Page 40

DASH

The way she’s slumped in that shit plastic chair has my heart in my throat. She hasn’t left my side, not for a fucking second, and I’m a heartbeat from calling in reinforcements to pry her out of the room.

There’s a knock on the door and Riot steps inside. His gaze slides to Dayna before coming to me.

“She needs to go home,” he says.

“I’ve tried. She won’t leave.”

He pulls his phone out. “She will if the girls tell her.”

I raise a brow. “You’re gonna hit her with an intervention?”

He snorts. “If that’s what it takes to get her pregnant fucking self to rest.” He finishes the message and tucks his phone away. “She ain’t left your side for a second. Old lady material right there.”

My body has felt cold since I woke with my insides stitched together, but that makes my chest warm. “I love her, and I’m pretty sure she loves me.”

Riot nods. “I was wrong about her.”

“She’s really good at hiding her true self,” I say, letting him off the hook. He and Mace both warned me away from Dayna. I’m so fucking glad I didn’t listen.

“You remember much about what happened?” he asks.

I stare at the ceiling above me for a second. “I remember all of it. Did Riley and Blade get out?”

He glances at Dayna, checking she’s still asleep. “Riley had a few scratches, nothing bad. Blade was shot, but he’s like a fuckin’ cockroach. He’ll survive.” He leans against the wall.

“Nic shot Grub.”

The image of his head blown open like a watermelon flashes through my mind. “Yeah.”

“Fucker played us. Handed over money for our lives.” The fingers not laced with Dayna’s fist the sheet.

“We’ll burn his kutte,” he assures me.

“Nic in trouble for what he did?”

He saved my life, and I’ll never fucking forget it, but he also murdered a sitting VP. There’s gonna be blowback for that. Has to be.

“I don’t know. Ain’t no one ever done what he did.”

I blow out a breath and regret it when pain flares through my side, pushing through the drug haze. “They behind the other attacks?”

“Don’t know for sure, but it seems likely. Grub destabilised Crank’s rule by making him look weak.”

“Why, though?”

“Seize power. Crank’s never gonna stand down without a push. Maybe that fuck got bored of waiting to take the gavel and took shit into his own hands.”

It makes sense, but… I don’t know.

“Blade took a bullet in the line of duty. He was pissed Grub betrayed us. He wasn’t working with him.”

Riot lets that circle his mind for a moment. “He wasn’t working against us.”

“Not in that situation.”

“You think in others?”

“I don’t know.” And I don’t. I have zero evidence Blade is dirty, just a fucking hunch and a grudge.

“Might have to accept he’s on our side,” Riot says. His phone pings and he reads the message. “I’ll go get the girls. See if we can get your old lady home.”

“Thanks, brother. I really appreciate it.”

“Always.” Riot gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Thought you were dead. Don’t do that again.”

“I’ll try not to.”

He leaves and I doze, drifting on that numb wave from the opioids in my blood. When I wake again, Dayna is still slumped over the bed at an awkward angle.

Fuck, I hate her shoved in that chair like this.

I brush my fingers over her cheek, and she grunts then her lashes flutter.

“You need something?”

“You to go home,” I say, even though I know she’s going to argue.

She lifts her head. “You’re throwing me out?”

I don’t like the wounded tone of her voice. “I’m sending you home,” I correct. “Baby, you’re exhausted. You need to eat and sleep.”

Her fingers flex in mine, like she’s bracing to hold tighter if I make her leave. “I need to stay here with you.”

There’s a knock on the door. Dayna stretches and turns as Ivy steps inside.

“Hey,” Ivy says. Her voice is quiet, like this is a fucking library. She goes to Dayna, hugging her awkwardly against her side. “Nate told me what happened. You guys okay?”

“We’re okay now,” Dayna says, kissing my hand.

“So, no one is imminently dying?”

Dayna arches a brow before her eyes narrow on me. “Not yet.”

“Good, then you can come with me. Katie and Maylie are waiting outside. We’re taking you to eat and possibly nap.”

“Ivy—”

“No arguments. Up.” She doesn’t move.

“Go with her,” I say.

“This your idea? Bring in my friends to bully me to leave?”

“Riot’s. But I’m not against it.” The dark smudges under her eyes are stark against her pale skin. “I’m okay, Dayna. I got the good drugs in my IV, and the only worry I have is you passing out at my bedside.”

“I’m pulling out the guilt,” Ivy says. “You’re pregnant and you’re not losing that baby because you won’t rest. So, get up and fucking follow me.”

