Page 74 of Mace

I glance at my siblings, who are watching everything with a mixture of confusion and a little bit of apprehension. Knowing Mace will be here soon eases some of my panic. He’s not angry, though he doesn’t know what’s going on, which might change things. I can’t think about that. My priority is getting Toby and my pregnant teenage sister somewhere safe.

Riley pulls open the gate wide enough for us to slip through, and I feel the blanket of safety wrap around me.

Let’s hope Steve’s fears about the club are unfounded.

Riley turns, and as he does, I see the word ‘prospect’ across the back of his vest.

“What’s a prospect?” I ask, my nerves forcing words out of my mouth.

Riley doesn’t answer, and I clamp my teeth together to stop from asking anything else. Point noted—no questions.

As we walk through the double doors that open into the building, the low hum of music meets my ears. I expect to step into a hallway or some kind of foyer, but the doors open straight into what looks like a bar.

There’s a counter running along one wall stocked with as much alcohol as we’d see in Temptation. Tables are scattered around the room, and on one of the couches, a woman is riding a man, showing all the assets her mamma gave her.

“Fucking awesome,” Toby whispers as Ivy covers his eyes.

“You’re way too young for that,” she chastises as he tries to bat her hand away.

“Stop ruining my fun,” he grumbles as he ducks away from her and gets another eyeful of the naked woman.

I give him a shove to get him moving, ignoring the fact every eye in the place is directed at us. I’m braced for someone to stop us and demand to know why we’re here, but no one moves. Not even when Riley leads us through another door and into a hallway.

There are several doors, but he stops outside the one at the end and steps back when he shoves it open.

I try not to seem hesitant as I step inside. After all, Ibrought us here, so it would be crazy to be scared, right? But Riley isn’t Mace, and I don’t know what to expect from him or any of the men who were in the bar area. Have I brought my siblings somewhere dangerous?

As I cross into the room, I brace for whatever might be on the other side, but it’s a little anticlimactic. The white walls are clean, though I can smell the faint tinge of cigarettes and old booze. There’s a double bed jutting out from the middle of the far wall and a sofa under the window. Another door looks like it leads to a bathroom, though I can’t see much of it.

It’s safe and warm.

And Link won’t be able to reach us here. That’s all that matters.

Riley rubs the back of his neck as he steps in behind my brother and sister. “Make yourselves at home. Uh… Mace’ll be here soon, but until then, there’s a bathroom through that door and a kitchen down the hallway, third door along. If you need anything, just let me know.” Before I can ask how I let him know, he’s out of the room and we’re alone.

The silence between us is loud.

Mace is safety. That’s the only thought I have in my mind. He’s my safety, and by extension, my family’s safety.

Ivy goes over to the bed and sinks onto the edge of it with a sigh. Black smudges line under her eyes, and the strain in her expression ages her by a decade.

I watch as her hand splays over her stomach. Her sweater hides what is perfectly obvious to me the moment the material is pulled tight against her body. Ivy’s alwaysbeen tiny. I’m all thighs and belly, but she is so tiny that the swell of her stomach is obvious.

I want to ask how far along she is, but the words stick in my throat. Now isn’t the time for that conversation to happen, though I’m not sure what to even say to her when it is time.

I can’t deny I’m disappointed things went this way. This is not the future I wanted for Ivy. I wanted her to travel, to live the life I never had, to find love and have a family with someone who adores her. I wanted her to reach her potential. Her life isn’t over now she’s pregnant, but it’s certainly going to be harder.

I sit next to her, pulling her against my side, so grateful to have her back in my arms. My hand moves over hers, pressing against the tiny bump I can feel.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to either of you,” I promise, fully intending to keep it.

“I know,” she replies. “I should’ve come to you the moment things started getting bad.” Toby jumps onto the bed behind us.

“Careful,” I chastise as the mattress bounces us.

“Sorry,” he mutters, sinking into the pillows.

“How do you know the bikers?” Ivy asks.

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