I let it go. After all, I wasn’t blabbing my romantic business either. He’d tell me when he was ready. Twenty minutes later, we were driving down one of the main streets where several of the restaurants were located. I was absentmindedly scanning them when my attention was caught. I stared in disbelief.

Coming out of one of the Italian restaurants was Konrad. He was laughing and had his arm around a woman. I was taken aback to see him, but what shocked me was who he was with. Smiling up at him was Desi, my Desi. As the realization sank in, anger coursed through me. What the fuck!? What was my friend doing out with my woman? It was all I could do not to shout for Ty to stop the car so I could get out and go over to find out, preferably with my fist connecting with Konrad’s face. The only thing that stopped me was Shane. I didn’t want to fight in front of him. Desi would lose it if I did.

I turned my head and watched them until we were out of sight. He walked her to her car and was leaning down with his head inside it. I wasn’t able to see if he was kissing her or not. I was about to tell Tyson to head home when he turned to do so. I sat there fuming the entire way back. I was lost in my thoughts. When we got to our parents’ house, I barely heard him tell Shane to run inside. I got out of the car in a haze. A hand grabbing my arm stalled me. I glanced at Tyson. He looked worried.

“Ruin, I want you to calm down before you speak to either of them,” he said quietly.

“Speak to whom?”

“You know who. Konrad and Desi. I know you and her haven’t been on the best terms for years, but you’ve been making headway these last couple of weeks, and I don’t want anything to derail your friendship again. There has to be a good reason why they were together.”

“Oh, there is. He’s trying to get her to sleep with him, and he’s hiding it from me. I told him not to mess with her. As for why she’s with him, I don’t know.” I told myself it wasn’t because she was interested in him in the same way.

“I don’t think he’d do that.”

“Why else would he be with her and not say anything? I’m going to tear his goddamn head off!” I shouted as my fury leaked out from my tight control. As I glanced toward the clubhouse, I saw the gate opening. I took off running. If Konrad were returning, I’d get my answers one way or another. Tyson yelled for me to wait, but I ignored him.

As I approached the clubhouse, I saw it was his car coming in. I sped up. He’d parked and gotten out as I shouted, “Konrad!”

He whipped around. His eyes widened when he saw me bearing down on him and, no doubt, in response to the expression on my face. He froze. I pounded up to him like a bull charging someone.

“Ruin, what’s wrong?” he asked nervously.

“Don’t play stupid with me! You know exactly what’s wrong, you bastard,” I roared.

I saw him pale and gulp. I got to him and slammed my hands flat on his upper chest. Grabbing his shirt, I shoved him back against the side of his car. “What the hell has gotten into you?” he asked.

I shook him. “You have. You sneaky, lying fucker. Go ahead, lie to me more,” I snarled.

“Listen, come with me, and we can talk.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. What’re you gonna say? That I imagined what I saw? Try again. Tyson saw it, too.”

Hard hands gripped my shoulders, and I realized I was being yelled at to stop. Glaring over my shoulder, I noted Dad and Tyson were standing there. I shook my head. “Let go. I don’t want to hurt one of you accidentally. This is between me and him.”

“Son, you need to calm down, and we need to take this somewhere private,” Dad warned.

“I’m not likely to calm down. As for going somewhere private, that’ll only make me more likely to kill him,” I stated.

“I know you’re upset. Tyson told me what happened, but there could be a good explanation for what you saw. He’s your friend,” he continued.

“If there’s a good reason, then I want to hear it. Tell me, Kon. Tell me you weren’t out on a date with Desi, and you only happened to run into her and walk her to her car,” I snapped.

The uncomfortable look he gave me told me that wasn’t it. He shook his head. “I’m not gonna lie. We didn’t just meet by accident, but you have to let me explain.”

“Like hell I do,” I growled. I drew back my fist to punch him, but I was dragged away from him. As I struggled to get away, Executioner and Daredevil got between us. I had no idea where they came from.

“Move it,” Ex ordered.

With four against one, I knew I couldn’t get past all of them to Kon, so I pretended to cooperate. But I’d take my shot as soon as I could. I glared holes in the back of my former friend’s skull as we were guided into the clubhouse. Guys in the common room greeted us, but things got quiet when they saw our faces. We were hustled past them and down the hall and into church. When the door shut, I rounded on them. Tyson was no longer with us, but Saint had joined us. I wanted to groan. Two of the three highest-ranking officers in the club were here. The fact one was my brother-in-law didn’t mean anything. All of them were frowning at me.

“Start talking. What’s going on?” Saint asked.

I sneered at Konrad.

“Ruin, you go first. Why were you two being marched into the clubhouse? You’re glaring at Konrad like you want him dead,” Saint added.

“It’s a personal matter. I didn’t choose to come inside. Dad, Ex, Daredevil, and Tyson forced me. Konrad went where he should’ve never gone. Believe me, he deserves what he’s got coming.”

“Konrad, do you know what Ruin is referring to?” Executioner asked.

He sighed and hung his head. “Yeah, I do, but it’s not what he thinks. I’d never do that. He’s losing it for no good reason.”

“Like hell I am!” I barked.

“Son, deep breath,” Dad said.

“Omen, do you know what this is about?” Saint asked.

“I do. According to Tyson, Ruin took exception to something he saw in town. I understand why, although I don’t know that Konrad does. The rest of you have no idea, either.”

“Ruin, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d take it this badly. I know she’s family, but I swear, I didn’t go out with her this time or the first time just to get her into bed with me,” Konrad protested.

“The first time! You’ve gone out before tonight?” I shouted as I stood up.

“Yeah, but let me finish…” his voice faded away.

