Page 43 of Havoc

My heart softened. Riley hadn’t needed to open up like that, but I understood why she did. She wanted me to know I wasn’t the only one who’d lost someone or carried the weight of wanting to keep others safe. I reached out and placed my hand gently over hers.

“I can’t imagine what that must have felt like, sweetness. But I can promise you this—if there’s any way we can get our hands on that medication, we will. Dr. Harper runs a free clinic, and she’ll make damn sure it goes to the people who need it.”

She swallowed hard, her voice thick. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I’m not asking you to risk your life for strangers, no matter how desperate their situations. I don’t want to trade you for them.”

I felt something shift in my chest. This was the second time she’d shown concern for my safety. “You really don’t need to worry about me, Riley. I’m hard as fuck to kill. I’ve been shot, knifed, and run over by a fucking jeep once.” I pounded my chest with my fist. “One guy even tried to slit my throat in my sleep. But I’m still here.”

Her eyes widened and her gaze dropped to my neck. I saw the question forming and answered it before she could ask.

“Yeah, that’s why I got the neck tattoo—to cover the scar.” I tilted my chin to show her.

She reached out, fingertips brushing gently along the tattooed skin. Her touch was soft, reverent even, and something about it cracked me wide open.

“I’m glad you survived, Havoc,” she murmured. “The world would be a much poorer place without men like you.”

That was her telling me I mattered. That I was more than my past, more than my scars. I didn’t know how badly I’d needed to hear those words until they left her lips.

I reached across the table, slid her plate to the side, and patted the bench next to me. She didn’t hesitate, she just crawled over the bench and sat close.

I turned to face her. “Women like you are a rarity, Riley. You’re the kind of woman every man wants but none of us really deserve. And I’m putting you on notice right now—I’m gonna do my damn best to sweep you off your feet when all this is over. Mark my words, beautiful—I’m gonna make you mine or die trying.”

Her brows pulled together. “Are you sure you want me? Especially after what happened?”

“Fuck yeah! Can’t believe you’d even ask that.”

“You don’t know what he did. It was awful… emotionally scarring. I might end up being one of those women who have nightmares and wake up screaming.”

I gentled my voice. “I know what he did, sweetness. I saw the video. He slapped you, grabbed you, tried to drag you off. That’s exactly why I’m going to cram that badge he’s so proud of right down his fucking throat. No one—no one—hurts you and walks away from it.”

Her shoulders tensed. I could see how much it shook her to know we’d seen her vulnerable like that.

I covered her hand with mine. “You don’t need to feel ashamed. You did everything right, and the Dark Slayers are handling the rest. We’ve got the video, eyewitnesses, and Hacker’s digging up more dirt by the minute. That bastard’s gonna regret the day he ever crossed paths with you.”

She took a shaky breath. “Thanks for saying that. I’m not myself today. It’s hard feeling this off-kilter. Makes me question everything.”

“You’re strong, Riley. But even strong people can get knocked flat when it’s something they’ve never dealt with before. You’ve never been attacked. You’ve never had to file this kind of pain away in your mental filing cabinet. That’s all. You just don’t have a box for this yet.”

She leaned into me a little more, the warmth of her shoulder brushing mine. “So… you’re saying this is normal?”

“I’m saying this is human. And you’re doing better than most would.”

For the first time since the sun went down last night, I saw a genuine smile ghost across her face. And damn if it wasn’t the most beautiful thing I’d seen all day.

“Yeah, I see that now. What I want to know is how you got to be so smart all of a sudden.”

My hand came up, fingers brushing over the scar on my neck. “I’m not smart, Riley. I’ve just lived through that kind of trauma before, so I know what it’s like to deal with it for the first time.”

We ate in comfortable silence for a while, chatting about random topics that had nothing to do with Slater, drugs, or corruption. Just easy stuff. Things that let her smile without forcing it and gave me the chance to see the softness return to her face. When our plates were clean and our stomachs full, we leaned back against the bench, utterly content.

I hadn’t touched any alcohol with dinner. I’d wanted to stay clear-headed, and it ended up working out perfectly.

I glanced over at her and asked, “Want to go for another ride? A short one this time—to clear our heads.”

Her face lit up, making the idea feel even more right.

I grinned. “Our club has a cabin down by the lake. It’s the opposite direction from town, which means it’s away from the asshole we’re avoiding. It’s about an hour’s ride out there and an hour back. Quiet, peaceful. I figured you could use that. What do you think?”

She turned towards me, her eyes shining. “I think getting away for a couple of hours sounds perfect.”

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