Page 40 of Riot

He glares at me as I step away from the bar and swipe my finger over the screen to accept the call.

“Hey—”

That’s all I get out before her shaken voice is in my ear. “I’m so sorry for calling you, but I tried Maylie and Mace. Neither of them are answering. I didn’t know who else would pick up.”

Cold slides down my spine as Seren screams in the background. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Seren’s sick.” Another ice pick slides between my ribs when her voice cracks. “She won’t stop crying and she’s hot to touch. I called an ambulance, but it’s been ten minutes and nobody has come.”

I signal Riley over, ignoring the shake in my hands. “Keys,” I mouth to him, and he tosses his at me without a word.

I’m barely aware of anything as I push through the door into the parking area.

“Are you at home?” I bark down the line.

“Yeah.” She makes a soothing sound, trying to calm her daughter. Her screaming cuts through me. “What if something happens to her, Riot? What if the ambulance doesn’t get here in time?”

Fuck, she’s killing me.

“Take a breath, Vee.” She does, ragged and panicked, like she’s drowning. “That’s it, sweetheart. In and out. Just like that.”

I unlock the van and climb inside, jamming the key into the ignition. I hit the loudspeaker button before sliding the handset into the cradle on the dashboard. The sounds of her ragged breaths fill the cab, and my stomach is a bottomless pit as the engine roars to life.

“I’m sorry for calling, but I didn’t know what else to do. I don’t know where my sister is.”

“Hey, you always call me if you’re in trouble, you hear me? Always. I’m on my way. I’ll be there as fast as I can. Just keep talkin’ to me.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

She says it like I’m her fucking hero. I’ve never been anyone’s knight in shining armour, but fuck, I want to be hers.

“How long has she been like this?” I ask as I overtake a slow-moving car, darting into the opposite lane and narrowlyavoiding a collision with a vehicle coming in the other direction. I ignore the blaring of the horn as I slip back into my lane.

“She was fussy last night, and then this morning, she seemed lethargic. I gave her some medication, thinking she’d settle, but then she started crying and hasn’t stopped since.”

Invisible hands clamp around my throat as Seren’s high-pitched cry cuts through me.

“It’s okay. I’m almost there.”

I have no idea what the fuck I say to her in the next few minutes as I break every speed limit to reach their building. I use the fob to open the gate, frustrated at how long it takes to slide back, and as soon as I’m in the space reserved for their apartment, I cut the engine.

I lose connection with Ivy, and I curse, even though I’ll be with her in less than a minute. I want to hear her voice, to keep talking to her.

I sprint to the lift, stabbing the button to call it. The tin box feels claustrophobic as it climbs the floors. Every second stretches into hours.

By the time I reach the front door, I’m coming out of my skin. I can hear Seren from behind it, still making that distressed wail that turns my stomach to ice.

“Vee?” I yell her name even as I stride towards the living room and the sound of the cries.

Ivy’s tear-stained eyes meet mine, her cheeks drained of all colour while Seren’s are so red, they’re almost purple.

For a second, I just stare at them both, all thoughts emptying from my fucking skull. Then my brain kicks in.

I grab the changing bag from the side of the couch, slinging it over my shoulder before snatching up the car seat. “I got the van downstairs.”

“Riot.” She sobs my name, and even though I want to be moving, I cross the space between us and pull them both against my chest.

I breathe her in, my nose nearly in the crook of her neck, and she clings to me like I’m the only thing stopping her from going under.

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