Rather than trying to walk around the table to get to him because I knew I’d be stopped, I lunged at him across the table. I couldn’t reach him without crawling over it, so I put a knee on it. Hard hands dug into me, jerking me back down into my seat.

“Enough,” my brother-in-law hissed in my ear. I knew I was acting like a lunatic and fought to stop. No way was I destroying my place in the club because of him. Taking several deep breaths until I could no longer see blood, I turned to Saint, who was watching us.

“I’m sorry, VP.”

“Are you capable of explaining yourself?” he asked.

“I am. It’s Desi. I was in town with Tyson and Shane. On our way through town, we passed a restaurant, and I saw this one walking out of it with her. They were there together. Since Shane was with us, I didn’t have Ty stop. When I got home, I knew I had to find answers. Shane was safely in the house when I noticed the gate opening. I thought it might be Konrad. I headed over, and it was. I wasn’t wrong. You heard him. He’s been seeing her behind everyone’s backs, especially mine, because he knew I wouldn’t allow it. When he mentioned he found her attractive after he came here, I told him that she was off-limits. She doesn’t need some wannabe-Casanova playing with her.” They all stiffened and cast disapproving glances at him.

“Konrad, is what Ruin said true? Did he warn you to stay away from Desi, and have you been seeing her in secret?” Saint demanded.

“Saint, those aren’t just yes or no questions. Yes, he warned me she wasn’t like the hang arounds, as you call them. No, this wasn’t the first time we went out.”

I let a growl slip out at his confirmation.

He rushed to continue. “But let me explain. I listened to what you said, Ruin. I wouldn’t have asked her out if all I wanted was sex. I find her very attractive, and after getting to know her, I realize she’s sweet, funny, clever, and more. In my defense, I wasn’t going to ask her out because I thought she was involved with Isaiah. Imagine my surprise when she asked me out.”

“She what?” a few of them asked.

“Fuck if she did,” I barked.

“Yes, she did. I asked her about Isaiah and the fact that she was moving in with him. She assured me they were only friends, so I said yes.”

As his words began to sink in, my heart hurt, and I felt sick, so much for Dad’s assurance that he was positive that she loved me. Our recent time together was merely reestablishing our old friendship. I needed to get out of here. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn’t work.

“I asked her out again after the first date. When she got back to me with her answer, she said she would, but only if we could go as friends. She told me she wasn’t feeling more than that. I admit, I was disappointed, but I liked her enough after the first one to know I’d take friendship if that was all she wanted to give me. We’ve been trying to arrange my schedule to go for days. Since I was given the whole day and evening to move, I arranged for her to go to dinner with me after we got home. I’m sorry, man, I should’ve told you, but I was afraid you’d find a way to make her say no,” he directed to me.

“Shit. Okay, I need Konrad and Daredevil to step out. Don’t say a word to anyone. In fact, Konrad, go to your room until I send someone for you. I need to talk to Ruin and his family,” Saint stated.

Kon reluctantly got to his feet. I was so upset that I could barely meet his eyes. As he walked to the door, he said to me, “I want to talk to you when you’re done here.”

As soon as the door closed behind them, I hung my head in defeat. It didn’t change anything, even if Konrad forgave me for going off the way I had. For her to ask him out meant she thought there could’ve been a chance between them, and that meant there was no chance for me.

“Ruin, we know how close you and Desi used to be. I’ll be honest. I’ve heard you two have been hanging out and talking since you came home. I’ve been encouraged by it. I hoped you were repairing that rift between you. Being protective of her isn’t a bad thing, but why didn’t you ask her when she got home what was between them?” Saint asked.

I kept my eyes closed and shook my head. I didn’t want to share my deepest yearning, especially not now. I didn’t want their pity. It was bad enough that Dad knew.

“Ruin?” Executioner prodded.

“Son, tell them,” Dad stated.

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered.

“Yes, it does. Either you tell them, or I will,” Dad commanded.

“Tell us what?” Ex asked.

I waved my hand. Dad must’ve taken it as my consent to tell them. “Ruin came home from the Corps and shared something with me. I suspected it and encouraged him not to say anything to anyone until he was sure. He was afraid of the reaction it would get, which was why things got as bad as they did between the two of them.”

He paused, then kept talking. “It seems he’s been so hard on Desi these past several years because he’s been fighting his feelings for her. He’s in love with her and thought we wouldn’t understand it. He thinks he’s sick for having these feelings for someone considered his sister. I told him there’s nothing wrong with what he feels. They’re not related. I’ve suspected that was the case for a while. He wanted time to win back her friendship and determine if she loved him, too. I told him I thought she did and that Isaiah is simply a good friend, nothing more.”

“But you were wrong about her feelings for me, Dad. If she loved me, she would’ve never asked Konrad out in the first place. She’s looking for someone to date. I need to get out of here. I’ll apologize to Konrad. Whatever punishment you want to levy against me for my behavior, I’ll take it. I’d like to ask you to please not say anything to anyone else about what an idiot I am and why.”

“You are an idiot, but I agree with Omen. The two of you have been so in love with each other and denying it for whatever reason that you can’t see or think straight. I’m shocked it didn’t come out sooner than this,” Executioner said, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair with a satisfied smirk.

I was even more stunned when I saw Saint smiling and nodding as if he agreed.

“You did?” I asked incredulously.

“Yep.”

“Me too. I think this calls for you to find her and have a heart-to-heart. You’ll only know if she loves you if you ask her. We’ll talk about the rest later. I don’t know about the two of you, but I could use a drink. God, young people make me crazy,” Saint uttered as he stood up.

I watched, stunned, as the three of them left the room without another word to me. I knew Saint hadn’t made a suggestion. It was an order. I had to fortify my courage first, which meant going to my trailer and doing it in private.