Page 90 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

They ducked under a line of tape sectioning off part of the bar. Shards of broken glass lay scattered in a pool of alcohol on the floor, along with splatters of dried blood. He frowned as anxiety crept back in. Extra security guards had been stationed at the exits, too.

He wordlessly led Ivory into the backroom, where the blasting music faded only slightly. Miscellaneous supplies and boxes of liquor crowded the shelves, along with a large meeting table and a steel gun safe. A metallic tang permeated the air.

Riley sat in the corner on a folding chair, eyes closed and pressing an ice pack to her nose. Raptor hovered at her side, his close-cut hair ruffled and jaw squared.

“I’m fine,” Riley snapped as they entered, not bothering to look up. Admittedly, his sister looked more pissed than in pain. Her black work uniform was crisp as always, her thick hair braided down to her waist. “What I need is some damn space, not everyone checking in on me as an excuse to get out of work.”

“I see you’re still in one piece,” Adrian replied dryly. Even if she wouldn't let this affect her, guilt tore into him at seeing her injured.

“Oh great, the cavalry’s here,” she joked in a lighter tone. Raising her head, her scowl faded as she spotted Ivory.

Raptor’s shoulders relaxed, and he met Adrian’s gaze, but the creases on his forehead deepened as he took note of the plus one. “Looks like I fucked up your night.”

Adrian shook his head. “Not your fault.”

Raptor towered above them in his leather cut, crossed arms as thick as tree trunks. The man looked intimidating as hell, and it didn’t surprise him when Ivory shifted on her feet. He squeezed her closer before dropping his hand to hers again.

“I told Ivory how much of a pain in the ass you both can be, but I’ll introduce you properly.” He tipped his head at them both, trying to cut through the tense energy in the room. “Ivory, this is Raptor and my dear sister, Riley.”

Riley snorted, wincing as she adjusted the ice pack. “Dear sister? Maybe I should get punched more often. Or should I credit your girl for you being nice?”

“Well, he did just call you a pain in the ass, so I’m not sure it was a compliment,” Ivory replied. Her lips quirked as she glanced at him. His gaze dipped to the trail of bite marks bruising her neck, and the surrounding gloom dispersed the smallest amount. Nothing meant more than seeing her wearing his mark in public.

Fuck, but now wasn’t the time to get riled up.

“She knows you too well,” Riley replied with a laugh, followed by another wince as she turned to Ivory. “Glad to meet you. Wish my face hadn’t been fucked up for it, though.”

Ivory’s smile faded. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine.” Riley waved her hand. “You should probably worry more about Jun. I hope he got a damn concussion from the bottle I slammed in the side of his skull.”

Ivory’s eyes widened, and Adrian groaned. That would explain the broken glass outside. Neither he nor his sister had ever been good at de-escalating a situation. In grade school, his reputation had been second only to hers.

“You’re lucky that didn’t provoke him further,” Raptor muttered.

Riley huffed and placed a hand over her belly but didn’t say anything more.

Adrian’s brows knitted. Usually, Riley wouldn’t let anyone insinuate that she couldn’t hold her own in a fight. In fact, multiple scuffles had been started to prove that very point.

“What’s going on?” he asked, directing the question to Raptor as Riley avoided looking his way.

Raptor shifted uncomfortably.

“You can see I’m okay, so don’t go all panic mode on me, all right?” Riley said, breaking the silence.

He narrowed his eyes. “Is there something for me to panic about?”

“No.” She let out a deep breath and lowered the ice pack. “I’m pregnant.”

He forgot how to breathe.

“What?” Gasping to try and fill his deflated lungs, Adrian ran a hand through his hair and cursed. That meant it hadn’t just been her at risk. She’d been carrying a whole new life inside her.

His sister was pregnant.

Raptor was going to be a dad…shit, and he was about to become an uncle. In the middle of this whole damn mess, at that. “Riri—”

“I don’t need a lecture on safety precautions. That’s what I got him for.” She jabbed a finger at Raptor. “I’m only in the first trimester, and it’s perfectly normal to go to work if I want. I’m not about to sit on my ass at home, bored out of mind.”

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