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“It means you don’t tell me anything.” My voice cracked across the dark road. “You disappear every night. You don’t come home. You barely speak to me, and when I ask where you’ve been, all I get is club business.”
Riot’s eyes flicked briefly toward Reaper. The movement was small, most people wouldn’t have noticed it. I did and my stomach dropped.
“You should’ve taken a prospect,” he said.
I shook my head slowly. “That’s what you’re worried about?”
“I’m worried because I got a call telling me my wife had been run off the fuckin’ road!”
“And I’m supposed to feel grateful that you finally showed up?”
His face changed. “Finally?”
“You’re never there!” Anger and fear and every lonely night crashed together inside me. My eyes moved over him properly for the first time. His shirt was creased. His hair was loose around his shoulders. He smelled of cigarettes and the faint sweetness of perfume, there was something familiar about it, but my mind was racing too fast to make the connection. My chest caved in. “Whose bed have you just rolled out of?”
Riot stared at me as though I’d spoken another language. “What?”
“I asked whose bed you’ve just rolled out of.”
His hands dropped away from me. “Maria—”
“It’s obvious.”
“What’s obvious?”
“You’ve gone back to your old ways.”
Shock crossed his face, real, unmistakable shock and he took a step backward.
I wrapped Tiny’s jacket more tightly around myself. “You don’t come home. You disappear for entire nights, and you won’t tell me where you’ve been. You come back smelling like smoke and perfume.”
“Maria, I ain’t—”
“I know you’re fucking around.” The accusation hung between us.
Behind him, Reaper muttered a quiet curse. Riot didn’t look away from me. “You think I’m cheating on you?”
“What else am I supposed to think?”
“That I love you.” His voice was low and raw enough to hurt.
Tears burned behind my eyes. “Then where have you been? If you don’t tell me the truth, Riot, I’m done. I told you last time, if it ever happened again. I’d be gone.”
He opened his mouth, but not before looking at Reaper first.
“Don’t lie to me, Riot. Where have you been?”
42
RIOT
Maria’s eyes locked onto mine. “So, where have you been?”
For the first time in weeks, I was ready to answer. I didn’t care about club rules or who got pissed off. She deserved the truth.
I opened my mouth. “I’ve been—”
“Prez. VP.” Keno’s voice cut across the road. Nobody answered, but we all looked. He held something up from beside Maria’s wrecked car. “Think you need to see this.”
