Chapter 9 - Reckless
I can't believe this is happening.
The thought loops through my head while Nora leans against me, her head on my shoulder, her small body fitting perfectly against mine like she was made to be there.
I want her.
Physically, fuck yes, I want her physically. Want to bury myself inside her again, make her scream my name, watch her fall apart beneath me.
But it's more than that.
I want her mentally. Want to know everything about her. Want to hear about the books she reads, the dreams she has, the things that make her laugh. Want to understand how she went from a woman her family convinced wasn't enough to someone brave enough to run, to fight, to choose herself.
I want everything in between.
And she wants it too.
Insane. Absolutely insane considering we met less than twenty-four hours ago. Considering her life is actively in danger. Considering I'm a broken bastard who fights in illegal matches and can barely sleep without nightmares.
But so worth it.
So fucking worth it.
I tilt her chin up. Ready to kiss her again. Ready to lose myself in her for the second time tonight—
My phone rings.
The sound cuts through the moment like a knife.
"Fuck," I mutter.
Nora pulls back slightly. "You should answer it."
I grab the phone from where I left it on the nightstand. The screen lights up.
**RUIN**
My brother.
Shit.
I answer. "Yeah?"
"What the hell happened?" Ruin's voice is sharp. Urgent. "I came home early and everything looks like a goddamn mess. The door's busted. There's blood on the floor. Furniture's knocked over. Did someone break in?"
I glance at Nora. She's watching me with wide eyes.
"Me and our neighbor had a problem," I say. Keep it simple. "I'll explain everything but not over the phone. Meet me at Steele's Gym. The private room in the back."
"The Iron Pit? Marcus, what the fuck—"
"Just get here. Thirty minutes. I'll explain everything."
I hang up before he can argue.
Nora is already moving. Pulling away from me. "He's going to hate me."
"What?"
"Your brother. He's going to hate me for what happened to your house. For bringing danger to—"
"Hey." I catch her hand. Pull her back. "He's not going to hate you."
"But the apartment—"
"Is just an apartment." I squeeze her fingers. "And my brother is known as Ruin because he destroys everything around him and thrives on it. He'll probably use this as an excuse to redo the whole place. Maybe knock down some walls. Turn it into whatever project he's been thinking about."
"You're serious?"
"Completely." I pull her closer. "My brother doesn't care about broken doors or blood on the floor. He'll care that you're safe. That's it."
She looks uncertain but nods. Before either of us can say anything else, there's a knock on the door.
Heavy. Authoritative.
I tense, and position myself between Nora and the door.
"Reckless." A voice I recognize. "It's King. Got news."
King. The Savage Riders' president.
I unlock the door and open it.
King stands in the hallway. Six-foot-five, built like a tank, covered in tattoos and scars. The kind of man who makes other dangerous men reconsider their life choices.
He nods at me. Looks past me to Nora.
"Got good news," he says. "Castellano won't be bothering you anymore."
Nora steps forward. "What? How? He would never—he doesn't back down—"
"He does when the alternative is worse." King's expression doesn't change. "We caught the rest of his men. All of them. Had a conversation about territory and respect and what happens to people who hunt in Blackwater Falls without permission."
"A conversation," I repeat.
"A very physical conversation." King's lips twitch. Not quite a smile. "We hurt them. All of them. Enough to send a clear message. Then we sent them back to Castellano with instructions—come back and we won't just hurt his men. We'll kill them. And then we'll come for him."
Nora's face has gone pale. "You think he'll actually listen?"
"He's a businessman. Businessmen understand cost-benefit analysis." King shrugs. "Right now, getting you back costs more than it's worth. He'll probably cut his losses and move on. But if he doesn't—" He looks at her directly. "We'll be ready."
I extend my hand. "Thank you. For everything."
King shakes it. Firm grip. "It's our job to protect this town. Protect the people in it." He looks at Nora again. "But now it's your job to keep living. Keep surviving. Because no one can do that for you."
Nora straightens. Something shifts in her expression. Determination replacing fear.
"I'll do it," she says firmly. "I have reasons to now."
She looks at me when she says it.
And I smile.
Actually smile. Not the tight, forced thing I do when people expect it. A real smile. The kind that comes from somewhere deep and genuine.
When was the last time I smiled out of pure happiness instead of pretending?
I can't remember.
But Nora makes me want to. Makes me feel like maybe happiness isn't something that only exists for other people.
She really has that effect on me.
King notices the smile. One eyebrow goes up slightly but he doesn't comment. Just nods once and turns to leave.
"We'll keep patrol up for the next few weeks," he says over his shoulder. "Just in case. But you two should be fine."
He disappears down the hallway.
I close the door. Turn back to Nora.
She's staring at me.
"What?" I ask.
"You smiled."
"Yeah."
"A real smile. Not the polite one you do when you're trying to end a conversation. A real one."
I cross the distance between us. Pull her against me. "You make me want to smile."
"Good." She wraps her arms around my waist. "Because I plan on making you smile a lot more."
Another knock on the door.
I groan. "Popular night."
But when I open it, it's not King or one of the other Riders.
It's my brother.
Ruin stands there in his work clothes—jeans, flannel, boots covered in sawdust. His dark hair is longer than mine, pulled back in a knot. Same brown eyes though. Same build.
He looks past me. Sees Nora.
"So," he says slowly. "This is the neighbor?"
"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—"
"She can stay with us." Ruin says it like it's obvious. "We've got the space. I'm gone half the time anyway for work. She takes my room, I'll crash on the couch when I'm home."
"I can't—" Nora starts.
"You can." Ruin looks at her directly. "You're important to my brother. That makes you family. And family takes care of each other."
Nora's eyes are wet. "Thank you. Both of you. I don't… I don't know how to—"
"Don't thank us." I move to sit beside her on the bed. "Just be here. That's enough."
She leans against me. Ruin watches with that knowing grin.
"I'm going to head out," he says. "Let you two talk. Or whatever." The grin gets wider. "I'll text you tomorrow about the apartment repairs."
"Ruin—"
"Be happy, brother." He says it seriously now. "You've earned it."
He leaves.
The door closes.
And it's just me and Nora again.
"Your brother is nice," she says quietly.
"He's a pain in the ass." But I'm smiling again. "But yeah. He's good people."
"He called me family."
"Yeah."
"We just met."
"Doesn't matter to him." I pull her closer. "Doesn't matter to me either. You're it, Nora. I don't know how to explain it. But you are."
She tilts her head up. Kisses me. Soft and sweet and perfect. When she pulls back, she's smiling too.
"So, what now?" she asks.
"Now?" I think about it. About the apartment that needs fixing. About Castellano who might or might not try again. About the fights I still have scheduled in the Pit. About all the normal, mundane things that make up a life.
And about Nora. About waking up next to her. About making her smile. About building something real with someone who sees me, all of me, and doesn't run.
"Now we live," I say simply. "Together. Whatever that looks like."
"Together," she repeats. "I like the sound of that."
"Yeah." I kiss her forehead. "Me too."
For the first time since I came back from war, since the buzzing started, since I stopped being able to feel pain properly—
I feel whole.
Not fixed. Probably never fixed.
But whole.
And that's enough.