Page 92 of Riot

Crank slaps my shoulder, and I almost recoil under his touch.

I don’t move until I’m sure he’s gone. Does he know what we’re doin’?

No, he can’t. If he did, me, Nic, and Mace would be fucking dead. Maybe Dash, too.

Crank’s always had a fucking flare for the dramatic.

“Woman! You can’t go in there! —Would youstop!”

I yank my head in the direction of the yelling, and my heart fucking stops.

For a moment, I blink, expecting her to disappear, but she doesn’t. Blonde hair wild around her shoulders matches the terror in her eyes, and a bundle is clutched to her chest like it’s part of her.

My whole fucking world is standing in front of me.

And we’re surrounded by enemies.

I thought I knew fear, but it was a parody of what it actually feels like. Because this? This is gonna end me.

As if she senses me, her gaze snaps to mine, and the relief almost knocks my feet out from under me.

A hundred terror-inducing scenarios pound through my brain. Fear drowns me.Why is she here?

I’ve been in a lot of dangerous situations in my life. I’ve walked on knife edges, flirted with death, but nothing compares to the barbed wire wrapped around my throat at this moment.

Ivy step forwards, towards me, but she’s yanked back.

And I see fuckin’ red.

My long strides eat up the space between us like it’s in my way, and as soon as I’m close enough, I shove the brother off her.

“Touch her again and I’ll fuckin’ kill you,” I hiss, pulling her behind me.

Shock reflects in his eyes, but the anger blazing in mine has him stepping back.

I don’t give him any space in my thoughts as I turn, scanning every inch of her in one quick flick of my eyes. No blood, no marks. Her eyes are red, though, and she’s only in socks. No jacket either, like the devil was on her heels all the way here.

What the fuck?

She looks at me like I’m her saviour, even as her breath hitches, choking the air from her lungs.

“I need to pay the cab.”

I glance at Riley, who is moving before I can ask. Then, I pull her against my chest, my heart racing. What the fuck happened to her?

I can feel the questions from Crank, from the others, but I ignore it all. My only concern is her and the baby she’s clinging to like a life vest.

Without a word, I guide her out of the bar and to my room. My body is vibrating with a hundred emotions I can’t name, but each one sticks to my throat like razors.

As soon as the door is shut behind us, she crushes herself into my arms and sobs.

Fuck…

“Baby, are you hurt?” My words are shredded, like shards scraped over stones. She doesn’t speak, just sobs. “Talk to me.”

She clings to my shirt like I’m the only thing keeping her anchored but not giving me anything. I press my forehead to hers, just soaking her in. “I’m gonna lose my mind if you don’t tell me what happened.”

Her breath is ragged. “I don’t know what to do. If it was just me, I wouldn’t care, but Seren?—”

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