Page 38 of Havoc

Pride surged in my chest. I couldn’t help teasing her. “Storm will be thrilled to hear that. I wouldn’t describe him as stingy by any stretch, but he fuckin’ loves bartering.”

“Who doesn’t?” Riley replied, grinning. “It’s a win-win.”

Gazing down at her, I felt my arms tighten around her. “You’re a woman after my own heart.”

She responded softly, “Well, if I wasn’t before, I certainly am now.”

I jerked my chin at her in invitation, and to my surprise, she understood without needing words.

“How about we cuddle up and get some sleep,” she said, “then see what things look like when we wake up?”

“You got it, beautiful.” I wasn’t sure if she was being serious or just reaching for the only steady thing in her chaotic world right now. Either way, I was there for it. She was in danger, and whatever decision she made to feel safe was the right one. There was no wrong answer when it came to surviving.

She lay down, still in her jeans and t-shirt. I settled in beside her and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her back against my chest.

“Thanks for not letting me go. I hate being this needy,” she whispered, a little embarrassed.

“This ain’t just for you, darlin’. It’s for me too. I need to have you near—need my hands on you to make sure you’re safe.”

She shifted closer, burrowing deeper into my arms. Her hand rested over mine. We stayed that way until her body softened and started to relax. Something about having her warm and peaceful against me allowed me to relax too. We were surrounded by my club brothers. No one could get to us here.

Just when I thought she’d fallen asleep, she murmured, “I feel safe with you, Havoc.”

I didn’t think, just answered, “I’m a natural-born protector, and I know how to fight fire with fire. You don’t have to worry about being safe as long as I’m on the job.”

She turned slightly, peeking over her shoulder. When our eyes met, I saw a world of doubt there, heavy and real. “Don’t let go. Promise me.”

I didn’t know whether she meant physically or metaphorically, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to let her go in any way. I pulled her tighter and whispered, “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Slater will get you when he pulls you from my cold dead hands. And trust me, that fucking asshole’s fighting skills are a joke compared to mine.”

“Alright,” she said, steady and soft. “I’m gonna trust you on that as well.” After a pause, she added, “If it comes down to me or you, pick yourself, okay?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to lie to her. She might be used to men who’d leave someone behind to save their own skin, but that wasn’t me. There was no version of reality where I would let her be harmed while I made a clean getaway. She didn’t press the issue, and I was grateful for that.

As we lay there, wrapped up together, she grew quiet. Her breathing slowed, deepened, and eventually became a soft, rhythmic hum. Knowing she could fall asleep like that—peaceful and protected—just made me fall for her harder.

I drifted off sometime later, right in the middle of planning the kind of hell I was going to rain down on the dirty cop who thought raping my woman was a clever idea. He’d regret the day he set eyes on Riley Dalton. And I’d make damn sure he wished he never messed with the Dark Slayers MC.

Chapter 13

Riley

The clubhouse was quieter than usual when we woke up in the late afternoon. There were lots of club girls but very few brothers in the bar. The imbalance was obvious—so much so that even I noticed.

I leaned towards Havoc and whispered, “Where are all your club brothers?”

His eyebrows rose. “Unless I miss my guess, they’re busy figuring out what’s going on with our friendly neighborhood stalker.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see if he was serious, but before I could ask, Storm’s deep voice answered for him.

“Good guess, Havoc. That’s exactly where they are.”

We walked over to the bar to find Rosie’s smiling face behind the counter. I’d met her before, and she was always warm and welcoming. Havoc dropped down onto the barstool beside Storm, and I took the seat on his other side.

“Good afternoon, sleepyheads,” Rosie said brightly. “You both want coffee, right?”

We nodded, and I murmured my thanks.

Havoc asked Storm, “Should I assume something popped off while we were sleeping?”

---