Page 29 of Riot

“What happened?” My voice wobbles, and I step towards him before I can stop myself.

“The other guys look worse,” he quips then winces as it pulls on his split lip.

I squint, trying to understand the logic in that statement. “But you look terrible.”

His brow arches, that dimple I love so much cutting through his cheek. “Thanks.”

“It wasn’t a compliment,” I snap.

“I’ve tried to get answers out of him,” Maylie says from behind me, “but the man is a vault.”

She drops into the armchair, nursing a cup of something that smells suspiciously bad.

Riot sinks deeper into the cushions, one hand pressed to his ribs. “You don’t need answers because I’m fine. The worst of it has already healed, or is healing.”

Is he tapped in the head?What part of him is fine?

“Your face says otherwise.” My words are sharp, laced with unrepressed anger. “Hold on, you said ‘other guys’. More than one person did this to you?”

Was he jumped? Hurt doing something for the club? Is he in danger?

Fear slams against my ribs, and his expression turns soft.

“I’m fine, Vee, I promise.” A small smirk curls his lips. “But… if you want, I’ll let you nurse me back to health.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and despite the cold spreading through me, I snort a laugh.

Maylie scowls. “She’s not your mother. And Ivy, don’t give him any sympathy. This is all self-inflicted.”

So, not a club job.What did he do?“You went out looking for trouble?” I hazard a guess. Why would he do that?

“What can I say,” he shrugs, “I’m a trouble magnet.”

Maylie takes a sip of her drink and wrinkles her nose. “That’s disgusting.”

I don’t ask what it is. Mace has been supplying her with all kinds of weird and wonderful concoctions to help with her morning sickness. I have to give it to my sister—she takes everything he gives her without complaint.

“Anyway, you can’t be a trouble magnet if you go looking for it.” She turns to me. “He went to an illegal underground fight.”

Oh, that sinking feeling in my stomach just hit three hundred thousand feet below sea level. Why the hell would he go to an underground fight? I don’t know much about illegal fights, but I can guess they’re dangerous.

Why would he risk his safety like that?

My anger is morphing into something far more potent. I’m fucking furious.

“Why are you tattlin’ on me?” Riot demands. “And how do you even know that?”

Maylie smiles sweetly at him. “I know everything. Nicky called Mace, and I overheard what he said.” She pales and swallows hard, battling whatever nausea is plaguing her this morning. “Oh, this is so not fun.”

“You know, it’s rude to listen to other people’s conversations,” he mutters.

“I wasn’t listening.” She sucks in air through her nose. “He was lying next… to me… and talking loudly.” Maylie covers her mouth as if she can hold it back with her palm.

I can’t help but notice the sharper angles of her jaw and collarbone as she leans forwards to ease the nausea. Mace is right—she’s lost so much weight during this pregnancy, no wonder he’s losing his shit. He’s never going to get her pregnant again after this, no matter what Maylie wants.

“You okay?” Riot asks, his words threaded with worry.

“Uh-huh.”

She’s so not okay.

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