3. Silas
Silas
My first mistake had been letting my brother stay.
My second had been entering a playroom I thought had been taped off to clean, only to walk in and find him sucking on someone's toes.
I wanted to burn my fucking retinas.
For a second, I tried to convince my brain it was someone else, anyone else. Lucky for me, my line of sight picked up on the stupid puzzle piece scarred into his chest—the jagged symbol that marked us as family. How ironic that ink that small was responsible for part of my sanity being destroyed.
For the next few hours, I threw myself into work, hoping I could forget the image, but nothing worked.
Walking to my office, I shook my head and convinced myself he needed to find another place to experiment.
Once inside, I went straight to my desk, taking a seat in front of the monitor.
Pulling off my white mask, I placed my hand on the mouse and clicked twice to turn on the club’s surveillance system.
Small squares flickered across my screen in neat, obedient rows.
As they focused, each square displayed a different room in the building.
I hate security, but having a club like this meant I could never be too careful.
Not only did I need eyes roaming the main floor, I needed to be able to see all the rooms that were interconnected or within hidden spaces.
To aid with this, security cameras had been installed in almost every corner.
Right now, I could see that room three was occupied by at least four people.
Room seven was being used for an orgy, and room five was where I’d been absolutely blindsided by Kyrin.
Moving my cursor over that square, I briefly disconnected it.
They would be fine for ten minutes... knowing him, it would probably be over in five.
I watched over the other feeds for a few minutes longer than necessary.
Seeing members in different positions finally allowed my brain to replace the mental image of my asshole brother.
Some would probably call this an abuse of my power, but each member had granted me this freedom.
By signing my contract, they agreed I could watch them as much as I wanted.
Did I ever actually want to? No.
The feeds from the rooms were never something I indulged in. I either did so out of habit or to keep my mind moving—like right now, when I needed to close my eyes and see something other than toes crammed into a mouth.
Once the image faded, I switched mental tabs and dove into the preparations for my masquerade.
I had very few tasks left to complete before the event.
I prided myself on not letting a single detail slip through the cracks.
My mind didn’t allow things like that to happen anyway, not when I was constantly analyzing everything.
That's why the biggest decisions were always handled by me and my brothers.
Flipping through the stack, it seemed like those were the only types of things left to do.
Good, we could handle that easily. Still, a familiar tension settled across my shoulders—the kind that never truly went away, no matter how prepared I felt.
A ping from my desktop only tightened those muscles, and I looked over to see an email notification from Taya, my receptionist. I opened it, pushing the papers aside and clicked on the message.
A file containing our finalized contract filled my screen.
I had requested she make some amendments to the original before the masquerade.
After a few misunderstandings involving pompous dickheads, I needed a few things simplified.
I’d only asked her to do this two days ago, so seeing it had been done already made me smile.
This was now one thing I could push to the back of my mind—or try to at least, because that was a place that never seemed to rest.
Being idle was never my thing. I was always moving or thinking of the next thing to do.
My brain was just that type, one that ran on stimulation and dopamine.
If I didn’t have something to take care of, I felt useless, and I hated that feeling.
Taya understood that, which made things easier.
She never questioned agendas I would send or how late I would stay.
Running a business kept me in motion, and I liked it that way.
If I thought about it, that was the reason Ruined worked so well. I understood people, just like Taya understood me. There was never the need to explain things. Whether your mind was busy like mine or life had a way of suffocating you, my club gave everyone a chance to breathe, to feel.
A small smile formed at the corner of my mouth as I sifted through different sections of the forms she’d sent.
On the side of the screen were her notes, outlining each change.
The first piece that had been altered involved our actual application process for a membership.
In order to gain entry, you would have to present your ID and have it verified through a new identification system.
Due to this new protocol, we could easily check names against past convictions or any type of red flags that person might be associated with.
If your name was put on the restricted list, you were denied entry.
It was that simple.
My phone made a quick buzz as I flipped to the next page.
I didn’t plan on bothering with it, but then it vibrated again, which meant I knew who it was.
I could count on one hand the number of people who had my number, and only two of them would have the audacity to text me twice.
One of which was somewhere in this very club, with god knows what in his mouth.
With a half-irritated sigh, I opened the text.
Kyrin: Count me in for dinner this week. I’ll bring the appetizer.
I snorted under my breath knowing he was here, yet texting in our family group chat.