Dayna blinks at her, then heaves a sigh. “Fine. Who knew getting regularly dicked by a six-foot sculpted biker would make you such a bossy bitch.” She peels herself out of the chair, wincing and wiggling her back before she dips over the bed to kiss me.

I don’t want to let her out of my sight either, but this isn’t about me or what I need. “Take care of our baby,” I say.

It’s a week before they let me go home. I’ve never been so fucking grateful to sleep in my own bed with my old lady pressed against my uninjured side.

Dayna watches me like she’s scared I’ll bleed out on the sheets, but every day I feel a little stronger and a whole lot ready to get back to normality.

She slips a mug of coffee on the bedside table, but I grab her wrist before she can go.

“Come and lie with me,” I say.

There’s no argument as she crawls into our bed and rests her head on my chest. She’s careful where she puts her hands, avoiding the wound to my side.

For a moment, I just breathe her in, the feel of her against me, the curve of her bump pressing into my hip. It’s small, but noticeable now if she doesn’t hide it under her clothes.

My hand gravitates there automatically, like it always does, slipping under her shirt, skin to skin.

“Any nausea?”

She shakes her head. “I’ve got a new symptom though.”

I stroke her stomach. “Yeah?”

“Heartburn. I’m pretty sure I could breathe fire like a dragon.”

I kiss her head. “I’d take all the heartburn, all the hip pain, all the puking if I could.”

Dayna sighs dramatically. “Did you know that male seahorses have the babies, not the female? Why couldn’t I be a seahorse?”

My hand stills on her bump. “You been hanging out with Diesel again?”

I shove down the fucking jealousy that snakes through my gut.

“He was at Ivy’s when I was over there yesterday.” She yawns. “He’s totally weird, but I kind of like that about him.”

“His food habits are worse than your sandwich abomination.”

I caught her putting pickles, hot sauce, and peanut butter on a sandwich yesterday.

“I’m not taking responsibility for my cravings. You got me in this state.” Her fingers interlace with mine over our baby. “Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not planning on getting stabbed again, are you? I mean, I don’t want to make it all about me, but I can’t lose you.”

The vulnerability in her voice shreds me. I kiss her head. “No, babe. I’m planning on staying right here with you and our family.”

She’s quiet for a moment. “There’s something bad going on, though, isn’t there? In your club. Riot and Diesel seemed stressed.”

I consider lying to her, but I want her informed. Knowledge is power. It’s the thing that keeps her safe. “There is but we’re handling it.”

She lifts her head off my chest to peer up at me. “Don’t make me a single mother, okay?”

“Never. We’ve only just started building our family, baby.”

“You want more kids?”

“As many as you’ll give me.”

She relaxes against me, and I wince my side pulls. “Let’s get through this pregnancy first. If this kid is anything like me, you’ll be begging the doctor to tie my tubes.”

“If they’re anything like you, we’ll have the most amazing kid.”

Her phone buzzes and she groans before she wiggles to get it out of her pocket. She opens it and sits up so abruptly I gasp as my side flares with pain.

“Shit, sorry,” she grimaces. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s fine,” I push out between gritted teeth. “What the fuck was so important anyway?”

“Oh. Maylie’s in labour. Mace’ll be losing his mind.”

Before Dayna got pregnant, I would have made a joke about that, but knowing she’ll have to do that in a few months, I can’t bring myself to.

“That’ll be us soon.”

She groans. “Don’t remind me. My uterus is already pissed off.”

“You scared?”

There’s a pause while she thinks about it. “No, I’m not. I mean, I’m not looking forward to the pain and tearing and potentially shitting myself, but I want to meet our baby.”

I kiss her, soft and slow, my hands moving under her shirt to cup her breasts. She whimpers against my lips, melting into my touch for a second before she pushes me away.

“The doctor said no physical activity for another few weeks at least. That means the pussy is closed for the season, baby.”

I groan. “I’m dying without you.”

She kisses me. “I’m dying too, but in a few weeks, I’ll be in the second trimester and horny. We can fuck all day long.”

The wiggle of her eyebrows makes me chuff a laugh. “I fucking love you.”

“Good. Because I fucking love you too.”

My phone vibrates on the bedside table. I reach for it, grunting like I’m ninety and not twenty-fucking-eight.

“You should have let me get it for you, grandpa,” Dayna teases.

It’s a message from Riot. I expect it to be an update on Maylie. It’s not.

I read it.

Then read it again.

Then blink in case I’m hallucinating.

“Rhys? You okay?”

I shift my gaze to Dayna, her brows drawn together in concern. “No. Fuck.” I read it again, just to make sure I’m not fucking reading it wrong. Then I say, “Diesel just kidnapped a girl.”