Page 17 of Falling Hard

I blinked.What? As Ryder’s arms unwrapped from around me, I was still blinking at Dad. “Um, sure,” I stammered, and then composed myself. “What’s wrong?”

I tried to be in the moment, but my body was tingling from his rough touch. In fact, all I could think about was Ryder’s arms wrapped around me moments ago.

“Nah.” Maiden intervened while giving Ryder a look to say to step the hell away. “Not now.”

“Have to, brother,” Dad said firmly. “It’s been two months. She needs to know.”

I frowned. “Know what?”

Dad and Maiden shared a look. Maiden clearly didn’t want me to know whatever it was, and Dad seemed determined it was time I was told.

“Can we have a word?” Maiden’s words were short, and his eyes locked with Dad’s.

The two of them disappeared around the corner.

I was awkwardly left with Ryder when Grit also took off after them.

“So who do you answer to?”

My head snapped in the direction of Ryder. “What?”

“Maiden’s got a hard-on for you, but you’re clearly Hammer’s, so which one do you answer to?” He looked at me with no judgment. “Or do they share you?”

I just stood there for a few moments before I realized he actually expected a reply. Heavy boots stomping this way stopped me from snapping at him and pointing it out to him that I was neither.

“Emmie.” Maiden’s tone took my full attention. It was tight with emotion, and it sent a wave of nausea through my body because he had used that tone on me once before, and the news he’d delivered then, cost me my best friend for a year.

As I stared at him and read his body language, I slowly started to shake my head. “No,” I said, fear wrapping itself around my neck, slowly strangling me.

“It didn’t happen on purpose.” Maiden’s words brought no comfort to me.

Tears sprang to my eyes. “I can’t hear this… I just can’t…” My hands tightened into fists, not out of anger but out of anxiety. I couldn’t hear it. I didn’t want to hear it.

“Emmie…”

“Don’t!” I put my hand up. There was nothing he could say that would make this better or make me feel better. The tears ran down my cheeks freely now.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, still clenching my fists. “We’ve been together for a week.” That was what hurt me the most. We had been one-on-one for a week, and he would have known.

Maiden opened his mouth, and I knew it would be another empty ‘sorry’ or ‘I didn’t mean it.’

I knew it was part of the lifestyle, but that wasn’t bringing much comfort to me right now.

My breathing started to get sharper as I struggled to inhale.

Dad’s hands landed on my shoulders. “Emmie, just breathe, sweetheart.”

Breathe? Breathe? Maiden was going back to prison. How the hell could I breathe right now?

“I told you she wasn’t ready to hear it!” Maiden shouted at Dad while I firmly pushed Dad’s hands off my shoulders.

They rode for freedom, and they lived for thrills, but those thrills cost them what they were riding for, to begin with.

“Stop, sweetheart.” Maiden took Dad’s place in front of me, and it was the first time he touched me after what happened between us. “We got through it last year, so we can do it.”

My vision was slightly blurry as I looked up into his eyes. “You promised me.” With those three words, the reality of the situation caused the guard I kept up to shatter, and I took off.

I weaved past him and Dad, but Grit’s hand locked on my arm, and he said, “You haven’t heard it all yet, little Emmie. Let us finish.”

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