Greyson: If the appetizer is that blonde you brought last time, count me in. But I swear to god, if you bring that nasty asparagus shit again, I will light you on fire.
It was mere seconds before three dots appeared and another response chimed.
Kyrin: Well, the appetizer was going to be vodka. Also, don’t threaten me, you’re making my dick hard.
“Idiots,” I muttered, though there was no heat behind it.
There never was with them. My brothers were the only ones allowed to be a constant, unavoidable, and annoying headache.
I switched my phone to silent and set it face down on the desk.
They could sort out whatever details they needed to without me babysitting.
As I pulled my hand away from the phone, my eyes landed on a half-hidden business card in the trash.
My body once again tensed in reaction to the color.
What an ugly thing. Gaudy. Like it had been designed specifically to test me. I could practically feel it staring at me, right there from the trash. I could swear whoever created it did so just to taunt me.
I exhaled sharply and looked away, forcing myself to focus on the contract edits. Skimming the pages until I found the other altered sections, I read them aloud.
“After being granted entry, one must select an assigned mask and obey its role according to the rules.” Yes.
Very black and white, very simple. “Masks cannot be switched during visits and are not allowed to be removed.” Another easy one, you would think.
“Upon leaving the membership area, one consents to being filmed while in the building.”
I nodded as I glanced through the remaining pages, the ones that hadn’t been revised.
They outlined basic things like the members' information and a waiver, releasing us of any liability.
As my eyes reached the last portion, the music in the club intensified, and the muffled pulse of it bled through the reinforced walls around me.
Glancing at the clock, I noticed the time.
Shit.
I grabbed my white mask, stood, and locked my computer before heading toward the door.
Whoever Kyrin hired would be here in the next few minutes, and I wanted to make sure I was present for every opportunity to rub that choice in his face.
Taking the stairs down two at a time, I thought about the mere satisfaction I’d get from watching her failure.
In the short time I’d been gone, the club had filled. Every inch of the floor was now covered in sweat and skin. Not entirely a bad thing for me, but I hoped it would be for whatever walking highlighter was coming soon.
I cut across the main floor and opened the large door to our member entrance.
This small waiting area was where we decided if you were worthy of being ruined.
From the street, the space gave no insight to what waited behind the next door.
In fact, the walls were a bright white, almost glowing against the few black geometric patterns that hung sparingly.
There were no chairs anywhere, just the desk where my receptionist sat.
It was similar to mine, with dark wood, clean lines, and a low light which filled the room.
Taya noticed me right away and stood, her green eyes giving away the smile underneath her mask.
The black fabric stayed tight to her mouth as she dipped her head in recognition.
To anyone else who came in, the mask she wore seemed almost normal.
It mimicked the medical ones that were used to ward off sickness, but we both knew it was an inconspicuous way for her to follow the rules.
“How can I help you, Mr. Solstice?”
“The contracts look nice,” I acknowledged, watching the clock hit seven. “I like your revisions. I’ll need digital copies archived by morning and our physical copies replaced.”
She nodded and bowed slightly, as if I was graced to be in her presence.
I couldn't help but shake my head at her behavior, a trait that often reminded me of Kyrin. For some stupid reason, I had hired her fully knowing I would have to deal with that everyday.
“Oh, and there will be a guest here tonight,” I added, as she looked up at me. “I’m granting her a one-time entry without membership, but make sure her paperwork is completed and her name is pushed through our system. She’s a potential photographer for the masquerade.”
Her head tilted just a fraction, and I caught the desire that flooded her eyes. “Is that the one Kyrin mentioned earlier?”
Bringing my fingers up to my face, I rubbed the bridge of my nose and slowly exhaled, remembering that her being a raging lesbian was also one of the reasons we got along so well. “I am this close to enforcing restrictions on both of you. Just try to keep it in your damn pants.”
She laughed through her mask. “Don’t compare me to that child. Besides,”—she moved her hand, gesturing between her legs—“I can't help the fact that she's a hunter, okay?”
Mental note: find a new receptionist.
Dismissing her with one look, I glanced toward the entrance leading back to the street. Then, turning away from her completely, I let my feet guide me back inside the club. I adjusted my cuffs as I walked, grounding myself in preparation for tonight.
Whatever trouble Kyrin thought he’d found wasn’t strong enough for what was coming her way.